In 2018, employers are looking to hire more than ever before, while many employees are looking for a change.
According to a recent study by CareerBuilder, an astounding 40 percent of employees reported that they plan to change jobs in 2018. With so many candidates applying to jobs, companies are going to have to step up their game to attract the most qualified applicants and organize them once they’ve applied.
That’s where finding the best Applicant Tracking System comes into play.
What is an Applicant Tracking System?
An Applicant Tracking System, also known as an ATS or talent management system, is an easy-to-use computer-based hiring tool that can help recruiters save time and stay organized as they search for the best candidates.
The main purpose of an ATS is to automate the entire recruitment process by tracking and organizing candidates in one database.
While different Applicant Tracking Systems offer different features, they often include:
- Career page hosting
- Job distribution
- Receiving and sorting applications
- Resume storage
- Collaborating with teammates
- Messaging and interview schedulers
- Onboarding tools
- Social sharing
Here are the top 8 features of how an ATS can help you succeed in today’s competitive job market.
1. Career page hosting
Your career page is where you can display open positions on your company website. Many ATSs allow you to manage it directly from their platforms. The ATS makes it easy to set up, providing a place for you to add photos, logos, descriptions, social share buttons, and more to help market your openings.
The careers page is often where candidates end up after interacting with your job post elsewhere, so it is important to have a page that reflects your company’s values and lists the available positions.
2. Job distribution
Getting your job post to as many job boards as possible can maximize your reach, thereby increasing your chances of finding the perfect applicant.
Many of the large recruitment sites such as Indeed, Monster, CareerBuilder, and Ziprecruiter have partnerships with Applicant Tracking Systems. This means that when you create your job posting, you can instantly post it to all of these websites with a few clicks.
Using your ATS, you can get your job post on many job boards and track which applicants are coming from which boards to adjust your distribution strategy.
3. Receiving and sorting applications
Once you have created your job post and sent it to multiple job boards, it’s time to start evaluating applications. Using an ATS, your applications from all recruitment sites will be pulled into one database and you can then quickly view and sort them.
Every Applicant Tracking System uses different methods to sort and organize applications, and some can automatically rule out applicants who do not fit the job qualifications. These days, many ATSs have integrated with AI software that applies intelligent automation to screening and shortlisting resumes by matching candidates to your existing employees’ resumes.
One of the main reasons to use an ATS is that all of your applications will be available in one platform to keep things organized and ensure compliance.
4. Resume storage
Each time someone applies for your job opening, their resume is stored into your Applicant Tracking System. The system holds onto all applications it has received, even after the position is filled.
This can be useful when needing to hire additional employees or if you think the candidate would be a great fit for another position. The ATS will store all applicants so you will never lose track of a great candidate.
5. Collaborating with teammates
Choosing the right candidate for your job can be tricky, especially if they will be working closely with a team. Applicant Tracking Systems solve this problem by enabling your team to work together in the hiring process.
You can easily share applicant information with colleagues, assign different roles to different team members, and control who has access to what information. This allows the recruiter to take the whole team into consideration and have them take part in the selection process.
6. Interview schedulers
So, you’ve created an amazing careers page, posted your job to multiple job boards, and evaluated your applicants. Now it’s time for interviews!
Using your Applicant Tracking System, you can message candidates quickly and easily. You can use this feature to communicate anything you need, ask questions, and schedule interviews. Messaging candidates can be further helped with the help of a recruitment chatbot to ask candidates screening questions and answer their FAQs about the job.
When you use an integrated scheduling tool to set up interviews, the ATS will automatically remind both you and the candidate before the interview starts. This dramatically reduces no-shows, saving you time and frustration.
7. Onboarding tools
Once you have selected your newest employee, it is time to begin the onboarding process. Using an Applicant Tracking System for onboarding can speed up the time it takes to hire and officially fill your open position.
Many systems start by welcoming new hires to the team, introducing them to your company, and explaining what to expect. You can add resource pages for the new hire to access, including breakdowns of employee benefits and other important information. From there, the new hire can fill out relevant paperwork to ensure that they are ready to go for their first day.
8. Social sharing
Social media can be a great tool during the recruitment process and many Applicant Tracking Systems are designed with this in mind. These systems make it easy to share your job post to multiple social media platforms with just one click.
This allows your posting to be seen by more potential applicants, who can then apply directly from their desktop or mobile devices.
Final thoughts
As the job market continues to grow and evolve, Applicant Tracking Systems are the key to helping recruiters reach more qualified candidates.
With more people looking to change jobs than ever before, using an ATS gives your company a leg up against the competition by helping you stay organized and on top of the hiring process.
There are many ATS options out there and we suggest finding one that is the right fit for your business’ needs. One size does not fit all. Be mindful to get a system that works for the size of your business and the volume of your hiring.
Regardless of the system you choose, 96% of organizations surveyed say using an ATS has improved their hiring. With increased hiring volume and today’s tight job market, now might be the perfect time for you to invest in an ATS.
Paige Garner is the Marketing Coordinator for Proven. When she’s not tweeting, blogging or writing, she loves working out, being outdoors, and playing with her dogs.