Most UK graduates don't realise this: the majority of large employers use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to filter CVs before a recruiter ever reads them.

That means your CV isn't competing against other candidates — it's competing against an algorithm.

Here's what actually gets you filtered out:

1. Generic skills sections

"Team player", "hard worker", "good communicator" — these mean nothing to an ATS. It's scanning for specific keywords from the job description. If the listing says "data analysis using Excel", your CV needs those exact words.

2. Fancy formatting

Tables, columns, headers in images, creative layouts — ATS can't parse them. Your beautiful CV template from Canva? Invisible to the software.

3. One CV for every application

The biggest mistake. Each job description has different requirements, different keywords, different priorities. A generic CV will match maybe 30% of them. A tailored one hits 80%+.

The fix is simple: mirror the language of the job description in your CV. Match their keywords. Restructure your bullet points to emphasise what they're actually asking for.

That's exactly what HireReady automates — paste any job description, get a CV that's built to pass the filter and land on a recruiter's desk.

Stop spraying generic CVs into the void. Start tailoring.