The process of recruiting and hiring is quite challenging, both for the applicants and the recruiters. In the case of an applicant, you can spend hours and resources trying to polish up your resume, making it stand out. With all the qualifications you have, you anticipate getting the job you are applying for. Unfortunately, it turns out that all the efforts of polishing up your resume are all in vain; you don’t get the job. Have you ever wondered the reason behind this? Well, it is all about the use of the Applicant tracking system!

As in the case of hiring managers, you get lots of resumes, but you simply need one or two candidates to fill in the specific job post. It then becomes a tiresome, time-consuming, and tedious task going through all the resumes with the hope of getting top talents to fix your job vacancy. Instead of all the struggles, you can opt for a simple solution, the applicant tracking system. Ever wondered what an ATS is and how to use it? Well, keep reading for more useful insights.

What is ATS- Applicant Tracking System?

This is a sophisticated software solution used to manage and organize all the recruiting activities and processes from the beginning to the end. It is a high-tech platform specialized in offering HR professionals and services with a detailed guide to the recruiting process.

Research has proven that approximately 78% of employers who have used the ATS to get top talents actually got the best talents to fix in the job openings. Therefore, the ATS has helped the whole HR department in the following ways:

• Reducing administrative tasks
• Simplifying the process of selecting top talents
• Evaluating the job description in relation to the applicant’s skill set and previous experience in the same field.
• Minimizing advertisement and agency costs

With the above description, it is evident that the HR industry is set to improvise the use of ATS due to the platform’s efficiency and timely delivery of results.

The sophisticated software application system can serve enterprise companies, recruitment agencies, and small to medium businesses.

The Functioning of the Applicant Tracking System

The use of the applicant tracking system is a simplified process. It is simply a digitalized automated system that replaces the manual recruitment process.

The ATS is simply a software application that comes with an in-built feature that checks the job description and compares it with the applicant’s work experience and skills they have.

Through the evaluation process, the system then filters applicants that don’t fit the job post and gives those likely to meet the job description requirements a top priority.

The system not only simplifies the selection of a suitable candidate process but also helps to organize interviews and schedule meetings on behalf of the hiring teams to make the final decisions.

There are different ATS that have varied features; for instance, some have advanced features that take the recruiter through a step-by-step onboarding process.

What’s more, every job posting will have its data saved and stored securely in the platform. This makes work even easier should a similar position open in the future. The hiring team will only review the database of the applicants, which also remains stored in the system, and select the ideal candidate.

Factors to consider before choosing an ATS system

If you are part of the recruiting team, chances are that you might consider having the ATS to ease the whole recruitment process. However, before you get one, put the following elements into consideration:

• Optimized Job Postings

Consider an ATS software app that has a simplified algorithm that analyzes specific job positions and posts job openings automatically. Therefore, the system with an in-built AI will give you a high ROI, more so on job ads charging per one advertisement.

• The simplicity of the online application process

ATS has a common feature; mobile and user-friendly. In this era, many people spend hours using their smartphones for various reasons. For instance, job seekers can see a job posting and apply instantly through their smartphones.

Therefore, you will need to get an ATS that has a simplified online application process to attract top talents to apply for the job opening.

• Security 

The process of recruiting and hiring will involve sharing of personal data. Therefore, applicants need to be assured of their data security as they apply for job openings. Also, the hiring team needs to keep track of the applicant’s details for efficiency. Therefore, make sure you get a software application that will guarantee data security. Above all, the software application should guarantee you instant and professional support whenever the need arises.

• Job Templates

Different job posts require different roles and requirements. Therefore, a reliable applicant tracking system should come with an advanced and flexible job template that can easily configure job ads by roles. This way, the HR personnel can easily modify an individual application process for each vacancy.

• Scheduled Interviews

Of course, the hiring process calls for interviews from both employers and applicants. For effectiveness, make sure you get an ATS that schedules such interviews based on the calendar and everyone’s availability. Above all, they get a system that sends timely reminders of scheduled meetings to respective parties.

• Dashboard & Analytics 

You will need an ATS that has a simplified dashboard to help you log in and review the progress of recruiting and hiring process.

The analytics is significant in helping the team get useful insights about the whole process. With analytics, the hiring teams can generate reports and check compliance with the set guidelines.

• Paperless Onboarding & Training

A good ATS should provide you with W2 forms, onboarding materials, and any crucial details related to the employee once hired.

Advantages and disadvantages of Applicant tracking system

Now that you understand what the system is all about and how to get the best system let’s review some benefits and pitfalls of the same.

Advantages of Applicant Tracking System

• The system allows you to keep or drop an irrelevant application, thanks to the personalized screening feature.
• The system offers an automatic job posting on online platforms, thus saving time
• With the systems, the recruiters don’t need to spend time reading countless applications, which is tiresome
• The system selects top talents based on the job description
• The system helps build a talent pool because of saving applicant’s data
• The system has a tracking feature that helps the hiring team review the hiring progress

Disadvantages of Applicant Tracking System

• There is no option to read and interpret graphics
• The system can misinterpret resumes presented in pdf formats
• It’s possible to get rid of great resumes due to the automatic deletion of resumes the system cannot read
• It is possible to miss top talents because of the automatic deletion of resumes

The cost of the Applicant tracking system

Should you plan to buy the ATS, be ready to spend between $ 5,000 – $50 000 yearly. The price varies depending on features and the business size.

While most platforms range below $10000 yearly, you can get free services from some providers if your company processes less than 20 jobs yearly.

The pricing models for ATS include the following:

Pay per recruiter/user – The model is based on the total number of employees who can access the system

Pay per position – This model is based on the total requisitions that are opened.

Pay per module – In this model, vendors offer talent management, training, and onboarding solutions. Therefore, the clients need to buy the HRMS- Human resource management software. Should you consider this model, you can either pay in individual or whole suite modules.

Conclusion

Currently, we are in a high-tech era. Employers and job seekers need to be updated with the trends shaping and simplifying the recruiting process. As an applicant, you need to understand the whole concept of the applicant tracking system to ensure you craft an application to meet the system’s selection criteria. On the other hand, the hiring team should be equipped with adequate knowledge on how to use the applicant tracking system to simplify the hiring process.

Ultimately, connect with top rated software development company Aalpha; if you want to build a world class applicant tracking system for your organization.