How to choose the best ATS system? – 15 Tips
Which process must a firm repeat if it wants to grow? The recruitment process. But why? Recruitment leads to the enrichment of a firm's human and informational resources. New employees bring their skills and knowledge to the team, and this translates into the development of the firm as a whole.
Finding the best candidate, however, is quite a challenge. A recruiter must:
determine the scope of the company's needs,
perform adequate research on the labor market,
place recruitment announcements in appropriate places (these may include websites or other communication channels through which the announcement will be promoted),
make a selection of candidates,
complete all recruitment documents…
And all this at the very beginning of the recruitment process! A lot of time passes before the next stages begin, which is why running recruitment processes is a big expense for many companies.
What if you could cut costs and automate certain activities? Take advantage of modern process management tools? Get to know ATS – Applicant Tracking System that will support your company in recruitment activities.
We have gathered information and advice for you to help you choose the right ATS system for your business. We invite you to read on!
What is an ATS system?
How does the Applicant Tracking System work?
What are the main benefits of using an ATS system?
How to choose the best ATS system? – 15 tips
What Is an applicant tracking system?
An ATS is a type of software for tracking applications, i.e. applications of candidates for participation in the recruitment process. Such tools support recruiters in an effective way, because they have functions for automating repetitive tasks.
How does applicant tracking system work?
ATS performs the function of a candidate database. This means that recruiters can collect data in it from all available sources (resumes from job portals, responses via LinkedIn, etc.), and the system allows them to be easily sorted, according to specific criteria, using keyword scoring and knockout questions, among others.
The former, is a search for given keywords in candidates' documents (e.g., specific character traits). The second is to verify the candidate on the basis of his answers to closed questions placed in the body of the ad.
Another solution to the issue of searching for keywords in candidate documents, is to use system filters, available in a given ATS. With this feature, you can easily obtain recruitment data such as name, location, skills, links, resume, phone numbers or email address.
All of the above sounds a bit like the features of an ordinary spreadsheet? But database features are not all that a good ATS can offer. It allows you to organize guiding a candidate through all stages of the recruitment funnel – from adding a resume to the database to making an offer to a candidate. You will post a job offer and have insight into monitoring the flow of candidates (kanban approach).
The ATS will make it easier for you to analyze the effectiveness of the recruitment process through reporting. For example, with an ATS from PeopleForce you will generate, among other things, a report on the vacancy funnel, a report on the activities of recruiters and others.
A good ATS system has options to personalize with your company's recruitment needs in mind. In addition to database functionality, ATS software should have built-in tools for sending automatic notifications, controlling access to sensitive information (including RODO) or at least an electronic signature option.
What are the most important benefits of using an ATS?
ATS will help to save time
The more vacancies a company has to fill, the more time and effort recruiters put into the recruitment process. The steps of creating job content and choosing the right portals to post ads on can take several hours alone. Especially if you are looking for a person with a rare specialty.
With ATS, you can create content templates (including job postings, emails, interview invitations that you will send to candidates thanks to the system, and candidate funnels) and save links to portals for future reference. The system also supports the ability to multipost on different platforms, which means increased efficiency in the job posting process.
ATS will help to save space
All recruitment documents in one system? Of course! No binders, folders, cardboard boxes full of papers that need to be stored for years. With ATS, you can say goodbye to these types of data storage methods.