While recruiters use a variety of recruiting and hiring software, one particular platform has garnered widespread attention due to its usefulness. Applicant Tracking System Emerging alongside other business innovations in the 1990s, ATS are now available to businesses of all sizes.
An ATS acts as a central, integrated hub for all things candidate-related, including organizing job listings, scheduling interviews, collecting information and feedback, tracking job applications, writing offer letters, sending rejection letters, and more.
the best Applicant Tracking Software Companies are also moving from passive to active recruiting to secure top talent before they leave for competitors. Today’s recruiting is different from what it was 20 years ago, requiring closer relationships, establishing and nurturing a pipeline, and more thorough candidate evaluation.
With 2024 fast approaching, your applicant tracking system needs to be up to speed with the breakneck speed of modern recruiting. Read our guide to the must-haves for an applicant tracking system that can help you increase productivity, reduce costs, and secure the best candidates.
Essential Applicant Tracking System Features and Functionality
on the other hand, A.T.S.M. is a must-have system for streamlining your recruiting and onboarding processes, but there are several features that are essential to getting the most out of the software. Many of these features are focused on the ability to reduce time to hire and improve the quality that is essential for modern business.
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User-friendly interface – A good ATS provides a user experience that is easy to learn and intuitive. These tools should streamline the recruiting process, not create more administrative work for your HR team.
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automation – Modern ATS systems use artificial intelligence and advanced algorithms to automate parts of the hiring funnel, such as parsing resumes, analyzing cover letters, sorting candidate profiles, scheduling interviews, creating applicant scorecards, assigning ratings, sending offer and rejection templates, and even collecting video interviews.
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Customizable workflow—An effective applicant tracking system adapts to the specific needs of your industry and business. The ability to add and remove parts of the hiring process eliminates redundant, discriminatory or unnecessary steps.
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report – Get real-time analysis of your recruiting metrics. Identify areas where you can make your recruiting process more diverse, inclusive and equitable, especially for candidates from underrepresented groups. Reports will expose outdated recruiting practices and open the door to big changes.
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Seamless integration—Connecting your ATS to other HR software, like a candidate relationship management (CRM) or HRIS, centralizes workflows and eliminates time-consuming application navigation. You can also connect messaging tools to engage with potential candidates and communicate with other departments for collaborative recruiting efforts.
Making the most of an applicant tracking system to take on time-consuming administrative tasks like filtering candidates and sending rejection emails helps hiring managers make effective final hiring decisions. While other industries look to AI to replace employees, Gem’s ATS uses AI to assist employees.
Industry-specific ATS requirements
We mentioned the importance of customization as a foundational feature of modern applicant tracking software. Not every industry has the same recruiting funnel, and even within the same industry, recruiting methods can vary greatly from company to company.
A flexible and adaptable ATS from a trusted provider like Gem can change to fit the needs of organizations operating in any sector. For example: Recruitment agencies You need a tool that can handle job offers from multiple companies while dealing with multiple contacts and a diverse pool of job seekers.
Staffing agencies benefit from the tools available in Gem ATS, especially in staying organized and keeping stakeholders informed. The high-volume tools that aid staffing agencies also work effectively in other sectors such as construction, hospitality, and manufacturing.
With traditional blue-collar and service industry roles seen as marginalized in society, many companies also need tools to boost their employer brand. Maker You may also be looking for highly skilled people with specialized experience to fill open positions, and you’ll need a tool that can help you filter and score such candidates.
Another industry that is looking for highly skilled talent is health careThis often requires qualified candidates with advanced degrees, specific locations, or technical experience. Finance Company You also need qualified new hires, which requires another layer of collecting, sorting and filtering searchable candidate data.
The flexibility and customizability of our ATS platform allows us to address all these use cases and more, and it fits into the technology stack of companies of all sizes, from small businesses and startups to enterprise-level conglomerates.
The importance of scalability and support in an ATS
Growing your business comes with many unknowns, but with an ATS, recruiting won’t be one of them. An applicant tracking system can help your business grow by helping you organize your recruiting team members, reduce time spent on administrative tasks, and keep up with a growing talent pool.
Businesses can also take advantage of the different pricing models that ATS providers use to support businesses with different recruiting needs. For example, large companies can rely on flat-rate contract pricing, while independently owned businesses can benefit from a hiring cost structure.
Regardless of which pricing model suits your needs, an applicant tracking system that allows you to distribute job postings, connect with candidates through social media platforms like LinkedIn, and use automation tools is worth your budget.
However, before you invest in a software provider, check the training and customer support you receive to ensure uninterrupted functionality. Support can range from operating manuals to on-demand IT support, which may cost extra depending on the provider.
Data-Driven Decisions with ATS Analytics
Put profits aside: Data is the new king in business, with more leaders turning to analytics to gain actionable insights into everything from candidate experience and product development to recruiting and staffing. The results prove why.
For example, data-driven decision-making is so powerful that Fortune 500 company Google tested the practice by using performance reviews to find common traits among its high-performing managers. Increased from 83% to 88% The average level of favorability among management is high.
This positive feedback translates into higher retention rates and more new employee referrals, making recruiters’ jobs easier. The best ATS platforms come with customizable reporting dashboards that give you Google-like insights.
Using data, you can uncover bottlenecks in your recruiting funnel, uncover non-inclusive parts of the application process, and identify common traits among top talent. This data gives you a clear overview of your talent acquisition efforts, Projects Future Employment needs.
Choosing the Right ATS: Questions to Ask Your Vendor
Traditional ATS software operated on-premise infrastructure that required specialized equipment and personnel to maintain, which made these systems often prohibitively expensive for the average business until the advent of cloud-based technology.
Today, businesses have a wide variety of applicant tracking system vendors to choose from, but not every provider is worth partnering with. In fact, there are a few questions you should ask the vendors on your shortlist to ensure they can meet your recruiting needs. These questions include:
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What ATS pricing model do you use?
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What security and compliance measures do you have in place?
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How do we store candidates’ personal information?
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What software can be integrated into the platform?
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What scalability features does it offer?
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What customizations can you use to make your ATS work for your team?
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How do you upgrade and maintain your software?
Of course, these are just a few of the questions you can and should ask potential vendors. The goal is to dig as deep as possible to identify potential pain points and features that can adapt to your future adoption challenges.
Future-proof your recruiting with Gem’s ATS
No one knows what the future holds, but one thing is certain: A.T.S.M. is the recruiting software of today and tomorrow. Its comprehensive time-saving features and quality candidate verification make it an essential tool for modern businesses.
Notably, Gem’s ATS leads the pack with unique features that make it an asset to any recruiting team, including a focus on DEI recruiting initiatives, extensive industry-specific support, and streamlined integrations with partner recruiting CRMs.
Combined with Gem’s recruiting software, your HR department becomes a recruiting machine capable of handling high volume hiring, rigorous qualification requirements, and comprehensive hiring practices. Request a demo Implement Gem’s ATS today and experience the difference in your recruiting efforts firsthand.
