How to Write an ATS-Friendly CV in South Africa

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is software that scans, sorts and ranks CVs against a job description before a recruiter or hiring manager ever sees them. For high-volume roles, this filtering happens automatically — meaning a genuinely qualified candidate can be rejected purely because of how their CV was formatted, not what it said. The fix isn't complicated, but it does mean unlearning a few CV habits that look nice to a human eye and confuse the software.

1. Use a clean, single-column layout

ATS software reads a CV roughly the way a screen reader does — left to right, top to bottom, in a single logical flow. Multi-column layouts, text boxes, tables used for layout, and headers/footers containing key information can all break this, causing the software to jumble or skip sections entirely. Stick to:

• A single-column layout with clear section headings.
• Standard fonts (Arial, Calibri, or similar — avoid decorative or script fonts).
• Simple bullet points rather than tables for listing duties and achievements.
• Contact details in the main body of the document, not only in a header or footer, which some ATS software fails to read.

2. Use standard section headings

ATS software looks for recognisable headings to categorise your information correctly. Stick to conventional labels rather than creative ones:

• "Work Experience" or "Professional Experience" — not "My Journey" or "Where I've Been."
• "Education" — not "Learning."
• "Skills" — not "What I Bring."

It might feel less personal, but a CV's job is to be read correctly first and stand out second.

3. Match keywords from the job advert

Most ATS software ranks CVs partly by how closely they match keywords in the job description — specific skills, tools, qualifications, and job titles. Before applying:

• Read the job advert carefully and note the specific skills, software, and qualifications it mentions.
• Mirror that exact terminology in your CV where it genuinely applies — if the advert says "stakeholder management" and you have that experience, use that phrase rather than a synonym.
• Include both the full term and common abbreviation where relevant (for example, "Microsoft Excel" and "MS Excel"), since you don't know which the ATS is configured to search for.

This isn't about stuffing keywords artificially — it's about describing real experience using the same language the employer used to describe the role.

4. Structure work experience around results, not just duties

Beyond passing the ATS filter, your CV still needs to convince a human once it lands on their desk. For each role, use bullet points that start with a strong action verb and, where possible, include a measurable result:

• Weak: "Responsible for managing the front desk."
• Stronger: "Managed front desk operations for a 40-person office, handling bookings, deliveries and visitor coordination."
• Even stronger, with a result: "Reorganised the filing and booking system, cutting appointment scheduling errors by an estimated 30%."

Not every bullet needs a number, but aim for at least one measurable outcome per role where you can honestly claim one.

5. Include the South African details recruiters expect

Beyond the ATS-specific formatting, South African CVs conventionally include a few details that international templates often omit:

• Full contact details: phone, email, and city/province (a full street address is no longer necessary or advisable for privacy).
• Language proficiency, particularly if you're multilingual — genuinely useful information for many South African roles.
• A driver's licence and code, if you hold one and it's relevant to the role.
• NQF-relevant qualification detail for your highest education level, alongside the institution and year.

A South African ID number or date of birth is optional on a CV itself — many candidates now leave this off the CV and provide it only later in the process, for privacy reasons, unless a specific application (such as certain government roles) explicitly requires it upfront.

6. Save and submit in the right format

Unless a job advert specifically requests a different format, a PDF is generally the safest choice — it preserves your formatting exactly as designed and is readable by essentially all modern ATS software. Avoid submitting a CV as an image file (a scanned photo of a printed CV) or in unusual file formats, since text inside an image cannot be read by ATS software at all.

Common mistakes that hurt your ATS score

• Graphics, icons and skill-rating bars instead of plain text — visually appealing to a person, invisible or confusing to software.
• Putting your name and contact details in a header/footer that some ATS software skips entirely.
• Unusual section names that don't map to what the software expects.
• A CV that's identical for every application rather than tailored, even slightly, to each specific role's keywords.
• Spelling and grammar errors — these don't affect ATS parsing directly, but they're often the first thing a human reviewer notices once your CV clears the filter.

Test your CV before you send it

The fastest way to know whether your current CV will survive an ATS scan is to test it directly. Our free ATS CV Scanner reads an uploaded PDF or Word CV, checks it against the same fundamentals covered above, and shows you exactly what's missing — before a recruiter's software does it for you.

Frequently asked questions