Moving a candidate through the journey from first contact to start date can be a high-touch process. It can be all too easy to lose a top candidate because of slow response times or poor engagement around interview schedules. An ATS creates greater visibility across the applicant lifecycle, so touchpoints don’t fall through the cracks.
What Are Applicant Tracking Systems? (With Definition and Tips)
When applying for a job, your resume may reach the hiring manager’s desk immediately and instead must first pass through an applicant tracking system. This software helps streamline and automate the hiring process, allowing hiring professionals to focus on reviewing the most qualified or best-fit candidates for the job. Understanding these systems can help you submit application materials that meet employers’ standards and needs. In this article, we discuss applicant tracking systems, including their purpose, how they work and advice on how to pass them.
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is an HR software that employers often use during the recruitment and hiring process. This software collects, sorts and ranks the resumes they receive. When applying for jobs, your resume may not go directly to the hiring manager. Instead, it may first pass through an ATS. This software helps streamline their resume review process. It collects information about each candidate based on their resume, then organizes them based on their experiences and skill sets. This step enables recruiters and hiring managers to filter their pool for the most qualified candidates.
Why are applicant tracking systems used?
Hiring managers and recruiters may receive at least hundreds of applications during the hiring process. An applicant tracking system helps these professionals collect essential information about candidates and organize everything in one place. They may use this information to manage other hiring process activities, such as scheduling interviews, performing reference checks and completing necessary paperwork. Utilizing applicant tracking system software can benefit organizations in numerous ways, including:
Streamlining the application process: An ATS collects and organizes candidates’ applications automatically. This software helps save hiring managers and recruiters time and effort of performing filing and sorting tasks themselves. They can then use the ATS as a database to easily search and access potential candidates.
Filtering potential candidates: ATS software can also help hiring managers and recruiters filter their candidates by setting minimum requirements and filtering out those who do not meet them. These requirements may include years of experience, educational background or particular skills. Again, this saves them time rather than reviewing all the applications that they receive.
Sourcing candidates: Because the ATS acts as a candidate database, organizations can identify high-quality candidates who have shown interest in the company. When hiring for other positions, the hiring managers or recruiters can look at existing candidates in their database who demonstrate the right skills and prior experiences for the job.
Enabling better tracking: Organizations can use ATS software to identify where candidates found their job postings. Hiring managers and recruiters can use this information to adjust their recruiting activities. For example, if most of the candidates applied through a particular online job board, they may focus their efforts there. When they identify less popular areas, they may reduce those efforts or find ways to improve engagement there.
Benefits of an applicant tracking system for candidates
In a competitive job market, recruiters and hiring managers look to leverage every potential advantage in the race for the best talent. As many organizations pivot to remote work, this need is even more critical. The competitive field has broadened: The barrier of geography has been removed, giving the best applicants even more choice. An ATS can be a key differentiator for discerning candidates. Here are a few of the benefits:
Enhanced candidate experience
Job seekers expect a frictionless digital experience during their search. The best ATS automates many of the most cumbersome aspects of job hunting by providing auto-fill online applications; self-service interview scheduling; and seamless, consistent communication across recruiting teams.
Greater efficiency in the hiring process
Low candidate engagement is often the result of disconnected recruiting teams that cannot collaborate effectively, lack visibility into where the candidate is in the hiring process, or can’t provide critical information to a candidate. This is a major frustration for top applicants, who make decisions on whether to accept a job or not based on every aspect of the experience. An ATS can help avoid any negative issues, getting applicants hired faster, and creating more positive word-of-mouth for the brand.
Immediate impact after the hire
The best people want to hit the ground running. An ATS not only assists in recruiting and hiring, but it also offers dozens of tools to streamline the onboarding process. This makes the transition from candidate to full-time employee a smooth one.
Key Applicant Tracking Features
There are hundreds of applicant tracking systems out there, many of which simply have the basic features required for your HR team’s recruiting process. However, the best applicant tracking systems will also have the bells and whistles that make switching to a new system worthwhile. Here are some of the key features from the top ATS vendors:
- Video Interviewing: Video interviews have become a powerful way for recruiters to save time and get more information from a broader group of job seekers. Look for solutions that either have a video interview module, or a deep connection with one of the top video interview platforms.
- Open APIs: The top applicant tracking systems now all come with robust APIs that allow other tools to build deep integrations. This means your on-boarding, background screening, etc all integrate with your ATS. This is a tough one to vet as most HR professionals are not technical in nature. However, you can ask your other favorite vendors if they have integrations with a given system. You can also look at how extensive the partner ecosystem is for an ATS you are considering.
- Sourcing: Many top ATS’s realize that their solution needs to be much more than simply a database full of job applicants. It needs to help you actually get those applicants! Look for recruiting software that will help you find and hire the best through chrome extensions that allow you to source, databases of candidates that you can query, and outreach tools that allow you to build sequences to engage the right candidates through email and texting.
- CRM: Candidate relationship management or CRM is a term that many recruiting teams throw around, although it seems that most times it’s mis-used. Specifically when looking at applicant tracking systems, it’s important to understand how you can keep tabs on silver medalists, talent pools of more passive candidates, and generally speaking your entire job seeker ecosystem. A CRM will let you set reminders to ping candidates in the future, email nurture talent pools, and have ways that your recruiters and sourcers can re-discover old candidates that may not be a good fit for an open role.
- Blind Screening: It’s hard to get most D&I initiatives off the ground without the ability to blind screen applicants. Look for an ATS that will take out names, photos, addresses and allow your recruiters to screen without these biases. You may even find one that will allow you to evaluate the bias of individual job descriptions to allow for more equitable hiring.
- Employer Branding and Career Site: Modern applicant tracking systems are built with the candidate experience in mind, not just your recruiting process. They will allow you to build and maintain a beautiful career site that showcases your employer brand. They’ll also allow you to embed employer branding messaging and media into all candidate communication.
- Data and Analytics: While most ATS’s will have some standard dashboards, it’s important to align on the reporting you’ll need for internal and external stakeholders and the analytics offered by any potential vendor. In the best case, you can export data via .csv or API to pull into your custom dashboard. However, not all companies have the ability to run this sort of analysis. So, look for solutions that have analytics around time to fill, cost per hire, your best channels, conversion rates throughout your funnel (applicant to screen to interview to hire).
- Interview Scheduling: ATS software that is focused on recruitment automation will include scheduling for everything from phone screens to final round interviews.
- Offer Letters: Many ATS solutions will automate the distribution of offer letters to potential new hires so that your hiring team can
- Onboarding: While some ATS’s are complimented by a full on suite of hr software (HRIS, performance, engagement, payroll, etc), at the very least many have employee onboarding capabilities to ensure a smooth handoff once someone is hired.
Resources:
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/what-are-applicant-tracking-systems
https://www.oracle.com/human-capital-management/recruiting/what-is-applicant-tracking-system/
https://www.selectsoftwarereviews.com/buyer-guide/applicant-tracking-systems
Applicant tracking system
An applicant tracking system, or ATS, is a program that allows companies to easily filter and sort resumes, publish job postings, and prioritize the most qualified candidates. ATS features vary widely by software and price point, and span from the most basic programs to full-service, visually appealing, and highly effective software designed to optimize your recruitment process.
Applicant Tracking Systems
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TRAFFIT
TRAFFIT
Traffit is a SaaS cloud-based ATS for software companies, recruiting agencies, HR departments and headhunters. It is Traffit is a SaaS cloud-based applicant tracking system (ATS) for recruiting agencies, HR departments, RPO provid. Read more
PeopleForce
PeopleForce
PeopleForce is a cloud-based human resource (HR) management solution, which helps small to midsize businesses manage recruitments and employees on a centralized platform. Features include expense tracking, electronic signature, re. Read more
BizMerlinHR
BizMerlinHR
BizMerlinHR is a cloud-based human resource management solution that helps mid to large enterprises manage the entire employee lifecycle, from onboarding to comprehensive employee records to performance management to team retentio. Read more
Recruitee
Recruitee
Recruitee is the collaborative hiring software that delivers the complete solution to help internal HR teams work with the rest of their organization to hire better together. With an easy-to-use interface, thousands of scaling bus. Read more
iSmartRecruit
iSmartRecruit
Our Applicant Tracking System and Recruiting CRM simplify every step of the hiring process in the company. Also, it streamlines everything from sourcing passive candidates to onboarding workflows with an affordable pricing model. . Read more
EasyHire
EasyHire
EasyHire.me is a cloud-based video interview platform that enables companies to screen candidates using live and recorded videos, phone calls and real-time code assessments. It is suitable for businesses of all sizes and any . Read more
Homerun
Homerun
Homerun is an online hiring software designed to help small businesses streamline hiring processes with centralized dashboards, team collaboration, and candidate communication. Key features include team notes, HTML email signature. Read more
Conrep
Conrep
Conrep Applicant Tracking System is a cloud-based solution that provides tools to manage time-to-hire, automates staffing process and supports recruiting teams. It is suitable for all industries and businesses of all sizes. Key fe. Read more
Pricing and Services
AT software can cost a lot, more so if you’re a staffing firm that does most of your work within the system. However, small businesses and organizations featuring handful-sized recruitment teams won’t have to break the bank to find a suitable tool. Various AT software firms offer free systems capable of basic data processing, applicant communication, and simple recruitment analytics. JobScore and Zoho Recruit both offer free tools that are excellent starter kits for small companies provided their needs are not too complex.
The prices for other tools on this list run the gamut from $25 to $100 per user per month for basic plans. However, the more features and projects you’d like to add to the platform, the more expensive AT software can run. Some firms won’t openly reveal how high this price can go. They prefer to discuss it with clients on a case-by-case basis. But keep in mind that annual payments (as opposed to monthly payments) will usually net you a 10-20 percent discount. So, if you’ve got the money, then it’s wise to pay for the full year upfront.
Signs a paid ATS may be more beneficial for your business
1. Your hiring process is complex
Larger businesses with complicated talent pipelines can benefit from the features offered by a paid ATS. A paid applicant tracking system can help you standardize your recruitment process. It can also make continuous hiring a breeze, which is great for industries with high turnover.
2. You hire many people per year
The cost of a wrong hire is a price no business can afford to pay. But the larger your organization is, the more likely you are to be hiring for a number of management positions, which can be some of the most costly to hire or replace. A paid applicant tracking system with better features will easily pay for itself in an organization that hires many people each year.
3. You want to free up time for your HR/recruiting staff
With the automations, streamlined communication, and analytics offered with most paid applicant tracking systems, your HR team will save valuable time that can now be spent on resolving internal matters or interviewing high-value candidates. A paid applicant tracking system will also keep your hiring team on the same page throughout the hiring process.
4. You want to keep track of standout applicants
A paid applicant tracking system often includes the ability to store resumes from applicants in an easy-to-use database, allowing hiring managers to search the database for qualified candidates, even after the position they applied for is filled. Again, as above, be mindful of compliance considerations when storing candidate data.
5. You want to find the most qualified candidates
Free applicant tracking systems simply can’t compete with the premium features offered by paid versions. If easily finding the most qualified candidates is your top priority, it’s probably worth investing in a service that will truly get the job done.
6. You want to audit your recruiting process for efficiency
Is there time waste in your HR or recruiting department? Has your organization gone through the frustrating process of multiple bad-fit hires? The automation and other features that a paid ATS offers can help your leadership pinpoint and correct areas of inefficiency and waste.
Top 5 best free applicant tracking systems
But not every organization can afford or needs what a paid applicant tracking system has to offer. If you’re still interested in trying out a free applicant tracking system, here’s a breakdown of the five best free programs out there and what each of them has to offer.
SmartRecruiters
SmartRecruiters offers tons of features for large firms to recruit and hire; their free version is great for smaller companies who are looking to fill fewer positions. Unlike many free applicant tracking systems, their free version offers most of the same features of their paid version, the main difference being limits on the number of active job postings they allow.
Zoho’s free applicant tracking system is tailored for recruiting and staffing firms, so if you’re in another industry, you might want to take a look at the other free ATS’ listed here. That being said, it has many useful integrations like evaluation management, job description templates, and background check software.
BreezyHR
BreezyHR is one of the few applicant tracking systems to offer a limited version for free forever, rather than just a short free trial of the full version. Highly rated by software review site Capterra for its robust features, Breezy offers many features other ATS’ don’t, like skill assessment and a native video interview system. The free version only allows for one active position and one active talent pool at a time.
Recruitee
While free only on a trial basis, Recruitee is a highly flexible ATS with all the features you’d expect from a free ATS: resume search, job posting, and interview scheduling automation. It also offers integrations for internal HR processes, like recruitment goal checking, and workflow management. Recruitee does not include onboarding software.
Teamtailor
Like Recruitee, Teamtailor offers a free trial as opposed to an outright free option. With branding features, an easy-to-use interface, integrated onboarding, and mobile compatibility, Teamtailor is yet another great option.
Resources:
https://www.softwareadvice.com/hr/applicant-tracking-software-comparison/
https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-applicant-tracking-systems
https://resources.workable.com/free-applicant-tracking-systems
Applicant tracking system
Sourcing candidates: Because the ATS acts as a candidate database, organizations can identify high-quality candidates who have shown interest in the company. When hiring for other positions, the hiring managers or recruiters can look at existing candidates in their database who demonstrate the right skills and prior experiences for the job.
What Are Applicant Tracking Systems? (With Definition and Tips)
When applying for a job, your resume may reach the hiring manager’s desk immediately and instead must first pass through an applicant tracking system. This software helps streamline and automate the hiring process, allowing hiring professionals to focus on reviewing the most qualified or best-fit candidates for the job. Understanding these systems can help you submit application materials that meet employers’ standards and needs. In this article, we discuss applicant tracking systems, including their purpose, how they work and advice on how to pass them.
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is an HR software that employers often use during the recruitment and hiring process. This software collects, sorts and ranks the resumes they receive. When applying for jobs, your resume may not go directly to the hiring manager. Instead, it may first pass through an ATS. This software helps streamline their resume review process. It collects information about each candidate based on their resume, then organizes them based on their experiences and skill sets. This step enables recruiters and hiring managers to filter their pool for the most qualified candidates.
Top 20 Benefits of an Applicant Tracking System
A recent online survey conducted by Recruit CRM revealed that more than 98% of recruitment agencies with 10 recruiters or more used an Applicant Tracking System. The percentage was significantly lower at 76% for agencies with lesser recruiters.
1. Saves Time for Value Added Work
An average of 75-88 % of resumes received is not qualified for the job. By eliminating the manual posting and listing on job boards, then filtering out the irrelevant applications, this whole process is done in a matter of seconds rather than spending hours on it.
2. Flexible System for Both Employer & the Agency
Recruitment agencies obviously gain a lot by using an ATS. However, even for the client, it is a blessing as short listings, interview feedback, and all other co-ordinations can be seamlessly handled online.
3. Better Overview of Applications
4. Easy Job Posting
You do not need to set up and manually log in to individual accounts from each social platform and post the job. Moreover, you also do not need to keep a track of each social media platform and results generated from each post individually.
Various countries have their own popular job boards but the bare minimum requirement is that the ATS must be capable of automatically posting your jobs to google jobs which is one of the most searched places by job seekers.
5. Improved Cost Per Hire
We all know most businesses cannot invest hundreds of dollars ongoing through the expensive screening process, every time they have to hire new talent. Similarly, these businesses cannot afford to hire the wrong resource because of an inefficient screening process, as it could cost them much more afterward.
According to him, “SMEs can move faster to integrate the latest and greatest tech on the market. It’s such an exciting time to be in talent acquisition, the availability of world-class technology is transforming how we all recruit on a daily basis.”
The minimum cost of a recruiter per month is $2000- $3000 and the cost of an Applicant Tracking System is somewhere around $100 – $150 per month per user. Do you really think an ATS cannot improve your recruiter’s sourcing efficiency by more than 5 % per month and make up for the cost?
6. Improved Quality of Hire
As the saying goes– “the early bird catches the worm”. According to research, 80% of recruiters claim to have an improved quality of hire ever since they incorporated an Applicant Tracking System in their businesses.
Another research states that the application of a qualified candidate stays for 10 days approximately. By speeding up the recruitment process, you can easily grab these talented candidates which could otherwise have been poached by your competition.
7. Improved Inter-Departmental Communication
An ATS allows improved communication among the recruiting team members and also with others who are involved in the whole process. It also allows, to send messages easily to multiple people and assign tasks in an organized timeline.
8. Faster & Better Decisions
9. Promotes Collaborative Hiring
Applicant monitoring programs come with innovative apps that make it easy to employ collaboratively. HR departments or corporate recruiters can effectively and efficiently exchange feedback and reviews with each candidate and lead a joint decision-making process in which each recruiter has a voice.
10. Entire Recruitment Cycle Speeds Up
Once the ATS has installed everything from receiving applications to narrowing down suitable candidates, scheduling interviews, and hiring the right person for the job everything catches up at a pace that makes the whole cycle faster.
11. Improved Candidate Experience
12. Improved Employer Branding
13. Lower Bounce Rates on Job Ads
14. Streamlined Recruitment Process
15. Riddance from Unnecessary Resumes
In such cases, there is a lot of frustration on a recruiter’s end who has to filter through hundreds of applications and then filter out the relevant job applicants followed by filtering the most suitable ones for the task.
5 Things to Know Before Buying an ATS
1. What is My Budget & What is the “Real” Price of the ATS?
ATS systems can cost anywhere from $25 to $250 per user/per month. It’s essential to know your budget before you actually begin your research. You should be ready to spend anywhere from 1%-3% of your recruiters’ salary on their Recruitment CRM.
An ATS can be both, an asset and a liability. It can massively increase productivity and help you gain an insight into what your recruiters are doing. But, If you end up buying an ATS that doesn’t do the things you want, you can get stuck with something that just eats money and valuable time while giving you nothing.
This is something you want, an ATS that is not a liability but an asset that adds long-term value to your business. This happens all the time, you buy something only to realize that half of the things you need are not available in the software you bought.
2. What Are the Features?
3. What is the Right Time to Setup or Get Started?
Unfortunately, not all ATS systems are easy to implement. Some are hard and ATS providers will charge you a fortune for this while some are super easy & don’t cost a dime. Always consider time to implement while making your final decision.
4. How Will ATS Help You Find the Right Applicants?
5. How is the Customer Support? How Quickly Can I Talk to a Human?
The best ATS vendors today have chatbots in their systems to help you reach support in seconds. Make sure your ATS provider has something like a chatbot, this is not essential but it will help you judge the quality of support you’ll likely receive.
Ready to find the right applicant tracking system?
Hiring today requires your entire recruiting team to work together. But you can’t support key players across the C-suite, talent acquisition team, and hiring managers with a traditional ATS — you need modern recruiting software.
Further reading
5 Hiring Trends from Our Talent Benchmarks Report
It’s not enough to just know the latest hiring trends. You also need to know the ‘why’ behind them (i.e., how they came to be) to make informed adjustments to your talent strategy. For instance: You know The Great Resignation has.
Setting Smart Recruitment Goals for Your Talent Team
Clearly defined recruitment goals — annual, biannual, or quarterly — created with your leadership team, HR director, and hiring managers provide structure for your talent team. Conversely, ambiguous, poorly defined goals, as it relates to growing and engaging your talent.
Top Tips for Writing Better Email Nurtures When Sourcing Candidates
TLDR: Attracting both active and passive candidates requires smarter, more engaging email nurtures when you’re sourcing talent for your organization. To do this, you’ll need to create email nurtures that help you: Engage net-new candidates Re-engage candidates in your talent.
Resources:
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/what-are-applicant-tracking-systems
https://recruitcrm.io/blogs/what-is-applicant-tracking-system
https://blog.lever.co/blog/8-applicant-tracking-system-features-recruiting-2022/