How to write an ATS-friendly CV

Banks, retailers, mines, big corporates and recruitment agencies in South Africa receive hundreds of applications for every vacancy. Most of them use an applicant tracking system (ATS): software that reads your CV, pulls out your name, jobs, dates, qualifications and skills, and ranks you against the job. If the software misreads your CV, a recruiter may never see it. Here is how to make sure it reads yours correctly.

1. Keep the layout simple

• One column. Two-column designs are often read across both columns line by line, mixing your skills into your job history.
• No tables or text boxes for important information. Many systems skip them.
• Nothing important in the header or footer. Put your name and contact details in the body of the page.
• No photos, icons, charts or skill bars. Software can't read a five-star rating, and a photo adds nothing it can use.
• A standard font such as Calibri, Arial or Garamond, at 10 to 12 points.

2. Use the headings everyone uses

The software looks for familiar section names. Use Profile or Summary, Work experience, Education, Skills and Certifications. A creative heading like "My journey" may not be recognised as your work history.

3. Write each job the same way

Job title, employer, place and dates, then what you did. Keep the date format consistent throughout, for example March 2022 to Present or 03/2022 to 10/2026. Missing or mixed date formats are the most common reason a system gets your years of experience wrong, and many adverts filter on years of experience.

4. Use the words in the advert

The ranking compares your CV with the job description. If the advert asks for "debtors reconciliation" and "Pastel", and you've done both, say so in those words. Spell out abbreviations once as well ("Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)"). Don't paste in keywords you can't back up: a person reads the CV next, and the interview tests it.

5. Show results, not duties

"Responsible for accounts" says less than "Cleared a 4-month debtors backlog in 6 weeks". Numbers (rands, percentages, people, time) help both the software and the person reading it.

6. Include what South African adverts screen for

• Your matric and each qualification, with the institution, the year and, where it helps, the NQF level.
• Professional registrations (SAICA, ECSA, HPCSA, SACE…) with the registration number.
• Your driver's licence code (for example Code B, formerly Code 08) if the job involves driving.
• The languages you speak.

Leave out your ID number, marital status and a photo. Employers don't need them to shortlist you, and under POPIA you should share personal information only when it's needed. Government Z83 applications are the exception: the Z83 asks for your ID number.

7. Send the right file

A Word document (.docx) or a PDF made from a word processor both work. Avoid scanned PDFs and images: they contain a picture of text, not text, and most systems can't read them. Name the file clearly, for example Thandi-Nkosi-CV.pdf.

What happens after you upload it depends on the system: see applying through Workday, SuccessFactors, PNet and Careers24. If the advert asks for a covering letter, here is how to write one.

Checklist

• One column, no tables, text boxes, photos or graphics.
• Name and contact details in the body, not the header.
• Standard headings: Profile, Work experience, Education, Skills.
• Every job has a title, employer and dates in one consistent format.
• The advert's key skills appear in your own experience, in its words.
• Saved as .docx or a text-based PDF.

Let Honde tailor it for each job

Honde's CV templates follow every rule above. For each job you apply to, it writes a version of your CV that leads with what that advert asks for, using only facts from your own CV, in Word and PDF. Create a free account and upload your CV to see your match scores.

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