ATS Software: the must-have sourcing and recruitment tool
If you're in charge of recruiting or you've ever been asked to recruit new team members, you probably know it's quite a time-consuming job.
Posting openings across various job sites, sorting CVs, and wading through candidate applications often gets tedious and repetitive, especially when the process isn’t automated. Luckily, a transformational piece of technology has stepped onto the scene: ATS software, a tool proven to make recruiting easier.
Just how powerful is it? A study conducted by the American company Capterra showed that 75% of recruiters and talent acquisition managers use an ATS. Practically all of them (94%) believe that it has had a positive impact on their recruiting processes!
Here, you’ll find out exactly what ATS software is and how you can use it to make recruiting easier.
What is ATS software?
The acronym ATS stands for Applicant Tracking System. In other words, it is software built specifically for application management. It's sometimes simply called "recruiting software."
This kind of computer program is designed to help recruiters do two things: run their recruitment campaigns and zoom in on the progress of each step in the process. It optimizes candidates searches so that your job - choosing the best ones - is easy. In addition, you can also use it to automate certain tasks, saving you precious time.
ATS software can handle everything from publishing job posts to onboarding your new recruit. It’s the best tool to have in your pocket for successful recruiting!
There are two types of ATS software:
Locally-installed: This can be accessed using any connection to your internal server.
SaaS (Service as a Software): This can be accessed from the Cloud.
Most ATS software solutions operate under the SaaS model given the ease-of-access and versatility that come with it. Many ATS software solutions also offer applications for your smartphone or tablet as well as a simplified update process.
What features are included in an ATS?
All ATS solutions are different, but most share a handful of basic features.
Some of these include:
Posting job openings on a company's career page as well as on job sites
Sharing job openings on social media
Storing received applications
Sourcing and selecting qualified candidates using automatic keywords
Building talent pools
Automating communication with email templates and interview reminders
Tracking requests for and receipt of references and administrative documents
Preparing the onboarding process
It is worth noting that many ATS solutions are built with integrations for other digital services such as messaging platforms, job boards, and even electronic signature tools.
That's some time put back into your day!
The recruiter’s tool for productivity and efficiency
As we just saw, an ATS is much more than a CV management system. It works alongside your company through every step in the recruiting process, strengthening your company’s performance.
Here is a list of some of the biggest advantages to using an ATS tool for recruitment:
1) Optimized recruitment
By centralizing where and how you track your recruitment, an ATS will help you save time! It just takes a few clicks, and not only has posting openings on job sites just gotten easier, but they're also posted on the company's site. You no longer have to worry about switching from platform to platform, tediously copying and pasting your post!
What's more, an ATS can also simplify candidate sourcing by showing you the top profiles that match your selection criteria.
You can also configure an ATS to fit your internal recruiting processes. That’s how the technology works for the recruiter - not the other way around!
To make sure you never miss another perfect match, the sourcing platform Wiggli uses a targeted algorithm to pre-qualify the most competent candidates for your opening.
2) A strengthened employer brand
There’s nothing more frustrating for a candidate than never receiving an answer after sending in an application. We’re not judging. After all, forgetting to send an answer to a candidate is something that could happen to all of us. However, no matter how human it may be, it still has a negative impact on your company image.
Consider an infographic created by LaSuperAgence, according to which 72% of people who have had a poor candidate experience shared it either online or by telling someone else.
With guaranteed and detailed status tracking for your recruitments, you can be sure that no step will fall by the wayside! In other words, every single candidate will be informed of their application status.
With that in mind, they’ll be more inclined to hold on to a positive image of your company… and to share that with those around them!
Offering a better candidate experience will have a visibly positive impact on your employer brand, and then you’ll have an even easier time recruiting!
It’s a virtuous circle!
4) Better decision-making processes
Recruiting is often a job that involves multiple people within a company. At times, it can be difficult to gather everyone's opinions and come to a decision.
Enter ATS solutions, a collaborative tool that facilitates communicate between the different parties involved in the recruiting process. This makes it easy to track all applications on an individual basis.
Your chances of losing information decrease, and you’re better equipped to make a decision.
5) Personal data management made plain
As you likely know, any data collected from applications received is subject to certain rules outlined in the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). As a recruiting company, you may be asked to answer questions about how your candidate data is managed.
Using an ATS will not only help you secure user access to such data, but it can also store and collect it in a single place.
This is crucial in making data management more practical and avoiding non-compliance with these regulations.
ATS solutions: software designed for each and every company
ATS solutions were once only accessible to large companies and recruiting agencies, but these days, there's a solution for businesses of any size!
Most recruiting software plans charge a tailored fee depending on the number of users and the features you choose. This means you only pay for what you use! No matter what the size of your business, there’s a solution out there than can solve your recruiting issues!
To sum it up, these all-in-one ATS solutions are an essential tool made for anyone who handles recruitment. By cutting down on time spent doing non-value-added administrative tasks, recruiters can focus on their core responsibilities.
Running successful recruiting campaigns can help grow your company, giving you a significant competitive advantage.
Together, ATS programs and recruiting are a tried-and-true, winning pair in business!