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Published October 15, 2025

How to get more interviews?

Short answer: get a go from both ATS and recruiter. For ATS it is important that your CV matches the job's keywords and all infos are parsed correctly. For recruiter it is important that you apply early, secure referral, highlight quantified impact, have a portfolio, and address any red flags in advance. These moves raise pass-through rates from CV screening to the first interview.

1. Match job's keywords to pass ATS

  • Use the posting's phrasing for tech stacks, domain tools, and certifications in your skills and experience sections. Many employers use ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) to scan for exact skills and keywords from the description, and resumes without those terms often never reach a recruiter.
  • Recruiters confirm that automated keyword matching is common during screening for positions in the government and in private companies.

2. Use simple CV layout for ATS to parse

  • Use a single-column, text-only layout with standard section headers such as "Experience," "Skills," and "Education," avoid tables, columns, text boxes, graphics, or header/footer contact info, and stick to common fonts between 10 and 12 points. This lets ATS parse everything correctly and boosts ranking.
  • Save a text-based PDF (preferable) or .docx as the posting requests, keep contact details in the body of the document rather than the header. Also double-check the layout by pasting your CV into a plain text editor to confirm order, section labels, and keywords are displayed in the correct order.

3. Apply early to be noticed by recruiters

  • Application volume is surging, so many teams shortlist from early batches while late high-quality CVs get buried. Set alerts and send a tailored CV within hours of posting.
  • ApplyFirst finds relevant openings within minutes of publishing instead of hours or days. Its custom filters strip out the off-target roles that usually clog your inbox so you can focus on the applications that deserve a fast response.

4. Get a referral using LinkedIn, it shows you are trusted

  • Referrals dramatically lift interview rates, and new cross-company benchmarks show that about 40% of referred applicants reach interview compared with far lower rates for inbound applicants. Ask current employees politely and have a role-specific CV ready for them to forward.
  • Recruiter nation data also ranks employee referrals among top sources of hire.

5. Show business impact on your previous roles

  • Recruiters spend little time on the first pass, so lead bullets with outcome metrics such as "reduced VaR backtest run-time 37%" or "cut cloud spend 18%." Keep each bullet scannable with role, scope, stack, and result. This improves human pass-through once the ATS clears you.

6. Upgrade your LinkedIn

  • Include a comprehensive LinkedIn profile with a photo, rich experience, skills, and a few recommendations. Tune headlines and skills to the target role and keep experience consistent with your CV.
  • Aim to have at least 300 connections, connect with people who already work in the companies you want to join.
  • If you have work to showcase, create a portfolio, reference it in your account, and share your knowledge by posting articles related to your field.
  • Recruiters increasingly run skills-first searches, so align your LinkedIn skills to the job description to stand out in their lists.

7. Address your red flags upfront

  • If you have gaps, location moves, or career switches, add a one-line explanation such as "2023-24 parental leave plus AWS upskilling." Field evidence shows explaining gaps significantly increases interview callbacks versus leaving them unexplained.

8. Keep applying, don't give up

  • The job market is highly competitive in 2025 and it might take hundreds of applications before you are invited for an interview. Don't give up and keep applying. Use tools that fill forms automatically so you don't need to do everything manually.

Regional notes for US, Canada, and Western Europe

  • W. Europe & UK guidance acknowledges ATS keyword screening and advises explicit alignment, so use that to your advantage.
  • US and Canada recruiter benchmarks consistently place LinkedIn plus referrals among the most valuable channels, so polish your profile and activate your network.

Checklist: What to do this week

  • Rewrite your CV(s) to mirror keywords from 5 target job descriptions.
  • Ask 3 insiders for referrals with a "why me for this role" note on LinkedIn.
  • Turn on posting alerts and apply within 24-48h with tailored bullets.
  • Add quantified outcomes to every bullet (target 2-3 numbers per role).
  • Upgrade LinkedIn to "complete" and align skills to job descriptions, then add the URL to your CV.
  • Add a one-line gap/circumstance explainer if needed.

Bottom line

Mirror the job description keywords for ATS, apply in the first hours after posting, get referred, lead bullets with hard numbers, link a comprehensive LinkedIn, and briefly explain gaps. These actions reliably raise CV-to-interview conversions across US, Canada, and Western Europe.

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