6 Secrets Your ATS Provider Doesn't Want You To Know

So you've just spent a stack load of $$$$ on your shiny new ATS and you're very pleased with it and rightly so. It will make life much easier for you but unless you're an expert in applicant tracking systems there are a few things you should probably know that the vendor would rather you stayed in the dark about.

1. If you've bought one and they've built a new careers site for you do not just accept a URL for your careers site derived from their company name: www.[vendor-name].your name - careers.com

DEMAND THAT THEY BUY YOU YOUR OWN UNIQUE URL THAT YOU CHOOSE: www.[Your company name] - careers.com

It looks so much better.

2. Don't let them get away with free advertising on your new careers page. You wouldn't let a housebuilder leave their company name and logo on your new house so why should you allow them to leave their logo on your new careers site just because it's powered by them?

DEMAND THEY REMOVE ANY BRANDING FROM YOUR CAREERS SITE

3. Whatever you do don't sign up to any ATS that makes a candidate register/login before they can apply. It just turns them off and scares away the good candidate's who may just be browsing.

IF YOU'VE GOT YOUR HEART SET ON ONE PARTICULAR ATS, DEMAND THEY CHANGE IT JUST FOR YOU TO ENSURE CANDIDATES DON'T HAVE TO LOGIN PRIOR TO APPLYING. IF THEY DON’T, DON’T BUY IT.

4. Don't let your ATS supplier get away with just supplying you with an iframe. The number of companies we see that buy an ATS and just get given some code to place on their sites is unbelievable.

IF YOU'RE PAYING A STACK LOAD FOR YOUR ATS (AND YOU PROBABLY ARE) DEMAND THAT THEY PROVIDE YOU WITH A SEPARATE CAREERS PAGE, NOT JUST SOME IFRAME CODE.

It’s cheap looking and makes it difficult for search engines to index your jobs direct from your site…….which should be the holy grail of any ATS.

5. Don't let them sell you any training.

If your new ATS is so complicated you actually need to train your staff to use it or worse, pay them to train your staff how to use, it then you've just made a bum decision.

What an ATS does is not complicated. It's not difficult to build and design an ATS that is so easy to use that you never need to show anyone how to use it (trust me I know).

If you need to pay the vendor to provide you with training DON'T BUT IT. IT'S RUBBISH. Go get one that's easy to use and doesn't require 2 days of training to learn how to turn it on.

6. Laugh at the ATS vendor if they try to sell you support

I mean c'mon. You’re spending a wad of cash which is virtually pure profit for the vendor (there is no transactional cost to them for each new job you add in) so why on earth so you pay for support. If you think you're going to need ongoing help with it, DON'T BUT IT. IT'S RUBBISH or at the very least demand that they offer telephone and email support ...........FREE.

7. Ok so it's not actually 6 things that an ATS provider doesn't want you to know but 1 more won't hurt.....

So number 7.......there are a growing band of free applicant tracking systems out there which are far easier to use, with tons of functionality and genuinely free. If you looked at a free applicant tracking system then you probably wouldn't go near a paid one ever again.

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Comment by Keith D. Halperin on November 11, 2013 at 2:27pm: Thanks, Nick. "So you've just spent a stack load of $$$$ "

The odds are "YOU" didn't spend the money- it was your boss, or boss +1, or boss +2 who'd never have to use the ******* *** **** and never bothered to get you and your colleagues' input on what was needed or get to try it out first.

-kh

Comment by Jackie Hydock on November 12, 2013 at 4:40pm: Sorry I'm biased, but I wouldn't recommend removing Jobvite's brand from your career site. I have been in touch with several candidates who say when they see a Jobvite application over Taleo's they sigh relief. Jobvite's application process is extremely simple, painless and intuitive. Did you know, jobseekers can track their status of all Jobvite customer applications via their Jobvite profile? If you remove Jobvite, the applicant will have no idea why they are being asked to create a Jobvite log in. No rubbish there, you should try it... it's pretty cool!

What ATS are you trying to burn anyway? All of that does sound horrible!

Comment by Nick Leigh-Morgan on November 12, 2013 at 5:21pm: It's very disappointing if any other ATS makes candidate's login. Why are you making them them jump through hoops? Just let them apply without having to register to anything. It puts people off as registering implies you'll be contacting them about things without permission which I know you don't but candidates perceive it the other way.

Comment by Jackie Hydock on November 12, 2013 at 5:53pm: Nope. That's not how it works with Jobvite. It's a one stop shop to all your applications IF you choose. No log in required for any application and you can upload your resume via LinkedIn etc...if you don't have a Word doc handy. I know I'm not going to convince you when it comes to paying for an ATS. :) I know your position as the founder of a free ATS product. I'm all for the need to use an ATS of any kind! I'm a recruiter! ATS's makes my life easier. :) I just read your post and felt the need to differentiate the product I use from the "other" ATS's you lump in your post. All in all you make a product that helps recruiters be successful in their job and I can appreciate that. Cheers!

Comment by Rchilli Parser on November 13, 2013 at 4:42am: Nick interesting Read, but companies need to negotiate on one or the other front mentioned above. Rest the 7 questions are intriguing and is useful to any ATS buyer.