At Jobvite, we know that attracting, hiring, and retaining top talent is critical for the long-term success of your business. Today’s job market is extremely competitive, which is why your company must position itself ahead of the competition in order to gain the attention, and interest, of top talent.
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is a critical solution that is helping millions of companies identify and hire top talent, fast. The best businesses utilize applicant tracking systems effectively to sort, organize, and onboard team members. But what makes an ATS effective? In this article, we’ll discuss the most important ATS features a business should consider when streamlining its hiring process.
Understanding applicant tracking systems
What is an applicant tracking system? Simply put, it’s a comprehensive computer tool that streamlines the hiring process for recruitment agencies. It enables recruiters and hiring managers to save time and money because it organizes the applicant pool in one place. It also has elements that enable recruitment agencies to make better hiring decisions.
The main function of an ATS is to automate the end-to-end recruiting process by ranking candidates in a single database. Applicant tracking systems offer many features, which we will describe below.
8. Application receiving and sorting
Oftentimes, recruiters receive hundreds of resumes for a specific job. A quality applicant tracking system will be able to properly rank these resumes based on the candidates that best match up with the job qualifications. Jobvite ATS uses automation and intelligence to streamline the process – eliminating tedious manual tasks and making sure the top candidates are identified early. With less time wasted narrowing down that list of top candidates, TA teams can focus on turning those top candidates into new employees.
7. Career page hosting capabilities
Career page hosting is an excellent ATS feature that is essentially a management system, allowing you to view and manage all the open positions within your company website. This component is crucial for fortune 500 companies or businesses that have many postings at one time.
Most ATS solutions will provide a single place to manage this directly from the platform. An ATS has a simple process for setting up this page to your preferences. You can customize this entire page by adding logos, photos, job descriptions, sharing buttons, and other tools to better showcase your position openings.
When potential candidates browse through the website, they will most likely end up on this page. A quality ATS system will not only allow you to view the postings on your end, but it will also provide a seamless experience for the potential applicant.
6. Distribution of jobs to hiring sites
Potential applicants search for jobs on multiple hiring sites. To ensure your job postings catch the eye of all job seekers, you need an ATS to help you distribute the posting. When you publish your job on as many boards as possible, it can expand your reach and ensure that you find the highest quality of applicants.
The most established recruitment sites and job boards have partnerships with applicant tracking systems already. These websites include ZipRecruiter, Monster, CareerBuilder, Indeed, and more. When you post a job within your ATS, it will automatically and instantly publish to all these sites with little effort on your end.
An ATS will also offer reports and analytics on which websites are bringing in the most traffic for you. That way, you can alter your strategy when needed.
5. Resumé housing
Every time an applicant applies, it will be stored in your applicant tracking system database. A quality ATS will properly store all applicants that come through, even after you fill the position.
This feature is helpful when you discover that you need to hire an additional person from the applicant pool. Perhaps you need to create an extra position for more workload, or if the person already hired is better suited for another position. Having a solid database of qualified applicants to pick from is one of the reasons why HR teams lean on an applicant tracking system.
4. Teammate collaboration
An applicant tracking system also enables multiple team members to collaborate in the hiring process. Few tools in a recruiter’s toolkit are as valuable as the employee referral, but with so many different people involved, an ATS is essential to keeping everyone on the same page.
Applicant tracking software allows you to seamlessly share information about the applicant with other colleagues. You can also designate who has access to information and what their roles are. Each member of the team can provide value within the selection process, which is why many applicant tracking systems offer this feature.
3. Scheduling interviews
Once you have done the groundwork of assembling the career page, posting the jobs, and assessing the initial applicants, it is time to schedule the interviews. One of the great things about applicant tracking systems is the ability to message applicants quickly and efficiently. This component of the ATS is great for setting interview times, answering initial questions, or any two-way feedback about the process.
Some of the more advanced applicant tracking systems, such as Jobvite ATS, use chatbots and Smart Scheduling to further automate the process. The ATS will also notify all parties when it is time to start the interview so that everybody is on the same page.
2. Onboarding assistance
Once you have the perfect candidate selected to join your team, it is time for onboarding. Not all applicant tracking systems include Onboarding, but Jobvite’s ATS does. Onboarding, when part of the applicant tracking system, not only helps with all the activities leading up to hiring, but it also ensures a smooth transition process for the new employee. There is often a lot of time lost in onboarding a new team member, but an ATS with Onboarding helps speed up this process.
The best applicant tracking systems welcome the new employee, provide introductions, and communicate all expectations. Your team can also upload resource documents and pages that the new team member can access, including benefits and workplace policies. The new hire can then complete any documentation and paperwork before getting started.
1. Social media sharing
Social media is an excellent way for your business to grow its brand. An ATS will allow you to do this from a hiring and recruiting perspective. Modern Applicant tracking systems, like the one from Jobvite, will have options to share job postings on all the most popular social media platforms. With one click, your job posting information can blast out to more potential jobseekers who can apply easily.
Elevate your talent acquisition with Jobvite
As you can see, there is a lot that goes into making a great applicant tracking system. It is critical to invest in a solution that covers all parts of the hiring process, including CRM and Onboarding while satisfying your company’s specific needs.
Jobvite’s reliable, feature-laden ATS can elevate your talent acquisition, give your company the tools it needs to find talented candidates, and ensure long-term success. Revolutionize your hiring process today with Jobvite ATS!
