How to audit your ATS for hidden bias in 30 minutes
As a recruiter, you probably rely on your ATS to do a lot of the heavy lifting, from resume parsing and scoring to filtering and shortlisting.
But there’s a catch.
If you’re not auditing it regularly, your system could be making biased decisions without you even knowing it.
And that’s a problem.
The good news? You don’t need a data scientist or spend hours running reports. You can run a basic bias check in 30 minutes flat.
Here’s how.
Review your default filters
Open your most recent job pipeline and check what filters are applied.
Are you auto-filtering by education, years of experience, or location?
Many recruiters forget that these are even active, but they can silently weed out capable, diverse candidates.
Remove at least one non-essential filter and see how your candidate pool changes.
Check resume parsing accuracy
Upload 2-3 resumes from non-traditional formats (PDF with columns, older templates, resumes from different regions).
See if your ATS parses names, skills, and job titles correctly. Parsing errors disproportionately affect candidates from non-Western candidates.
If your ATS has parsing feedback or confidence scoring, use it to spot gaps.
Audit your automated email templates
Pull up your email invites. Especially the rejection and interview invites. Look for phrasing that could feel impersonal, intimidating, or biased.
For example, swap “Dear Sir” for “Hi [First Name],” and check for tone consistency.
Additionally, make sure to add inclusive language like “We welcome candidates from all backgrounds.”
Run a mini JD scan
Take one recent job description and run it through Gender Decoder or Textio.
Do you see gendered words like “dominant” or “nurturing”?
These can skew your applicant pool before resumes even land in your ATS.
USE OUR ATS CALCULATOR TO CHECK ITS IMPACT HERE!
Spot-check shortlist criteria
Open a past job and look at who your ATS shortlisted automatically.
Check if all candidates were from similar companies, schools, or geographies. If yes, re-check which criteria are influencing scoring.
Test name-blind resume viewing (if available)
See if your ATS offers anonymized resume viewing, hiding name, gender, or photo fields.
Turn it on and compare how you view candidates without identity cues. Bias often creeps in before the interview even begins.
Review interview scheduling logic
Open your scheduling tool or ATS integration and check:
Are you only offering 9-5 slots?
Is the time zone clarity enabled?
Due to this, people with caregiving duties or those in other regions might be silently excluded.
Scan your disqualification reasons
Check if your team is tracking disqualification reasons in a structured way.
Do you have vague reasons like “not a fit” or “poor communication”? These can hide subjective bias.
Add better labels like “Did not meet X skill” or "Unavailable for timeline.”
Pull a diversity snapshot report
If your ATS offers it, run a quick report by gender, ethnicity (if tracked), or location.
Compare applied vs. advanced vs. hired. Where do people drop off? That’s where you need to look deeper.
Ask your ATS
Most modern ATS platforms now offer:
Bling hiring models
Diversity tagging
Inclusive templates
Bias alerts
Log in to your settings and explore what’s available or what you might not be using. And if your vendor hasn’t offered a DEI walkthrough, ask them for one.
Final thoughts
By running these quick checks, you’ll be able to spot bias triggers in your ATS before they derail your hiring goals.
You don’t need to overhaul your tech stack and just get more intentional with what you’ve already got.
Build a system that works with every candidate and not just the ones who check traditional boxes.