Intelligent Hiring Made Easy with an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
An applicant tracking system can be a super helpful tool. With the ability to attract, hire, and maximize top talent, ATS software continues to grow in popularity—so much so that Canada’s employment laws suggest ways in which organizations should implement them.
It’s essential that you get up to speed on exactly how to use ATS software to align your organization with these regulations. Failing to do so can result in misalignment and ineffective use of these systems.
In this article, we’ll cover what an applicant tracking system is, how an ATS works, ATS features, and tips that will help you to seamlessly integrate one into your workplace. Let’s start with the fundamentals.
Key takeaways
- Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are a valuable recruitment tool that can handle repetitive tasks, improve efficiency and encourage automation.
- ATS can save HR teams 8 hours per week on new hire paperwork and another 8 hours finding, tracking and hiring talent.
- An ATS is different from a CRM, but they can work collaboratively.
What is an applicant tracking system (ATS)?
ATS stands for applicant tracking system. It’s a type of recruiting software that streamlines the hiring process. Some organizations may also refer to an ATS as a talent management system.
An AT) typically handles recruitment tasks, including:
- posting job openings to multiple job boards
- storing applicant data
- screening applications for potential matches
- documenting internal notes about candidates in a single database
- producing data-driven insights into the hiring process
- facilitating collaboration between recruiters, hiring managers, and other stakeholders.
ATS software is designed to improve the hiring process for recruiters and candidates. With the right application tracking system, you can save money within the hiring budget and improve your net hiring score.
The benefits of an applicant tracking system
An application tracking system can have many benefits. These include:
- Consolidates hiring managers’ and recruiters’ feedback: When stakeholders can choose the best candidate efficiently, organizations don’t lose out on top talent, and candidates aren’t left wondering where they stand.
- Analyzes and improves the hiring process: With the ability to generate reports on hiring data, recruiters can identify bottlenecks and drop-off points that may negatively affect the candidate experience.
- Connects recruiters with potential employees: Candidates who feel connected and informed are more likely to have a positive experience, regardless of whether they receive a job offer.
- Speeds up the hiring process: ATS software automates screening, shortlisting, and scheduling of new hires, improving the time-to-hire rate.
- Centralized management: An applicant tracking system creates a central hub where all candidates can be stored and accessed, which prevents fragmentation of data.
How does an ATS work?
Most candidate tracking systems automatically sift through resumes and applications to determine which candidates should move to the next phase of the hiring process. But every ATS software is different. Here’s an overview of how an ATS system can work.
The hiring team enters the job description and details about the open role into the system
ATS integration scans incoming resumes, and the pool of applicants is tagged and labelled within the system, according to information on their resumes.
The ATS software filters candidates based on criteria
The recruiters can filter through candidates based on:
- relevant keywords
- years of experience
- required skills
- professional certifications
ATS software allows recruiters to communicate with the applicants and schedule interviews.
The system runs reporting and analytics post-interview
After the interviews, the hiring team can submit feedback and add notes to the system. Scoring candidates can help decision-makers evaluate candidates and advance successful applicants faster.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing serve as pivotal ATS integrations.
CRM vs. ATS: What's the difference?
A candidate relationship management system (CRM) is software that attracts job candidates before there's a high demand to fill the position. Recruiters typically use a CRM to sort through passive, qualified candidates, former job applicants, and active job applicants. A CRM can help recruiters build relationships, so positions can be filled more quickly as hiring needs arise.
An application tracking system (ATS) is designed to simplify the process of managing active job applicants. Its main purpose is to streamline the hiring process, with the goal of increasing efficiency when interviewing a large group of job candidates.
Which type of ATS should you choose for a small business?
Ideally, ATS software should be optimized to work together with a CRM. When the CRM and ATS are optimized, this integration helps hiring teams to:
- avoid mistakes
- reduce the time to hire
- cut the cost per hire
- improve the quality of new hires
- streamline the interview scheduling process
Some companies do not use ATS recruiting software—or choose to use a CRM or ATS exclusively—but this can lead to higher costs, communication stumbles, or even missed opportunities to hire top talent.
ATS integration
Applicant tracking systems help streamline the hiring process, from posting job ads and storing candidate data to screening the selected candidates, and much more. ATS software effectively manages data and helps to analyze and draw conclusions.
Using this insight, management and hiring teams can make the best decisions. With built-in ATS features helping identify weaknesses in the hiring process, it can also aid your organization to smooth out any inconsistencies.