ATS explained — how UK employers actually filter CVs

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is software that ranks and filters CVs based on the job spec. If your CV isn't formatted for machines, it never reaches a human — no matter how strong your experience is.

What ATS looks for

• Keyword match to the job description (usually 60–70% overlap).
• Standard section headings: Summary, Experience, Education, Skills.
• Simple structure — no columns, tables, text boxes or images.
• Consistent date formats (Jan 2022 – Present).
• Common fonts: Arial, Calibri, Georgia.

The 5 formatting mistakes that break ATS

• Two-column CVs — most ATS reads left-to-right and mixes the columns.
• Text inside images (icons for skills, logos) — invisible to ATS.
• Headers/footers with contact details — often stripped out.
• PDFs with unusual fonts or heavy graphics.
• Creative section names ('My Journey', 'What I Bring') — ATS looks for standard labels.

How to check your CV's ATS score

Paste your CV into a plain text editor. If it looks scrambled, ATS will too. Then compare its keywords against the job spec you're targeting.

ATS isn't your enemy — it's a filter. Write for it, and you'll clear the first gate on every application.