Why Does Your Firm Need an Applicant Tracking System?
Your firm might use a database to keep track of its candidates, but its design can be cumbersome and unorganized. A database simply doesn’t provide all the resources your firm needs in order to find the best talent.
When it comes to interacting with candidates for open positions, an applicant tracking system is an absolute must. The best applicant tracking systems have a robust structure and ease of use that can streamline candidate management from sourcing to submittal.
How to Choose the Right ATS for Your Agency
Use the following three considerations to guide you forward in finding the best system for your recruiting needs:
Does the system simplify your current recruiting process?
The purpose of applicant tracking systems are to improve your staffing and recruiting processes, not to complicate them. Bringing on an ATS should allow you to centralize all of your data, from job requisitions to employee referrals, into one accessible location. It should also provide your candidates with an easy, efficient way of applying for different positions.
As you consider an ATS, it is important to find a system that can streamline and organize your recruiting workflow through automation, allowing you to handle a large volume of candidates without hefty amounts of paperwork. You should also ensure that its functionality will improve communication and foster a better alliance between your organization’s recruiters, hiring managers, and prospective applicants.
Can the ATS be integrated with your website and all other recruiting platforms?
A crucial component of an applicant tracking system is its ability to integrate seamlessly with all of your other business platforms, including your website, email, and social media accounts. As a result, you want to ensure that your system can serve as a platform for mobile and cloud computing, unified communication, and social networking.
Social media has become an indispensable tool for recruiting firms. By having an ATS that can integrate with these accounts, you can better equip your firm to post jobs, source candidates, share content, engage followers, and build relationships through all outlets of communication and outreach.
Does the applicant tracking system have mobile capabilities?
Choosing an ATS that you can use anywhere, at any time can make a huge impact on your staffing processes. Mobile applicant tracking allows you to manage your system from the office, home, or even a coffee shop while giving your recruiters real-time information about clients and candidates. Going mobile will also give you the opportunity to track emails, review key reports, and search candidate lists whenever you need.
Key Differentiators of the Best Applicant Tracking Systems
Candidate Engagement
The candidate experience is a high priority in today’s recruiting landscape, and the best applicant tracking system enables its users to create positive interactions with candidates at every touch-point.
Applicant tracking capabilities should allow you to not only easily connect with active candidates by posting on job boards, social networks, and career portals, but also reach out to passive candidates in your database to find the perfect match for each job order.
Email Integration
Don’t waste your time switching between different windows to perform your everyday recruiting functions. With email integrated directly into an applicant tracking system, you can increase your company’s productivity by allowing your recruiters to get more done faster.
The best applicant tracking system for your firm has an email integration that not only allows you to send and receive emails from within your ATS, but also tracks all your email activity so that you will never miss a conversation.
Advanced Searching and Matching Capabilities
With features like advanced keyword search and Boolean logic, the best applicant tracking system can make filling your jobs simple. Searching within your own system should be quick and easy, and the ideal candidates, jobs, contacts and companies should be evident in your results.
The most relevant and recent results should be prioritized, and you should be able to save favorite searches in order to increase your firm’s applicant tracking efficiency.
