Applicant tracking systems

Hi all!

Although I'm no new to WSO, I have just found out this forum and can't tell you how glad I am to have come across it.

Before explaining my doubts, I will start by saying that I will apply to entry level positions, in particular off-cycle internships (or graduate programs at worst), and, being italian, to european branches, i.e. London. I'm aware there are several differences between recruiting practices in the US and Europe, but general advice on ats is fine.

I have started worrying about ats when I read 75% of applications are rejected by ats because of cv formatting. I have read several articles that give advices on how to get through the machine, but there are a couple of things I don't know how to handle. Firstly, one of the most frequently recommendation they give is to look for relevant words in the job offer and write them in the resume. The problem is that the words you usually find in internship program offers, such as team-oriented, motivated, etc., are not easy to put in the cv, as it makes no sense to write, for instance, " I was an intern at XXX and was very team-oriented". Some suggest to create a Skills section, but I'm sure this is something human recruiters (who will see the cv at some point) wouldn't like as CVs, at least in Europe, are made up of 5 sections: Education, Work Experience, IT Skills, Languages and Additional Information. How can I smartly insert these words?

Another frequent suggestion is to write the name of the company first and then the date, but again all the decent resumes I have seen have the date on the left and then the experience in the center.

How can I try to improve my chances against ats and keeping the usual (and most liked by recruiters) cv structure?

More in general, do you think ats matter?