Main Benefits of Applicant Tracking Systems

Almost every recruiting agency and many large companies with recruiters on staff use special technology to manage candidates. Particular recruitment platforms include information about the applied candidates, CVs submitted during the interview, and data on communication progress with a potential employee.

Learn how an applicant tracking system may help you and your company save time and money! Here we’re talking about all the benefits of an ATS. Stay tuned!

What is an Applicant Tracking System?

Applicant Tracking System (shortly ATS) is a software that allows the processing of hiring requests electronically. It is similar to a Customer Relationship Management System (CRM) but tailored to recruiting needs and requirements.

ATS organizes information about job seekers and makes it searchable. As the name suggests, an applicant tracking system tracks candidates through the hiring process. It helps schedule interviews, issues notifications and alerts, and sends automated emails to applicants and employees, such as recruiters and hiring managers.

How Does an Applicant Tracking System Work?

Applicant tracking systems are far more than just organizers.  The benefits of applicant tracking systems also lie in selecting candidates and finding the best ones. It comprises company-specific filters that can find the best candidates for a job faster. 

An applicant tracking system helps a company manage every step of the hiring process, from writing the job ad to submitting an offer. This includes organizing applications, creating applicants’ profiles automatically, setting up job pipelines, etc. In addition, the applicant tracking system keeps track of all activities that take place regarding the candidates. 

ATS tracks the following hiring steps:

Benefits of applicant tracking systems are extensive and obvious at each step of the hiring process:

1. Job approval: The job application is created in the system and, if necessary, approved.
2. Job promotion: The position will be advertised on various channels: f.e., internally for employees, on the company's website, and on external job boards. 
3. Applicants management: Applicants apply on the company's website, job board, and other channels. Recruiters add candidates’ profiles to the ATS or use browser extensions to automate the process.
4. Communication management: Recruiters or HR managers check the applicants in the system and select the candidates to be followed up with. Applicants who are not selected may receive an automated rejection email. Also, thanks to the benefits of an ATS, recruiters can add such candidates to the talent pools to keep them in mind for further vacancies. 
5. Collaborative hiring: Recruiters, hiring managers, and others conduct interviews. After each interview, they can add notes to the applicant profiles for later reference and move them in the job pipeline.
6. Offer management: Once the preferred candidate has been identified, the recruiters typically use the applicant tracking system to make an offer to the candidate.
7. Hiring performance tracking: If the candidate accepts the offer, they are employed, and the job is closed in the ATS. However, all the vacancies and hired candidates remain in the system so that the HR manager and company owner can track and asses the hiring performance.

8 Advantages of Using Applicant Tracking System

Using an applicant tracking system is essential in many ways, even for small companies. Let’s define its main advantages: 

1. Saves time and resources

The applicant tracking system automates and streamlines the hiring process for employees involved in the hiring process, such as recruiters, hiring managers, and approvers. Due to these benefits of an ATS, recruiters and HR managers free up time on strategic tasks while the hiring process doesn’t stop. In addition, thanks to the reduced hiring time, companies can enjoy lower costs per hire, which is an essential benefit.  

2. Manages candidates in one place

ATS collects information about candidates, including all communications and positions they have applied to in the past, to create a single view and profile of each candidate. This is quite convenient, isn’t it?

3. Speeds up the recruitment cycle

Thanks to the automated hiring process, slowdowns in communication are minimized.  As a result, the speed and control of recruitment are increased, the loss of candidates is reduced, and the quality of communications is improved.

4. Reduces paperwork stress

Recruiters don’t have to use bulky Excel spreadsheets with candidates’ contacts and potential employees. Instead, they have all the necessary data on one recruitment platform. Also, the hiring process is simplified due to such ATS features as automated hiring requests and follow-up letter templates.

5. Keeps talent pools

Candidates who are on file in the Applicant Tracking System but have not been selected for an immediate position may be considered part of the talent pipeline and are available for future opportunities. This is one of the top Applicant Tracking System features and the reason why recruiters appreciate it.

6. Tracks recruitment team performance

The ATS holds much information about the candidates, which HR managers and company owners can use for analytics. This will help to detect hiring flaws and contribute to the company’s general performance. For example, such metrics include the number of added contacts, number of closed jobs, hires by source, position, etc.

7. Enhances the employer’s brand

Applicants expect companies to provide a positive applicant experience and a user-friendly application process, which most applicant tracking systems offer. Positive applicant experience is the best part of ATS benefits since even the rejected candidates will like the hiring process. This is the highest praise for the company’s employer brand.

8. Protects confidential data

HR managers and recruiters should never forget that they work with people and their private data. Therefore, they must respect the candidates’ personal information and keep it safe. Excel spreadsheets don’t seem like quite reliable storage, do they? 

ATS holds all the data regarding hiring in one place, secured by high-class protection measures. This keeps a company out of trouble with confidentiality issues. 

How to find the best ATS for hiring?

Most ATS have similar functionality. However, some ATSs offer additional features and benefits that may be less obvious. For example, Axterior helps you hire 23% faster.

Axterior is a professional recruitment platform that allows companies and recruitment teams to source, manage, and hire the best talents with less time and effort, grow their talent pools, and improve their ROI on recruitment.

The top ATS benefits of Axterior are:

• Collaborative hiring 
• Automated communication 
• Fast candidates sourcing 
• Feasible jobs management 
• Detailed performance analytics
• Reduced cost and time per hire, as a great outcome! 

What is also important is that the Axterior ATS has reasonable pricing and a full-scale trial period. So you can try it for free right now!

Things to Know Before Buying an ATS

ATS systems provide specialists with many tools for flexible funnel settings, competent and in-depth analytics, as well as evaluating various forms of reporting. An HR specialist has the opportunity to track the work of recruiters, evaluate the number of vacancies and candidates, the sources from which applicants come, as well as the stages of selection and screening of candidates.
Speaking about automation, you need to understand that its task is to speed up and reduce the cost of recruiting employees, and not to fully replace the recruiter. So don't think that the ATS will save you money on a recruiter. It will just allocate your resources more reasonably. For guidance on choosing between ATS and CRM systems to optimize your recruitment processes, check out ATS vs CRM: What You Should Choose.

Conclusion

ATS benefits mean a massive relief for HR employees and thus make the entire recruiting process much more efficient. Taking advantage of Applicant Tracking System features can help reduce manual processes, target potential candidates, and ultimately fill open positions faster and with better applicants. 

Don’t hesitate to enjoy the innovations in the HR industry to boost your hiring!