If you’ve ever applied for a job and received a rejection just minutes later — or worse, never heard back at all — there’s a good chance no one ever read your résumé.
That decision was probably made by an algorithm.
Yes, an automated software tool known as an ATS – Applicant Tracking System.
What Are ATSs and Why Are They Everywhere?
ATSs are used by companies to organize, filter, and accelerate hiring processes. With them, it’s possible to:
- Store and classify incoming résumés
- Automatically filter profiles using keywords
- Automate responses and schedule interviews
- And even reject applications that don’t match preset criteria
In other words: before a human ever sees your application, your profile may already have been approved, sidelined, or discarded by a system.
Why Is This a Concern?
The purpose of ATSs is well-intentioned: to gain efficiency and free up HR professionals so they can focus on strategic, more human-centered decisions.
But is that really what’s happening?
In practice, what we often see is that candidates with rich, non-linear experiences are being ignored — just because the system didn’t find the “right” keyword in their documents.
And here’s the key point: the problem isn’t the ATS itself, but how it’s configured and used.
What’s Behind These Systems?
ATSs are part of a new era of recruitment automation. Many of them now use artificial intelligence to predict “fit” or compatibility.
But this intelligence is still limited and often makes decisions based on historical data — which can replicate existing biases in the job market.
Moreover, the criteria these systems use — like education, years of experience, or specific jargon — are defined by people, and don’t always promote diversity or inclusion.
📌 Some of the most widely used ATS platforms today include Workday, Taleo, Greenhouse, SmartRecruiters, Lever, and SAP SuccessFactors, among others.
How Does This Connect to the SDGs?
This isn’t just a corporate issue — it directly impacts the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially:
🎯 SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth
When used ethically, ATSs can help reduce unemployment time and make hiring more agile and fair.
❌ But when poorly configured or misused, they can automatically exclude highly qualified people — such as women returning from career breaks, senior professionals, migrants, people with disabilities, or anyone who doesn’t match the statistical “norm.”
ATSs Are Tools — And Tools Need Responsible Hands
A hammer can build or destroy, and the same goes for technology.
Ethical use of ATSs requires technical awareness, proper training for HR teams, and above all, institutional accountability.
Because in the end, intelligence doesn’t lie in the system — it lies in the human choices behind it.
🗣️ This is the first in a series of reflections I want to share with you on technology, automation, and digital exclusion in hiring processes.
In the next post, I’ll dive into a tricky question: Who is really responsible for the decisions that AI seems to make?
📩 And if you’ve ever felt like your résumé was rejected by a machine (as it happened to me), share your story — or forward this post to someone who might relate.
See you soon!
