This past week millions of Americans tuned in to enjoy the 83rd annual Major League Baseball All Star Game in Kansas City. This Midsummer Classic is an extraordinary event because it brings together the top talent from across the country to show off their skills and represent their team as the best of the best. The All Star game brought together the league’s heavy hitters in Prince Fielder, Jose Bautista, Carlos Beltran, and Robinson Cano. The best pitching the MLB has to offer in Felix Hernandez, Ryan Cook, and Matt Cain; and of course the fan favorites in Derek Jeter and Josh Hamilton.

Although this event is loved by baseball fans all around the country, it is nearly impossible to satisfy every opposition during the player selection process. Due to the substantial input fans have in the final selection, I can’t help but wonder how many of the incredibly talented players slip between the cracks and miss what could be their only shot at All Star greatness.

Similar to this process in Major League Baseball, companies of all shapes and sizes pick their own “All Star Teams” each and every day when they source, hire, and onboard top talent for their organization. These candidates may not be judged on the speed of their fastball or their batting average; however, the productivity and assets new employees will bring to their team are just as valuable to an organization as a great player is to a baseball team.

Choosing who the All Star players will ultimately be is a painstaking process; comparable to the hiring procedures HR teams go through on a daily basis. The average HR recruiter spends most of his or her day sifting through resumes to determine which applicants make the first cut for their team; it can then take weeks to handpick candidates that are fully qualified for the position.  Once their talent pool is narrowed to a reasonable number, recruiters will spend the upcoming weeks interviewing all of these candidates to determine if they fit in with their company culture.

The process is very tedious and costly. Combined with the ongoing war for talent, this means if recruiters do not act on these applications in a timely manner, their very own Derek Jeter or Josh Hamilton may already be playing for the other team. To avoid this from happening, HR executives must be prepared with streamlined processes in place to decrease time and cost-per-hire. What is the best way to do so? By ensuring your company has a robust, user-friendly, and successful Applicant Tracking System.

If you are unsure of what this is, think of it as a Baseball Roster. You have your starters in their positions, the reserves behind them, and your best pitchers, ultimately followed by your relievers. All the potential players are readily available and fully prepared, on-demand. Most rosters include the player’s stats as well. The pitchers with the lowest ERA’s are usually at the top and the batters with the highest batting averages and on-base percentages are easily spotted over those who are not performing as well. Rather than sifting through your entire deck of baseball cards to recruit the top players for your team, you can easily refer to your roster and quickly fulfill the current opening on your bench.

An ATS is your very own roster for your Human Resource department. All of the applicants who apply to your organization send in their resume (baseball card) and it is automatically uploaded into your system (roster). You can view the applicants by highest GPA, highest level of education; most years of experience, etc. Don’t let your top talent slip through the cracks; make sure your ATS is fully satisfying all of your recruitment needs, ensuring this season's selection process is a painless one.