In this day and age, it’s almost impossible not to come across the term “applicant tracking system” while job hunting. And at some point, it’s described as heartless AI that sorts your resumes and determines your fate as an applicant. But the reality isn’t that terrifying because you’ve likely encountered it before as a job seeker.
If you’ve ever visited a company’s website or uploaded your resume, then you’ve taken part in it. Maybe you’ve answered additional screening questions on one of these websites before too. And that’s just the front end of the well-known applicant tracking system. The point is, there’s more to understand about ATS and it will only keep evolving over the years.
But one thing is for sure: it’s a vital tool for every recruiter to have in the digital age. It has features that help simplify the recruitment process, even the onboarding process. Its AI automates many mundane and administrative tasks, therefore increasing work efficiency. And even if your ATS software has some blind spots, it’s easily complemented by other recruitment software.
What Is an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)?
With how accessible job applications have become, the recruitment process can be a challenge for HR. It’s like a double-edged blade that can greatly benefit your company but backfire due to a lack of preparation. However, recruitment software UK may have the tools you need to simplify the process. The ATS software can help manage it by collecting and sorting thousands of resumes and candidate information.
Essentially, ATS systems streamline the recruitment process via automation. For example, hiring managers can easily screen candidates because the software presents them side by side. The software also has filters that help sift through thousands of candidates to find the most qualified ones. After which, your team can track those candidates’ progress through the hiring process.
Additionally, digitizing the process saves you resources because you’ll only be paying for the subscription. And in exchange, you have access to a vast array of tools that come with the software. But if you don’t want to pay, some free ATS software has the complete tools for simple recruitment. This makes the ATS system a great choice for both small and big businesses.
How Does an Applicant Tracking System Work?
Let’s go over the few basic steps to how ATS systems work. It starts when a job requisition enters your ATS software. The requisition includes vital information about the criteria that your candidates need to meet. Examples of these are the job title, experience, and skills required by the company.
The ATS will then use that information to create a profile of your ideal applicant. It’s like the foundation or guide that the system uses to sift through resumes later on. The software also parses, sorts, and ranks the resumes based on the profile it created. This helps HR to quickly identify which candidates are the most qualified and move them forward in the recruitment process.
It’s important to understand that recruiters usually filter resumes by key skills and job titles. So if they’re looking for an administrative assistant, they will search for that term among the resumes. That already secures their spot and those that don’t fit the search are discarded.
How Do You Know You Need ATS and What Does it Simplify?
-
You’re Dependent on Spreadsheets and Emails
Earlier, we mentioned how tough recruiting can be, especially when manually managed. Imagine needing to go through emails, spreadsheets, and mountains of folders by hand. You’ll end up spending hours, even going overtime just to finish the early stages of the process.
Of course, that will depend on how you source your candidates or applicants as well. But the average job opening receives hundreds of applicants because of increased accessibility. That’s a huge amount of data to go through and it isn’t the final stage of recruitment yet.
Normally, that means you have to collaborate with colleagues to get it all done. And that requires all of you to be on the same page regarding the kind of candidate you want to hire. But keep in mind that you’re all human so the margin of error is larger than an AI’s. Your team is likely to make mistakes during the early process and miss out on qualified hires.
But with ATS software, you can organize and sift through all the resumes within a few hours. Its filter will ensure that you’ll be viewing resumes that satisfy your company’s needs. And because it’s a machine, the odds of it leaving out a qualified candidate are slim. Hence, it simplifies the entire early stage of the hiring process for your recruiters and hiring managers.
-
Admin Tasks Primarily Consume Your Time
Administrative work can be tedious, time-consuming, and mundane. If you notice that you’re spending 10 hours a week or more on admin tasks, you have a problem. That’s a lot of time being wasted on something that can be left to automation. And you can allocate that time and effort to another part of the business instead.
Luckily, ATS software can automate most admin tasks and save you hours’ worth of work weekly. Examples of those include sending emails to candidates, pre-screening, and scheduling interviews. They can all be done at the touch of a button with the help of ATS.
Emails have templates with customizable sections for when there are many recipients of the same message. The system can also send emails on reminders of missing requirements or upcoming interviews. It’s capable of scheduling those interviews as well with the right integration and data provided.
Just like how people in the 90s expected, technology will make our lives much easier. Because despite the trouble, admin work is still important and should not be neglected. And ATS software ensures it gets the job done so you can focus on the more important tasks.
-
You’re Not Getting Enough Applications
As an employer, it’s easy to fall for systems that save your time and money on certain aspects. In this case, it’s hiring but saving resources isn’t the end goal. What you want is to have applicants and talents to hire so you can grow your business. You may have your whole process streamlined but you’re not getting a large number of candidates.
In that case, you have a new problem and it can be the type of ATS software you’re using. Not all of them are optimized and fully capable of improving candidate experience. Some ATS systems need applicants to complete long forms or create accounts. And that’s a lot to ask for someone who might reject their application in the end. This contributes to high drop off rate, but not all hope is lost.
We advise trying your own application from an applicant’s perspective. That way, you can review your application process and experience firsthand the obstacles you must solve. If your candidates need to go through multiple pages to apply, then that can be the dealbreaker. It’s no surprise that they won’t complete their applications if the process is too tedious. Consider 15 minutes to be the amount of time it takes before their patience runs out regarding the application process.
Hence, you can try using a different applicant tracking software that simplifies it better. Choose the more optimized programs, check the reviews, and see what employers have to say about it.
-
You Barely Have Any Reports
Some ATS systems have this amazing reporting feature which is vital for making informed decisions. It lets you know where your high-quality candidates are coming from. And that’s important when you delegate resources for future hires and candidates. If your top candidates come from social media, then your future resources can be poured into social media aggregators.
However, not all ATS systems have that feature despite being one of the most important. They will give you the candidates’ demographics but not from what recruiting channel they’re from. That’s the signal to start upgrading your ATS so you’ll have better data and analytics.
That way, once you’ve pinpointed which channel gives you the best candidates, you can allocate resources respectively. You can cut the channels that are needlessly burning your hard-earned money. In this case, ATS simplifies your analytics and decision-making process.
Conclusion
As technology evolves, many tasks and processes are simplified and automated. That can be why some people are afraid of being replaced by machines. But software are just tools that can’t operate themselves and require humans to take the lead. And the ATS software used for hiring processes is one such tool that makes recruiters’ lives easier.
Recruiters can simply input a set criteria that they’re looking for in candidates on the software. And the ATS system will promptly find the resumes that match what your company is looking for. And that’s only the beginning because it also automates administrative tasks, like mass sending emails. You won’t need to spend hours reading and organizing applicant files based on how you think they’re good for the company.
And in this article, we’ve talked about the different signs that point you to getting an ATS. And how doing so simplifies your teams’ and recruiters’ tasks significantly. ATS is by no means perfect, but it does its job well, sometimes going beyond your expectations.
What it takes to run a restaurant