How to Get Your CV Past ATS in 2025

You spent three hours perfecting your CV. You tailored your bullet points, picked the right template, and triple-checked for typos. Then you hit "Apply" — and heard nothing back.

Chances are a human never read it. Most large employers run every application through an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) that filters candidates before any recruiter sees a CV. Studies estimate that 75% of resumes are rejected by ATS before reaching a human.

Here's exactly how ATS works — and how to beat it.

What Is an ATS?

An ATS is software that parses, stores, and ranks job applications automatically. When you apply online, the system:

1. Extracts text from your CV (often poorly)
2. Matches it against the job description using keyword scoring
3. Ranks candidates by match score
4. Passes only the top-scoring CVs to recruiters

Popular ATS platforms include Greenhouse, Lever, Workday, Taleo, and iCIMS. Each has slightly different parsing logic, but the principles below apply to all of them.

The Keyword Problem

The single biggest reason CVs fail ATS is missing keywords. ATS systems compare your CV against the job description and score how well your language matches.

If the job description says "stakeholder management" and your CV says "worked with executives," you'll score lower — even though they mean the same thing.

What to do: Read the job description carefully and mirror its exact language in your CV. Don't paraphrase skill names. If they write "Tableau," write "Tableau" — not "data visualisation tools."

Formatting That Breaks ATS

ATS parsers are not as smart as humans. These common formatting choices cause parsing failures:

• Tables and text boxes — content inside tables is often skipped entirely
• Headers and footers — ATS often can't read text placed there
• Graphics and icons — visual skill bars and infographics are invisible to parsers
• Multiple columns — reading order gets scrambled; your experience ends up in the wrong section
• Unusual section names — "Where I've Been" confuses parsers that expect "Experience" or "Work History"
• PDFs with non-selectable text — if your CV is a scanned image, ATS reads nothing

What to do: Use a single-column layout with standard section headers (Summary, Experience, Education, Skills). Submit as a text-based PDF or .docx file.

File Format Matters

Most ATS systems handle .docx best. PDFs work well if the text is selectable (not a scan). Avoid .pages, .odt, or image files entirely.

When in doubt, submit .docx. You can always ask to send a PDF version after you've passed ATS screening.

The Right Structure

ATS parsers expect CV content in a predictable structure. Follow this order:

1. Contact information — name, email, phone, LinkedIn (no photo, no date of birth)
2. Professional summary — 2–3 sentences with your key skills and target role
3. Work experience — reverse chronological, with job title, company, dates, and bullet points
4. Education — degree, institution, year
5. Skills — a clean list of tools and technologies, not a visual skill bar

Quantify Your Impact

ATS systems score based on keywords, but humans rank based on impact. The CV that passes ATS and impresses recruiters combines both:

• Use keywords from the job description in your bullet points
• Attach numbers to every achievement: "Reduced page load time by 40%" beats "Improved site performance"
• Start every bullet with a strong action verb: Built, Delivered, Led, Reduced, Grew

A Quick Checklist

• Does your CV use the exact keywords from the job description?
• Is it single-column with standard section headings?
• Are you avoiding tables, text boxes, and graphics?
• Is it submitted as a .docx or selectable PDF?
• Does every bullet point start with an action verb and include a measurable result?

If you answered "no" to any of those, those are your quick wins.

Test It Yourself

The fastest way to know where your CV stands is to run it through an AI audit that checks for ATS compatibility, keyword density, and section quality. Applyrift's free CV roast scores your CV across five dimensions in under 60 seconds — including a dedicated Keywords check to tell you exactly what's missing.