Best Applicant Tracking Systems

What Are Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)?

Save your company time and money by investing in an applicant tracking system. An Applicant Tracking System (or ATS) is a software tool that automates the process of posting jobs and finding qualified talent. This often includes one-click job posting to multiple sites, applicant sorting, and interview scheduling. There are many options available, so be sure to do your research and find the best applicant tracking system for your company’s budget and size.

While the human resources team owns the software, hiring managers and interviewers also need access to the software. The hiring team accesses the full range of hiring tasks in a single interface from candidate sourcing through evaluation, hiring, and follow-up. Companies can track each part of the application and hiring process in the tool — from start to finish. A business that implements an ATS benefits from a streamlined hiring workflow with features like job board posting, career site builders, interview tools, approvals workflows, notifications, email integration, and analytics. Applicant tracking systems do not typically provide onboarding tools.

Top ATS Software

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Why do you need applicant tracking software?

A company’s recruiting efforts should be as efficient and effective as possible — especially when just one job posting can generate hundreds of resumes. As a company grows, applicant tracking software is necessary to automate and optimize routine aspects of hiring.

A 2019 Jobscan survey found that 99 percent of Fortune 500 companies employ some form of applicant tracking system. These systems help employers dig through mountains of resumes to quickly find candidates with the right qualifications, so hiring managers can spend their time qualifying candidates for soft skills not found on a resume like creativity and collaboration.

ATS tools can also help companies promote diversity initiatives by tracking key diversity metrics that provide insight into the tools and strategies that help the company hire a more diverse employee base. A survey conducted by LinkedIn found that 47 percent of hiring managers are not being held accountable to diversity initiatives. A robust applicant tracking software can improve these metrics.

The software also helps companies respond quickly to applicants, which increases overall candidate satisfaction. According to one 2020 survey of job applicants, 33 percent did not receive a follow-up email from the company they applied to — a problem easily fixed with automated workflows in an applicant tracking system.

Applicant tracking tools, which streamline the application, interview, and follow-up process, give your company the advantage of improved candidate experience.