AMA about Crafting CVs for the UK Job Market : still using the old trick of including a black sheet with keywords using a white font colour?
07 Jun 2026
In this moment:
Ady Stokes
Today, it's mostly a bad idea.
Why it no longer works well
Modern ATS systems don't just count keywords. They:
- Parse the structure of the CV.
- Look for keywords in context.
- Compare skills against job requirements.
- Sometimes score experience level and recency.
- Often flag suspicious keyword stuffing.
A recruiter who discovers hidden keywords is also likely to view it as deceptive rather than clever.
The modern equivalent?
Not really a "trick"—more of an optimization.
1. Use the language of the job advert
If the role asks for:
- API Testing
- Playwright
- CI/CD
- Risk-Based Testing
then use those exact terms where they're genuinely relevant.
Many candidates write:
Experience with automated testing tools.
Experience with automated testing tools.
Instead of:
Built Playwright automation suites integrated into Azure DevOps CI/CD pipelines.
Built Playwright automation suites integrated into Azure DevOps CI/CD pipelines.
The second version is better for ATS and humans.
2. Create an expertise section
For example:
Core Expertise
- Test Strategy
- Quality Engineering
- Playwright
- Selenium
- API Testing
- Performance Testing
- CI/CD
- Azure DevOps
- Agile Delivery
- Risk-Based Testing
That's effectively a visible, honest keyword section.
3. Put skills in context
ATS systems increasingly reward evidence.
Compare:
Selenium
Selenium
v/s
Led migration from manual regression testing to Selenium-based automation, reducing execution time from 3 days to 4 hours.
Led migration from manual regression testing to Selenium-based automation, reducing execution time from 3 days to 4 hours.
The second helps both machines and humans.
One thing that surprises experienced people
Many ATS systems actually struggle more with over-designed CVs than simple ones.
The biggest ATS killer today isn't missing keywords—it's:
- Multiple columns
- Text boxes
- Fancy graphics
- Complex tables
- Infographics
A plain Word document with strong content often outperforms a beautiful designer CV.
Modern ATS optimization is mostly about making sure the important words appear naturally in evidence-based achievements. Ironically, that's also what makes a CV more enjoyable to read.
Modern ATS optimization is mostly about making sure the important words appear naturally in evidence-based achievements. Ironically, that's also what makes a CV more enjoyable to read.
Madhuri Mittal
QA Engineer
She
An ambitious QA engineer who lives with and for quality!
Looking forward to resume my career after 2 years of full time parenting break.
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