How hiring processes work today (ATS, AI, and screening)
Sending your resume and not hearing back is frustrating because you don't see what happens on the other side. Today, much of the process is automated: before a person looks at your application, systems filter and rank it. Understanding that path completely changes how you apply.
By Carlos Jacon · Founder of CareersForge · Senior Engineering Manager
Listen to this guide
What stages does a hiring process have today?
A common flow is: you apply, the resume goes through an applicant tracking system (ATS), those who pass move to a recruiter screening, then to interviews (HR, technical, manager) and sometimes to tests. Each stage eliminates candidates, and the first ones—the automated stages—are where most people drop out without ever knowing why.
What is the ATS and how does it filter?
ATS (Applicant Tracking System) is the software that receives and organizes applications. It reads your resume and measures the match with the job description, primarily by keywords: skills, tools, and the job title. A generic resume or one in a format the system can't read loses ranking right at the entry point.
Example: why the generic resume loses
Before: The job asks for 'paid traffic management and Google Ads', but your resume only says 'experience with digital marketing'.
After: The resume lists 'paid traffic management, Google Ads, and Meta Ads', matching the job terms and rising in the screening.
From screening to offer: what changes in each conversation?
After the filter, the recruiter screening usually checks context, interest, and basic conditions. The hiring manager conversation digs into decisions, outcomes, and collaboration; technical stages test reasoning or specific expertise. An offer should only come when both sides understand scope, level, and terms.
Use the transition between stages to adjust your preparation, not to invent a new story: resume, LinkedIn, and answers must support the same facts, with the level of detail each conversation requires.
How has AI entered screening?
Beyond keyword filters, many companies already use artificial intelligence to analyze and rank candidates, and even chatbots for pre-selection. Use of AI in screening itself is already common: a ResumeBuilder.com survey of company leaders (October 2024) indicated that more than half of organizations were already using AI in the hiring process, with most planning to adopt AI to analyze resumes in the following year. Knowing that the first evaluation is automated reinforces why your materials need to be clear and aligned with the job.
How to adapt to this process?
You don't control the system, but you control how you present yourself to it.
- Tailor your resume to each job, using the keywords from the description.
- Use a simple format (single column, no tables or images) that the ATS can read.
- Show results, not just tasks, to convince the recruiter in the next stage.
- Keep LinkedIn aligned, because part of the screening happens there.
Frequently asked questions
Do all companies use an ATS?
Not all, but most medium and large companies do, and many small ones use them through recruitment platforms. Since you rarely know in advance, the safe approach is always to write with the automated screening in mind.
Is AI in screening fair?
It speeds things up but inherits the criteria and biases of whoever configured it. That's why the best you can do is present yourself clearly and aligned with the job, using real facts, increasing the chance of passing both the machine and the person.
Is it worth applying to many jobs at once?
Volume without customization yields little, because the generic submission fails screening. It's better to apply to fewer jobs with each resume tailored than to send the same document to dozens.