ATS
What does it mean?
ATS — Applicant Tracking System — is recruitment software that handles the flow of applications at medium and large companies. The system receives, stores and automatically analyses all incoming applications and CVs, and can filter out candidates based on keywords, experience and education requirements — before a human recruiter sees them.
Studies suggest that up to 75% of applications are never read by a person because the ATS rejects them in advance. That makes ATS optimisation essential if you apply to jobs at larger companies or via digital job portals.
How to optimise your CV for ATS:
1. Use keywords from the job posting. Copy concrete phrases — "project manager", "stakeholder management", "GDPR compliance" — into your CV where relevant and true.
2. Avoid complex layout. Tables, text boxes, side panels and graphics confuse many ATS systems. Use a simple, linear layout with standard fonts.
3. Use standard section headings. Write "Work experience", "Education" and "Skills" — not creative variants like "My journey" or "Superpowers".
4. Save as PDF (unless otherwise stated). PDF is the most stable format for ATS parsing.
5. Write dates correctly. Format periods as "Jan 2022 – Mar 2024" — inconsistency can disrupt parsing.
ATS systems vary by vendor (e.g. Workday, Taleo, Greenhouse). There is no single universal rule, but the principles above apply broadly.
Arbejd.com's CV builder automatically generates an ATS-friendly layout and suggests keywords based on the job posting you are interested in.
Magnus Villumsen
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