An applicant tracking system (ATS) is the software many employers use to collect and sort job applications. When you apply online, your CV usually goes into one of these first. It reads the text, files your details, and helps recruiters search and shortlist candidates.
Large employers, recruitment agencies, the NHS and the Civil Service all use them. So it's worth making sure the system can read yours properly.
What goes wrong
An ATS reads text. Problems happen when it can't find the text, or can't tell what it is:
- Text inside images. A CV saved as a picture, or designed in a graphics app, may come through blank.
- Important details in the page header or footer. Some systems skip these, so your name or phone number goes missing.
- Unusual section names. "My journey" instead of "Experience" can leave the system unsure where your jobs are.
- Complicated layouts. Text boxes, columns built from tables, and icons in place of words can scramble the order of your details.
How to make your CV easy to read
- Use standard headings: Profile, Experience, Education, Skills.
- Keep your name and contact details in the main body, at the top of the page.
- Use the words from the job advert. If it asks for "patient assessment" and you've done it, say "patient assessment", not just "looking after patients".
- Write dates the same way every time, for example "Apr 2021 – Present".
- Send the file type the employer asks for. If they don't say, a text-based PDF or a Word document both work for most systems. Never send a scan or a photo of your CV.
What about keywords?
Recruiters often search for specific skills or qualifications. Using the advert's own words for things you've genuinely done helps you show up. Don't paste in words you can't back up; a person reads the CV after the software does, and so does the interviewer.
How Shortlisted handles this
Every Shortlisted CV is a real text document, so systems can read every word, and our Classic and Ledger designs keep to a simple structure that's safest for large employers.