Read the latest post from Elise Jennings!

The Olympic Games are underway! Just six days ago we watched 10,000+ athletes walk out during the opening ceremony waving and smiling at over 4 million international spectators. One can only imagine what a population increase of 4 million people would be like. The UK went through a great deal of preparation in London to not only accommodate the visitors, but also when it came to the organization and readiness of the workforce at various venues.

With a large number of Human Resources professionals looking for top talent all within the same four year span, the traditional form of sourcing and recruiting would not suffice. HR professionals need to become familiar with the latest technologies and trends in the industry, specifically regarding Applicant Tracking Systems(ATS).

Even though an ATS is a recently popular tool among recruiters, the marketplace has been building up with all different vendors for years. With so many options, how does one know which ATS is the best (or as I like to call it, the ‘gold medalist’) in the sourcing, recruiting, and onboarding of top talent?

Below are the important functions and features of an ATS that will ensure your HR team comes in 1st place:

1. Ease of use -The first thing a prospective ATS user should look for is ease of use in a product and its features. There is nothing worse than using a product that is complicated and frustrating. Make sure the ATS you choose is simple, easy-to-use, and accessible.

2. Configurability- So many ATS providers code and produce a product that is the same for every single customer. This ‘one size fits all’ approach will not achieve optimal results for your organization. Select a product that can be scaled and adjusted to your organization’s size and specific workflow.

3. Branded Career Sites- Make your company’s brand well known. With distinct branding on career sites, recruiters can attract top talent not only to open job positions but to the company culture and brand itself. 

4. Social Distribution- Traditionally, recruiters used head hunters and agencies to find top talent. Nowadays, to find these candidates recruiters have to think outside the box. Many have turned to social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn) to reach out to a larger talent pool. The larger the pool the more likely top talent will be found. An ideal ATS can post a job opening to all social media sites with just the click of a button.

5. Excellent Customer Service - Often vendors set an HR professional up and walk away, without any assistance beyond implementation. Find an ATS provider that is dedicated to helping your team every step of the way and is readily available at any moment you need them.

With these five features and functions in mind, recruiters will be on top of their game, acquiring top talent with ease.