I'm trying to identify and understand how does Greenhouse, Ashby, eigthfold.ai, and iCIMS etc ATS work?
Been applying to roles from May 2025 in the United States, and have been selected for only 6 as of now. So, YES, I am struggling to break the ATS.
Interviewed at: (None of them used the above-listed ATS)
- Google Early Career SWE
- Bloomberg SWE
- HRT SWE
- Citadel SWE
Current Approach:
- Selecting applications
- Tailoring my resume with ChatGPT by (identifying exact keywords -> using them in the resume)
- I was using Google Docs, but then I realized that margins in Google Docs cause issues in resume parsing when you download the PDF version of your resume and upload it.
- Then backtracked to MS Word and exported to a PDF (as usual).
- And then apply accordingly.
Using MS Word vs Google Docs vs LaTex
- For me, MS Word -> PDF conversion has worked for the above-listed companies, so I'm not exactly sure how much difference it will make if I transform my resume to LaTex or either-or
Tailoring the Resume:
- I do not blindly ask ChatGPT to identify keywords and then use them in the bullets; I try to make meaningful coherence and re-state the experience bullet myself. (which is absolutely time-consuming)
When I was trying to identify how Greenhouse ATS works, I found out that it neither works on Semantic keyword search nor exact keyword search, with high blockers of hard-set questions, such as:
- Sponsorship Questions
- Current Location
- Degree Dates
I might be completely wrong based on my search and identification so far.
But if anyone has gone through this, I'd appreciate your help.