ATS CV Facts, Myths and Keywords: What Applicant Tracking Systems Really Do

What an ATS is

An applicant tracking system is software that helps employers manage recruitment: receiving applications, storing them, letting recruiters search and filter, moving candidates through stages and handling communications. Many larger employers use one; smaller employers may not.

Capabilities vary by product and by how each employer configures it. That variability is the most important fact about ATS — and the reason most confident generalisations about them are unreliable.

Common myths

Myth: "75% of CVs are rejected by ATS before a human sees them"

Figures like this circulate widely but are rarely traceable to robust, current research. We do not repeat them. In many processes, recruiters search or review applications themselves; automated rejection usually depends on employer-set criteria such as knock-out questions (for example, right to work or a required qualification).

Myth: "Your CV needs an ATS score of 80% or more"

Online "ATS checkers" produce scores based on their own methods, typically keyword overlap with a job description. They do not represent the scoring of any particular employer's system. A score can be a rough prompt to check terminology, but it is not evidence that a CV will succeed, and chasing a number can make a CV worse for human readers.

Myth: "Hide keywords in white text"

Hidden text can surface when a CV is parsed or viewed as plain text, and a human reviewer who notices it is likely to reject the application. Do not do it.

Myth: "PDFs cannot be read by ATS"

Many modern systems handle text-based PDFs. Scanned image PDFs are a problem because they contain no machine-readable text. Follow the employer's stated format if they specify one.

Facts worth acting on

• Parsing can be imperfect. Complex layouts — multi-column designs, tables, text boxes, headers and footers, icons — may not be extracted cleanly by every system.
• Recruiters search. Using the specific terms a role requires (for example "IEC 61508", "DFMEA", "Python", "CEng") makes you findable.
• Knock-out questions matter. Answer screening questions accurately; they are often where automatic filtering actually happens.
• Humans decide. UK regulators expect safeguards on automated decision-making. The ICO's guidance on automated decision-making and profiling explains individuals' rights, and DSIT's responsible AI in recruitment guide sets out good practice for employers.

A sensible ATS-friendly format

1. Single column, standard section headings.
2. Common fonts, no essential information in images or headers/footers.
3. Dates in a consistent format.
4. Job titles and employers clearly stated.
5. Saved as a text-based PDF or Word, as requested.

Using keywords well

Take terms from the advert that genuinely describe your experience, and use them inside achievements, not only in a skills list. "Led DFMEA for a braking sub-system, closing high-severity actions before design freeze" serves both a search and a human reader. Our guide on tailoring your CV shows the full process.

The bottom line

Write for the human who will make the decision, and make sure nothing in your formatting prevents software from reading what you wrote. If you are still not getting interviews, the cause is often elsewhere — see why your CV isn't getting interviews. For an expert check of format and evidence, request Eich Dyn's free CV appraisal via the contact page, or build a structured, evidence-led CV with Career OS™ CV Studio.