What does an ATS actually look for in a CV?

Applicant Tracking Systems scan your CV for exact keyword matches against the job description, parse your work history into structured fields (job title, company, dates, responsibilities), check for clean formatting it can read, and score you against the role. The system isn't reading for meaning — it's checking whether your CV contains the specific terms a recruiter has flagged as required. If your CV uses "client services manager" but the job description says "customer success manager", a strict ATS will rank you lower even if the role is identical.

How do I get my CV past an ATS?

Use the exact keywords from the job description (especially job titles and required skills), keep formatting simple (no tables, no text inside images, no fancy columns), use standard section headings like "Work Experience" and "Education", save as a .docx or text-based PDF, and quantify achievements wherever possible. The single biggest mistake is using creative language: if the job ad says "stakeholder management", say "stakeholder management" — not "relationship building".

How many CVs are rejected by ATS?

Approximately 75% of CVs are rejected by an ATS before a human ever sees them, according to multiple industry studies. The vast majority of those rejections are not because the candidate is unqualified — they're because the CV is formatted in a way the system cannot parse, or the keywords don't match closely enough. A well-qualified candidate with a poorly optimised CV will lose to a less-qualified candidate with a well-optimised one, every time.

Are ATS-friendly CVs and human-friendly CVs the same?

They overlap more than people think. A clean, simply formatted, keyword-rich CV is easier for both the ATS and the human recruiter to read. The trade-off comes with visual design: graphic CVs with custom layouts and creative typography may look impressive to a designer but get filtered out by the parser. The right approach is a clean, single-column layout with clear headings, standard fonts, and keywords that match the role — readable to both audiences without compromising either.

Does a longer CV beat the ATS better?

No. Length is irrelevant to the ATS — keyword density and match accuracy matter, not word count. Stuffing irrelevant keywords or padding with filler content can actually hurt you because it lowers your overall match score. The goal is high-signal content: every line should earn its place either by demonstrating relevant experience or by including a term the ATS is scanning for. Two pages is the maximum for almost everyone.

What ATS Actually Looks For — And How to Beat It | The Edge

You spent two hours on your CV. A machine spent 0.3 seconds deciding it wasn't good enough.

Applicant Tracking Systems — ATS for short — are the software that sits between you and a recruiter's inbox. Most companies with more than 50 employees use one. Some estimates put the rejection rate at 75% before a human ever looks. That means your CV needs to pass a robot before it gets to impress a person.

The good news: once you understand what ATS is actually doing, it's very fixable. No lying required.

What ATS Actually Looks For — and How to Beat It Without Lying — infographic by MonkCV

Save or share this — full breakdown below.

What ATS is actually doing to your CV

ATS doesn't read your CV the way a human does. It parses it — extracting text, stripping formatting, and comparing what's left against a list of keywords from the job description. It then assigns a match score. Below a threshold, you're out.

1Keywords Are Everything — Use the Job Description Against Itself

ATS matches words, not meaning. "Led a team" and "managed a team" are not the same to a machine. Copy the exact language from the job description wherever it honestly applies to your experience. If they say "stakeholder management," use "stakeholder management" — not "worked with senior leaders."

2Section Headings Must Be Standard

ATS looks for specific headers: "Work Experience," "Education," "Skills." If you've labelled yours "My Career Journey" or "Where I've Been," the system may not recognise it as experience at all. Stick to conventional, boring headings. You can be creative with the content.

3Tables and Columns Often Get Scrambled

Many CVs use two-column layouts or tables to look clean. ATS frequently reads these out of order — your job title might appear after your contact details, or your skills might get merged into your address. Single-column layout wins every time for ATS compatibility.

4Text in Headers, Footers and Text Boxes Is Often Invisible

If your name and contact details are in a Word header — which many templates use — ATS may not see them at all. Keep everything in the main body of the document. Same goes for text boxes and shapes. If it's not in the main text flow, assume the machine can't read it.

5File Format Matters More Than You Think

PDF is generally safe, but Word (.docx) is parsed more reliably by most ATS systems. Unless the job posting specifies a format, .docx is the safer bet. Avoid Google Docs exports that keep the Google Doc formatting — convert to a proper Word file first.

6Skills Sections Are Scanned Separately

Most ATS systems give extra weight to a dedicated Skills section. List relevant technical skills explicitly — don't just mention them buried in a bullet point. If the job requires "HubSpot" and you only mention it once inside a paragraph, you may score lower than someone who lists it plainly under Skills.

7Dates Need to Be Consistent and Clear

"Jan 2021 – Mar 2023" is fine. "2021-23" might not be parsed correctly. "Early 2021 to Spring 2023" definitely won't be. ATS systems try to calculate your total years of experience — vague dates hurt your score. Always use month + year.

8Acronyms and Abbreviations — Use Both

ATS may search for "Search Engine Optimisation" and miss "SEO," or vice versa. Write both — "Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)" — when you first introduce it. That way you match whichever form the system is searching for.

The bottom line

ATS isn't trying to trick you — it's just trying to sort. Tailor your language to the job spec, use clean formatting, spell things out clearly, and you'll pass. Everything after that is down to you.

Let MonkCV do the ATS work for you

Paste your CV and a job description. MonkCV rewrites it with the right keywords, clean structure, and an ATS match score — so you know it's ready before you send it.

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Sources & Further Reading

What ATS Actually Looks For — And How to Beat It Without Lying