How applicant tracking systems read your CV
What ATS software looks for, the formatting habits that make it misread a CV, and simple fixes that keep your details readable.
What an ATS does
Large employers, banks, telecoms and multinationals receive hundreds of applications for a single post. Many use an applicant tracking system, or ATS, to collect them. The software turns your CV into plain text, splits it into sections and stores fields such as your name, contact details, job titles, dates and skills.
Recruiters then search and filter that text. If the system misreads your CV, a strong application can be hard to find.
What it looks for
- Standard section headings it recognises: Experience, Education, Skills.
- Job titles, employer names and dates in a consistent format.
- Words and phrases from the job advert, such as the job title and key skills.
- Contact details as plain text near the top.
Formatting that causes problems
- Text inside images, logos, icons or text boxes.
- Tables and multi-column layouts that read across instead of down.
- Headers and footers holding important details such as your phone number.
- Creative section names such as "My journey" or "What I bring".
- Unusual fonts, or symbols used instead of normal bullet points.
- Scanned CVs saved as images inside a PDF.
What helps
- A single-column layout for online portals.
- Standard headings and normal bullet points.
- The exact job title from the advert under your name, where it is honest.
- Skills written out in full, with common short forms too, for example "Search engine optimisation (SEO)".
- A text-based PDF, not a photo or scan of a printed page.
Does an ATS reject CVs automatically?
Usually the software ranks and filters rather than deletes. A recruiter might search for "Power BI" or "relationship manager" and open only the CVs that match. That is why matching the advert's wording matters as much as the layout.
How to test your CV
Copy all the text from your PDF and paste it into a plain text editor. If the order is jumbled, details are missing or headings run together, an ATS will struggle too. You can also paste your CV and the job advert into the free CVfor99 ATS checker to see which keywords you are missing.
Clarity and Portrait are the safest CVfor99 templates for online portals, and every template keeps the text real and selectable in the PDF.