How To Beat Applicant Tracking System in 11 Steps

How to beat the applicant tracking system so your CV or resume gets read by a human

Can you beat applicant tracking systems? What is an ATS friendly resume? Does yours have all the keywords it needs and is it optimised to beat the applicant tracking systems? Can you just add the same keyword to it and submit the job application?

These are questions we hear from job seekers.

With over 75% of recruiters and employers now using recruitment software to select and manage applicants throughout the recruitment process, it’s crucial that your CV or resume appeals to both humans and the “machines”.

An introduction to the applicant tracking system

You may have heard people talking about ATS, which is an acronym for Applicant Tracking System. These are the overarching technology platforms used by organisations to manage their recruitment process, but it’s the CV / resume parsing and matching modules that we need to concern ourselves with.

What can an applicant tracking system do?

ATS have the ability to match applicant’s CVs and resumes to the entire job description and ‘parse’ the data in your CV / resume into the ATS.

Your CV or resume therefore needs to contain the right information so that the ATS judges you a good match for the role. It needs to be in a format that the ATS can easily read and parse, so when the data is transferred into the ATS, the information is transferred to the correct fields.

Be wary of free CV and Resume assessments

There are a number of automated CV and resume assessments available to job seekers that claim to judge how ATS-optimised your document is.

Be aware that the only true way to ‘score’ a CV or resume, as far as ATS optimisation is concerned, is to measure it against a job description or run it through a proper applicant tracking system.

It is possible for a CV or resume scanner to look for obvious omissions or errors. But if you take advantage of a so-called ATS scanner tool, be aware that receiving a score without a benchmark is flawed logic i.e., if your score is say 57%, ask yourself the question “57% of what?”.

Can you use free CV upload tools?

There are some CV and resume assessment tools that allow you to upload your document and role description and these provide a much more useful yardstick.

Should I use CV assessment tools that give tips?

There are also some useful CV and resume assessment tools that provide hints and tips. Just be aware that as far as ATS optimisation is concerned, some are more of a clever sales pitch than a tool with any scientific foundations.

How to beat applicant tracking systems to get seen by a human being in your job search

Aside from the effectiveness of various CV and resume assessment tools, the logic of optimising your CV or resume for recruitment software is still a good one. Here are some quick wins to make sure your CV or resume appeals to both humans and the machines.

1. Choose the right file type

The type of document you use for your CV / resume matters and Microsoft Word has historically been safer than PDF. Although many newer ATS are able to read PDF, some of the older technologies struggle with this format.

Arguably, a PDF file is better for those ATS that are able to read PDF documents, so look out for any instructions when making your application.

*Note: some job descriptions will tell you which type of file you should submit for that job posting.

2. Nail your CV Structure

When structuring your CV / resume, the format you choose is essential, and a chronological style is the most accepted format for professionals. Display your roles in reverse chronological order and avoid features such as sidebars and funky layouts as they simply confuse applicant tracking systems.

3. Avoid graphics

Graphics such as logos are not advised and headers, footers and tables can cause issues.

4. Don't use fancy formats

ATS cannot deal with fancy formatting and they may affect your CV / resume’s appearance once it has been parsed by recruitment software.

5. Use sensible headings

Headings are also important!

Firstly, make sure your CV / resume has headings, and secondly, make sure they are commonly used ones.

Having a ‘Work History Synopsis’ may sound cool, but the bots won’t have the faintest idea what on earth that section is. ‘Professional Experience’ or ‘Career History’ on the other hand, is a much more optimised heading that matches what the software is programmed to find.

6. Write well known job titles

Do you have an unusual job title?

It may be a good idea to change it to a more well-known version. ATS are not programmed to find every possible variation of a job title, so commonly used job titles are much more effective.

Are you concerned about how a recruiter or potential employer might feel about changing your job title?

You could use the more commonly used variant and add your actual job title alongside in brackets.

Having your job title, or at least how you professionally describe yourself, after your name, is a great tactic to signpost your CV / resume and help the bots figure out what you are.

7. Optimise for keywords

Keywords are crucial as the ATS algorithm is looking for a match between the right keywords on your CV / resume and the keywords on the job description; so avoid keyword stuffing.

Ensuring you include relevant keywords in your CV / resume throughout the experience sections and in your profile will ensure you meet the requirements of ATS.

8. Write content that aligns with the job posting

The general content of your CV / resume is also crucial, making sure the descriptions of your positions are aligned with the requirements listed in the job description.

9. Demonstrate your accomplishments

Accomplishments are one of the most important elements of a CV / resume as far as a recruiter or employer is concerned.

Some ATS are clever enough to look for £, % and other statistical indicators that you have succeeded in your role.

Make sure your CV / resume is at least 30% focused on outcomes, and this can have a positive impact on beating the applicant tracking systems and getting the attention of the recruitment decision makers.

10. Use easily readable fonts

Fonts can play a small role in your CV / resume’s readability, so play it safe and stick to common serif or sans serif fonts such as Arial and Calibri.

11. Think carefully about using acronyms

When using acronyms, it’s important to ascertain how likely it is that a recruiter will be searching on the abbreviation or the long form version.

Applicant tracking systems: FAQs

If you've just started job searching, you've likely compiled some bullet points of your previous job titles along with some relevant information about your core skills into a word document and you're hoping for the best.

Take a look at some of the commonly asked questions when it comes to producing a CV that's optimised to beat the applicant tracking systems.

What is the primary purpose of an applicant tracking system?

The primary purpose of an applicant tracking system, or an ATS, is typically to help organisations to manage their entire recruitment / talent management process. However, its functionality is not limited to these purposes.

Other purposes include:

job postings on job boards
CV importing
CV parsing
CV matching
candidate tracking
analytics
onboarding

Is the applicant tracking system (ATS) important?

Yes. An astonishing 70% of CVs are rejected by the applicant tracking system in the hiring process and consequently never get read by a human.

There are several tactics that are needed to avoid this from happening. To highlight the complexities of ATS optimisation, I have picked a scenario that many contractors will know well.

What's an example of how hiring managers use applicant tracking systems in the recruiting and hiring process?

Let's say a recruiting team is looking for an IT Project Manager in Preston.

It's unlikely that they will consider candidates as far away as Southampton because:

There will be ample Project Managers in the vicinity of Preston, partly due to the operational challenges of arranging interviews for candidates in Southampton when the client is based in Preston
Relocating / work away from home scenarios pose more risk than the alternatives.

Now if it was a really high-profile Programme Director role with only a hand full of suitable candidates across the UK, this rule may not apply. But mid-market and below, it’s aggravation the hiring manager and employer simply does not need.

So the hiring manager would use the applicant tracking system to filter out possible job applicants who live outside a particular radius of Preston.

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How to beat the applicant tracking system