Here is the uncomfortable truth: if you are applying to any company using recruitment software — and most UK employers now do — your CV is being scored by an algorithm before it reaches a recruiter.
How ATS Actually Works
Applicant Tracking Systems parse your CV into fields: contact info, work history, education, skills. They then score you against the job description using keyword matching and weighted criteria. A poorly formatted CV or missing keywords can score you near zero even if you are the ideal candidate.
The Fixes That Actually Work
- Use the job title from the posting — exactly as written, somewhere in your CV
- Mirror keywords from the job description — not stuffed, but naturally included
- Use standard section headings — Work Experience, Education, Skills. Not "My Journey" or "What I Bring"
- Avoid tables and text boxes — most ATS cannot parse them correctly
- Save as .docx not PDF — unless the posting specifically requests PDF
Free Tools to Check Your CV
Jobscan and Resume Worded both offer free ATS checks. Run your CV against the job description before submitting. It takes five minutes and meaningfully improves your callback rate.