Top ATS Resume Tips to Get Hired Faster

Over 90% of large employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to screen resumes. If your CV isn't ATS-compatible, it may never reach a human recruiter — no matter how qualified you are.

In the UK, ATS screening is standard at major employers: NHS trusts, local councils, banks, retailers, and tech firms all use parsing software before a hiring manager sees your application. Understanding how these systems work is not optional in 2026 — it is the baseline for getting interviews.

What Is an ATS?

An ATS is software that parses, ranks, and filters job applications. It extracts text from your resume, matches keywords to the job posting, and scores candidates accordingly.

Common ATS platforms include Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, and Taleo.

When you upload a CV to an employer portal, the ATS typically:

1. Extracts text from your file (PDF or Word)
2. Maps content into fields: name, contact, experience, education, skills
3. Compares your profile against the job description keywords
4. Ranks you against other applicants
5. Passes a shortlist to the recruiter — or filters you out entirely

The system does not "understand" your career story the way a person does. It pattern-matches. That is why formatting and keyword alignment matter as much as your actual experience.

How UK Employers Use ATS

Different sectors apply ATS differently:

Large corporates and retail — Full automated ranking. Keywords and clean formatting are critical. Tesco, Sainsbury's, and BT use Workday-based systems where upload quality directly affects visibility.

Public sector — NHS Jobs and Civil Service portals parse uploads into structured forms. Missing sections or garbled text can leave fields blank even when your CV looks fine visually.

Recruitment agencies — Agencies often reformat CVs before sending to clients, but many still run initial keyword scans. Submitting an ATS-ready CV speeds up placement.

SMEs — Smaller companies may use simpler systems or even manual review, but online applications through Indeed and LinkedIn still trigger automated filters.

The safe approach: assume every online application passes through a parser. Build accordingly.

ATS Resume Tip #1: Use Standard Headings

Stick to conventional section names:

• Professional Summary (or Summary)
• Work Experience (or Experience)
• Education
• Skills

Creative headings like "My Journey" or "Superpowers" confuse parsers.

UK-acceptable alternatives that still parse well:

• Personal Statement (instead of Professional Summary)
• Employment History (instead of Work Experience)
• Qualifications (for certifications and professional memberships)
• Key Skills (instead of Core Competencies)

Avoid combining unrelated content under one heading. Keep education separate from certifications, and skills separate from hobbies.

ATS Resume Tip #2: Avoid Complex Formatting

Skip these ATS killers:

• Tables and columns with merged cells
• Headers and footers (contact info gets lost)
• Images, icons, and skill bar graphics
• Text boxes and shapes

Use our ATS-friendly templates for layouts that parse correctly every time.

Additional formatting rules:

• Use standard fonts: Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Georgia
• Font size 10–12pt for body text; 14–16pt for your name
• Bullet points: use simple round or square bullets, not custom symbols
• No text in margins, watermarks, or background images
• Avoid PDFs created from scanned documents — OCR quality varies wildly

The ATS simple resume template and ATS keyword optimised template are built specifically to survive parsing on UK employer portals.

ATS Resume Tip #3: Match Job Description Keywords

Extract 10–15 keywords from the job posting — skills, tools, certifications, and action verbs. Include them naturally in your experience and skills sections.

Example: If the posting mentions "project management," "Agile," and "Jira," ensure those appear in relevant bullets.

A keyword extraction method that works:

1. Paste the job description into a document
2. Highlight nouns and phrases that appear more than once
3. Note required qualifications (degree, licence, certification)
4. List software, methodologies, and sector terms
5. Assign each keyword to a bullet or skills line on your CV

Example mapping — Project Coordinator role

| Job description term | Where to place it on your CV | |---|---| | Stakeholder management | Bullet under most recent coordinator role | | Microsoft Project | Skills section + bullet mentioning project tracking | | Agile | Skills section + bullet about sprint planning | | Budget tracking | Bullet with £ amount managed |

Do not copy entire sentences from the job ad. Recruiters recognise pasted content. Instead, integrate terms into your own achievement bullets.

For skills section structure, see our CV skills section guide for the UK.

ATS Resume Tip #4: Choose the Right File Format

PDF is generally safe, but some older ATS prefer .docx. When unsure, check the application instructions. Our app supports one-click PDF export with clean, parseable output.

UK application format guidance:

• PDF — Default choice for most UK portals. Use a digitally created PDF, not a scan.
• Word (.docx) — Required by some public sector and legacy systems. Keep formatting simple.
• Plain text — Rarely requested, but useful for testing how a parser reads your content.

If a portal offers both upload and copy-paste fields, fill both consistently. Some systems parse the upload but display the pasted version to recruiters.

Never submit image files (JPG, PNG) or password-protected PDFs. Both fail immediately.

ATS Resume Tip #5: Test Before You Apply

Use an ATS checker or preview your resume as plain text. If sections appear jumbled or contact info is missing, reformat before submitting.

The resume score improvement tool in our app gives real-time feedback as you build.

Manual testing steps:

1. Copy all text from your PDF and paste into Notepad or TextEdit
2. Check that section headings appear on their own lines
3. Confirm job titles, dates, and company names are in logical order
4. Verify your phone number and email appear in the first few lines
5. If text runs together or columns merge, simplify your layout

If your contact details only appear in a header or footer, move them into the main body. Parsers routinely skip headers and footers entirely.

ATS Resume Tip #6: Don't Game the System

Hidden white text stuffed with keywords will get you rejected. Focus on genuine, relevant content that reflects your actual experience.

Other tactics that backfire:

• Listing every skill imaginable in white font
• Keyword blocks in 1pt text at the bottom of the page
• Using job titles you never held
• Submitting multiple CV versions with conflicting dates

Recruiters who do read your CV will notice discrepancies. Background checks and reference calls will expose exaggerations. ATS optimisation is about clarity and relevance, not deception.

ATS Resume Tip #7: Optimise Your Contact Block

Place contact information at the top of the first page in plain text:

Jane Smith
Leeds, West Yorkshire
07700 900123 | jane.smith@email.com | linkedin.com/in/janesmith

Avoid:

• Contact details inside a table cell or text box
• Icons replacing words (phone icon instead of the number)
• Multiple phone numbers without labels
• Personal details UK employers no longer expect: date of birth, marital status, full home address

A clean contact block ensures the parser captures your details and recruiters can reach you without hunting through the document.

ATS Resume Tip #8: Write Parser-Friendly Job Entries

Each role should follow a consistent pattern:

Job Title | Company Name | Location Start Date – End Date

• Achievement bullet one
• Achievement bullet two
• Achievement bullet three

Parsers use job titles and company names to build your employment timeline. Inconsistent formatting — sometimes putting the company first, sometimes the date — causes misreads.

For contract and temp work common in the UK, make the arrangement clear:

• "Administrative Assistant (6-month contract) — Agency Name, Sheffield — Jan 2024 – Jun 2024"
• "Warehouse Operative — Adecco, Birmingham — Various assignments, 2023 – 2024"

ATS Resume Tip #9: Handle Career Gaps and Unusual Paths

Gaps and non-linear careers confuse parsers less than you might think — but they confuse recruiters if dates are hidden or vague.

• Use month/year dates consistently
• Do not omit roles to shorten gaps — that creates timeline conflicts
• Briefly explain gaps in your cover letter, not with elaborate CV sections

See our employment gap CV guide for UK-specific framing advice.

ATS Resume Tip #10: Tailor Every Application

A generic CV ranks lower than a tailored one every time. The ATS compares your document to the specific job description, not a general industry profile.

Minimum tailoring per application:

• Adjust personal statement keywords
• Reorder skills to match priority terms in the posting
• Emphasise the two most relevant roles with stronger bullets
• Add any required certification or qualification prominently

Our CV maker app lets you duplicate a master CV, tailor it in minutes, and export a fresh PDF for each application — essential when applying to multiple roles weekly.

Common ATS Myths Debunked

Myth: ATS rejects all CVs with two columns. Reality: Simple two-column layouts with a narrow sidebar often parse fine. Complex multi-column grids with nested tables do not.

Myth: You need to include every keyword exactly. Reality: Semantic matching is improving. "Project management" and "managed projects" both help. Exact matches still score higher — aim for natural inclusion.

Myth: Creative CVs always beat ATS CVs. Reality: Creative layouts work for direct networking and portfolio roles. For portal applications, ATS-safe formatting wins.

Myth: No human ever reads your CV if you pass ATS. Reality: Passing ATS gets you to the recruiter. You still need compelling content to earn an interview.

ATS and UK CV Conventions Combined

British CV conventions and ATS requirements overlap more than they conflict:

| UK convention | ATS impact | |---|---| | No photo | Positive — images break parsers | | No date of birth | Positive — irrelevant data removed | | 1–2 pages | Positive — concise text parses faster | | British English | Neutral — use consistent spelling | | "References available on request" | Neutral — safe to include or omit |

Read our best resume formats for UK jobs for sector layout guidance that satisfies both conventions.

Get Hired Faster

Combine ATS best practices with a professional resume maker app that handles formatting for you. Read our guide on how to write a perfect CV in 2026 for a complete walkthrough.

Avoid the formatting errors that cost interviews — see resume mistakes to avoid for the full list.

Download free on Google Play and start building today. Browse ATS-safe templates, run the ATS optimisation checker, and export a CV that reaches real recruiters — not just the algorithm.