Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are software systems employers use to receive, organise, search and sometimes rank applications. Some modern recruitment systems use AI-assisted matching to compare a CV with the requirements of a vacancy.

There is no single formula that guarantees an ATS will select your CV. However, you can make your CV much easier for recruitment software and recruiters to understand.

1. Start With The Actual Job Advert

The biggest mistake is using exactly the same CV for every application.

Instead, take the vacancy you want and identify:

• Job title
• Required qualifications
• Required experience
• Technical skills
• Software or systems mentioned
• Industry terminology
• Duties
• Certifications
• Languages
• Soft skills specifically requested

For example, suppose you are applying for:

Procurement Graduate

The advert might mention:

• Supply Chain Management
• Procurement
• Supplier management
• Purchase orders
• Inventory
• Microsoft Excel
• Negotiation
• Data analysis
• Contract management

Those terms should appear naturally in your CV if you genuinely have those skills or experience.

Do not add a skill simply because you found it in the job advert.

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2. Use The Exact Job Title Where Appropriate

If the employer advertises:

Graduate in Training: Procurement and Supply Chain

your CV can contain a headline such as:

Graduate in Training | Procurement & Supply Chain

This makes your target role immediately clear.

However, do not falsely claim that you already hold a position you have never held.

For example, avoid:

Procurement Manager

if you have never been a Procurement Manager.

Instead:

Supply Chain Management Graduate | Procurement | Logistics

This accurately describes your background while still using relevant terminology.

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3. Match Relevant Keywords Naturally

Keywords matter because recruitment systems need to understand what your CV is about.

Compare these two descriptions:

Weak

Hardworking graduate looking for an opportunity to grow and gain experience.

Stronger

Supply Chain Management graduate with academic experience in procurement, inventory management, supplier evaluation, logistics and data analysis. Proficient in Microsoft Excel and experienced in preparing reports and analysing operational information.

The second version contains specific information that can be matched against relevant job requirements.

But avoid keyword stuffing.

For example, this is poor:

Procurement, procurement assistant, procurement management, procurement processes, procurement systems, procurement specialist, procurement graduate, procurement skills…

A recruiter will immediately recognise that the CV is trying to manipulate keyword matching.

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4. Put Important Skills In Context

Don’t simply create a huge list of skills.

Instead of:

Skills

• Excel
• Procurement
• Communication
• Supply Chain
• Data Analysis
• Teamwork

show how you used those skills.

For example:

Academic Supply Chain Project: Analysed supplier information using Microsoft Excel, compared procurement options and presented recommendations to a project team.

This gives both the ATS and recruiter useful context.

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5. Show Evidence, Not Just Claims

This is one of the strongest ways to improve a CV.

Instead of:

Excellent communication skills.

Write:

Presented a supply chain project to a five-member student team and explained findings using Microsoft PowerPoint.

Instead of:

Good analytical skills.

Write:

Used Microsoft Excel to organise and analyse project data and identify trends for a university assignment.

Instead of:

Leadership skills.

Write:

Coordinated a four-person academic project, allocated tasks and monitored deadlines.

The second approach provides evidence.

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6. Add AI Experience If You Actually Have It

AI-related experience can make a CV more relevant for modern roles, but you should never invent AI experience.

If you have genuinely used AI tools in projects, coursework, research or work, explain what you did.

For example:

AI-Assisted Research Project
Used generative AI tools to support initial research, organise ideas and develop research questions, then independently verified information against reliable sources.

Or:

Used AI-assisted data analysis tools to identify patterns in a dataset and presented the findings in a project report.

Or, for someone with technical experience:

Developed a prototype using an AI API to classify customer enquiries and route them to relevant categories.

The important part is specificity.

Don’t simply write:

AI expert.

That is vague and potentially misleading.

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7. Don’t Claim AI Skills You Don’t Have

This is particularly important.

AI screening may identify keywords, but eventually a recruiter or interviewer may ask you about them.

If your CV says:

Machine Learning | Python | Generative AI | Prompt Engineering | SQL

you should be able to explain your actual experience with each.

If you only watched a YouTube video about Python, don’t describe yourself as a Python developer.

A better entry would be:

Python — Basic: Completed introductory coursework involving variables, functions and data manipulation.

Honesty is much safer than keyword stuffing.

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8. Use A Simple ATS-Friendly Layout

Your CV should be visually clean.

A good ATS-friendly structure is:

NAME

Contact details

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

CORE SKILLS

WORK EXPERIENCE

EDUCATION

PROJECTS

CERTIFICATIONS

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This structure makes the information easy to identify.

Avoid unnecessarily complicated designs.

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9. Be Careful With Tables, Text Boxes And Graphics

Some ATS systems can struggle with complicated layouts.

For maximum compatibility, avoid putting important information inside:

• Text boxes
• Shapes
• Graphics
• Images
• Decorative elements
• Complex tables
• Multiple columns
• Headers containing critical information
• Footers containing critical information

A beautiful CV is not automatically an ATS-friendly CV.

For applications through large corporate recruitment systems, simple is often safer.

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10. Don’t Put Your Entire CV Inside An Image

This is a major mistake.

If your CV is essentially a photograph or graphic, an ATS may have difficulty extracting the information correctly.

For example:

❌ A CV saved as a screenshot
❌ A CV designed entirely as an image
❌ Important text embedded inside graphics

Better:

✅ Selectable text
✅ Standard headings
✅ Normal paragraphs
✅ Clear bullet points
✅ Standard fonts
✅ Properly structured PDF or DOCX

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11. Use Standard Section Headings

ATS software generally benefits from conventional headings.

Use:

• Professional Summary
• Work Experience
• Education
• Skills
• Certifications
• Projects
• Professional Experience

Avoid overly creative headings such as:

My Journey

instead of:

Work Experience

The creative heading may look attractive, but the standard heading communicates the information more clearly.

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12. Put Your Most Relevant Information First

Recruiters often spend very little time on an initial CV review.

Your first section should quickly answer:

Who are you?

What can you do?

What role are you targeting?

For example:

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Supply Chain Management graduate with a completed BCom degree and academic experience in procurement, logistics, inventory management and data analysis. Skilled in Microsoft Excel, report preparation and research. Seeking an entry-level procurement or supply chain opportunity where I can apply my academic knowledge in a professional environment.

That is much stronger than:

I am a hardworking and passionate person looking for a company where I can grow.

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13. Use Numbers Whenever You Can

Numbers make achievements easier to understand.

Instead of:

Assisted customers.

Use:

Assisted approximately 30 customers per day with product enquiries and basic service requests.

Instead of:

Managed stock.

Use:

Recorded and checked approximately 100 stock items during weekly inventory activities.

Instead of:

Worked on a university project.

Use:

Completed a four-person supply chain research project and presented the findings to the class.

Only use numbers that are true.

Never manufacture statistics simply to make a CV look impressive.

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14. Write Better Experience Bullet Points

A useful formula is:

Action + task + method/tool + result

For example:

Analysed monthly sales data using Microsoft Excel and prepared a summary report highlighting major product trends.

Another:

Maintained electronic records and updated administrative information to improve document accessibility.

Another:

Coordinated appointment schedules and communicated changes to team members to support daily operations.

This is considerably stronger than:

Responsible for administration.

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15. Match Your Skills To The Job

Suppose the vacancy specifically asks for:

Microsoft Excel, procurement, communication, supplier management and data analysis.

Your CV should make genuinely relevant experience easy to find.

For example:

Core Skills

• Procurement Administration
• Supply Chain Management
• Supplier Research
• Microsoft Excel
• Data Analysis
• Report Preparation
• Communication
• Document Management

Then demonstrate those skills in your experience or projects.

The keyword appearing in the Skills section is useful, but evidence elsewhere makes the claim more credible.

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16. Include Relevant Projects

Projects are extremely useful for students and graduates who have little or no formal employment history.

For example:

Supply Chain Management Project

University Project | 2026

• Researched supplier selection criteria.
• Compared procurement options using Excel.
• Analysed inventory information.
• Prepared a written report.
• Presented recommendations to the project team.

This gives an employer evidence of practical ability even when you don’t have years of employment experience.

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17. Include AI Projects Carefully

If you’re targeting a modern role, an AI project can strengthen your CV.

For example:

AI Research Project

Academic Project | 2026

• Used generative AI tools to assist with initial research and idea development.
• Fact-checked AI-generated information against reliable sources.
• Organised findings into a structured research report.
• Evaluated the limitations of AI-generated information.

This demonstrates something much more useful than simply writing:

AI Skills

It shows how you used AI responsibly.

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18. Use The Right File Type

Follow the employer’s instructions first.

If the employer specifically requests:

PDF

submit PDF.

If it requests:

Microsoft Word

submit DOCX.

Don’t ignore the employer’s instructions simply because you prefer another format.

For general applications where PDF is accepted, a clean, text-based PDF is usually a sensible choice.

Before submitting, open the PDF and check that:

• Text can be selected.
• Pages display correctly.
• No sections are cut off.
• Your contact details are visible.
• Bullet points display properly.
• Links work.
• There are no strange symbols.

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19. Give Your File A Professional Name

Don’t upload:

CVfinalfinalNEW2.pdf

Use something like:

Uriel_Rambau_Supply_Chain_CV.pdf

Or:

Thabo_Mokoena_Procurement_Graduate_CV.pdf

A professional filename makes your application easier to identify.

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20. Don’t Hide Important Information In Headers

Some ATS systems have historically had difficulty extracting information from document headers and footers.

For maximum compatibility, keep important information in the main document body.

Your:

• Name
• Phone number
• Email
• Location

should be clearly visible near the top of the CV.

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21. Keep Your Contact Details Professional

Use a professional email address.

Good:

firstname.lastname@email.com

Less professional:

coolboy123@email.com

Also make sure your telephone number is correct.

For South African applications, you can use the international format:

+27 XX XXX XXXX

if appropriate.

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22. Don’t Add Personal Information That Isn’t Needed

A modern professional CV generally does not need unnecessary personal information.

Avoid adding things such as:

• ID number
• Full residential address
• Marital status
• Number of children
• Religion
• Political affiliation

unless a particular application explicitly requires information.

For many applications, your city or province is enough.

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23. Don’t Lie To Beat The ATS

This is perhaps the most important rule.

Do not manipulate an ATS by claiming:

• Qualifications you don’t have
• Jobs you never performed
• Software you have never used
• Certifications you never obtained
• AI experience you don’t have
• Management experience you never had
• Fake achievements

The purpose of a CV is not merely to pass a computer system.

It needs to survive the human review and interview stage.

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24. Use AI To Improve Your CV — Not To Invent It

AI can be very useful when preparing a CV.

You can give an AI tool:

1. Your existing CV.
2. The actual job advertisement.
3. Your genuine qualifications and experience.

Then ask it to:

Compare my CV with this job advert. Identify important skills and keywords that are missing from my CV. Do not invent experience or qualifications. Suggest truthful ways to highlight experience I already have.

This is a much better use of AI than:

Make my CV match this job.

The second instruction can encourage inaccurate claims if you’re not careful.

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25. Use A Job-Specific CV Strategy

Instead of creating one CV for 100 applications, create a strong master CV and customise it for each relevant job.

For example:

Master CV

Contains all your legitimate:

• Skills
• Education
• Experience
• Projects
• Certifications
• Achievements

Then create:

Procurement CV

Emphasise procurement, suppliers, purchasing, Excel and supply chain.

Administrative CV

Emphasise administration, document management, communication, scheduling and records.

Customer Service CV

Emphasise customer support, communication, problem-solving and service.

The underlying facts remain truthful. You’re simply presenting the most relevant information first.

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26. Think About ATS In Three Stages

A useful way to understand modern recruitment is:

Stage 1 — Can The System Read It?

Your CV needs:

• Clean formatting
• Selectable text
• Standard headings
• Clear sections
• Relevant keywords

Stage 2 — Does It Match?

The system or recruiter looks for alignment with:

• Qualification
• Experience
• Skills
• Job title
• Industry
• Location
• Other requirements

Stage 3 — Can You Prove It?

The recruiter evaluates whether your CV provides credible evidence.

That’s why this:

Microsoft Excel — Advanced

is weaker than:

Used Microsoft Excel to analyse inventory data, create formulas and prepare monthly reports.

The second statement gives context.

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A Strong ATS-Friendly CV Structure

For many graduates and entry-level applicants, this structure works well:

FULL NAME

City, Province | Phone | Email | LinkedIn

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

2–4 sentences explaining your qualification, relevant skills and target role.

CORE SKILLS

8–12 genuinely relevant skills.

EDUCATION

BCom Supply Chain Management
University Name | 2026

Relevant coursework:

• Procurement
• Logistics
• Supply Chain Management
• Operations Management

PROJECTS

Supply Chain Research Project

• Explain what you did.
• Mention tools used.
• Mention the outcome.

EXPERIENCE

Job Title — Company

Month Year – Month Year

• Action + task + tool/result.
• Action + task + result.
• Action + responsibility.

CERTIFICATIONS

Only legitimate certifications.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Word
• PowerPoint
• Relevant systems
• Relevant AI tools

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Only information genuinely relevant to the vacancy.

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The Biggest ATS Mistakes To Avoid

The Best Formula

Think of an ATS-friendly CV this way:

Job requirements → relevant keywords → genuine evidence → clear formatting → human-readable CV

The goal isn’t to trick AI.

The goal is to make it immediately clear that your real qualifications, skills and experience match the job.

And one final point: AI screening does not mean every employer uses the same ATS or the same scoring system. Some employers may use keyword matching, some may use more sophisticated matching tools, and others may rely heavily on recruiters. So there is no legitimate “magic ATS score” or secret list of keywords that guarantees an interview.