What is an ATS?

An ATS is recruitment software used by companies to handle the entire hiring process, from posting jobs to making offers. When you apply online, your CV typically doesn’t go straight to a human. Instead, it’s first scanned, sorted, and ranked by this software.

Think of an ATS as a digital filing cabinet - but smarter. It collects CVs, scans them for specific information, and highlights the ones that best match the job criteria. Early systems just stored CVs electronically, but today’s versions are more advanced. Many can post jobs to multiple sites, auto-respond to applicants, schedule interviews, and even integrate with other HR tools.

Popular ATS platforms include:

Workday
Oracle Taleo
SAP SuccessFactors
Greenhouse
Lever
iCIMS

These are used by companies ranging from fast-growing tech startups to global corporations.

How Does an ATS Work?

Once you hit “submit” on your application, the ATS springs into action. Here’s what typically happens:

Parsing: The system scans your CV to pull out structured data like your name, job titles, education, and skills.
Keyword Matching: The ATS compares your CV with the job description. It looks for specific keywords and phrases that match the role.
Ranking: Based on how well your CV aligns with the job ad, the ATS may score or rank your application.
Filtering: Recruiters can then filter candidates by keyword, experience level, location, and other criteria.

If your CV lacks the right words or is formatted in a way that the software can’t read, it might get discarded before a human ever sees it.

Why Should You Care?

Because ATS software is everywhere - used by nearly all large employers and increasingly by mid-sized firms too.

Here’s why that matters:

You might be rejected before you’re reviewed. If your CV doesn’t contain the right keywords or uses a design the software can’t read, it could be skipped altogether.
Even qualified candidates get missed. It’s not uncommon for great applicants to fall through the cracks simply because they didn’t optimise their CV for the software.
First impressions start with a machine. Your goal is to get past the ATS so that a real person can actually assess your suitability.

That’s why learning how to write an ATS-friendly CV is a small investment that can have a big payoff.

Tips to Optimise Your CV for ATS

1. Use Keywords from the Job Description

Scan the job ad and identify key phrases - things like “project management”, “stakeholder engagement”, or “data analysis”. These should appear naturally in your CV if they reflect your experience.

For example, if the job ad lists “CRM tools” or “budget forecasting”, include those terms somewhere in your responsibilities or skills section.

Bonus tip: If both an acronym and full term are used, include both. Write “Customer Relationship Management (CRM)” instead of just “CRM”.

2. Stick to Standard Headings

Use familiar headings like:

Profile or Summary
Work Experience
Education
Skills
Certifications

Avoid creative section titles like “What I’ve Done” or “Career Highlights” – these may confuse the ATS.

3. Keep the Layout Simple

Avoid:

Tables
Columns
Graphics
Text boxes
Logos or images

Stick to a single-column format. ATS software reads left to right and top to bottom - multi-column CVs can confuse the parser, making your content unreadable.

4. Use Plain Fonts and Bullets

Choose common fonts such as Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, or Verdana. Keep font sizes between 10–12pt.

Stick to standard round bullets (•) or simple dashes. Avoid special characters, icons, or tick marks.

5. Put Important Info in the Main Body

Don’t place your name or contact details in a header or footer. Many ATS tools ignore these sections. Put everything important - especially your contact details - into the main body of the document.

6. Avoid Unreadable Formatting

Steer clear of underlining, superscript/subscript, or unusual symbols. Bold or italics are fine, but keep them to a minimum. The goal is readability - for both machines and people.

7. Use the Right File Format

Most systems can read Word (.docx) or text-based PDF files. Word is often safest. If you use a PDF, make sure it’s not just an image of your CV (which ATS can’t read). Never submit .pages files or formats like JPG or PNG.

8. Tailor Each Application

Generic CVs rarely perform well in ATS systems. Instead, tweak your CV slightly for each job by reordering content, rephrasing bullets to match the role, or adding relevant keywords.

For example, if a role focuses heavily on “agile methodologies”, make sure that term appears prominently in your CV if applicable.

9. Proofread (Seriously)

Spelling mistakes can confuse the software and hurt your credibility. Use a spellchecker and grammar tool, and try saving your CV as plain text to spot any formatting issues.

Real-World Example

Imagine a job ad mentions “social media campaigns”, “SEO”, and “analytics tools”. If your CV says, “Managed online content,” you might be passed over - even if you’ve actually run campaigns and used analytics tools.

Instead, try this:

“Led social media campaigns across multiple platforms, using SEO techniques and analytics tools to increase engagement by 30%.”

Now the software (and the recruiter) knows you’ve got the goods.

What Not to Do: The Infographic CV

They may look trendy, but graphic-heavy CVs rarely work well with ATS systems. Charts, graphs, icons and colourful layouts can break the parsing process. Unless you’re directly emailing a creative CV to a person who’s expecting it, keep it clean and simple.

Summary

Applicant Tracking Systems are now a standard part of the job application process. They’re not going away, and ignoring them can hurt your chances of even being seen by a human recruiter.

But with a few smart changes - clear formatting, targeted keywords, and a bit of simplification - you can get your CV past the gatekeeper and into the hands of someone who can offer you an interview.

So, next time you apply for a job, remember: before impressing a hiring manager, you need to impress the machine.