Many organizations dread the hiring process because it is cumbersome and time-consuming. But with the upsurge of recruitment tools, you can now relax and conduct staff hiring smoothly. Today, companies use automated software, like an application tracking system (ATS), to hire new employees. It is efficient and helps in getting qualified individuals for the job positions.
Industry reports show that automated hiring is popular. Over 75% of large organizations use an ATS to recruit new talent, and many small companies follow the trend. Using an ATS has many benefits due to its efficiency. The hiring process is swift, and you can be sure of getting the perfect fit for the job.
The system has advanced features that filter the applications and leave qualified applicants to proceed to the job interview. HR recruiters can take a break from the hectic recruitment exercise and enjoy the ATS’s efficiency and convenience.
Let’s overview the Applicant tracking system market and find out the must-have features you must check before picking this or that ATS.
Career Page Hosting
Most recruitment tools have a direct portal that allows you to access and manage the career page. Company websites usually have a career section displaying the vacant positions. Besides, the ATS offers a platform where you can add your company’s logo, pictures, and detailed job descriptions.
This is a convenient feature because you don’t have to keep switching between your website and the ATS platform. Besides, with the availability of social media buttons, you can share the job postings and reach a wider audience.
Job Post Distribution
The ATS has a feature that lets you post your job on multiple job sites. It maximizes your chances of picking a qualified applicant among dozens of contenders. Most ATS providers partner with genuine and reliable recruitment agencies to help employers set up a seamless hiring process. So, once you create a job alert, you can share it instantly on the job boards.
Application Sorting
After posting your job vacancy, you will receive applications from interested candidates. The ATS receives all the applications and saves them in a central database. You can easily access and view all the applications in one place, categorizing them for your convenience.
However, each ATS has different features to sort the applications. While human recruiters might sort them manually, the system has an automatic filter option. In this case, you have to set keywords that the ATS will use to assign categories to incoming applications.
For instance, if you are searching for a ‘Sales and Marketing Manager,’ the system will select all the applications with these keywords. You can still add other keywords relating to the job to get only the qualified candidates on board. It is beneficial since you can proceed only with relevant experts, weeding out tons of unrelated applications at once. Besides, the ATS organizes the resumes and guarantees compliance.
Storing Resumes
Most recruitment tools have a policy of storing resumes for future reference. Even the applicants who are not successful will have their resumes stored in the ATS. This feature becomes useful when you need new employees again, removing the need for candidate search from scratch. Thus, an ATS helps you keep track of skilled professionals that might come in handy in the future.
Collaborating Features
Finding the perfect applicant is not a walk in the park, especially with a large recruitment team. Each person might have a preferred candidate, causing friction in the team. An ATS can help in this case, providing useful features that help recruiters work together.
Some collaborative tools allow information sharing, assigning roles, and controlling access to the recruitment data. This arrangement streamlines the process, and shortlisting of the qualified candidates becomes easier.
Interview Scheduling
After successfully selecting the potential candidates, you can now invite them for interviews. The ATS has an interview scheduling feature that simplifies this phase. It sends out messages on time to the candidates with the interview details.
You can easily communicate with the applicants and ask additional questions. Other tools have a recruitment chatbot that allows the candidates to find out more details about the vacancy.
Furthermore, the scheduling feature also has an automatic reminder that issues an alert to the candidate and interviewer. It helps both parties to show up on time and avoid unnecessary delays.
Onboarding Features
Once the recruitment team has completed the interviews and picked the right person, the onboarding process can start. Instead of urging recruiters to prepare a folder with each candidate’s data, the ATS will automatically generate the information you need.
Most recruitment systems welcome the new employees and give them a brief introduction to the company and its expectations. Some have a resource section that acts as a go-to guide about the company. It might include employee benefits, corporate culture, and essential information.
Security Feature
Many people are concerned about leaving their data to third parties in today’s digital world. Fortunately, most recruitment tools are genuine and have high-level security features. The developers of such systems use advanced data encryption to protect the applicants’ information. In addition, a disaster recovery tool allows the company to retrieve data in case of an attack or a server collapse.
Final Words
The job market continues to evolve, offering new convenient features for streamlining and simplifying the candidate search and hiring processes. Many organizations don’t have the time to waste on manual recruitment exercises. That is why ATSs are becoming a popular hiring tool. Recruiters can now reach a wider demographic in search of qualified experts.
Besides, the global labor force is getting more dynamic today, with high staff turnover in most companies. People are constantly on the lookout for better work conditions and higher salaries. Thus, the recruitment processes are getting more automated to give the speed and efficiency of recruitment to all labor market participants.
No matter the type of ATS you opt to use, it is a good idea in competitive and dynamic market conditions. Over 96% of companies surveyed say the system enhances the hiring process. Therefore, investing in an effective ATS is a wise choice for companies of all sizes and hiring requirements.