What is an ATS?
An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is software that automatically screens CVs before a human sees them. Studies show 75% of CVs are rejected by ATS before reaching a recruiter.
10 ATS Optimization Tips
- Use standard section headings — "Work Experience" not "My Journey"
- Include exact keywords from the job description
- Use a clean, simple format — avoid tables and columns
- Save as PDF or DOCX depending on what's requested
- Spell out abbreviations — "Project Management Professional (PMP)"
- Include your job title so ATS can categorize you
- Use standard dates — MM/YYYY format
- Avoid headers and footers — ATS often can't read them
- No images or graphics — text only
- Test your CV — paste it into Notepad; if it looks wrong, so will ATS
💡 The best ATS-friendly CV reads naturally to humans while strategically incorporating keywords. It's not stuffing — it's strategic alignment.
How to Find the Right Keywords
Copy the job description into a word cloud tool. The biggest words are your keywords. Include them naturally in your experience and skills sections.
💡 Use CVDoer's Job Match tool to instantly see which keywords are missing from your CV compared to any job description.