Over 75% of Resumes Vanish in the ATS Black Hole. Here’s Why:

The job  of an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is simple, automate workflows, surface the best talent, and keep the process moving. But when it’s not built or configured for your needs, it can backfire.  

According to an article by peoplematters, a single configuration error caused  one company's ATS to search exclusively for candidates listing “AngularJS,” a framework discontinued in 2010. What they actually wanted was “Angular,” a completely different technology. As a result, every qualified applicant without the outdated keyword was automatically rejected, costing the company months of lost hiring opportunities. In another article by BBC, an AI-driven system instantly ruled out a highly qualified public figure due to the absence of a university degree, with no human review.

These are stark reminders that the wrong ATS can quietly shrink your talent pool while you think it’s working for you. They often fall short in delivering the speed, scalability, and industry-specific features recruiters truly need. This is where XeopleRecruit sets a new standard. Let’s find out how.  

What Recruiters Need Today (and Tomorrow) 

More than 75% of resumes submitted through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are filtered out before a human recruiter ever sees them. According to Jobscan, around 98% of Fortune 500 companies now rely on some form of ATS software.  But if an ATS is only assessing applications based on binary parameters, automatically discarding resumes that don’t match predefined keywords, formats, or experience levels, is the so-called "efficiency" worth the result? 

Here are some less-discussed challenges recruiters face when using an ATS: 

• Keyword Dependence – Rigid matching can screen out strong candidates whose CVs use different terminology or highlight transferable skills in other ways. 

• Built-in Bias – Certain groups, including women, older workers, people with disability, and those who speak English as a second language, can be disproportionately filtered out before review. 

• Diversity Gaps – Without human oversight, AI tools can replicate existing biases and reduce diversity in candidate pools. 

• Geographic and Cultural Bias – Applicants from outside dominant markets may face lower callback rates, even when equally qualified. 

• Image-Based Judgement – Profile photos can influence decisions before a recruiter considers the applicant’s actual experience. 

• Formatting Penalties – Non-standard layouts or file types can trigger automatic rejections. 

• False Efficiency – Poorly configured automation can shrink the talent pool, leading to longer recruiting  cycles later.
  
   

The recruiters of today and tomorrow need tools that speed up hiring without removing the human intuition needed to recognise true potential. 

Using an ATS the Right Way 

A common frustration with many ATS platforms is that they’re built to serve “everyone.” In doing so, they serve no one particularly well. The point of this blog isn’t to discourage you from using technology in your recruitment business. Rather, it’s about using these tools the right way, for the right reasons, and with the right configurations, so recruiters can reap the benefits without the unintended setbacks.  

With so many tools on the market, it’s tempting to invest heavily in a single feature, but doing so without a clear plan can disrupt workflows and cost you valuable talent. 

• Close monitoring of candidate screening – Keeping human oversight in the process to ensure algorithms aren’t unintentionally filtering out strong candidates.

• Data privacy and security by design – Safeguarding candidate information is non-negotiable.

• Adjusting filters and workflows to your market – Avoiding overly rigid parameters that exclude transferable skills or unconventional career paths.

• Balancing efficiency with fairness – Ensuring automation speeds up the process without preventing recruiters from spotting potential beyond keywords.

• Setting up compliance and reporting – If compliance tracking matters in your industry, your ATS should reflect it. The right fit depends on your requirements.

• Customising without the complexity – Making configuration intuitive so recruiters can make adjustments themselves rather than waiting weeks for IT support.

This industry focus drives efficiency, reducing admin, freeing up recruiters to focus on relationship-building, and ensuring the technology works with them, not against them.

How XeopleRecruit Puts It into Practice 

XeopleRecruit is built to combine essential automation with simplicity, flexibility, and ease of use. This provides recruiters with support without overcomplicating the process. Key features include: 

• Automatically captures candidate information by parsing CVs from received emails, chats, or job boards. Simply forward resumes to a Xeople-provided email address, and the system adds them to your database. 

• Extract and structure candidate information with high accuracy so valuable details aren’t lost in translation. 

• The Lead page offers  organisation  with a clear path for every lead, ensuring no follow-up is missed and more prospects become clients. 

• Xeople’s mission is to evolve alongside the recruitment industry and its customers’ needs building technology that solves the real challenges recruiters face today, while preparing them for the demands of tomorrow.  

• We take a measured, modular approach, adding one feature at a time to ensure every component works seamlessly together and enhances the workflow, not complicates it.
  
   

With AI and automation advancing rapidly, the focus is on creating tools that improve accuracy, reduce bias, and give recruiters more control over candidate screening and data security. We’ve already seen the impact of mobile-optimised, user-friendly solutions in boosting productivity, and our roadmap continues to invest in strategic partnerships, considered use cases for AI, and features that genuinely improve recruiter workflows.  

The future of recruitment will reward agencies that can adapt quickly, leverage data intelligently, and deliver consistent, personalised candidate experiences. XeopleRecruit is built to help you do just that, not just today, but for the years ahead. 

The challenge for recruiters isn’t only staying competitive, but ensuring their technology is built to support growth today and tomorrow.

Ready to see how the right technology can transform your recruitment workflow? Contact us to discuss your needs, or explore our full range of Xeople products to find the solutions that fit your business best.