The Truth About ATS “Bots”

All right job seekers of the world (and “resume experts” that have not worked with an ATS in the last few years as a recruiter) — here you go. Let’s talk about “bots”…again.

“Bots” are CHATBOTS, not robots. They don’t “autoreject” resumes (sorry to burst everyone’s bubble.) Chatbots engage with candidates on messaging platforms like SMS or Instant Messenger apps to help them with questions/faq’s, they can gather scheduling information, and at one company I worked with, they gathered references from candidates pending an offer via a text message.

The ONLY WAY a “bot” could be instrumental in rejecting your application LEGALLY (in the US) is after you have applied, and it asks you a series of questions with yes/no answers to see if you fit BASIC QUALIFICATIONS. If you don’t fit the basic requirements, you aren’t qualified for the job. Recruiters can still see your resume/application and RECRUITERS SET THE PARAMETERS for the questions the chatbot asks (and you still would be rejected by the recruiter manually). There are also screening questions that the ATS offers recruiters that you may be asked to fill out, which the recruiter can see on your profile. (These are NOT your voluntary responses to ethnic/disability/veteran status…those questions are anonymous and only used to report to the EEOC.)

Here is some information about why there has been a rise in AI/chatbots in recent years (spoiler alert: you asked for it, you got it — source: AI marketing article geared at the recruiting industry):

• In a recent survey by Allegis, 58% of candidates were comfortable interacting with AI and recruitment chatbots in the early stages of the application process.
• An even larger percentage — 66% — were comfortable with AI and chatbots taking care of interview scheduling and preparation.
• Randstad found 82% of job seekers believe the ideal recruiter interaction is a mix between innovative technology and personal, human interaction.

“Today’s candidates are aware the recruiting process might not be human-to-human at every touchpoint, but value the chance to receive information in whatever way they can.

As that attitude continues to evolve, so will the recruitment chatbot.”

#ats #resumetips #jobsearchtips #jobsearchhelp