Applicant Tracking Systems were first introduced in the 90s, with ATS vendors coming in between 1998 and 1999. Before the coming of applicant tracking systems, recruitment processes were done manually. As of 2021, the Applicant Tracking System market was valued at over 2 billion dollars. This value is predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate of over 6% before 2030. But what exactly is the Applicant Tracking System software about?Â
This article discusses the meaning of applicant tracking systems, their uses, and their benefits.
What is an Applicant Tracking System?
An Applicant Tracking System refers to a software application that receives and stores resumes or applications from different individuals in a specific database to aid the employment process of an organization. It helps to keep track of applicants all through the hiring process.
Applicant Tracking Systems UK can also be referred to as Recruitment Tracking Systems, and they speed up the recruitment process of an organization. ATS works with specific criteria given in the form of keywords, experience, skills, former employees, and so on. For the use of hiring managers, applicant tracking systems gather and save resumes in a database. Additionally, resumes may be kept even after the position you originally applied for has been filled. Depending on the system they’re using, corporate recruiters or hiring managers can then search and sort through the resumes in a variety of ways.
Features of a Good Applicant Tracking System
The features of applicant tracking systems vary from one organization to the next as they require different things. However, here are a few features you should look out for when picking an applicant tracking system:
1. Storage for Resumes
Most applicant tracking systems are designed to store the data of applicants. This helps to keep track of qualified applicants and also helps in the employment of other individuals.
2. Career Pages
Career Pages are used to show the vacant positions on an organization’s website. Most ATSs provide you with the ability to manage your career page straight from the platform. The career page is usually where potential applicants are redirected to when they come across your job posting outside of your website, and so your career page must reflect what your organization stands for.
3. Distribution of Jobs
Most of ATS have a feature that allows you to distribute your job posting to as many places as possible. This helps to maximize your reach and also helps to find a suitable candidate.
4. Receiving and Filtering Applications
After sending your job posting to different recruitment sites, an ATS can help to get all applications and filter them. Since ATS works with specific criteria, it is easy to filter out applications that do not fit the criteria. This helps to speed up the recruitment process.
5. Interview Management
Most applicant tracking systems (ATS) allow you to communicate with candidates and schedule them for interviews. The ATS also helps to set a reminder for the interviews to ensure that both parties keep on schedule.Â
6. Analytics
One of the important features of a good ATS is ensuring that your analytics are broken down and simple to personalize. You may start up with in-built templates but still, be able to personalize your analytics at will.
7. Automated Tasks
The major function of ATSs is to ease the recruitment process and make work easier for the team. This involves making job postings to different job boards and communicating with a large number of applicants. A good ATS gives you the opportunity to set up things the way you want them and it will take up the rest of the work.
Factors to Consider before getting an ATS for your organization
Before getting an applicant tracking system, it is important to consider a few factors to ensure that your ATS can perfectly cater to your organization and potential employees’ needs. Some of these factors include:
1. Cost
It is important to consider how the cost of an ATS will fit well with your organization’s budget. Most vendors of applicant tracking systems usually fix their prices based on how large your organization is. Pay attention to the cost breakdown so as not to exceed your laid-down budget.
2. Customer Support
It is important to get an ATS with a dedicated customer support system. Make sure to find out if customer support will be available at all times regardless of time zone and if it is available in different languages. Ask the right questions to avoid making the wrong investment.
3. User Experience
Make sure to get an ATS with a simple, user-friendly interface. Consider the applicants and other people that may come in contact with it and ensure it is easy for them to use and engage with.
4. Brand Reputation
There are quite a several vendors of applicant tracking systems online at the moment, so it is important to do a proper background check on whichever one you decide to use. Find out how long they have been in the industry and look at reviews.
5. Compatibility with your organization’s needs
When choosing an ATS, it is important to use one that caters perfectly to your organization’s needs. Regardless of how good an applicant tracking system may be, if its functions are not in line with your organization’s needs, it might be an unyielding investment.
6. Time and Resources
ATS requires a certain amount of resources and time to ensure that the program runs efficiently as needed to get the desired results. You will have to focus on the details of the software and decide who will be in charge of the software.
7. Compliance with Regional Laws
Applicant Tracking System HRs are limited by land laws. Ensure your business adheres to specific rules and regulations according to its location. For instance, most organizations have a hard time adhering to laws about storing the personal information of applicants. It is important to get an ATS that stores all this information in one place, allowing your organization to comply with these laws.
Conclusion
With the rise of automated processes, Applicant Tracking Systems are a great way to speed up the recruitment process and ease workflow. It is, however, important to get one perfectly tailored to your organization’s demands as it will serve as a worthy investment.
