The Truth About Applicant Tracking Systems: Are Your Resumes Really Disappearing into a “Black Hole”?

Job hunting has always been tough, but in today’s digital era, there’s an extra layer of complexity you have to prepare for–Applicant Tracking Systems (ATSs).

ATS and the black hole — *The ATS has been referred to as* “*the black hole.”*

“Over-reliance on software in the hiring world seems to have created a vicious cycle. Digital technology was supposed to make it easier for companies to find suitable job candidates, but instead it’s contributed to a surfeit of applicants. In the early 2010s, the average corporate job posting attracted 120 applicants, says the study, but by the end of the decade this figure had risen to 250 applicants per job. Companies have responded to this deluge by deploying brutally rigid filters in their automated filtering software. This has had the effect of rejecting viable candidates, contributing to the large pool of job-seekers.” (The Verge)

Job hunting has always been tough, but in today’s digital era, there’s an extra layer of complexity you have to prepare for–Applicant Tracking Systems (ATSs). Ever sent in your resume, felt like you were perfect for the role, only to hear crickets? Many job seekers think their resumes disappear into a mysterious “black hole” and never get seen by human eyes. So, is this really what’s happening, or is there more to the story?

What is an ATS, and why do companies use it?

An ATS is software that companies use to automate parts of the recruitment process. Originally intended to handle the overwhelming volume of applications, ATSs scan, sort, and filter resumes based on keywords, skills, and other factors before a recruiter even lays eyes on them.

These systems make recruiters’ jobs easier. Think about the deluge of applications large companies receive–often hundreds or even thousands per open position. Without ATSs, recruiters would spend days, even weeks, reviewing each resume by hand. ATS software sifts through resumes, ranking them according to how closely they match the job description.

But while the ATS saves time for recruiters, it can feel like an impassable gate for job seekers. Many applicants never make it through to an actual person, leading to the popular perception of the “black hole” in the hiring process. Is this fear justified?

The “Black Hole” myth: Do resumes truly vanish?

ATS question — *What exactly is an ATS?*

It’s easy to believe that resumes disappear once submitted online, especially when you apply for dozens of jobs and hear nothing back. But the idea of an ATS “black hole” is more of a half-truth than a reality.

Let’s break it down. When you submit your resume, the ATS scans it, parsing for relevant information such as your name, contact info, work experience, and education. Then it cross-references the text with the job description. If your resume contains the right keywords, skills, and qualifications, it gets flagged for review. If not, it could be ignored or ranked too low for recruiters to view.

While many candidates believe their resumes vanish into oblivion after submission, they are more likely being filtered out by the ATS before reaching a recruiter. Forage explains that ATSs scan resumes for keywords and qualifications that match the job description. If a resume doesn’t include these elements, it might never get flagged for human review. According to Forage, the system filters out about 75% of resumes early, so recruiters never see them.

But wait–what about all those perfect matches? Do well-qualified resumes sometimes not make the cut? Absolutely. And that’s where the actual issue with ATSs lies.

How ATSs can misread and mis-rank your resume

The problem with many ATSs is that they aren’t as smart as you’d expect. In fact, these systems can be clunky, rigid, and, sometimes, outright terrible at interpreting resumes.

ATSs are designed to match resumes with job descriptions through keyword filters, but this process can be problematic. Let’s say you list “content development” on your resume, but the job description mentions “content creation.” An ATS might not recognize those terms as synonymous, even though any human would.

Or, suppose your resume uses a complicated layout with columns, images, or unconventional fonts. While it might look slick to a human recruiter, the ATS could struggle to parse the text correctly, causing key information to get missed or misinterpreted.

And, as Forage explains, some ATSs don’t rank resumes by relevance but just present them in the order received. This can further complicate things because it assumes all applicants have an equal chance, regardless of their qualifications.

In short, ATSs can reject you for all the wrong reasons. Not because you’re not qualified, but because your resume isn’t “playing by the rules.”

Myth vs fact: An ongoing debate

ATS questions — *When it come to an ATS, how do we know what are the facts?*

There’s been plenty of heated debate on LinkedIn lately–recruiters squaring off against career experts, and sometimes each other–over the real impact ATSs have on candidates’ resumes. Some recruiters claim that ATSs are simply glorified filing systems, just holding onto resumes until they get a chance to review them. Others argue that ATSs merely throw in “knock-out questions” to filter out candidates who don’t meet basic criteria, such as location, saving recruiters time. But a vocal few are calling out their fellow recruiters, accusing them of either being dishonest or clueless about how ATSs actually work. One such critic is a senior technical recruiter, Alexander.

I’ve followed Alexander for some time now and have seen him leave many recruiters stumped after he challenged their claims about ATSs’ low influence on whether their resumes were read by humans. So, I reached out to ask him about why this debate existed and why so many recruiters denied the impact ATSs have on candidates’ resumes. He was more than happy to break it down for me, and here’s how he summarized our conversation:

“ATS platforms have routinely automatically screened out, and rejected candidates for years now. Anyone with more than five minutes in the space knows this. Despite that, there has been a recent backlash from those in the industry claiming this long, and well known fact to not be true. Simply, they see the writing on the wall, and are doing nothing more than fighting their extinction.

“Candidates are fed up with the gaslighting, and ghosting, and management is tired of the lackluster performance. Recruiters today are the equivalent of telephone operators of yesterday, and everyone either knows, or suspects this reality.”

That’s a hard pill to swallow. Could it be that while some recruiters acknowledge that ATSs systematically screen and reject resumes, many others downplay their impact, reflecting resistance to technological changes and fears of becoming obsolete?

Enter AI: How it’s changing the ATS game

As if ATSs weren’t enough, AI (artificial intelligence) is now playing a bigger role in the recruitment process. ATS software is being integrated more and more with AI-powered tools to improve candidate matching, predict job performance, and even assess “cultural fit” through resume content.

The rise of AI in ATS software has brought both advantages and challenges. On the one hand, AI can enhance the system’s ability to match candidates to jobs by analyzing soft skills and personality traits based on resume content.

Some AI-driven tools claim to assess a candidate’s potential cultural fit or predict job performance. However, AI is still far from perfect, and it can sometimes exacerbate existing problems in the hiring process. This is because AI is limited to the data they’re trained on.

That means, if that data reflects certain biases, the system might discriminate against candidates based on factors like employment gaps or unconventional career paths. In fact, a Harvard Business School study found that many AI-driven hiring tools are filtering out qualified candidates who don’t follow traditional career trajectories. While AI has improved how ATSs function, it still can’t replace human intuition and judgment, which can recognize potential in candidates beyond what’s written on paper.

On the other hand, these AI-driven systems analyze not just hard skills (like software proficiency or years of experience), but also soft skills, which are notoriously hard to assess from a resume alone. For example, some tools claim to analyze your writing style to determine personality traits, while others attempt to gauge how well you’d align with a company’s values.

While these advancements sound impressive, they introduce new challenges for job seekers. AI, like ATSs, is imperfect. Just as ATSs can misinterpret resume formatting, AI systems can misread your experience or misjudge your fit for a role. These algorithms are only as good as the data they’re trained on, and if that data is biased or incomplete, it can lead to unfair outcomes.

The human element: Do recruiters still matter?

Here’s the good news: recruiters aren’t obsolete–yet. While ATSs and AI are doing much of the initial legwork, human recruiters still play a crucial role in the hiring process. Once your resume makes it through the system’s filters, a recruiter will typically review it and decide whether to move forward with your application.

But this human involvement underscores why it’s so important to optimize your resume–not just for machines, but for people too. You don’t want your resume to read like a sterile list of keywords. Once you pass the ATS, it needs to make a compelling case for the recruiter reviewing it. Balance is key: pack your resume with the right terms for the ATS, but also make it readable, engaging, and informative for when it reaches human hands.

So, is the ATS “Black Hole” real?

The black hole metaphor resonates because the experience of applying for jobs often feels opaque and frustrating. But in reality, most resumes aren’t vanishing–they’re just getting stuck at various stages of the filtering process, sometimes without reason. The key takeaway? A well-crafted resume, optimized for both ATSs and human recruiters, can make all the difference.

The rise of AI and ATSs has undeniably made the job application process more complex, but it’s not insurmountable. Understanding how these systems work and adjusting your resume to fit their criteria can make a world of difference. Despite the challenges faced by candidates with unconventional career paths, those who strategically craft their resumes to meet ATS standards can prevent getting trapped in the digital “black hole.”

As AI continues to shape the hiring landscape, job seekers need to stay savvy. This means not only understanding how ATSs work but also keeping up with new technologies like AI that can either help or hinder your job search. It’s not about beating the system–it’s about working with it.

And yes, that means that even the most qualified candidates need to tailor their resumes meticulously. If you’re serious about landing a job, there’s no room for complacency in today’s tech-driven hiring environment.

To succeed in today’s tech-driven hiring game, it’s not enough to just be qualified–you’ve got to be ATS-friendly. So, the next time a recruiter tells you there’s ‘no such thing as an ATS-friendly resume,’ ask yourself why they’re saying that. And, before you hit ‘submit,’ make sure your resume is optimized. If it’s not, the infamous ‘black hole’ might be more real than you think.