AMA crafting CV for UK job market : what is ATS and how does it help/hinder?
07 Jun 2026
In this moment:
Simon Tomes
ATS usually means Applicant Tracking System — the software companies use to collect, filter, and rank job applications before a recruiter or hiring manager reviews them.
How ATS helps testers/job seekers:
- Makes it easier to apply to multiple roles.
- Helps match resumes to relevant skills (e.g., Selenium, Playwright, Cypress, API testing, Jira, SQL).
- Can surface candidates whose experience closely aligns with the job requirements.
How ATS can hinder:
- Resumes with poor formatting, graphics, tables, or unusual layouts may be parsed incorrectly.
- Missing relevant keywords can cause a qualified candidate to rank lower.
- ATS may not fully recognize transferable skills or project context.
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.
Open To
Work
Teach
Write
Speak
Simon Tomes
Thanks for sharing, Madhuri. A follow up question, if I may.
How might someone use AI to support their efforts to help an ATS recognise keywords and to not miss transferable skills?
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