Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a software program designed to automate, simplify and fasten the entire recruiting process. Vast benefits of using an Applicant Tracking System are best demonstrated by its ability to improve the three most important hiring metrics: time-to-hire, cost-per-hire and quality-of-hire.

What is Applicant Tracking System

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a software program or tool designed to automate, streamline and improve the hiring process.

Applicant Tracking System offers a wide range of solutions for different hiring challenges, from  sourcing to testing and selecting the best candidates.

Applicant Tracking System provide an automated way for HR professionals to simplify and fasten the entire recruiting process, from receiving applications to hiring employees.

Features and benefits of ATS

So, what exactly can an ATS do for you?
A modern and well-designed Applicant Tracking System can help you achieve recruiting goals and overcome challenges by offering following features:

• Powerful sourcing tool
• One click job posting to multiple boards
• Central repository of applicants’ résumés and applications
• Easily searchable database of rich applicants’ profiles
• Automated resume parsing and screening
• Easy interview scheduling
• Interview kits and scorecards
• Ready to use HR Templates
• Automated email responses
• Easy team collaboration and communication
• Recruiting analytics and reporting

Using all these Applicant Tracking System includes these features, including:

• Speeding up recruitment process
• Lovering recruiting costs
• Improving quality of hire
• Elevating candidate experience
• Building high quality talent pools
• Developing stronger relationships with candidates
• Advancing decision making
• Upgrading HR team communication and collaboration

The use of Applicant Tracking System has been proved to advance the most important hiring metrics: time-to-hire, cost-per-hire and quality-of-hire.

ATS benefit #1: Shorter time-to-hire

What is time-to-hire?

One of the most important metric for recruitment is time-to-hire. Time-to-hire is a total time spent to fill an open job position.

Time-to-hire calculation includes different activities like creating a job posting, job posting promotion, sourcing, interviewing and finally hiring candidates.

This key recruitment metric shows the efficiency of the recruitment process and provides insight into the difficulty of filling a certain job position.

How does an ATS improve time-to-hire?

According to research, 86% of recruiting professionals say that using an ATS has helped them hire faster.

With Applicant Tracking System, tasks that previously required many hours of work can now be executed very quickly and easily - or sometimes even done automatically. Some of these tasks include: resume parsing, disqualifications of non-qualified applicants, interview scheduling and email automation.

Applicant Tracking System also saves time by building talent pools, which can be used to find perfect candidates for your future roles and job openings.

ATS benefit #2: Lower cost-per-hire

What is cost-per-hire?

Second most important recruitment metric is cost-per-hire. Cost-per-hire is a total amount of monetary investment needed to recruit new employees.

Cost-per-hire is calculated based on different variables, including recruiter salaries, employee referral bonuses, job advertising costs, travel and relocation costs, etc.

This recruitment metric shows the cost effectiveness of the recruitment process and helps you allocating your hiring budget based on insights about most and least expensive job positions.

How does an ATS improve cost-per-hire?

Since time is money, Applicant Tracking System saves money simply by saving your precious time. With many administrative recruiting tasks being automated, you need less human hours to fill a position, which makes your hiring strategy more productive and cost efficient.

Also, building and maintaining a talent pool can do wonders for your cost per hire. Imagine having a perfect job candidate every time when a new position opens!

In addition, having insights into which source of hire is bringing you best new hires (feature that ATS offers), can help you eliminate unnecessary expenses. For example, if you know that referred candidates are your best new hires, there is no need for spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars on job boards.

ATS benefit #3: Better quality-of-hire

What is quality-of-hire?

Another crucial recruitment metric is the quality-of-hire. Quality-of-hire is a total value that new employees bring to a company with their performance.

Cost-per-hire is calculated based on different variables, including performance reviews, rampy up time, turnover and retention rates, hiring manager satisfaction etc.

This recruitment metric shows the effectiveness of the recruitment process and measures your assessment accuracy.

How does an ATS improve the quality of hire?

Research shows that 78% of recruiters who use an ATS have improved the quality of candidates they hire.

According to research and every recruiter and HR professional everyday work experience, high quality candidates stay available on the market for 10 days only. By speeding up your recruitment process you can get those top candidates before they get snatched up by another company.

Also, by sending automated emails which ensure regular and timely communication with your candidates you can significantly improve your candidate engagement and candidate experience. According to different research and studies (CareerBuilder Survey, 2013; 2014, 2015 and 2016 Candidate Experience Reports etc.), candidates who had a positive candidate experience in your recruiting process will more likely accept your job offer, reapply in the future and refer other high quality candidates to your company.

Should I invest in Applicant Tracking System?

As you can see, Applicant Tracking Systems offer many different solutions for various recruiting goals and challenges. Therefore, buying the right one is not an easy task.

If you are planning on investing into a new recruiting tool, you should start by identifying your recruiting goals and challenges.

What are your most pressing recruiting challenges?

Do they include any of the following recruiting challenges?

• Long time-to-hire
• High cost-to-hire
• Low quality-of-hire
• Inability to source people with good skills and characteristics
• Extensive use of excel spreadsheets and emails
• No centralized, searchable database of all the candidates and applicants
• Messy recruiting and selection process
• Manual and time consuming interview scheduling
• No applicants interview kits, assignments and scorecards
• Poor and slow communication with candidates
• Manual rejection and feedback to candidates
• No strategy for building talent pools
• Not using previous applicant (silver medalists) for future openings
• Inability to evaluate and measure the effectiveness of your recruiting strategy

If so, you could definitely benefit from investing in a modern and well-designed Applicant Tracking System that will make your hiring strategy more productive and cost efficient by
helping you organize and track applications, manage talent pools and streamline your selection process.

Interested in learning more? Check out the extensive list of solutions offered by Applicant Tracking Systems.