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Two-page CV on a desk with highlighted ATS keywords (Power BI, GDPR, Zendesk, stakeholder management, accounts payable, GA4), alongside a laptop showing a job advert with matching terms highlighted, a notepad tallying keywords, and a pen.

ATS Keywords Without Fluff [A Tactical CV Optimisation Guide]

November 17, 2025•0 min read

If you are not getting interviews, your CV likely is not being seen

Most employers filter applicants with Applicant Tracking Systems. If your CV lacks the right keywords, you are invisible. The fix is simple. Ruthlessly strip fluff, add the exact keywords employers search for, and place them where ATS and humans will find them. This guide shows you how to do it in minutes, not days. No waffle. Just steps you can follow now.

What ATS keywords are and why they matter

ATS are databases that parse your CV, extract text, and match it against a job description. The match score depends heavily on keywords. If the job asks for Power BI, customer service, and GDPR, those exact terms should appear in your CV. Not synonyms, not vague claims. Exact match beats guesswork.

ATS is not “smart”. It does not infer that data visualisation equals dashboards unless those words appear. It may treat Customer Service Advisor differently from Customer Service Representative. Relying on the system to interpret your experience is a mistake. Give it the phrases it expects.

The “without fluff” principle

Remove adjectives that do not map to skills or outcomes. They waste space and reduce clarity. Replace them with proof and keywords.

Examples of fluff to cut:

Hard-working, passionate, dynamic, go-getter, self-starter, results-driven
Excellent communication skills, team player, problem-solver, detail-oriented
Motivated, enthusiastic, fast learner, thought leader

What to write instead:

Tools: Excel, Power BI, SQL, HubSpot, Zendesk, Xero, Sage
Methods: Agile, Scrum, test cases, A/B testing, ETL, stakeholder management
Outcomes and numbers: reduced response time by 32%, processed 120+ invoices weekly, improved NPS from 48 to 62

The ATS keyword toolkit: types that actually matter

Use a mix of these categories to cover the role thoroughly:

Role titles and core function: job title variants used in the advert and the market
Hard skills and tools: software, platforms, programming languages, analytics tools, CRMs
Certifications and training: degrees, vendor certs, compliance requirements
Methods, frameworks, and processes: Agile, Kanban, ISO standards, SLAs
Domain and regulatory terms: industry-specific jargon and regulations such as GDPR, FCA, safeguarding, health and safety
Metrics and KPIs: SLA, CSAT, NPS, conversion rate, AHT, AR, AP
Soft skills that are concrete: stakeholder management, conflict resolution, negotiation, presentation, documentation
Location or eligibility signals if requested: UK Right to Work, DBS check, security clearance level

Extract the right keywords fast: a 10-minute method

Do this before each application. You will build speed with practice.

Collect 3 to 5 live job adverts for the same role. Copy the full text of each advert into one document.
Normalise the text. Make everything lower case for scanning. Remove punctuation that breaks words. Keep hyphenated terms intact.
Highlight and tally. Skim and highlight repeated nouns and verbs that imply skills or tools. Tally frequency with a quick count next to each term.
Group variants. Example: “customer service advisor” and “customer support” live in the same cluster. Keep both.
Prioritise. Mark A for essential must-haves, B for nice-to-have, C for optional extras.
Map to evidence. Next to each priority term, write one sentence proving you used it. If you cannot prove it, do not use it.

Worked example: Customer Service Advisor keyword bank

Role: customer service advisor, call centre, contact centre, customer support, service desk
Channels: phone, email, live chat, social media, WhatsApp
Tools: Zendesk, Freshdesk, Salesforce, Intercom, Microsoft Teams
Metrics: SLA, AHT, CSAT, NPS, first contact resolution
Processes: triage, escalation, ticketing, knowledge base, shift handover
Compliance: GDPR, data protection, ID verification, complaints handling, vulnerability
Soft skills: de-escalation, active listening, empathy, written communication
Evidence example: Resolved 35 to 45 tickets daily in Zendesk, met 90% SLA, lifted CSAT from 4.2 to 4.6 by improving first contact resolution via updated knowledge base articles.

Build a master keyword bank you can reuse

Maintain a simple spreadsheet with columns:

Keyword or phrase
Variants and abbreviations
Where it belongs on your CV (profile, skills, experience, education, certifications)
Evidence or proof point
Priority (A, B, C)
Status (added, needs proof, remove)

Populate the bank once per target role family. Keep it updated after each interview cycle. This becomes your template to tailor in minutes rather than hours.

Where and how to place keywords for maximum impact

Do not dump keywords into a dense block. Distribute them strategically so ATS can parse and humans can verify.

Professional Profile: 3 concise lines that name the role target and 4 to 6 core keywords. Example: Graduate Customer Service Advisor with experience across phone, email, and live chat. Proficient in Zendesk, ticket triage, and escalation. Consistently meets SLA and lifts CSAT through first contact resolution.
Skills section: Group by category. Keep to 10 to 14 high-value items. Example: Tools: Zendesk, Salesforce, Intercom. Methods: triage, escalation, knowledge base. Metrics: SLA, CSAT, AHT.
Experience bullets: Start with action, include tool or method, end with measurable outcome. One keyword per bullet minimum.
Job titles: Match the advert’s title variant where honest. If your title was “Client Support,” add “Client Support (Customer Service Advisor)” to aid search.
Education and certifications: List acronyms and full names. Example: Google Analytics 4 (GA4).
Projects: Short bullet points connecting the project to target keywords. Example: Built Power BI dashboard tracking AHT and FCR for weekly ops review.
File name: Use role and your name. Example: Alex Singh_Customer Service Advisor_CV.pdf. Avoid gimmicks.

Exact-match rules that improve ATS matching

Include both long form and acronym: General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Include singular and plural where relevant: dashboard and dashboards
Use UK spelling primarily, but include common variants if critical. Example in skills list: optimisation (optimization) if adverts frequently use American spelling
Mirror the order of multi-word phrases when possible: accounts payable, not payable accounts
Use the employer’s language. If they say “stakeholder management” not “stakeholder engagement,” follow their wording

Rewriting bullets: examples across roles

Customer Service

Weak: Helped customers with issues across channels
Strong: Resolved 40+ daily tickets via phone, email, and live chat in Zendesk, sustained 90%+ SLA, improved NPS from 48 to 62 through de-escalation and first contact resolution

Marketing Assistant

Weak: Managed social media and wrote posts
Strong: Planned and scheduled content calendar in Hootsuite across LinkedIn and Instagram, increased engagement by 27%, produced UTM-tagged posts, reported weekly in GA4 and Looker Studio

Data Analyst (Entry Level)

Weak: Worked with spreadsheets and dashboards
Strong: Cleaned and transformed datasets in Excel and Power Query, built 6 interactive Power BI dashboards, wrote DAX measures, reduced manual reporting time by 8 hours per week

Software Tester

Weak: Tested app features and reported bugs
Strong: Designed and executed manual test cases in Azure DevOps, led regression testing each sprint, logged defects in Jira, validated REST APIs with Postman, reduced escaped defects by 35%

Finance Assistant

Weak: Processed invoices and did reconciliations
Strong: Processed 150+ supplier invoices weekly in Xero, matched POs, performed daily bank reconciliations, prepared VAT returns, supported month-end journals and accruals

HR Assistant

Weak: Supported recruitment and onboarding
Strong: Coordinated recruitment admin in Workday, scheduled interviews, conducted UK Right to Work checks, prepared onboarding packs, updated HRIS, ensured GDPR compliance across personnel files

Role-specific keyword starter packs

Use these as seeds. Always customise to the advert.

Customer Service Advisor

customer service advisor, call centre, contact centre, customer support
phone, email, live chat, social media, WhatsApp
Zendesk, Freshdesk, Salesforce, Intercom, knowledge base
SLA, AHT, CSAT, NPS, first contact resolution, escalation
GDPR, complaints handling, de-escalation, ID verification, vulnerability

Marketing Assistant

content calendar, copywriting, CMS, WordPress, email marketing
SEO, keyword research, on-page optimisation, backlinks
GA4, Looker Studio, Search Console, Tag Manager, UTM
PPC, Google Ads, Meta Ads, A/B testing, conversion rate
CRM, HubSpot, Mailchimp, social scheduling, influencer outreach

Data Analyst

Excel, PivotTables, Power Query, VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP
Power BI, DAX, dashboards, data modelling, measures
SQL, joins, window functions, ETL, data cleaning
A/B testing, hypothesis testing, KPI tracking, data governance
Python basics, Pandas, visualisation, stakeholder reporting

Software Tester

manual testing, test cases, test plans, test scripts
regression testing, system testing, UAT, smoke testing
Jira, Azure DevOps, defect tracking, test execution
API testing, Postman, Swagger, JSON, REST
Agile, Scrum, sprint planning, acceptance criteria

Finance Assistant

accounts payable, accounts receivable, invoicing, purchase orders
bank reconciliation, supplier statements, credit control, aged debt
VAT returns, month-end, journals, accruals, prepayments
Xero, Sage, QuickBooks, Excel, Vlookups
PO matching, receipts, expenses, payroll support

HR Assistant

recruitment admin, ATS, interview scheduling, onboarding, induction
Right to Work checks, DBS, references, contracts, offer letters
HRIS, absence management, payroll support, employee records
GDPR, data protection, compliance, policies and procedures
employee relations admin, note taking, probation reviews

Guardrails: avoid keyword stuffing and tricks

Do not paste keyword blocks with no context. ATS sees it. Recruiters bin it
Do not hide keywords in white text. Some systems expose them. It looks dishonest
Keep density natural. If a two-page CV has 30 to 40 focused keywords across sections, you are covered
Every keyword should be backed by evidence. If asked in an interview, you should have a concrete example

Formatting choices that affect keyword parsing

Use a single column layout. Multi-column templates often confuse parsers
Avoid heavy tables, text boxes, and graphics for essential information
Use standard headings: Profile, Skills, Experience, Education, Certifications, Projects
Use bullets and simple characters. Fancy icons can be dropped during parsing
File format: follow instructions. If unspecified, submit a clean PDF or DOCX. Test both through an online CV parser to see the extracted text

A 15-minute keyword tailoring sprint before you apply

Open the target job advert and your master CV
Highlight all A-priority terms in the advert
Add missing exact matches into your Profile, Skills, and Experience bullets with proof
Adjust job title variants honestly to mirror the advert’s phrasing
Replace two generic adjectives with one quantified outcome and one tool keyword
Check acronyms and full names appear once each
Save as Role_YourName_CV.pdf and submit

Proof beats adjectives: build impact statements with keywords

Use a simple frame: action + tool/method + scale + outcome.

Built Power BI dashboard tracking SLA and AHT, used DAX to automate weekly reporting, cut manual effort by 8 hours per week
Managed PPC in Google Ads with £1,200 monthly spend, improved CTR from 1.2% to 2.4%, reduced CPA by 19%
Designed and executed 40+ test cases per sprint in Azure DevOps, prioritised defects in Jira, lowered escaped defects by 35%
Processed 150+ AP invoices weekly in Xero, matched POs, completed daily bank reconciliations, supported VAT returns and month-end

Align your CV keywords with LinkedIn to boost discoverability

Headline: include your target role and two to three core keywords. Example: Graduate Data Analyst | Power BI, SQL, Excel
About: short paragraph with methods and tools plus a quantified win
Experience: replicate your strongest keyword-rich bullets
Skills: pin your top 25 relevant skills first. Keep them consistent with your CV

Common myths to ignore

Myth: ATS auto-rejects if a CV is not a 90% match. Reality: there is no universal cut-off. Good recruiters review strong profiles below that number
Myth: One perfect CV works for all roles. Reality: tailoring keywords per advert reliably increases interview rates
Myth: Keyword stuffing gets you through. Reality: humans still read CVs. Stuffing is obvious and damages credibility
Myth: Fancy templates help you stand out in ATS. Reality: clean structure and exact keywords win

A practical scoring method to check your keyword match

Build a small checklist of A-priority terms from the advert
Score 1 point per exact match you can prove in your CV
Aim for 80%+ coverage of A-priority terms and 50% of B-priority terms
If a must-have is missing and you cannot credibly show it, reconsider the application or add a relevant micro-project to bridge the gap

Create quick evidence if you lack a tool keyword

You cannot claim experience you do not have, but you can build basic proof fast.

Customer service: create two knowledge base articles and a simple escalation flow for a hypothetical product
Marketing: run a small Google Ads campaign with £10 to £20, set up GA4, and report results in Looker Studio
Data: clean a public dataset in Excel and Power Query, build a Power BI dashboard, and publish a short readme
Testing: document 10 test cases for a demo web app, log fake defects in a private Jira project, and summarise findings
Finance: process sample invoices in a Xero trial, complete a mock bank reconciliation, and note steps taken

Add these as Projects with the keywords and the outcomes you achieved.

Measure and iterate

Track applications in a simple log with columns: company, role, date, tailored keywords added, interview outcome. Every 10 applications, review what got you callbacks. Promote those keywords to A-priority in your bank. Remove dead weight.

Frequently missed high-impact keywords (UK context)

GDPR, data protection, safeguarding, Right to Work, DBS
Stakeholder management, cross-functional collaboration, change management
Continuous improvement, root cause analysis, process mapping
Accessibility, inclusion, equality and diversity
Service level agreement, incident management, problem management

What good looks like: a crisp two-page CV with keywords in place

Profile: 3 lines naming the target role, core tools, methods, and a quantifiable result
Skills: grouped by Tools, Methods, Metrics, Compliance with 3 to 5 items each
Experience: 5 to 7 bullets per role, each containing at least one exact keyword plus a metric
Education and certifications: names and acronyms both listed
Projects: 2 concise examples tailored to the role

This structure reads cleanly for humans and parses cleanly in ATS.

Final word

ATS keywords are not magic. They are simply how employers search for fit. Cut the fluff, extract the right terms from the advert, place them where ATS and hiring managers expect, and prove each one with a result. Do this consistently and your interview rate will climb. No gimmicks. Just accurate, targeted language that gets you seen.