CV and ATS filters

You get filtered out before anyone reads you.

Most applications aren't rejected by a person: they're filtered out by software. Understanding how that filter works is the difference between your CV reaching a desk or never getting there.

What an ATS is, and why it affects you

An ATS (Applicant Tracking System) is the software companies use to receive and sort applications. The most common ones are Workday, Greenhouse and Lever. Before a recruiter opens your CV, the system has already read it, turned it into text and ranked it.

That's where a lot of good applications get lost. Not for lack of experience, but because the CV is written for a human to read and not to survive that intermediate step.

What I see most often

A headline that doesn't say what you're aiming for

If your CV leads with your current job title instead of the role you want, the system files you where you came from, not where you're going.

Responsibilities instead of achievements

"Responsible for team management" says nothing. "Led a team of five and cut turnover by 20%" does. A verb, what you did, and the number when there is one.

Formats the system can't read

Columns, tables, icons, your name inside a header image. It looks good on screen and arrives at the other end as a jumble.

One CV for every job

The same document sent to thirty different roles fits none of them well. You don't have to rewrite it: adjusting the headline and the first few bullets to each posting is enough.

Two ways to fix it

€40· one-time

Express CV

A rewritten, ATS-optimised CV, a tailored cover letter and an analysis of your LinkedIn. In Spanish and English: you get both versions. All editable before you download it, no subscription.

See the Express CV

Or as part of the mentoring

If beyond the CV you also need to sort out LinkedIn, the search and the interviews, the CV is the first stage of the 1:1 mentoring, and we work on it together.

Not sure which one you need?

In the free 30-minute call we look at your CV and I'll tell you whether the Express CV is enough or whether the problem is somewhere else.

Book your free call
30 min · Free · No commitment · In Spanish or English

Keep reading

Mentoring 1:1 The three stages, over 4 to 6 weeks. Interviews Preparing the answers that decide the round. About me 17 years in HR and 800 selection processes.