Auto-Reject Off by Default: An AI Scoring ATS Checklist
When a hiring platform launches with automatic rejection switched off by default, every buyer gets a benchmark. Here is the checklist to use before you turn on any candidate score.
By ReadyATS Team · · 4 min read
In brief: Before you buy any AI scoring ATS, ask who sets the criteria, whether automatic rejection is off by default, whether a person makes the final call, whether each score can be explained, and whether the system records who decided what.
A hiring platform announced in Turkey on Oct. 19, 2026 shipped with a setting worth noticing: automatic rejection is switched off by default. For anyone shopping for an AI scoring ATS, that default is a useful benchmark.
According to AVM Trend (in Turkish), Youthall's new Hireall platform turns the information in each CV into structured data and gives every candidate an "AI Fit Score" based on criteria the company sets. The report says the hiring team, not the AI, decides which criteria count. Automatic elimination is off by default; companies can turn it on with their own criteria and thresholds, and the final hiring decision stays with the company.
This is a launch in another market, and we are not reviewing the product. It matters because it puts the key buying question in plain view: if software scores your applicants, who decides what the score means, and who decides who gets rejected?
Why the default setting matters
Defaults are decisions. Whatever a tool does out of the box is often what it keeps doing.
An auto-reject that is on by default means some applicants are turned away before a person on your team ever sees their name. An auto-reject that is off by default means the software can sort and suggest, but a human still has to act. For a small or mid-size employer trying to find three good people for one location, every applicant counts.
The story behind the score
Picture a hypothetical dental office hiring a front-desk coordinator. One applicant spent four years running the counter at a veterinary clinic: scheduling, insurance questions, anxious people in the waiting room. Her resume never says "dental."
A rigid filter set to "dental front office experience required" could drop her before anyone reads a word. The manager would never know she applied. That is the quiet cost of a silent auto-reject: you never see the good candidate you lost.
The AI scoring ATS checklist: six questions for any vendor
Use these with any vendor, including us.
Comparison table 1: scroll horizontally or focus the table region and use the arrow keys to read every column.
| Question | What a good answer looks like |
|---|---|
| 1. Who sets the criteria? | Your team sees and edits the criteria for each role, in plain language |
| 2. Is auto-reject off by default? | Yes, and any rule that rejects is one you wrote and can see |
| 3. Who makes the final call? | A person approves every stage change, rejection and offer |
| 4. Can the score be explained? | Each score shows the requirement matched and the evidence behind it |
| 5. Do candidates hear back? | Status updates, scheduling and closing messages are built in |
| 6. Is there a record? | The system logs the rule or score, the evidence and who decided |
Ask for a demo of question 4. If a candidate, a manager or a lawyer asks why someone ranked low, "the algorithm said so" is not an answer. Some laws now regulate automated hiring tools; our guide on whether AI hiring is legal covers NYC Local Law 144 and the EU AI Act.
Why ask these questions now
The Hireall launch shows at least one new platform treating "off by default" as a selling point. If you are choosing or renewing an ATS this season, ask these questions before setup, while the defaults are still yours to choose. For a deeper look at how scoring works, read AI resume screening: how it works and how to avoid bias.
Where ReadyATS fits
ReadyATS is AI hiring software for small and mid-size teams, built on the same principle. According to our AI Fairness page:
- Each match score comes with the requirement list, which items matched and the resume sentence that supports each match.
- Scores are suggestions. Recruiters can override them, ignore them or turn AI scoring off for the account.
- Maya never rejects anyone because of an AI score. Every stage change, interview invitation, offer and rejection is made by a person at the employer.
- Knock-out rules, such as a required licence, are set by the employer and shown to candidates as application questions.
Basic is $199 a month, or $179 a month billed yearly, with unlimited users at $0 per user (pricing). Pro adds Checkr background checks from the candidate page, and Checkr Identity Verification is available through the same integration, as confirmed by the ReadyATS team on Oct. 23, 2026. ReadyATS does not handle Form I-9 or work-authorization checks. No long-term commitment, cancel anytime.
FAQ
What does "auto-reject off by default" mean?
The software does not turn applicants away on its own when you first set it up. A person has to review and act unless the company chooses to switch automatic rejection on.
What should I ask before buying an AI scoring ATS?
Ask who sets the criteria, whether auto-reject is off by default, who makes the final call, whether each score can be explained, and what the system records.
Should small businesses avoid AI scoring?
Not necessarily. Scoring can help you decide who to look at first. What matters is who sets the criteria, whether you can explain the result and whether a person makes the final call.
Does ReadyATS reject candidates based on an AI score?
No. Maya never rejects anyone because of an AI score. Your team makes every stage change, offer and rejection.
Your next applicant should get a human decision
Set up a process where software keeps things organized and people decide.
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