ATS (Applicant Tracking System)

Definition

The software that filters job applications using algorithms, responsible for 75% of qualified candidates never being seen by human eyes.

Example Usage

I didn't get past the ATS for a position I was overqualified for—my resume probably lacked the right keywords.

Origin

Developed in the 1990s to automate resume screening

Fun Fact

ATS systems are so aggressive at filtering that candidates now optimize resumes for robots before humans read them.

Source: Recruiting technology

Related Terms

Beginner

Org Chart

A colorful diagram that shows who reports to whom, updated approximately never and accurate for about 48 hours after each reorganization. It's the corporate family tree, except family trees don't have dotted-line relationships.

👥 Human Resources

Beginner

Remote Work

Working from outside the traditional office environment—the benefit everyone demanded until management decided it's a privilege to be revoked.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

silent firing

Making an employee's job so miserable they quit voluntarily, thereby avoiding severance obligations and unemployment claims. It's constructive discharge with better PR, often involving workload manipulation, exclusion, or denial of opportunities.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

reprisal

Corporate revenge served cold, usually in the form of passive-aggressive performance reviews or mysterious project reassignments. The art of professionally getting even without technically breaking any rules. Think of it as workplace karma with a paper trail.

👥 Human Resources

Advanced

employer of record

A third-party organization that becomes the legal employer of workers on behalf of another company, handling payroll, taxes, and compliance. It's corporate outsourcing for the actual responsibility of employing people.

👥 Human Resources

Beginner

trainee

An employee who's still learning the ropes, typically fresh out of school or new to an industry, undergoing structured training before assuming full responsibilities. Trainees exist in that awkward limbo where they're expected to contribute but forgiven for not knowing things that everyone assumes are obvious. The period when asking "stupid questions" is not only acceptable but encouraged.

👥 Human Resources

Translate This Term

See “ATS (Applicant Tracking System)” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Intermediate

typesetting

The ancient art of arranging text on a page so it doesn't look like a ransom note, now mostly automated by software that...