Guides
How ATS screening works — and how to get past it.
Most mid-size and large employers run applications through an applicant tracking system before a person reads a word. Here's what that actually means for your application — plainly, and without the scare stories.
What an ATS actually is
An applicant tracking system is, at heart, a database with a workflow attached. It stores every application, lets recruiters search and filter them, and moves candidates through stages. When you apply online, your CV is parsed — its text extracted and filed under headings like work history, skills and education.
The “screening” part is usually more mundane than the reputation: recruiters search and sort that database by keywords, and the system surfaces the closest matches first. Your application is rarely deleted by a machine — it's ranked, and if it ranks low, it may simply never reach the top of the pile.
How screening typically works
Keyword and requirement matching
Recruiters search for the skills, tools and titles the role needs. If the posting asks for “stakeholder management” and your CV says it, you surface; if it only implies it, you may not.
Knockout questions
“Are you authorised to work in the UK?” “Do you have 3+ years in X?” Wrong answers here genuinely can end an application automatically — answer them carefully and honestly.
Ranking, not rejecting
Most systems order candidates by match rather than binning them. Your goal isn't to “beat the robot” — it's to land high enough that a person reads you.
Three myths worth ignoring
“A robot rejects you for the wrong font.”
Formatting issues can make your CV hard to parse, but no mainstream system auto-rejects on typography. Simple layouts are about being read correctly, not tricking a machine.
“You must stuff every keyword from the posting into your CV.”
Keyword stuffing reads badly to the human who sees your application next. Mirroring the genuine language of the role — where it's true of you — works far better.
“75% of CVs are never seen by a human.”
That widely quoted figure has no verifiable source. Many applications do get filtered early, but usually by knockout questions or recruiter review, not an autonomous robot.
What actually helps
- Mirror the language of the posting where it's genuinely true of you — if they say “roadmap ownership”, use that phrase, not a synonym a search won't find.
- Keep formatting simple: standard headings, no text boxes, no tables for layout. Parsing errors come from exotic templates, not fonts.
- Evidence the must-haves near the top. Recruiters skim the first third of a CV; the ranking often weighs it too.
- Apply to roles you actually match. No formatting trick compensates for missing the core requirements — better to find roles where you're genuinely strong.
Where Pursuit fits
Pursuit scores every live role against your profile and your CV, and on any job you can run an ATS check: it reads the full description, extracts the must-have requirements and shows which ones your CV already evidences — with a plain verdict before you spend an evening applying. If you want a cover letter, it drafts an editable one only when you ask. See what the check looks like.
Free to set up. Nothing is ever applied for without you.