Here's something that most job seekers don't know: the majority of CVs are rejected before a human ever reads them. Not because the applicant is underqualified — but because of formatting and content issues that trigger automatic rejection. If you've been applying and hearing nothing back, there's a good chance one of these mistakes is the reason.
Let's go through the most common ones, in order of how much damage they actually do.
This is the biggest one. Applicant tracking systems — the software that screens CVs before a recruiter sees them — score your application against the specific keywords in each job description. A generic CV that doesn't reflect the language of the role you're applying for will score low every single time, regardless of how good your experience is.
It's not enough to have done the work. Your CV needs to describe it using the same terms the employer used in their job posting.
The fixBefore you apply for any role, read the job description carefully and adjust your personal statement and key skills section to mirror its language. You're not lying — you're translating your experience into terms the system can recognise.
A lot of CV templates use tables to create a neat two-column layout for skills. It looks clean in Word. The problem is that most ATS systems can't read text inside tables — the content simply doesn't exist as far as the screening software is concerned.
Your skills section could be empty as far as the ATS is concerned, even if it's the first thing a human eye would land on.
The fixMove your skills into plain text, either as a simple comma-separated list or as regular bullet points in the body of the document. No tables, no text boxes.
Many people put their name, phone number, and email in the Word document header — the section that appears at the very top of the page. This makes sense visually, but a large number of ATS systems skip the header entirely when parsing documents.
The result: a recruiter wants to call you back, opens your file, and there are no contact details to find.
The fixPut your contact information in the main body of the document, styled to look like a header. Same visual result, completely readable by any ATS.
Phrases like "passionate and driven professional", "results-oriented team player", and "excellent communication skills" appear on so many CVs that they've become completely meaningless. ATS systems have seen them thousands of times and don't score them. Human recruiters have too, and they find them actively off-putting.
Your personal statement is the first thing read. If it sounds like everyone else's, it gets treated like everyone else's.
The fixYour personal statement should be three to four lines that tell a specific story: what you do, where you've done it, what impact you've had, and what you're looking for next. Concrete over generic, every time.
"Responsible for managing a team" tells a hiring manager nothing about whether you were any good at it. "Managed a team of 8 across three time zones, reducing project delivery time by 30%" tells them quite a lot.
Numbers make achievements real and memorable. They also score significantly better in ATS keyword matching because they demonstrate specificity.
The fixGo through every bullet point on your CV and ask: is there a number I could attach to this? Percentages, team sizes, revenue figures, time saved, budgets managed — whatever is honest and relevant.
PDFs are not universally ATS-friendly. Some systems handle them fine. Others completely mangle the text when parsing them, turning your carefully formatted CV into an unreadable block of garbled characters. Unless the job posting specifically asks for a PDF, sending a .docx file is the safer choice.
The fixKeep both versions. Send the Word file for online applications and email submissions. Use the PDF only when a company's portal specifically requests it or when you're handing it to someone in person.
ATS systems match your stated experience against the job title they're hiring for. If the job says "Data Analyst" and your CV says "Reporting Specialist" — even if the roles are functionally identical — the system may not connect them and will score your application lower.
The fixIn your personal statement, use the job title you're applying for at least once. You can also add it as a line under your name: something like "Experienced Data Analyst" or "Senior Marketing Manager" gives the ATS an immediate keyword match before it even reads your work history.
The hard truth is that a brilliant CV that's formatted incorrectly will lose to a mediocre CV that's been properly optimised for the ATS. The system doesn't know you're brilliant until it decides to let a human look at you.
Going through your CV and fixing every one of these issues takes time and requires knowing what you're doing. If you've been applying without success and want to rule out these problems quickly, a professional rewrite is often the most efficient option.
We fix all of the above as standard — reformatting for ATS compatibility, rewriting your personal statement, adding measurable achievements where possible, and tailoring the content to the specific role you're going for. Most people start hearing back within the first week or two.
Professional rewrite tailored to your target role. ATS-optimised, delivered within 24 hours.
See pricing — from £6.99