A third of managers rely on applicant tracking systems to screen out applications, report finds

Over a third of hiring managers said some job applications are fully screened out by applicant tracking systems (ATS), according to a report by Resume Genius.

The Resume Genius 2026 Hiring Insights Report, based on a survey of 1,000 hiring managers, found that while 71% of organisations use ATS software, most resumes are still reviewed by humans at some stage of the process.

Nearly half (49%) of hiring managers said they use ATS tools to organise, rank and flag applications while personally reviewing most resumes, whereas 37% rely on the systems to automatically screen out candidates based on preset criteria.

Adoption of ATS technology was highest among younger hiring managers, with usage reported by 85% of Gen Z respondents, compared with 75% of Millennials, 67% of Gen X and 35% of Baby Boomers.

Hiring managers said the systems are primarily used to speed up early-stage recruitment and manage high application volumes.

Common uses included reviewing applications more quickly (60%), handling large volumes (50%) and identifying candidates who do not meet basic requirements (49%).

However, respondents also highlighted drawbacks.

One-third said ATS use makes hiring feel less personal, and the same proportion said the systems place too much emphasis on keyword matching rather than overall suitability.

Gen Z managers were the most critical, particularly regarding reduced personalisation.

Despite advances in recruitment technology, traditional resume formats were viewed as the most effective.

Text-based PDFs without images were rated most compatible with ATS software (53%), followed by Word documents (43%), while heavily designed resumes were least effective.

When applications were rejected by ATS, hiring managers most frequently cited poor alignment with job requirements, missing skills and incomplete work histories as key reasons.

Nathan Soto, career expert at Resume Genius, said: “Only half of hiring managers personally review each resume they receive, which means that your first hurdle as a candidate is getting through the ATS screening criteria.

“Resumes are most often filtered out when they don’t clearly align with the job requirements, so simple formatting and relevant experience matter. No amount of keyword stuffing will make up for a lack of required skills or work history.”