How to Choose the Best ATS System? - 12+ Tips

What process should a company repeat if it wants to grow?  The recruitment process. Why? Recruitment leads to the enrichment of a company's human and information resources. New employees bring their skills and knowledge to the team, which translates into the company's development as a whole.

However, finding the best candidate is a real challenge. A recruiter must:

• Determine the scope of the company's needs,

• Carry out adequate research on the labor market,

• Place the job advertisements in the appropriate places (these may include websites or other communication channels through which the advertisement will be promoted),

• Carry out the selection of candidates,

• Complete all the documents for the hiring...

And all of this should be done early in the recruiting process. It takes a long time before the next stages begin, so the execution of the processes that recruitment requires is an excellent expense for many companies.

What if you could reduce costs and automate certain activities? Take advantage of modern process management tools. You must know the ATS - Applicant Tracking System (Candidate Tracking System) that will support the company in recruitment activities.

We've gathered information and tips to help you choose the best ATS system for your business. We invite you to continue reading!

• What is an ATS system?

• How does the Candidate Tracking System work?

• What are the main advantages of using an ATS system?

• How to choose the best ATS system? – 12+ tips

What is an ATS - Applicant Tracking System?

An Application Tracking System (ATS) is a software tool that allows recruiting managers to manage candidate requests for joining. It integrates features to automate repetitive tasks, making it a very useful tool for recruiters.

How Does An Applicant Tracking System Work?

An ATS performs the function of a candidate database. It means that recruiters can collect data from all available sources (resumes from job boards, responses via LinkedIn, etc.), and the system allows them to be easily ranked based on specific criteria, using keyword scoring and search questions, among others.

The first is a search for certain keywords in the candidate documents (for example, specific characteristics). The second is to verify the candidate based on their answers to closed-ended questions in the ad's body.

Another solution for searching for keywords in candidate documents is to use the system filters available in the best applicant tracking system. With this feature, you can quickly get data for recruitment such as name, location, skills, links, resume, phone numbers, or email address.

All of the above may sound like an ordinary spreadsheet's features, but the database's characteristics are not the only thing a good ATS can offer. This allows you to organize tracking a candidate through all stages of the recruiting funnel, from adding a resume to the database to making an offer. You will publish a job offer and have a vision of monitoring the flow of candidates.

The ATS will facilitate the analysis of the effectiveness of the recruitment process through reports.

A good ATS system has customization options considering each company's recruitment needs. In addition to the database functionality, the ATS software should have built-in tools for sending push notifications, controlling access to sensitive information or at least one electronic signature option.

What Are The Most Important Benefits Of Using An ATS?

ATS saves time

The more job openings a company has to fill, the more time and effort recruiters spend on the recruiting process. Creating the content of the job offers and choosing the right portals to publish the ads can take several hours on their own, especially if you are looking for a person with an unusual specialty.

With an ATS, you can create content templates (including job postings, emails, interview invitations that you'll send candidates thanks to the system, and candidate funnels) and save portal links for future reference. The system also supports the possibility of making multiple posts on different platforms, which means greater efficiency in the job posting process.

The ATS will help save space

All recruitment documents in one system? Of course. No filing cabinets, folders, or cardboard boxes full of papers must be stored for years. With an ATS, you can say goodbye to this data storage method.

How simple can it be?  Keep an eye on each candidate, compare their skills, and receive feedback.

An ATS helps companies save financial resources

This point is the product of the previous two. Speed in the recruitment process = cost reduction. Space savings = cost savings. But the good news does not end there because not everything is good in managing personnel selection through an ATS.

Using an ATS during recruitment increases the probability of finding the right candidate, automatically postponing a longer search time.

Because recruiting runs more smoothly, automated actions replace recruiters' efforts, recruiters will generate fewer work hours, and more money will stay with the company.

How To Choose The Best ATS System?

Before effectively implementing an ATS in your business, you must first… purchase the system. And since a description of the benefits alone is not enough information to have before deciding to buy, use our 12+ tips.

1. Determine the scope of the company's needs.

2. Think about the problems you need to solve and the features you are willing to use.

3. If the objective is to shorten the recruitment processes, ensure that the ATS in question has functionalities, such as processing candidate applications. After all, you don't want it to be a simple database of documents for recruitment.

4. See if ATS allows you to exclude certain people with keyword removal and scoring questions. This way, you will know if your problem is the lack of candidates or suitable candidates.

5. Do not forget that these types of tools must protect the sensitive data of the candidates well. Ensure that the ATS in question meets the safety requirements.

6. Look for a system that allows you to source candidates from multiple sources simultaneously (for example, job boards and social media groups like Facebook or LinkedIn).

7. Don't forget the power of efficient communication: choose a system that makes it easy to contact candidates and allows you to send standardized messages automatically.

8. Select an ATS whose implementation does not cause additional problems. Let it support your activities, not hinder them further.

9. Beware of systems that cannot manage candidate privacy. Look for a system with fully automatic features, so you don't have to deal with it manually.

10. Look for an ATS that can break the recruiting system into stages.

11. You will need a system that allows you to quickly find candidates in your candidate database by searching by resume content and note content.

12. For management, it will be helpful to create and modify application questions, even while the recruitment process is underway. Check if the ATS you have chosen has this functionality.

13. Check if the system provides reports without problems. The processes may be fast, but hard data will only confirm their effectiveness.

14. Make sure that the software you choose has a function for creating tests, including questions with one or more correct answers, determining the test duration, and awarding points for correct answers. Through testing, individual candidates can be better selected after first contact regarding qualifications, understanding of tasks, and alignment with the company's vision and mission.

In Summary...

The ATS system is an actual "harvester" that helps to handle huge amounts of data for recruitment. All this is to streamline the entire process.

When choosing this type of software, it is necessary to pay attention to many factors. Do not make this decision under the influence of advertising. If you want to use proper functionality in the future, choose an ATS that meets most of your company's needs.

If you are interested in implementing one on your, check out the NYGGS official website.

If you want to know more about HR department automation's activities or other processes, you will learn more in a one-on-one live session. Do schedule a live demo!