ATS keywords are the exact terms a screening tool looks for in your CV to check that it matches the posting: job title, technical skills, tools, certifications, qualifications. You find them in the "responsibilities," "profile we are looking for" and "skills" sections of the ad, especially the terms that keep coming up and those marked as required. Reuse them on your CV with the exact wording from the posting, because an ATS does not always recognise synonyms.
"I have the skills, but I never get a callback." If you apply for jobs in French-speaking Switzerland, there is a good chance your CV first passes through a piece of software before it reaches a human. Most mid-sized and large companies, like the major Swiss job portals, handle applications through a screening tool before any human sets eyes on them. That software, the ATS (Applicant Tracking System), does not read your CV the way a person does: it looks for specific terms and assigns a match score against the posting.
Those terms are the ATS keywords. The trick is knowing which ones a posting actually contains, and how to spot them without drowning. In this article, we break down a typical ad, sort the keywords that matter, and explain how to reuse them on your CV without falling into stuffing.
What is an ATS keyword, exactly?
An ATS keyword is not a "magic" word. It is simply a term the recruiter judged important for the role and built into the software's screening criteria. When your CV enters the system, the ATS extracts the text, files it by section (contact details, education, experience, skills), then compares that content against the criteria in the posting. The more your terms overlap with the expected ones, the higher your compatibility score climbs.
The point to understand: an ATS reasons mostly through term matching. It does not guess that a "payroll manager" and a "payroll specialist" mean the same thing if the posting uses one and your CV uses the other. That is why spotting the right keywords, then wording them as they appear in the ad, concretely changes your chances of getting past the first screening. To understand the full mechanics of automatic screening, read our article on how an ATS works.
Where do keywords hide in a job posting?
Good news: a job posting is highly structured, and the keywords always cluster in the same places. No need to highlight everything, you just read the ad from top to bottom while keeping three zones in mind.
- The job title. This is the most important keyword, often the recruiter's first search filter. If they are looking for a "Fiduciary Accountant" and your CV says "Accounting Assistant," the gap shows immediately.
- The "responsibilities" or "duties" section. It describes the day-to-day work and contains the concrete verbs and tasks expected: "payroll management," "monthly closings," "accounts receivable follow-up."
- The "profile we are looking for" or "skills" section. This is the main goldmine: tools, software, languages, qualifications, years of experience and certifications are listed here, often split into "essential" and "nice to have."
A simple, effective habit: spot the terms that come up several times in the ad. If a tool or a skill is mentioned two or three times, it weighs heavily in the decision.
What types of keywords should you spot?
Not all keywords carry the same weight. Screening tools, like recruiters, lean first on verifiable, objective terms. Here are the main families to spot, from the most decisive to the least useful.
| Keyword type | Examples | Weight for the ATS |
|---|---|---|
| Job title | Accountant, Project Manager, Nurse | Very high (often the 1st filter) |
| Technical skills and tools | Excel, SAP, Python, Abacus, cost accounting | High (easily verifiable) |
| Certifications and qualifications | Federal certificate, CFC, PMP, forklift licence | High when the posting requires it |
| Languages and levels | French C2, German B2, fluent English | High in the Swiss market |
| Sector-specific terms | Swiss GAAP FER standards, electronic patient record | Medium to high depending on the role |
| Soft skills | Autonomy, team spirit, rigour | Low (too common to screen on) |
The last row deserves a nuance. Qualities like "motivated" or "team player" appear on almost every CV: recruiters know they cannot be used to separate candidates, so they rarely screen on them. They have their place in your cover letter, but focus your spotting effort on the concrete terms: tools, qualifications, titles.
How do you know which ones really matter?
A posting can contain twenty or thirty interesting terms. You are not going to fit them all in, and that is not the goal. To prioritise, ask yourself three questions about each keyword you spot.
- Is it presented as required or as a nice-to-have? Skills listed under "essential," "required" or "must have" come before the "would be a plus" ones. Treat them as your priority.
- Does it come up several times in the ad? Repetition within the posting is a strong signal. A tool mentioned in the title, the responsibilities and the profile is clearly central.
- Does it truly match my experience? A keyword only has value if you can back it with real experience. Never slap on a term you do not master: at best you pass the ATS, at worst you get caught out in the interview.
So the sorting happens in two stages: first the required terms you master, then the assets that set you apart. This is also the logic when you tailor your application to each ad, a subject we develop in our guide on how to tailor your CV to each posting.
Should you reuse keywords word for word?
Yes, and this is the most often overlooked point. The ATS looks for a term match, and it does not always recognise synonyms or creative rewording. If the posting says "project management," write "project management," not "steering initiatives." Reusing the exact wording from the ad is not cheating: it is speaking the same language as the recruiter.
Two cases deserve attention, especially acronyms.
| Situation | Avoid | Do |
|---|---|---|
| The posting uses an acronym | Writing only "SEO" | Write "search engine optimisation (SEO)" once, then the acronym |
| The posting spells the term out in full | Writing only the abbreviation | Reuse the full wording from the posting |
| A qualification or certification | "degree in accounting" | Reuse the exact title: "CFC in Commerce" |
| A specific tool | "accounting software" | Name the tool mentioned: "Abacus," "SAP" |
The idea: if the posting writes both the full term and its acronym, put both on your CV. If it uses only one form, reuse that one in a visible section, and add the other only if it still reads naturally.
How many times should you repeat a keyword?
This is where many candidates go wrong, often by overdoing it. On most common ATS tools, repeating the same term ten times does not improve your ranking: what counts is presence. Each required skill should appear at least once, in its exact form, in a relevant section.
Cramming your CV with keywords is actually counterproductive: text that piles up terms without coherent sentences is spotted the moment a human takes over, and it hurts readability. Best practice: work each important keyword in once or twice, in the context of a real achievement. "Managed payroll for 120 employees on Abacus" contains two useful keywords, proves your experience, and stays perfectly readable.
This is exactly what candidat.app does: from your real background and the target posting, the tool spots the keywords that matter and works them naturally into your CV, calibrated to Swiss conventions, inventing nothing and without stuffing. You stay in control, and you save the time of analysing every ad.
In short
ATS keywords are the exact terms a screening tool looks for in your CV to measure how well it matches the posting. You find them in three zones of the ad: the job title, the responsibilities, and the profile it is looking for. Prioritise objective, verifiable terms (tools, qualifications, certifications, languages) over soft skills, which are too common to screen on. Reuse them with the exact wording from the posting, acronyms included, because the ATS does not guess synonyms. Finally, aim for presence, not repetition: each required keyword once or twice, anchored in a real achievement, rather than a stuffed list that gives the game away.
FAQ
How do I know if a posting goes through an ATS?
In French-speaking Switzerland, that is the most common case as soon as you target a mid-sized or large organisation. Applications through a structured portal (a form, a CV upload, fields to fill in) almost always go through an ATS. When in doubt, optimise your CV as if it did.
How many keywords should I put on a CV?
There is no magic number. Aim to cover the skills required in the posting, generally around ten really targeted terms, worked into your experience rather than piled up. The quality of the anchoring matters more than the count.
Isn't reusing the exact keywords cheating?
No. As long as each term matches a skill you genuinely have, reusing the posting's wording is simply a way to make yourself readable by the software. Cheating would be claiming a skill you do not have.
Should I put keywords in the cover letter too?
It helps, but the CV stays the priority for automatic screening. Place the decisive keywords in your CV, in the experience and skills sections, and let the letter develop the context and motivation naturally.
What if I don't master a required keyword?
Do not fake it. If the skill is truly essential and you are far from it, the job may not be for you. If you have a close version or one you are currently acquiring, honestly mention your real level rather than inflating your profile.