What Is an ATS? How to Make Sure Your CV Gets Read

If you've applied for a job through an online portal, your CV almost certainly went into an applicant tracking system. Knowing what that software does, and what it doesn't, helps you write a CV that's both machine-readable and convincing to the person who reads it next.

What is an ATS?

An applicant tracking system is software that employers and recruitment agencies use to collect, store and manage job applications. Well-known examples include Workday, Taleo, Greenhouse, iCIMS and Bullhorn. Large employers use them almost universally, and many smaller companies and agencies use them too.

What it does with your CV

1. Parsing: the system reads your CV and pulls out information such as your name, contact details, job titles, employers, dates, education and skills.
2. Storing: your application goes into a database, often alongside thousands of others.
3. Searching and filtering: recruiters search that database by keyword, such as "project manager", "AutoCAD" or "NMC registered", and filter by things like location.
4. Screening questions: some applications include knock-out questions, for example "Do you have the right to work in the UK?". The wrong answer can screen you out automatically.
5. Ranking: some systems score how closely a CV matches the job description. A human still usually decides who to shortlist.

The "75% rejected" myth

You may have read that ATS software automatically rejects three quarters of CVs before a human sees them. That figure is repeated widely, but it has been traced back to a company selling CV software, and there's no reliable published research behind it.

The real risk is quieter. If your CV is hard to parse, your details may be scrambled or missing in the system. If it doesn't contain the words a recruiter searches for, it may not come up in their results. Either way, a person never gets to read it.

How to make your CV ATS-friendly

• Use standard headings such as "Work Experience", "Education" and "Skills", so the system knows what each section is.
• Mirror the job advert's language. If the advert says "stakeholder management", use that phrase where it's true, not just a synonym.
• Spell out acronyms once, for example "Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)", so either version matches a search.
• Keep the layout simple: a single main column, with important information in the body of the page rather than in headers, footers, text boxes or images.
• Write dates consistently, for example "March 2022 – present", so your career history is read correctly.
• Send a text-based PDF or Word file. A scanned image or a photo of a printed CV can't be read at all.
• Put job titles and employers on their own lines so they're easy to extract.

Tricks to avoid

• Hidden keywords in white text. Many systems show the parsed text to recruiters, so the trick is easy to spot and looks dishonest.
• Keyword stuffing. A list of 60 buzzwords might match a search, but the recruiter who opens your CV next won't be impressed.
• Skill ratings and charts. "Excel ●●●●○" means nothing to software and little to people.
• Copying the job description. Use its keywords where they're true for you, and back them up with real achievements.