ATS Section Headings: Which Ones Work and Which Ones Fail
One of the less obvious ATS pitfalls is section heading naming. ATS systems are trained to recognise standard headings and categorise the content beneath them. If your headings are non-standard — creative, informal, or unconventional — the system may misclassify or ignore that section entirely.
How ATS Uses Section Headings
When parsing a CV, ATS software uses section headings as markers to identify what type of content follows. A heading of "Work Experience" tells the ATS: parse what follows as employment history. A heading of "Education" signals: parse what follows as academic credentials.
If you use a heading like "My Professional Journey" or "Where I've Been," the ATS may not recognise it as a work experience section — and the employment history beneath it may not be parsed correctly.
Standard Headings That Work
Use these headings consistently and your ATS parsing will be reliable:
Headings to Avoid
These creative alternatives may look distinctive in the document but can cause ATS parsing failures:
- "My Story" or "About Me" (instead of Personal Profile)
- "Where I've Worked" or "Professional Journey" (instead of Work Experience)
- "Things I Know" or "My Toolkit" (instead of Skills)
- "How I Got Here" (instead of Education)
The problem is not that these headings are bad writing. It is that ATS systems have not been trained on them.
Specific Heading Notes
Personal statement: Most ATS systems recognise "Personal Profile," "Summary," and "Professional Summary" reliably. "Objective" is older but still parsed correctly. Avoid anything too informal.
Skills: "Skills" and "Key Skills" are the safest choices. "Competencies" and "Core Competencies" are generally recognised. "Technical Skills" works if your skills are primarily technical.
Education: "Education" is universally recognised. "Academic Background" usually works. "My Degrees" does not.
Check Your Headings With an ATS Tool
CVCircuit's ATS checker assesses your CV's structure including section recognition. If a section is not parsing correctly, the checker will flag it.
Check your CV's ATS compatibility free at CVCircuit.