Investing in an applicant tracking system (ATS) benefits your business by streamlining the recruitment process and freeing your human resources (HR) team from the burden of manually sifting through resumes and tracking candidates.
The next step is to choose the best software to meet your unique requirements. Let’s take a look at some of the key areas to consider when choosing the best recruitment software for your organization’s needs.
How does ATS software work and why does your business need it?
ATS software helps to improve the effectiveness of an organization in sourcing more quality candidates to fill open vacancies quickly and easily. It does this by using a high level of automation to simplify and streamline the manual tasks involved in the recruitment process. This process involves manually creating job profiles, sourcing candidates, screening and shortlisting applicants, interviewing them, and finally, offering a position and onboarding successful new employees.
Forward-thinking companies are increasingly realizing the value that ATS software or an ATS app can bring to their business. Here are some of the most popular reasons for investing in applicant tracking software:
Sourcing a higher volume of quality candidates
It goes without saying that recruiters want to find as many applications for open roles as they can — but, crucially, these CVs need to be of good quality and fit the needs of the vacancy. ATS software supports the recruitment process by offering various methods of sourcing good quality applicants.
Efficiency in the candidate shortlisting process
A good applicant tracking system will help your HR team to match the attributes of candidates to the role profile quickly and simply, allowing well-reasoned judgments to be made regarding their suitability for the role. Keyword searches are often used within this process to make it faster.
Better organization of applications
Typically, CVs for vacant positions come from a variety of sources, from recruitment agencies to direct applicants via the website, job boards, or even employee referrals. ATS software coordinates and organizes all applications within candidate pools so that you can assign them to open roles, archive them, reject them, etc., all at the touch of a button.
More engaging candidate communication
ATS software can offer great opportunities to manage and improve relationships with applicants from an early stage of the recruitment process. Interviews and onboarding can be arranged via email within the system, while ensuring that all information is gathered and stored in the same place for easy reference. What’s more, applicant tracking systems allow recruiters to send bulk emails to multiple candidates, offering great time savings compared to liaising with candidates separately.
Meaningful reporting and data analysis
A big upside of an ATS platform or an ATS app is its ability to store data relating to the recruitment process in one place. This allows for easy analysis of information that can be used to gauge the effectiveness of the hiring strategy. Examples of reports could be the length of time to fill vacancies, the average number of candidates per vacancy, etc.
Integrated and streamlined candidate tracking
An ATS platform means that recruiters need not spend precious time updating and managing multiple trackers or tools. Instead, the system is housed in one single point of reference. Because ATS software automates many parts of the recruitment process that were previously done manually, it improves efficiency and reduces the margin for error by eliminating unnecessary or repetitive tasks.
Features to look out for in ATS software
The best recruiting software offers different features and functionalities. You will need to decide which ones are most valuable to you and your business needs. For example, if your business has a high staff turnover with high volume recruitment, you may prefer applicant tracking software with robust CV matching features.
Even the most basic systems should offer functionality such as automatic CV matching to job specifications, smart interview scheduling, and continuous candidate tracking features. These will help you to manage the day-to-day operations of your recruitment activity and handle it efficiently.
But a key reason to use an application management system to automate parts of your recruitment process is likely to improve consistency and quality of applications while reducing time and money spent. With this in mind, going for an ATS with sophisticated reporting capabilities means that you can analyze the performance of your recruitment process in areas such as time to hire, hiring success by the line manager, etc.
Top applicant tracking systems (ATS) in the market
There is a lot of competition in the application management system market right now, so creating a shortlist of potential providers can be daunting if you are new to the field of ATS software. To lend a helping hand, we’ve drawn up this list of the top ATS out there:
Oracle Taleo
This is one of the leading and most reputable applicant tracking systems on the market. It offers users the full range of features from smart job posting and job embeds to full candidate tracking and management options, as well as streamlined interview scheduling. Pricing is based on a subscription and user cost, depending on your organization size.
Kissflow HR Cloud
This software has a justifiable reputation for being one of the best ATS for small businesses. Its smart job publishing and advanced social collaboration can help your organization to attract the very best talent and communicate with them in real-time. With smooth employee referral functionality and clear job competency mapping, this applicant tracking software offers a comprehensive solution in the ATS market. Prices start from $690 per month.
BambooHR
BambooHR is among the best ATS for small businesses, offering a range of features and functionalities to manage the recruitment process effectively. One of its selling points is the quality of its reporting options, helping HR teams to better understand the effectiveness of their recruitment activities. Pricing starts at $6.19 per employee per month.
BreezyHR
This is a top recruiting software suite, offering an end-to-end recruitment experience for organizations of all sizes and volumes. One of its strengths is its ability to offer clear and precise tracking of current candidates and their stage within the recruitment process. Pricing starts from $149 per month for the very basic package.
Greenhouse
Greenhouse is ATS software that offers a comprehensive applicant tracking system for organizations of all sizes. It can be fully integrated with its wider HR administration for ultimate ease. It provides clear and easy-to-use job posting, along with branded career sites and sophisticated interview scheduling. Pricing is determined by company size.
Tips and tricks to beat an applicant tracking system
While getting through an ATS can seem easy, it is anything but simple. In order to push past an ATS, candidates need to present a well-written resume that was created not only with ATS algorithms in mind but also consider HR managers and other stakeholders.
Here are a few tricks candidates often use to beat an ATS:
- Tailoring a resume to meet the job requirements perfectly
- Optimizing the resume using keywords that match the job description
- Using both the acronym and long-form version of keywords
- Skipping the usage of tables, columns, and other items that cause parsing errors
- Sticking to standard resume headings rather than risk being overlooked
- Using traditional resume fonts like Helvetica, Times New Roman, and more
Win the war for talent with a top ATS
The best way to stay ahead of the competition in attracting and hiring the very best talent in the market is by investing in top recruiting software such as an application management system.
Not only can the best recruiting software increase the volume of quality applicants for your open roles, but it can also save your HR team time and your organization money along the way. Kissflow’s HR Cloud can offer all of these benefits and more. Why not take a free demo today and try its sophisticated features out for yourself?
.webp)
