How to Improve Your ATS Score and Get Past Automated CV Screening in 2025

Before your CV reaches a human recruiter, it almost certainly passes through an applicant tracking system, commonly known as an ATS. These software platforms are used by the majority of medium and large employers to manage the volume of applications they receive. The ATS parses your CV, extracts structured data, and scores it against the requirements of the role. Candidates below a threshold score are automatically rejected, sometimes without any human ever seeing the application. Understanding how this process works is no longer optional for serious job seekers.

The primary way an ATS scores your CV is by comparing the text it contains against the keywords in the job description. If the job posting asks for experience with project management and your CV uses the phrase "coordinating team deliverables" without ever using the words project management, you will lose points for that requirement even if you have years of relevant experience. The fix is straightforward: mirror the language of the job description in your own CV, using the exact phrases the employer has chosen, wherever they accurately describe your experience.

Section headings matter more than most candidates realise. ATS systems are trained to find sections labelled with standard headings such as Work Experience, Education, Skills, and Certifications. If you use creative headings like My Journey or Professional Accomplishments the parser may struggle to categorise your content correctly and your data may be misread or lost entirely. Stick to conventional, recognised headings throughout your CV.

File format is another common source of ATS failure. PDF files are now generally handled well by modern ATS platforms, but some older systems still struggle with them and prefer plain Word documents. When in doubt, submit a .docx file unless the application instructions specify otherwise. Never submit your CV as an image file or a heavily designed PDF created in tools like Canva, as these formats are largely unreadable by parsing software.

Tables, columns, headers, and footers are also problematic. Many candidates use multi-column layouts to fit more information onto a single page, but ATS parsers read left to right and top to bottom in a single flow. A two-column layout can cause your skills to appear mid-sentence in your work experience section after parsing. All important information should be in a single-column main body of the document.

Dates need to be formatted consistently. ATS systems look for employment dates to calculate tenure and identify gaps. Use a consistent format such as January 2022 to March 2024 or simply 2022 to 2024 throughout your CV. Inconsistent date formats can confuse the parser and lead to incorrect tenure calculations that lower your score.

For European candidates, there is an additional consideration around language. If you are applying for a role in a country where the primary language is not your own, make sure your CV is written in the language of the job posting unless the employer has explicitly requested applications in another language. Many ATS systems are configured to score CVs in the primary language of the role.

Arbeitly's AI CV builder analyses your CV against a specific job description and flags keyword gaps, formatting problems, and ATS risks before you submit your application. It gives you a concrete list of changes ranked by their likely impact on your score. Try Arbeitly free → /register