It’s summer time already in the South, 90 degrees outside and humid as Vietnam 1969. The layoffs are still hot too. Not a whole lot of jobs reqs either.

Your Boss is pacing the office like a half crazed Nazi commander waiting for orders to drop kick more recruiters out. Everyone is doing their best to look busy, marching down the halls as they peck away on their blackberry and even giving Social Media Recruiting presentations.

Even a co-worker resorted to shacking up with an HR Manager.

“Eeeewww!” Recruiters collectively cry out.

Don’t panic. No need to go extremes either. But, you need to kiss serious bootay right about now.

Time to test drive some Applicant Tracking Systems, my little brown nosers!

Go ahead and call that 1-800 number. Sign up for the demo and afterwards toot your horn. Type it up in a document and then email to all the managers. Tweet it and blog it… (ahem).

But before you dole out your email address and contact info to all those extremely pesky sales people, here are some things you NEED to know:

Don’t Waste Your Time.

You are the biggest loser if you spend more than one hour going through a demo. Get in and get out, fat boy. The sales guy will keep you on the phone for an entire day.

Pay Attention

Half way through some ATS demos, you may find yourself guzzling lava hot coffee to stay awake. If you start to doze off, do everyone a favor and just reschedule it.

Go Easy on the Questions

The first time you peek into an ATS. You are just peeking. You are not doing in-depth research, so keep the questions to a minimum. Save them for later if you decide to revisit.

Don’t Attack it.

Let me tell you, nothing sucks worse than a crummy ATS. They know it. You know it. It stinks worse than a Truckers’ bathroom. If it stinks, just move on. No need to rub the sales manager’s nose in it.

Try a Lot

Don’t just test one or two. Try to knock out four demos in one week.

To show your worth, check out these Applicant Tracking Systems. These will surely impress.

1) Jobvite – My favorite. I nearly cried after we decided to go with another ATS.

2) Monster ATS. Yes they have a kick-butt Applicant Tracking System. It’s good.

3) Maxhire – Lot of bang for a little buck.

4) iCims – A lot of bells and whistles.

So there you go. Sit back and put your feet on the desk. All the while your co-workers scornfully look upon you sipping your quad venti half-caff three pump cinnamon espresso macchiato. Yes, you are worthy.

If you would like to add your favorite ATS, let us know.