Maximising Recruitment with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

Recruitment technology has evolved significantly in recent years, particularly concerning applicant tracking systems (ATS). This digital evolution has changed how job seekers and companies connect in ways that were not even imaginable just 20 years ago.

Traditional recruiting strategies are becoming outdated and ineffective, and companies that rely on these older methods are losing out on the top talent they could access through technology. You need to enhance the features of your recruiting software and carefully examine your applicant tracking system if you want to stay current with the market and continue to draw in the best candidates.

How do you manage all the moving parts of your recruitment strategy while keeping track of candidates from the first response to the final interview? This article dives into applicant tracking and how you can use this technology to keep up with the rising tide of talent in this fast-moving market.

If you need to hire more staff, implement more robust recruiting strategies to boost your hiring efforts through the pipeline or tap into a new source of candidate supply, Greys Recruitment Agency is here for you. Contact us to learn more about our permanent and temporary white-collar recruitment solutions that leverage ATSs while saving you time, productivity, and money.

What is an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)?

An applicant tracking system is software recruiters and hiring managers can use to structure and tailor their hiring procedure into an effective and scalable one. It allows them to identify, attract, assess, and hire candidates more quickly and effectively.

The three primary business types that an ATS serves are:

Enterprise-level companies
Recruitment agencies
Small or medium-sized businesses (SMBs)

An effective ATS system serves as a centralised repository for candidate data from all businesses, including job applications, resumes, and any comments or feedback from the recruiters. An ATS has intricate features that can help recruiters and hiring managers to streamline every stage of the hiring process, from sourcing and screening to onboarding and compliance.

The functionality and usability of an applicant tracking system are ideal for hiring managers and recruiters. However, choosing the perfect ATS system, particularly one with several features, can be challenging. Make sure the ATS has most of the following elements before choosing the best option for your hiring procedure or partnering with a recruitment agency that offers applicant tracking:

Candidate sourcing

The first step of the recruitment process is sourcing your desired talent for a position. Recruitment specialists can leverage an ATS for:

Automated job posting
Application pages that integrate into the candidate database
Employer brand management

Pre-screening candidates

Once recruiters have built a list of candidates and begun adding them to a database, the team can start reviewing applications for interviews using features in the ATS such as:

Keyword parsing of resumes and cover letters
Automated screening of unqualified candidates
Automated outreach
Interview scheduling

Screening candidates

Despite significant headway in technology, screening still happens to be the most time-intensive aspect of hiring, with an average hiring decision taking about 23 hours of screening time. Applicant tracking systems can help take the load off by helping recruiters and hiring managers with:

Managing and hosting online tests and video interviews
Storing and adding screening information
Documenting results for candidate files
Collaborating with recruitment team members on candidate profiles

Extending job offers

Once recruiters have found your ideal candidate, an ATS can help streamline the process of sending a job offer and getting the candidate off the market by:

Generating and sending offer letters
Collecting signed documentation
Adding documents to candidate files

Employee onboarding

After searching for, identifying, interviewing, and recruiting the right talent, hiring managers can use an ATS to streamline the entire period from the time an offer is released to the moment where an employee becomes a productive contributor to the organisation, focused on:

Assigning onboarding materials
Tracking completion
Ensuring all compliance documentation is completed

What is the purpose of an applicant tracking system?

Partnering with a knowledgeable recruitment specialist that uses applicant tracking systems can make your hiring efforts more proactive, productive, and affordable. There are multiple uses for an ATS, so here are a few core ones you should know about:

Seamless collaboration

An ATS helps hiring managers and recruiters establish organised interactions with candidates and their internal teams. Everyone in the recruitment process can collaborate seamlessly while sharing information within a secured platform.

Candidates are less likely to miss out on time-sensitive opportunities while experiencing greater engagement with employers throughout the hiring process. Hiring managers and candidates can receive continuous updates when either party takes critical action, removing any confusion about an applicant’s requirements or status throughout the process.

Detailed analytics

A robust applicant tracking system can provide in-depth analytics and reporting tools to measure the effectiveness of your recruitment efforts. Hiring managers and recruitment specialists with the right skills can use real-time data to identify staffing needs, build candidates’ pipelines, and maximise hiring resources to their full potential.

Analytics also allows specialists to clearly pinpoint the key performance indicators for expenditure, time spent on recruitment, and the overall returns generated by these recruitment efforts. This data will allow your company to fully optimise its strategy for higher ROI over time.

Recruitment Marketing:

Online marketing has become critical to the recruiting and hiring processes, offering companies a very efficient and cost-effective way to broaden their talent acquisition reach. A next-generation applicant tracking system should make it easy for you to seamlessly integrate marketing platforms into your hiring process, such as:

Multi-platform job advertising
CRM campaigns
Online event platforms
Social media networks
Social campaigns
Client relations sites
Employee referral programs

The right applicant tracking software is a comprehensive platform that seamlessly integrates recruitment marketing platforms and applicant tracking systems, making talent acquisition a fast and efficient process.

Upgrade your recruitment

Applicant tracking systems can be crucial for streamlining and automating the hiring process and helping recruiters or hiring managers to become more productive and efficient in their daily responsibilities. These systems also contribute to optimising the hiring process, reducing workloads, and enhancing the candidate experience.

However, ATSs are not solely responsible for attracting, sourcing, or selecting suitable candidates. A solid strategy with the proper recruitment expertise is vital to making the best of your solution. Partnering with a next-gen recruitment agency like Greys is a way to fast-track your hiring with the industry’s leading specialists.

Greys Recruitment Agency utilises the latest technology alongside extensive candidate networks and marketing strategies. We attract the best technical talent from the global marketplace, supplying a vast network of vetted, mobile professionals on a temporary or permanent basis.

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