Your CV and applicant tracking systems (ATS): what really matters

Many employers sort applications in recruitment software, an "ATS". It is often described as a black box that rejects CVs at random. The reality is simpler: a clear CV that uses the words of the job ad does well.

Updated on 1 October 2026

What an ATS is, and what it does

An ATS (applicant tracking system) is software that receives applications, files them and lets the recruiter find them again. It reads your CV, extracts the text (job title, dates, skills) and sorts it into fields. In most cases it does not reject CVs by itself: it organises them, and a person then searches by keyword or goes through the list.

Two consequences: your CV must be readable by a machine, and it must contain the words the recruiter will type.

A layout the software reads well

Real text, not an image or a scan: if you cannot select the text, the software cannot read it either.
A single column, or simple columns: very fragmented layouts scramble the reading order.
Standard section titles: "Experience", "Education", "Skills". Overly creative headings are not recognised.
Consistent dates ("2021 – 2024") and a clear job title for every role.
Nothing hidden in the header, the footer or an image, contact details included.
A PDF exported from a word processor or a CV editor, rather than one flattened from an image.

Keywords: reuse those of the job ad

Read the advert and note the skills, tools and job titles that come up. If your experience matches, use the advert's own words: "customer relationship management" rather than "looking after people", "SAP" rather than "management software".

BeforeManaged orders and suppliers across the company.

AfterTracked orders and chased suppliers on SAP, covering 80 regularly out-of-stock items.Illustrative example. If the advert says SAP and you really use it, that is the word to write.

The golden rule: write only what is true. A keyword you do not master will show in the interview. Keyword stuffing, especially in invisible white text, is spotted and counts against you.

One CV per job: tailor without starting over

Keep a complete base CV.
For each advert, note the five or six keywords that recur.
Adapt the summary and the order of your bullets to put forward what answers them.
In the skills section, put first the skills the advert asks for, if you have them.

Myths to set aside

"A CV needs no formatting at all." False: a neat, simple, readable CV is fine.
"A 90% ATS score guarantees an interview." False: most systems do not score like that, and a person decides.
"The more keywords, the better." False: every word must match something you have done.