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CVs and applicant tracking systems (ATS): what really blocks you, and what is a myth

No, a robot doesn't reject 75% of CVs. What ATS software really does, the layouts it struggles to read, and how to get past the human screen.

By the PisteJob team · updated October 26, 2026 · 4 min read

On social media you often read that "75% of CVs are rejected by a robot before a human ever sees them". The number is scary, it sells CV templates… and no study backs it. Here's what recruiting software really does, what can genuinely count against you, and what you can stop worrying about.

What is an ATS?

An ATS (applicant tracking system) is the tool in which a company receives, organises and searches applications. When you apply on a company's careers page, your CV almost always lands in one. The software extracts the text (your name, jobs, dates, skills) to fill in a profile. After that, recruiters read, sort and search that database.

The 75% myth

HR consultant Christine Assaf traced the number back to Preptel, a job-seeker services company that closed in 2013, with no study behind it (HiringThing). Her conclusion: an ATS can sort, rank or filter according to the rules the company sets, but it doesn't reject candidates on its own.

A more recent survey points the same way. Enhancv asked 25 US recruiters, using more than ten different ATS platforms (IT Brief, November 2025):

• 92% said their system doesn't automatically reject a CV for its layout, missing keywords or a low "match score";
• the remaining 8% use automatic rejection, only for roles with very specific requirements;
• the usual automatic filters cover legal or mandatory criteria: work authorisation, a required licence or degree, location.

The sample is small, but the message is clear: in most cases a person reads your CV. The real challenge is to convince them in a few seconds, not to trick a robot.

What can really screen you out automatically

Knock-out questions

Many application forms ask a few closed questions: are you allowed to work in this country? do you hold this degree, this licence? do you accept this location? An answer that doesn't meet a mandatory criterion can be enough to set the application aside. Read them before you apply and answer honestly: if you don't meet a truly mandatory requirement, your time is better spent elsewhere.

A CV the software reads badly

If the ATS extracts your text badly, your profile ends up incomplete or jumbled: dates without a job, lost skills. A recruiter searching for "Power BI" won't find you if the word is stuck inside an image.

Layouts that get in the way

The advice published by Roche, a large employer, and by Santa Clara University's career center agrees:

• Avoid tables, text boxes, logos and graphics: their content can be misread or lost.
• Be careful with columns: some systems read straight across the page, line by line, and mix both columns.
• Keep key details out of headers and footers: they are sometimes dropped. Put your name and contact details at the top, in the body of the document.
• Use standard section headings: "Work experience", "Education", "Skills". A creative heading may not be recognised.
• Use common fonts, and don't let colour carry information on its own.
• Write dates in one consistent format (for example "March 2024" everywhere).
• Give both the acronym and the full term: "SEO (search engine optimisation)", so you're found either way.
• Send a PDF with real text, not a scanned image. Roche notes that .docx is the format ATS read most accurately, while PDF keeps the layout best: if the offer lets you choose and your CV is simple, both work.

A simple test: open your PDF, select all, copy, and paste into a plain text editor. If the text comes out jumbled or incomplete, software may read it the same way.

Keywords: useful, mostly for humans

Recruiters search their database with words: a job title, a tool, a skill. They also read your CV against the ad. Using the ad's exact words, where they truly describe what you can do, helps twice: you get found, and you get understood fast.

In practice:

1. Re-read the ad and note the skills and tools it asks for.
2. For each one you really have, check that it appears in your CV with the same word ("project management" if the ad says "project management", not only "leading initiatives").
3. Bring forward the experience that matches: at the top of each job, with a concrete result when you have one.
4. Leave out what has nothing to do with this particular role.

Avoid at all costs: keyword lists pasted without context, or text written white on white. The recruiter ends up reading your CV, and these tricks show.

Checklist before you send

• One column (or a very simple layout), no tables or text boxes.
• Name and contact details at the top, in the body of the document.
• Standard section headings.
• Dates in the same format everywhere.
• The ad's words that you truly master, written the same way.
• Acronyms with their full form.
• A text PDF (copy-paste test passed) or a .docx.
• Knock-out questions read before you start the form.