Understand the system, make the strongest honest case your evidence supports and know when a question needs an official source rather than a confident guess.
An applicant tracking system, or ATS, is software employers use to receive, organise, search and move job applications through a hiring process. Different employers configure different systems, so there is no universal ATS pass mark.
Read the guideThere is no single ATS scoring formula. Employers configure different systems and may use filters, knockout questions, searches or manual review. A public ATS checker can estimate compatibility but cannot reproduce a private employer decision.
Read the guideTo tailor a CV, identify the role's hard requirements and priorities, choose genuine evidence that answers them, translate that evidence into the employer's language, then review the document for keyword coverage, readability and accuracy.
Read the guideA tailored cover letter is written for one employer and role. It selects the applicant's most relevant genuine evidence, explains the connection and avoids generic claims that could be sent anywhere.
Read the guideTo check a suspicious job advert, verify the employer through an independent official source, compare the sender's domain with the real company website, avoid upfront payments or early bank-detail requests and contact the company through details you found yourself.
Read the guideCheck a company through the official registry for its country, compare the legal name and number with the official website, contact the organisation through details you found independently and verify that the vacancy appears in a trusted channel.
Read the guideTrack the employer, role, source, date, current stage, next action, deadline, follow-up date and document version for every serious application. Review the tracker on a regular schedule and close stale records deliberately.
Read the guideFor most private-sector job applications, UK employers ask for a CV and US employers ask for a resume. The documents serve a similar purpose, but terminology and conventions differ. In US academia, 'CV' usually means a longer academic record.
Read the guideAfter a rejection, pause before rewriting everything. Record what the employer actually said, ask for feedback once when appropriate, extract only evidence-supported lessons and return attention to the next live action.
Read the guideUseful CV keywords name skills, responsibilities, tools and outcomes central to the job and supported by genuine experience. They belong inside clear evidence, not in a copied list.
Read the guideA clear UK CV uses readable contact details, recognisable section headings, a coherent chronology, ordinary bullets and text that remains understandable when extracted from the document.
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