Glossary
ATS (Applicant Tracking System)
What an ATS is, how it screens resumes before a human reads them, and how to prepare your CV to pass the filter.
An ATS (Applicant Tracking System) is the software companies use to receive, organize and screen job applications. Before a recruiter reads your resume, the ATS has already scanned it, extracted your data and decided whether you make the first cut.
How the filter works
The ATS converts your resume into plain text and matches it against the job description: job titles, skills, years of experience and keywords. If the document isn't machine-readable —complex columns, tables, text inside images— or doesn't contain the terms the role asks for, it gets discarded before anyone reads it.
In Latin America ATS adoption is already the norm at mid-size and large companies: platforms like Workday, Greenhouse, SAP SuccessFactors and Lever process most corporate openings in the region.
What it means for your search
- Simple formatting wins: one column, standard fonts, no graphics or photos embedded in the layout.
- Literal keywords: if the posting asks for "project management", writing only "PM" can leave you out.
- One resume per role: tailoring the document to each application multiplies your odds of passing the cut.
How Ingenium works on this
Ingenium's employability diagnostic checks whether your resume is compatible with the most widely used ATS platforms, and the Career Accelerator includes optimizing the document with your industry's keywords before you start applying.