The Evolution of Applicant Tracking Software

By now, almost everyone in HR has likely heard the term ATS or Applicant Tracking System which is a good thing considering the software’s potential for totally streamlining your hiring process. But what you may not know, is just how easy-to-use and intuitive these systems have become over the past few years. I’d venture to guess that if you knew where to look, you could easily find the perfect system for your company’s hiring needs. Included below are a few insider tricks to give you the upper hand whilst exploring your options.

Understanding Hiring Software

Before beginning your quest to finding the perfect system for you, it helps if you first understand what it is you’re looking for. ATSs have completely transformed over the years and now play as essential of a role as HRISs and payroll software because they’re the first step in the hiring process. Also, when used effectively, they’re likely to replace recruiting software since some systems are directly integrated with all the big name job boards and aggregators as well as having direct links to social media sites. Unlike the limited platforms of five years ago, you’re likely to find a hiring software that has built in background checking capabilities, interviewing software, and pre-employment assessments making them a one-stop-shop for hiring.

Choosing the Right System

Because no one company has the exact same hiring needs, it makes sense that there are a multitude of hiring solutions out there that may or may not fit within your employment box. What makes the systems of today superior to the options of yesteryear is that they’re no longer reserved for enterprise level hiring needs. It used to be that if you were a small or mid-sized company and wanted some help in managing your pre-employment process, you were limited to platforms that were designed to suit the needs of big companies who hire thousands of employees every year and they’d greet you with a hefty price tag. Chances are, the system wouldn’t check anything off your hiring list because there was very little room for customization, not to mention the thousands wasted on an insurmountable setup fee, outrageous monthly costs, and a contract that you were locked into for years. Now, you can choose a system like ApplicantPro that offers the same benefits as an enterprise level system with a more flexible and customizable platform that was designed based on requests from small to medium employers and it comes totally commitment free. If you’re purchasing power still isn’t convinced that you need a hiring software, there are even free ATS options, for example Hirelist, which allows you to use an online system that manages your applicant flow, but without sacrificing any money from your budget.

Streamlining the Integration and Analytics Process

Analytics is a buzzword that has been floating around since the dawning of Google. It’s basically a reporting function that enables you to track your traffic flow (among other things). What does this have to do with hiring? A lot more than you think. Choosing an applicant tracking software that has an intuitive analytics platform means that you can monitor important metrics like cost-per-hire, and time-to-fill reporting. Also, there’s a high likelihood that you’ll be able to build your own custom reporting specific to the metrics set forth by your HR Department. Piggybacking the importance of tracking metrics is selecting a system that fully integrates with other systems you use currently, whether it be an HRIS, a payroll management system, or onboarding. If you choose your ATS wisely, you’ll improve data accuracy and save your company money.