Understanding how recruiters interact with ATS gives you a strategic advantage. ATS is not just a filter — it's the recruiter's primary workspace. Every interaction from job posting to offer letter happens within the system. Here's the inside view of how Indian recruiters use ATS in 2026.
Step 1 — Job Posting & Criteria Setup: The recruiter or hiring manager creates the job posting within the ATS and sets screening criteria: required skills, minimum experience, education qualifications, and location preferences. They may also add 'knockout questions' — if you answer these incorrectly (e.g., 'Do you have a valid work permit?'), your application is immediately rejected regardless of your resume quality.
Step 2 — Automatic Screening & Ranking: As applications come in, the ATS automatically parses each resume, extracts relevant information, and scores it against the job criteria. Resumes are ranked from highest to lowest match score. Most Indian recruiters set a threshold of 60-70% — resumes below this are moved to the 'not qualified' pile without human review. At large Indian companies receiving 500-2000 applications per role, a recruiter physically cannot review every resume. They typically look at the top 20-50 ranked candidates.
Step 3 — Human Review & Shortlisting: The recruiter opens the top-ranked profiles within the ATS dashboard. They see a parsed version of your resume (not always the original PDF), and spend 6-10 seconds deciding whether to shortlist. They look for: relevant job titles, company names, achievement metrics, and skill alignment. If impressed, they move you to 'shortlisted' status and initiate contact.
Step 4 — Pipeline Management: The ATS tracks candidates through interview stages, captures feedback, schedules interviews, and generates reports. Your status (Applied → Screened → Shortlisted → Interview → Offer) is managed entirely within the system.