Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, Workable: A Field Guide to the Big Four ATS
Four systems handle most of the roles you will ever apply to. What each one does differently, and the small quirks worth knowing.
By Sydicom Team
If you apply to enough roles, you will meet the same four application systems again and again. Knowing their habits saves time and the odd avoidable rejection.
Greenhouse
Common at scale-ups and large tech firms. Clean parsing, structured questions, and often a set of custom questions per role. Answer the custom questions properly, since they frequently feed the recruiter's first filter.
Lever
Popular with mid-size companies. Lighter forms, strong on referrals. A short, well-structured resume parses cleanly here, and links to your work tend to carry weight.
Ashby
Newer, common at fast-growing startups. Modern forms that are good at structured data and quick for the applicant when your resume is clean. Expect knockout questions on authorization and location.
Workable
Wide reach across small and mid-size employers. Forms vary more from company to company, so read each one rather than assuming the layout.
What they share
All four reward the same things: a single-column resume that parses, plain section headings, honest keywords from the job description, and complete answers to the gating questions. Sydicom reads each of these systems and fills the fields it recognizes, so the repetition is handled and you keep your attention for the answers that matter.
Frequently asked questions
Which ATS is hardest to get through?
None is harder by design. They differ in form length and questions, not in fairness. A clean single-column resume and honest keywords work across all four.