Guide to Applicant Tracking System

An applicant tracking system, or ATS for short, is an automated tracking system used by employers to manage applications and candidates. Candidate tracking systems allow recruiting teams to hire faster by helping them stay organized. Many of today's applicant tracking systems have evolved to include numerous features to help recruiters find candidates, post vacancies on job boards, select the best resumes, review resumes, and even schedule interviews. What started out as simple resume analysis software 15 years ago has grown into a multitude of options for strategic hiring and recruiting platforms.

What do applicant tracking systems do?

Applicant tracking systems don't just replace outdated application management and acquisition methods. Instead, they improve the entire process from start to finish, both for the applicant applying for the position and for the recruiter looking for the right employee.

The ATS acts as an end system that stores all your hiring data in one place. It is accessible to users in your company. Most ATS solutions will help with:

Making job postings more visible

Today, about 73% of job seekers start their search on job portals. That means your job postings need to be optimized for keywords, accessibility, and proper web design. This gives them a better chance of showing up in relevant searches, whether they're posted on your website, on a job board, or elsewhere. 

With the right ATS, you have tools that make it easy to optimize all your job postings for organic search. This takes the guesswork out of search engine optimization (SEO) and means you don't have to rely as much on digital ads to get your job postings to the right candidates.

Automating recruiting efforts and job postings

Automation helps your team members be more productive by performing secondary tasks for them. An ATS should allow you to automatically post job openings on social media and job boards so you don't have to do it manually. According to one study, automation can save your team up to six workweeks a year by streamlining recruiting efforts.

Communicating with candidates at scale:

Candidates communicate with their employees through a variety of channels including email, SMS, social media, and job boards. An ATS combines all of these communications into a single system, making it easy to monitor and manage. This allows you to communicate with candidates on a large scale rather than having to change channels over and over again.

Simplifying scheduling

Even if you use multiple calendar tools in your business, an ATS can integrate all of your scheduling in a single interface. Many ATS solutions even come with video conferencing tools so you can plan and interview candidates within the same system.

Creating a single source of truth

Files, spreadsheets, and on-premises software solutions can generate incorrect and conflicting information, and it is nearly impossible to synchronize data from different recruiting software alone.

An ATS does just that: it takes data from all of your channels and brings it together into a single source of truth so there is no confusion or contradiction.

Your ATS data is presented in a customizable dashboard that shows users the numbers and metrics that matter most to them. For example, recruiters can set up their ATS dashboards to reflect their daily tasks and action items, while an executive's dashboard can display larger numbers such as time to fill and total job openings.

Organizing referral programs

Employees are one of the best sources of quality and relevant candidates. Most have worked for other companies and know someone who, given their previous skills and positions, might be a good fit for them. Recommendations can be made organically and ad hoc. However, an applicant tracking system formalizes referrals by providing recruiters with the tools to organize and collect suggestions from employees.

Managing talent and language assessments

Finding out if a candidate has the skills required for a position is an integral part of the hiring process. An applicant tracking system, while not conducting its own assessments, can manage the process for you and ensure that recruiters, candidates, and assessment providers have the information they need when they need it.

Where does an applicant tracking system fit into the recruiting process?

An ATS can be used in almost every phase of the hiring process, from the moment the job title is posted to the onboarding of employees. Plus, the right ATS can be integrated with other recruiting products to create a seamless experience for both candidate and recruiter.

For example, you can integrate text recruiting software into your ATS to recruit multiple candidates via SMS and SMS in one location. Text message recruiting will help you attract talent through a medium they are happy to communicate with, while  ATS will help you add candidates, create personalized messages and communicate on a large scale.

In addition, your ATS must be integrated with other human resource solutions, including your payroll and human capital management solutions. This makes onboarding new hires quick and easy, as you can import candidate information directly from your ATS into your other systems.

Why are applicant tracking systems important?

Tracking and successfully managing your candidates using outdated tools can be challenging for HR teams. This is why so many recruiting teams are now turning to a candidate tracking system (ATS) to manage all your applicants in one location and streamline your processes.

While many of the features of an ATS have obvious advantages, it is important to recognize the advantages of such a system. Applicant tracking systems can provide tangible business value and measurable results for HR and hiring.

Save time

An ATS uses automation to eliminate manual tasks and save your recruiters valuable time. Instead of wasting their work hours on data entry, they can focus instead on vetting and communicating with viable candidates. More than 85% of recruiters who use an ATS have seen a quicker hiring process.

Reduce bias

An ATS can find the most suitable candidates for a position without human intervention, reducing incidents of hiring bias. For example, you can configure your system to match candidates regardless of race, gender, or nationality, and instead focus on their skills and experience.

Improve candidate quality

Its system automatically filters applicants who are not ideal candidates and ensures that you do not hire unskilled employees. More importantly, an ATS will help you find candidates who meet the strict standards of your recruiting process.

Analyze your performance

Your ATS not only makes the hiring process easier, but also helps you improve it yourself by generating, categorizing, and analyzing data. With the right information, you can focus on hiring channels that are effective and prioritize the ones that are not.