Which ATS do Irish pharma companies use?

Workday Recruiting

Workday turns your uploaded CV into editable application fields ("Autofill with resume"), and recruiters search that structured record rather than your file. Many employers add HiredScore, which grades applicants A to D from the skills and experience Workday extracted. Workday does not publish which parser it uses.

• Upload a text-based PDF or Word file, then check every autofilled field (job titles, employers, dates) before you submit: the recruiter searches what is in those fields.
• Use the job advert's exact job title and its key skills in plain words, because HiredScore grades the extracted skills and titles.
• Keep one column, standard headings and dates written as "Mar 2022 - Present". One documented Workday setup allows five files of up to 5 MB each.

Used by: Pfizer, MSD, Johnson & Johnson (incl. Innovative Medicine), Eli Lilly, Amgen (incl. Horizon), Regeneron, Takeda, Bristol Myers Squibb, Sanofi, Novartis, AstraZeneca, Gilead, Roche, GSK, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Viatris, Mallinckrodt, Organon, Lonza, ICON plc, Medtronic, Stryker, Abbott, Edwards Lifesciences, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Beckman Coulter (Danaher), ResMed, Integer, BD (Becton Dickinson), Baxter, Deloitte Ireland, PwC Ireland, Accenture, Intel, Analog Devices.

SAP SuccessFactors

SuccessFactors uses the Textkernel parser, which matches meaning as well as exact words. SAP states that scanned or image-based PDFs will not parse as expected. An optional AI skills-matching feature compares the skills extracted from your CV with the role.

• Never upload a scan, a photo or a CV built as one image (some design tools export this way).
• Put your skills in a clearly headed Skills section, written the way the advert writes them.
• Use standard headings (Profile, Work Experience, Education, Skills, Certifications) so Textkernel can split the sections.

Used by: Astellas, Grifols, Perrigo, Merck KGaA (MilliporeSigma), Bayer, Servier, Bausch + Lomb, Novo Nordisk, Recordati, Bausch Health, Boston Scientific, Zimmer Biomet, West Pharmaceutical Services, Teleflex, Hollister, EY Ireland, Kerry Group, Glanbia.

Rezoomo (HSE and others)

HSE posts do not accept CVs: you upload the post-specific application form, and nothing can be changed after the closing date. Shortlisting is against the criteria in the job specification.

• Download the job's own form and answer every section against the stated criteria.
• Write one specific example per competency (situation, action, result).
• Use CV Studio to draft your history and examples, then paste them into the form.

Used by: Almac, HSE, Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Enterprise Ireland.

CoreHR (universities)

University portals; usually an application form plus CV and cover letter upload. Parsing behaviour is not published.

• Address each selection criterion in the job description explicitly, in the order given.

Used by: Trinity College Dublin, UCD, UCC.

iCIMS

iCIMS does not publish its parser. Secondary sources describe a Copilot "Role Fit" view and candidate summaries for recruiters; treat that as unconfirmed.

• Use the universal rules: text file, one column, standard headings, full dates.
• Put the most relevant role and skills on page one.

Used by: Hovione, Cook Medical.

Eightfold AI

Eightfold's own parser removes your name, location and phone, then matches skills and experience to the role with a 0 to 5 score. It states the score does not replace human decision-making.

• Your skills and job history carry the whole match, so make them specific.
• Spell out key acronyms once: Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).

Used by: Teva, Microsoft.

SmartRecruiters (SAP since September 2025)

SmartRecruiters also uses Textkernel. Its assistant pre-fills your application from the CV and asks you to confirm the details. Its partner documentation gives a 2 MB file limit.

• Keep the file under 2 MB.
• Confirm each pre-filled field; correct anything the parser split wrongly.
• Name skills and systems (TrackWise, Veeva, SAP QM, LIMS) in plain text.

Used by: AbbVie (incl. Allergan Aesthetics).

Jobvite (Employ)

Jobvite rejects scanned or locked PDFs. It shares an AI "Talent Fit" summary with Lever, which lists strengths, points to clarify and concerns for the recruiter.

• Upload an unlocked, text-based file.
• Make achievements explicit with numbers, since the AI summary lists your strengths from what you wrote.

Used by: BioMarin.

Oracle Taleo

An older Oracle system; its parser is not publicly documented. Secondary sources describe it as strict about section headings and date formats.

• Use standard headings and one date format throughout.
• Expect to retype parts of your history into the form; keep a plain-text copy ready.

Used by: Alkermes.

Avature

Avature does not publish how it parses CVs or whether it ranks candidates. Follow the universal rules below.

• Text-based PDF or Word file, one column, standard headings, full month-and-year dates.
• Mirror the advert's job title and core skills.

Used by: KPMG Ireland.

Oleeo (publicjobs.ie)

publicjobs.ie runs on Oleeo with fully digital application forms. A CV is asked for only when the competition booklet says so, usually for senior or specific technical roles. Panels shortlist by comparing your form against the essential, desirable and competency criteria.

• Read the candidate booklet first: it says whether a CV is wanted.
• Answer each competency with a concrete example and a result.

Used by: publicjobs.ie (Civil Service, many state bodies).

Salesforce-based recruitment CRM

Recruitment agencies store your CV in their CRM and search it by keyword for months afterwards. Agencies usually re-format CVs onto their own branded template before sending them to a client, often removing your contact details.

• Everything that sells you must be in the body text: titles, systems, regulators, numbers.
• Send a Word file if the consultant asks; they often edit it.

Used by: Cpl (recruitment agency).

The systems sell AI; few employers say whether they use it

Every system above turns your CV into structured fields. Between 2024 and 2026 the vendors added optional AI that grades or ranks applications against the job: Workday's HiredScore grades applicants A to D, Eightfold gives a 0 to 5 match score and Phenom uses a Fit Score. Whether a particular employer has switched these on is usually not public, so the system name in the apply link does not tell you.

Of the employers on this page, only two say so in their own published pages: AstraZeneca's candidate privacy notice (June 2026) says it uses Eightfold to score applications automatically and that every application is reviewed by a person, and Microsoft's careers site says Eightfold gives applications a 0 to 5 match score and that recruiters make the decisions. We found no published statement that publicjobs.ie or the HSE use AI screening.

How to check an employer

Read the employer's candidate (or applicant) privacy notice, usually linked from its careers site or the application form. Under GDPR it must tell you how your data is processed, including any automated scoring.

Authenticity checks are now standard

Several systems now check applications for signs of fraud or AI-generated profiles (Oracle, Greenhouse, Phenom and others added this in 2025 and 2026). Keep your CV, your application answers (work permit, dates, job titles) and your LinkedIn profile consistent, write in your own words, and do not list skills you cannot discuss in an interview.

The law

In the EU, AI used to screen or rank job applicants is classed as high-risk under the AI Act. Those obligations were postponed and now apply from 2 December 2027; GDPR already applies. In the US, Mobley v. Workday is an ongoing age-discrimination case about AI screening; no court has found Workday liable.