Skip to content
Agences-Placement

Optimising your CV for ATS

Jobs · April 2, 2026 · 2 min read

70% of CVs are never read by a human: they are filtered by an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) that scans, classifies, and rejects. Mastering these filters has become essential for Swiss candidates. Here is the method to pass the first algorithmic filter without sacrificing human readability.

Optimising your CV for ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems)

What is an ATS

An ATS is software used by 80% of large Swiss companies (Roche, UBS, Nestlé, Swisscom) to automate CV sorting. It:

  • Parses CV content into structured data
  • Compares CV keywords to role requirements
  • Scores each candidate out of 100
  • Eliminates profiles below a threshold (often 60-70)

The most used ATS in Switzerland: Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, Greenhouse, Lever, Personio, SmartRecruiters.

Format rules

Do:

  • Native PDF format (not image)
  • Single column (avoid complex tables)
  • Standard fonts: Arial, Helvetica, Calibri, Garamond, Cambria
  • Size 10-12 for body, 14-16 for headings
  • Classic sections: Contact, Summary, Experience, Education, Skills, Languages
  • Selectable text (test: copy-pasting content must work)

Don't:

  • Images, icons, skill gauges (ATS does not read them)
  • Multi-column tables (parsing becomes unreadable)
  • Headers/footers (key info lost)
  • Fancy fonts (Comic Sans, Brush Script)
  • Scanned PDF (ATS does not recognise text image)

Keywords

The ATS compares your CV words to the job ad words. Method in 4 steps:

  1. Copy the full ad into an editor
  2. Identify 15-20 keywords that recur: technical skills, methods, certifications, languages
  3. Integrate naturally in your CV (title, summary, experiences)
  4. Vary phrasings (synonyms, acronyms + long version)

Example: if the ad asks for "SAP S/4HANA", your CV must contain that exact expression, not just "SAP".

ATS-friendly structure

Contact (top):

Summary (3-5 lines):

Concentrated profile with 3-5 major keywords and 1 flagship result.

Experience:

  • Format: Role | Company | Dates (month/year)
  • 3-5 bullets per role with action verbs + numbers
  • Avoid long sentences (ATS weights poorly)

Education:

Degree name | Institution | Year (month/year)

Skills:

Simple list, no gauges. Categorise (technical, business, languages).

Test your CV

Free tools to check ATS score:

  • JobScan (jobscan.co): compares your CV to the ad, gives a score
  • ResumeWorded: structure and keyword analysis
  • CV Compiler: tech focus

Home test: copy your PDF into a text file. If content is coherent, ATS will read correctly. If disorganised, redo the CV.

The ATS / human balance

Your CV passes through two filters:

  1. The ATS (first algorithmic filter)
  2. The human recruiter (who looks for 10-15 seconds)

A CV over-optimised for ATS (keyword stuffing) will be detected by the recruiter and rejected. The art: integrate keywords naturally without breaking readability.

Swiss specifics

  • Mention explicitly your permit status (B, C, L, G) or EU/EFTA nationality
  • List your languages with CEFR level (FR-native, DE-C1, EN-C1)
  • State your geographic mobility (intra-Swiss or cantonal)
  • Attach a scanned work certificate if available: valued by some Swiss ATS

Tags

Read next