Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a human resource software that acts as a database for job applicants to make life easier for recruiters and hiring managers. It automates recruitment exercises by gathering, sorting, scanning, and ranking job applications from candidates to reach the number of those on to the next stage of hiring.
ATS eliminates the need for human involvement in the foundational stage of the recruitment process, which reduces human errors and recruitment bias.
How do Applicant Tracking Systems Work?
It is designed with highlights intended to smooth out the recruitment process by taking on humans’ tasks, which reduces the stress and the errors that may arise from manual sorting.
This expands the efficiency and abilities of recruiters, hiring managers, and HR groups by supplying them with a concentrated information base.
Functions of ATS
- Scan, sort, and rank candidates according to computer requirements
- Publicize job openings on multiple job boards with a single submission
- Generate interview requests to potential candidates via email and texts
- Build, manage, and maintain career pages
- Keep teams on track to meet hiring goals
Benefits of Employers using ATS?
Majorly, job seekers without the job qualifications advertised still go-ahead to apply, and it takes a toll on employers.
This can be avoided with the deployment of ATS, and not surprising that 83% of recruiters use an Applicant Tracking System. Employers benefit from ATS as follows:
- Reduce time spent on manual selection by automating the process of uploading, scanning, ranking, and pre-screening.
- Secure storage of inputted standard requirements and admittance to a pipeline of past successful candidates.
- Creation of traditional recruitment process helping you not to reevaluate the strategy each time an opening emerges.
- Keep you consistent with labour laws.
- Supplies you with information on employee experiences and work history.
- Reduce the possibility of recruitment bias that recruiters may be susceptible to.
Best Applicant Tracking Systems
If you are thinking of using ATP, these are features you should be on the lookout for the presence of candidate and agency portal, Open APIs, a marketplace for 3rd party vendors, career page builder, attractive UI/UX, reporting and analytics, Global HR practice compliance, Inbuilt Artificial Intelligence, Cloud-based, Support from sourcing to hiring, and Custom-made CRM.
There are great ATP with these features; they include:
1. Greenhouse
This is for small/medium-sized companies and is the best in classification APIs, permission for the HR clientele to deploy outsider applications at no additional cost making it the most used ATP in the Human Resource field. It has a keyword frequency in charge of how the outcome gets to the recruiter. For example, if the recruiter inputs interpersonal skills as a requirement, only applicants with this skill set will appear on top; others would be flagged.
2. Clear Company
This company starts by hiring managers to characterize their model candidate for the job.
You are encouraged to source distinctly, pose the correct inquiries, make an offer your applicants will probably acknowledge, and afterward help in the onboarding of newly recruited workers into their significant positions.
3. Avature
This is a highly rated ATS and adjustable to your company and recruitment exercises aims and objectives.
This ATS helps you construct your enrolling work processes for high volume, senior-level job enlisting, alter dashboards, set up robotized work processes, and affect the intensity of an across the board ATS + CRM.
Also, this could be done with a no-code interface that permits non-specialized clients to change the framework.
4. Workable
This is good for both small and large organizations. Their AI-controlled sourcing ability, incorporated with the ATS’s remainder, gives admittance to more than 400 million job applicants’ records worldwide.
5. Recruiterbox
This is a unique ATS with a framework that includes highlights like video talking, booking, and automated updates. It permits applicants and hiring managers to work together on recruiting/meeting without signing in to the framework.
This can be set up under two hours for smaller organizations, eliminating the unnecessary trouble they tend to face on other applicant tracking systems.
How to beat the Applicant Tracking System
It’s essential to apply ATS in your resume to avoid becoming a victim of automated disqualification. You can prevent the above problems by:
1. Using Targeted Keywords
The most important part of your resume when it goes through the ATS is the listed keywords. ATS has already been pre-installed, and requirements were enabling it to search for the best match. Your resume cannot be one-size-fits-all; it must be custom fitted for each position you apply to.
2. Avoid Using Graphics of Any Kind
Graphics are not needed on a resume because they take up valuable space, making you appear unprofessional.
The ATS will not understand your resume if it has a graphics design on it, and it will automatically discard it. Don’t use any realistic to mark your name on your resume; this excerpt of data will be lost on the applicant tracking system.
3. Use Standard Headings
Ensure you make use of simple headings that the ATS will recognize and not a show-off of your linguistic prowess; stick to the standard set of resume headings.
ATS usually sets the resume into these four categories: Education, Contact Information, Skills, and Work Experience. Use only the above requirements.
4. Crosscheck for Grammar and Spelling Errors
We are always bound to make slight mistakes because we aren’t perfect; we are humans. That said, ensure you double-check your resume before sending it out.
Some recruiters may overlook an error or mistake, but with an ATS, your resume would not even make it for consideration because it’s incapable of leniency.
It will scan for matching keywords and standard headings, so a wrongly spelled or grammatically incorrect word/sentence would not come up as a match, even if you possess all the requirements for the job.
5. Format Your Resume Properly
Do not display your customization skill in your resume as the ATS won’t understand it. The most significant fallout from the standard resume format is the bullet point.
When used as intended, bullet points are a great way to underscore skills, achievements, and qualifications on a resume.
On the other angle, if you deviate from this, your message could get lost in translation and scrambled by the system.
Use simplest options like; solid circle, open circle, or square. Making use of the resume format is to enhance it, not an incompatibility with the ATS.
However, no resume or individual is perfect; don’t let the ATS rules differ from your desired application. Remember, ATS is not the only recruitment process; there are still tests, interviews, training, and other procedures depending on the organization. So, be well prepared for all.