An applicant tracking system is a software application that allows for the electronic management of recruitment process. Recruitment software is generally applied on a small business or enterprise level, based on the requirements of the company. Habitual methods of acquiring resumes in dissimilar file formats, selecting details and physically entering them into the database is at the same time cumbersome and difficult. For this reason many businesses are now using some type of applicant tracking software to administer job applications and to handle resume data.
Modern ATS software can be used to track all stages of the recruitment procedure from the initial posting of jobs to the final selection of the candidates. Other features comprise screening resumes, pre-screening questions, generating of interview requests by email, source tracking, and resume process tools. In order to select the right application tracking system every company should consider certain aspects. Here is a compilation of the factors to be taken under consideration:
Judge the company profile. Make sure that the selected ATS works best for your specific requirements.
Ease of use
The software should be easily usable by your team with minimum guidance. This way a lot of time and money could be saved, making the investment meaningful.
Candidate Experience
If the candidates have a poor experience while using the system, you might have to lose a lot of good quality candidates. If they have to undergo a protracted and exasperating process, they might quit the process.
Search & Matching
Make sure that the selected system has fairly good search functionality; ensure that the searches are precise, fast, and the outcome is presented in a commonsense layout.
Customer Support
This is a key aspect in your choice, as performance, usability, and downtime issues may be crippling. Choose a vendor that has a 24 hour customer support squad.
Vendor Maintained / IT Managed
Make your mind up about whether you would like the vendor to sustain and update the system, as opposed to the IT department of your firm doing it. If you do not have devoted IT resources, select a system that is maintained and updated by the vendor.
Financial Feasibility
Accumulate information on the vendor’s financial capability, and duration in business, since in this space, vendors rise and fall at a disquieting rate.
Legal Conformity
If your company is operating in USA, make sure that your system does have tracking tools so you do not have to face lawsuits or pay fines at a later stage. In case you are dealing with the federal government, it is essential that you bear compliance to OFCCP. (The OFCCP is accountable for guaranteeing that employers abide by the regulations and laws that require non-discrimination.)
Performance
If your system performs slowly, it could lead to the candidates being annoyed and ultimately quitting. Find out data about the up-time percentage and speed of the system.
Rights to Records
You may ultimately change your vendor, or your company; consequently you shall require data. Enquire if you can download the resumes and records of the candidates.
References
Your vendor should be able to provide no less than five references. Prepare a questionnaire on the 10 points mentioned above. If you can, include an IT professional, a hiring manager, and an in-house recruiter in these meetings.
Do your Research
General experience shows that by doing some research and getting some help from the industry peers you can gather ample knowledge that will help you to take an informed decision.
Deciding on the best applicant tracking software requires a lot of enterprise. The result will remain with you for quite a long time; therefore do your investigations now, so that there are no nasty revelations afterwards.
Author bio: Norma Sokol is a freelance writer specializing in computer software applications. The current article is about Application tracking software for recruiting workforce in large companies.
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