Guide · CVs and ATS
How an ATS reads your CV, and how to get found
Before a person reads your CV, software often reads it first. This guide explains what that software sees, which parts of your CV get lost on the way, and what you can change today so your experience shows.
What is an ATS?
An ATS (applicant tracking system) is the software many companies use to receive and sort applications. When you upload your CV, the system turns it into text, splits it into sections (experience, education, skills) and stores it in a profile.
After that, the hiring team searches and filters: by keywords from the job post, by requirements such as a degree, years of experience, language or location, and more and more often with AI tools that compare your CV with the role.
What an ATS doesn’t see: your design
The system works with the text, not the look. These are the most common traps:
- Two columns: the text gets mixed when it is read left to right, and words can end up stuck together (“Power BI” becomes “PowerBI”).
- Icons for email, phone or LinkedIn: they disappear or turn into meaningless symbols.
- Bars or dots for your level (●●●●○): they mean nothing to the system. Write the level in words.
- Tables, text boxes, headers and footers: some systems misread them or skip them.
- A scanned PDF or one exported as an image: if you can’t select the text, the system can’t read it either.
Use the job post’s words
If the post asks for “SQL” and your CV says “built weekly reports”, a person may understand you used SQL; a keyword search won’t. Describe your experience with the post’s exact terms when they are true: “Built weekly SQL reports for twelve stores”.
This isn’t about copying the post. It’s about making every requirement you meet appear the way the company wrote it.
Show results, not just tasks
“Improved API performance” says what you did; “Cut API latency by 40%” says how well. Numbers (percentages, time saved, volume) make your experience stand out, for the filter and for the person who reads it next.
A safe format
Your CV doesn’t have to be plain. It only has to be easy for a machine to read:
- One column and standard headings: Experience, Education, Skills, Languages.
- Clear dates for every role (for example 03/2022 – present).
- A PDF with selectable text, or a DOCX.
- Your name and contact details in the body of the document, not only in the header.
A 30-second test
Open your CV as a PDF, select all the text (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A) and paste it into a plain text editor. What you see there is very close to what an ATS reads. If sections come out mixed, details are missing or words are stuck together, the system sees the same.
Frequently asked questions
Does an ATS reject CVs automatically?
It depends on the company. Many systems don’t reject on their own, but they rank and filter candidates by requirements and keywords, so a CV that doesn’t show what the post asks for may not come up when the team searches.
Does hiding keywords in white text help?
No. Hidden text shows up in the text version the recruiter sees, it’s easy to spot, and it can get your application rejected.
Is a PDF or a Word file better?
Both work if the PDF has selectable text. Avoid scanned PDFs or PDFs exported as images, and if the post asks for a specific format, use that one.