What Are the Common Features of Applicant Tracking Systems?

From creating job descriptions to managing hiring success, ATS applicant tracking systems help in every hiring stage. The recruiting software development companies have designed this software to streamline hiring. If you are a business owner who has never invested in ATS or want to change your current ATS, how can you make the best decision? You can make the best decision by understanding the different features of a modern ATS.

Thus, to help you in your recruitment journey, we will discuss the common features of ATS software. Some of these features might be more useful than others, but all contribute to boosting hiring efficiency.  

10 Key Features of ATS Applicant Tracking Systems:

Did you know? According to the latest statistics report by Grand View Research, 75% of the hiring managers in the USA use ATS, and 99% of big business organizations also rely on ATS to streamline hiring.

However, when you are ready to invest in ATS application tracking systems you will find many options. But before making this decision, you should look for some features in the ATS software. Here are some of the features we have pinpointed to help you make the best decision:

Creating Job Descriptions

A job description includes details about the job, such as the job title, job responsibilities, job type, job duration, salary, etc. Creating a well-drafted and easy-to-understand job description is the first step to attracting candidates to apply for the open positions. It is the first step from where all the recruiting activities start. ATS applicant tracking systems provide built-in job descriptions for various job positions and roles.

The employer can easily edit these descriptions based on the company’s needs and job requirements. Thus, the recruiting team members do not have to spend so much time deciding on the job description. They can conveniently rely on the ATS software for a well-managed job description whenever there are job vacancies in the company. 

Job Posting and Job Boards

An ATS software integrates with many popular job search platforms and listing sites. It uses this integration feature to post jobs on those platforms to attract candidates to apply for the job. Thousands of HR professionals use ATS applicant tracking systems for this specific feature. It is because posting jobs manually becomes a troublesome task for the recruiters.

Also, recruiters cannot post jobs on multiple platforms as it is time-consuming. It is where recruiters can use an ATS system to post and manage job boards across different platforms. As a result, posting jobs is now just a matter of a few clicks.

Building Career Pages

Every business has a career site that showcases its work culture, values, and environment. Also, having a career page is necessary to attract top talent. The new automated ATS applicant tracking system allows HR managers to build a career page quickly. This is because creating a career page is just a matter of 10 minutes for ATS software. Thus, employees can create and customize an engaging and eye-capturing career page.

The ATS software also maintains these career pages for the organizations. For example, when you create a job description, the ATS software will automatically publish it on your company’s career page. This way, you can effectively use an ATS to showcase your business goals, achievements, latest job vacancies, etc.

Sourcing Candidates

Almost all the ATS applicant tracking systems offered by ATS providers include candidate sourcing features. It is the most common feature found in every ATS in the market. The candidate sourcing capabilities of the software make it a powerful tool for recruiters who want to identify and attract the best candidates. Many advanced ATS also provide interactive reporting dashboards that enable hiring managers to track and manage the candidate sourcing process.

Therefore, using an ATS allows the HRs to stay informed throughout the hiring process. As a result, HR managers and other recruiting team members can make more informed decisions. This way, they can identify and attract the ideal candidates from the large pool.

Screening Candidates

Organizations cannot just hire any candidate who applies for a job. Candidate screening is a vital process to ensure good quality hires. Traditional methods of screening candidates use outdated tools and technologies. However, modern ATS applicant tracking systems can screen thousands of candidates quickly, enabling the employees to move ahead with the most suitable candidates. Using an ATS to screen resumes will allow employers to stay ahead of their competitors in the job market.

As we all know, organizations receive thousands of job applications during job openings. In this case, finding top talent from the diverse candidate pool becomes difficult. Thus, ATS performs resume screening and creates pre-assessment tests to shortlist the best candidates based on the job needs and requirements.

Managing Candidate Database

Usually, many steps and stages are involved in the recruitment cycle, such as candidate sourcing, screening, and interviewing. In this situation, finding the best candidates becomes challenging for the recruiters. However, organizations might sometimes find talented candidates who fit perfectly for some other role but are unsuitable for the vacant positions. Employers try to maintain data of such candidates on Excel sheets that they forget about or delete in a few days.

The best way to store and manage the data of all the current, past, and potential candidates is to use ATS applicant tracking systems. The software specializes in managing large candidate databases as it can store all the information and data protected in one place. With the help of this feature, you can maintain a talent pool that might help during future job openings.

Scheduling and Managing Interviews

After the screening and pre-assessment round comes the interview round. Scheduling interviews with the candidates is a heavy-lifting task in recruitment where recruiters spend a lot of time and effort. This entire process is a headache for the recruiters as they have to consider many factors before scheduling interviews with the candidates. Thus, businesses need to rely on a tool that eliminates the manual work involved in this process.

ATS applicant tracking systems offer interview scheduling features that enable hiring managers to schedule easy and flexible interviews with candidates. An online applicant tracking system integrates with online tools, such as calendars, communications tools, reminders, etc. These tools work together to provide a seamless interview experience to the employers and the candidates.

Candidate Offer Management

If your recruiting team approves of a candidate as well-suited for the role, you should spend no time sending an offer letter to that candidate. Sending quick offer letters is necessary to ensure you do not lose on the top candidates. Applicant tracking systems provide custom offer templates that employers can edit and share with the shortlisted candidates. The software also allows the recruiter to track offer management progress. 

Thus, we can say that the ATS gives powerful insights to the hiring manager regarding their offers to candidates. With the help of these insights, recruiters can make more informed hiring decisions and strategies. For example, they can judge the areas of improvement in the hiring process and then make the required changes to make the process more effective.

Automated Recruitment Workflow

The everyday recruitment tasks take up most of the working time of the recruiters. In this case, the recruiters do not have the time to focus on other priority tasks. It also affects the recruitment pipeline’s productivity and efficiency. ATS applicant tracking systems can avoid this situation as all the hiring tasks an ATS performs are automated.

Thus, recruiters can automate different tasks associated with recruitment and save their time and resources. Recruitment automation features offered by the best ATS provider are easy to use and understand. As a result, these automation features remove all the recruitment hassle and enhance hiring productivity.

Reporting and Analytics Features

The last step of recruitment is to track hiring success and make new hiring strategies accordingly. ATS applicant tracking systems offer reporting and analytics features to help recruiters in this crucial step. Interactive reports and meaningful insights on different hiring steps enable the company to spot its weaknesses.

Thus, employers can take corrective actions to boost their hiring efficiency and accuracy. Not only does the software inform employers about hiring weaknesses, but it also shows the recruiters their strengths. It will help recruiters make more recruitment marketing efforts in the future. 

Now that you know the basic features of ATS applicant tracking systems, you must have realized that this software can help you in each hiring stage. This modern technology will enable you and your candidates to pass through the recruiting pipeline quickly and effectively. So, contact an online ATS provider now and invest in top-notch ATS software with many high-end features and functionalities.

Conclusion

While choosing the best software from the different applicant tracking systems in the market, take your time. Before investing in a particular software, you should read reviews and book a free demo. Also, consider your business needs, hiring goals, and recruitment pattern. This way, you will get all your doubts cleared and adopt an ATS that aligns with your needs and budget.

Are you looking for an ATS with a pleasant interface? Rely on applicant tracking software by Pitch N Hire! We offer reliable and cost-effective software that will serve all your recruiting needs. So, quickly check out our website now to learn more about the high-quality features of our ATS.