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The Complete ATS Guide
How applicant tracking systems actually read your CV — and how to stop getting auto-rejected.
Last updated: 11 June 2026
In this guide
1. What an ATS actually does
An Applicant Tracking System parses your CV into structured data (name, roles, dates, skills), then ranks you against the job description — mostly by keyword and phrase matching. Recruiters typically review only the top-ranked slice. If your CV parses badly or misses the role's language, a human may never see it, regardless of how good you are.
2. Keywords: the 80% factor
- Mirror the job description's exact wording. If it says "data visualisation", don't only write "dashboards". If it says "Power BI", name Power BI.
- Cover both forms of common terms: "Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)", "Customer Relationship Management (CRM)".
- Place keywords in context — inside achievement bullets, not just a skills list. "Built Power BI dashboards used by 30 stakeholders weekly" beats a bare "Power BI".
- Never keyword-stuff. White text, hidden blocks and unnatural repetition are detected by modern systems and look terrible to the recruiter who eventually reads it.
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3. Formatting rules that matter
- Single column. Multi-column layouts can scramble reading order during parsing.
- No tables, text boxes, headers/footers or graphics for important content — many parsers skip or garble them.
- Standard section headings: "Experience", "Education", "Skills" — not "My Journey".
- Standard fonts (Arial, Calibri, Georgia) at 10–12pt; dates in a consistent format like "Jun 2024 – Present".
- File type: a text-based PDF is fine for most modern systems; if the application asks for .docx, send .docx. Never submit a scanned or image-based PDF.
- Length: 1 page for graduates, 2 maximum with substantial experience.
4. Section-by-section checklist
| Section | What the ATS wants |
|---|---|
| Contact | Name, email, phone, location, LinkedIn — as plain text at the top, not in a header |
| Summary | 2–3 sentences with the target job title and 3–4 core JD keywords |
| Experience | Title, company, dates, then 3–4 quantified bullets with role keywords |
| Education | Degree name, institution, dates; modules/dissertation only if relevant to the role |
| Skills | Grouped (Technical / Tools / Soft) and consistent with what your bullets prove |
5. ATS myths to ignore
- "PDFs always fail." Outdated — text-based PDFs parse fine in modern systems. Image-based PDFs fail.
- "You need 100% keyword match." No system requires this; relevance and recency also score. Aim to cover the must-have skills convincingly.
- "One clever trick beats the system." The reliable strategy is boring: clean format, mirrored language, quantified achievements, tailored per application.
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