8 Factors to Select the Right Applicant Tracking System

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is software that converts the manual, time-consuming hiring process into a seamless, tech-based, and simple recruitment procedure. With a wide range of capabilities, an AI-powered ATS solves many of the issues that recruiters confront, from managing large databases of candidates to tailoring the candidate experience. This ultimately enhances hiring quality.

An ATS can help recruiters save time and money by reducing the pain of locating the perfect candidate, boosting the number of placements, and increasing income for your company. However, with an overwhelming number of recruitment software solutions available today, selecting the correct ATS can be a daunting procedure. 

The following tips will help you select an applicant tracking system:

• Understanding your recruitment needs

Examine your present recruitment process before beginning your search for an ATS. Perhaps the most serious flaw in your present recruitment procedure is that you are unaware of your own weaknesses. 

However, if you choose an ATS with significant features that target things you already do well, you won’t derive much value from it. You can even end up interrupting important aspects of your recruitment process unnecessarily! That’s why it’s critical to identify areas for improvement so you can locate a tool to help you improve your process in those critical areas.

• Finding tools that will improve your recruitment process

The best ATS software will enable you to be creative with your recruitment strategy, allowing you to stand out from other organizations fighting for the top hires and give you the agility to handle future vacancies.

• Your company’s size, industry and recruitment needs

A small but growing business’s recruitment requirements differ from those of a huge firm. For example, if you’re constantly recruiting because you’re constantly sourcing individuals in preparation for vacancies or you have a high employee turnover, you’ll need a different tool than someone who just has two or three gaps each year.

Furthermore, certain ATS programmes are better suited to specific sectors than others, so you may be able to uncover tools that expressly solve identified recruitment issues and inadequacies in your area.

• Pricing

Consider the cost of an ATS in relation to your overall recruitment budget. Consider the cost of a bad hire again; if you chose correctly, your new ATS should pay for itself!

It’s worth noting that most ATS suppliers provide unique pricing based on your company’s size and needs, so the cost will frequently come into play later in the purchase process. Instead of going with the lowest choice, focusing on what you need in an ATS will put you in a better position to choose the tool that you require.

Remember that the cost of an ATS does not always correspond to the quality or value it will bring to your organization and recruitment process.

• User Experience

Choose an ATS that is simple to use and something you look forward to utilizing every day. It is critical that you consider the candidate’s user experience as well. This is significant because if a candidate has a negative experience, it will reflect adversely on your firm as a whole. If a prospect then shares their experience with their network, your candidate pool may begin to diminish.

• Analytics

Analytics is not available in all ATS solutions. Depending on the size of your organization, analytics may be a “must-have” when looking for an ATS. However, if you don’t have an ongoing recruitment effort or are a tiny business, analytics might not be necessary.

You may analyze everything in your recruitment process using real-time data and focus on what needs to be improved.

Find an ATS that allows you to personalize and automate reports so that you can obtain the recruitment data you need when you need it.

• Scalability

If you’re a small, growing business right now, you might aspire to be a larger one in a few years.

While you must select an ATS, for the time being, do all possible to avoid the need to switch to another ATS as your firm expands and your recruitment needs change. Make a point of looking for a tool that provides versatility and scalability so that you can use it in the long run.

Look for ATS products with modular pricing or several tier options so you can tailor your ATS to your specific needs and adjust how you use it as your company expands.

• Relevant Features

What features would help you expedite and improve your recruitment process, save your firm money, and make it easier to find and hire the top candidates? Create a checklist of what your ideal ATS should look like and use it to guide your search.

Consider the following features:

• Sourcing automation
• AI-ranking functionality based on specified keywords or pre-screening and skills test results
• Custom job portal development
• External job board posting
• Personality evaluations
• Candidates can upload a video résumé or a pre-recorded interview.
• Customizable workflows for your internal recruitment processes
• Integrations with other recruiting software
• Collaboration across your company should be simple

When selecting an ATS, the most important decision to make is whether you want all of your ATS to suit all of your recruitment needs or whether you’re OK with an ATS that can interact with other tools that you may or may not already use.