The key to choosing an Application Tracking System (ATS) for your business, is to ensure that it fulfills the need of the recruitment process. Selecting the proper ATS can save a lot of effort, time, and money. ATS eases out the recruitment process because, unlike traditional hiring which requires a lot of manual input, ATS automates the entire process.
While ATS has been a commonly used software by large enterprises, Small businesses have struggled to implement the same due to budgetary concerns. However, this is changing now with the rising popularity of free ATS solutions such as PyjamaHR.
So now let’s get to understand the list of factors that you need to consider while selecting an ATS.
Well Suited for Company Profile
An ATS should be suited to the company profile. The requirements of different companies are different, and ATS should be able to fit the company’s needs. For a large enterprise, the role of an ATS, maybe limited to a certain part of the process only while a smaller company may want to consider an ATS for automating the entire hiring process starting from publishing for Job opening, all the way up to releasing offer letters.
An ATS should provide all the tools that gather and organizes applicant information to ease the process of hiring. It should help the recruiters with an initial screening of all incoming applications. This helps the hiring managers to optimize their time and focus on the profiles that best match the job requirements.
Fears, Careers, Robot Peers: PyjamaHR Support Pros Talk AI
Join us for an authentic conversation with members of Help Scout’s own customer service team as they discuss the ways AI is changing their jobs, how they really feel about it, and how they’re taking charge of their own career direction.
Includes All Essential Features
The chosen ATS should have all the essential features to suit the company profile. The features should be easy to use, making the entire hiring process more organized. A well-equipped ATS should have features such as:
Career Page Hostings
Effective career pages are an essential feature of any applicant tracking system (ATS). They communicate your employer brand, list job openings, and allow candidates to apply directly to them.
Your career page should be designed to seamlessly fit into the rest of your website without distracting it. A great careers page will make a good impression on prospective employees and encourage them to apply for positions.
Some ATSs also offer career pages that give applicants the chance to learn more about working for you and see any current opportunities. This can help you build a talent pool of individuals who are interested in your organization.
Job Distribution
An applicant tracking system does a lot of work for you when it comes to job distribution. You set up your account once, and then your ATS takes care of all of the busy work for you by posting your jobs where they need to go.
Job distribution helps the recruiter to post their job openings on multiple job portals and other platforms with a single click. This feature helps the recruiter to search for potential candidates from different networking sites.
Receiving and Sorting Applications
One of the key features of an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is receiving and sorting application forms. This is where the ATS comes in handy for organizations, as it is a system through which companies can easily receive, review and sort job applications.
Simply put, with the help of an ATS, you can receive many applications from applicants and store them in the database.
Resume Database
The resume database is one of the most important elements of an Applicant Tracking System because it stores all your company’s resumes. This allows you to hire candidates from a large pool of applicants without having to manually search through thousands or even millions of resumes.
This is a good way to keep track of candidates who might not be suitable for a particular job but might be perfect for another one at a later date.
Messaging and Interview Scheduling
ATS messaging systems enable recruiters and candidates to communicate with one another via email messages or text through the system without having to exchange personal contact information. The benefit here is that communication is easier to track and keep organized within the system.A similar function is Interview Scheduling, which allows recruiters to schedule interviews with candidates right through the ATS. Recruiters simply input interview details like location and time, then send it out to individual candidates who can accept or decline as needed. This makes scheduling interviews much easier for busy recruiters and more convenient for candidates as well.
Onboarding Tools
One of the most critical features of an applicant tracking system is onboarding. If you are hiring a new employee, they should be able to fill out any relevant information and documents that you need before their first day. This saves HR time and money by reducing paperwork.
This is an important feature because it helps in managing the training and development of your new hires. It also helps in keeping track of their performance level so that they are able to maintain a good working relationship with other employees.
Social Sharing
When it comes to Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), there are many features that an employer may be looking for. Social sharing is a great feature because it allows you to post your job openings on various social media platforms. This will allow you to reach individuals who are either actively looking for a job or are interested in seeing what other opportunities are out there.
A good ATS will allow you to manage your social accounts on one dashboard so that you can spend less time managing them separately and more time searching for candidates.
Integrates with Internal Systems
An ATS should integrate with all the internal systems. There are various benefits of ATS integration with the data of the internal systems. It can help integrate the system with multiple job portals at the same time. ATS integration makes sure that internal feedback among key stakeholders recorded in different systems is integrated and managed properly. This helps organizations make hiring decisions faster and helps avoid bad hires that cost organizations extra time and money.
Integrates with External Softwares
An ATS should be able to integrate with external softwares and data sources such as Candidate sourcing sites. It connects a system of records, the main system that a company uses as the ATS with the external service for a specific function. When an ATS wants to provide a background check service, the ATS can integrate with external software that has a background check product. This will allow users of the ATS to use an external background check service within the ATS user interface.
User Friendly
ATS should be user-friendly and must be handy. It should be easy to use for the hiring managers. The appearance and usability of an ATS can have a big impact on the success of a staffing firm, so the ATS must be user-friendly. It allows users to adopt the product faster, get more value out of the system, and have fewer ongoing support issues.
Positive ROI
There should be a positive Return on Investment on the ATS. It should give a positive net return than the associated cost of the ATS. Having prepared an estimated ROI helps build a business case for the purchase and may provide the grounds for the ROI after the purchase is made.
The mathematical formula for calculating the ROI of an ATS is:
ROI = Cost of ATS – (HC + RLC + RAC)
Where HC stands for hiring cost, RLC stands for recruitment labor cost & RAC stands for recruitment agency cost.
This will give a tentative figure of the difference between the amount spent on purchasing the ATS and the productivity a good hire brings.
Excellent Customer Support
ATS should provide excellent customer support. It must help the organization grow through innovative, progressive tools and exceptional service. A customer call can reduce tech problems. ATS should take user feedback for product development and help customers get the most out of their software. This can be done by providing user reviews with an overview of the features, signing up for a free trial, and contacting customer support with actual questions.
Conclusion
A sound applicant tracking system should assist in the administrative task and make the entire hiring and onboarding process easy. Effective hiring helps recruit the right talent who serves as assets to the organization. Therefore, ATS should be chosen with clearly defined goals and better business outcomes.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)
Applicant tracking systems act as electronic gatekeepers for employers and hiring managers. The ATS parses a resume’s content into categories and then scans it for specific keywords to determine if the job application should be passed along to the recruiter.
First, screen resumes based on the job’s minimum qualifications. Second, screen resumes based on the job’s preferred qualifications. Third, screen resumes based on the shortlist of candidates you want to move onto the interview phase.
Related Articles
A Comprehensive Guide to Source the Best Talents
