Hiring and retaining the right people is crucial for achieving a company’s strategic objectives. To do so, choosing the right applicant tracking system (ATS) is essential. Jim Collins emphasized the importance of acquiring the best people, as they have a significant impact on organizational success. High performers are up to 8 times more productive than average performers, according to McKinsey. This guide aims to help understand the benefits of ATS and its core features.
The benefits of an ATS can be categorized into three main categories. Improved hiring accuracy stands out as it allows for the recruitment of high performers. Surprisingly, 82% of companies do not believe they currently recruit highly talented individuals. ATS with talent assessment features can greatly enhance hiring accuracy by predicting an applicant’s future performance.
Additionally, ATS automates various recruitment processes, resulting in increased hiring speed. This reduces the time-to-hire, ensuring positions are filled promptly and applicants are informed of the hiring decision quickly. Moreover, automation helps lower overall recruitment costs by screening and filtering out applicants. These features can eliminate more than half of the applicants based on job and educational experience, saving time and reducing recruitment expenses.
There are different types of ATS available. Some focus on hiring accuracy, integrating talent assessment solutions within the system. This enhances the user experience for applicants, screens all applicants, and provides customized tests for specific hiring situations. On the other hand, some ATS focus on process automation, increasing hiring speed and reducing costs. However, they may lack features to improve hiring accuracy. There are also systems that combine process automation with talent assessment integrations. While this can improve hiring accuracy, third-party integrations may affect user experience and only apply assessments to short-listed candidates at the end of the recruitment process.
When choosing an ATS, it’s important to consider what is most important for your company’s strategic objectives. Start-ups prioritize hiring accuracy, as they require highly motivated and performing staff members in their small and agile teams. Small and medium businesses (SMBs) also benefit from hiring accuracy, but cost savings from automation become meaningful. Enterprises, on the other hand, focus on process automation and cost savings due to their larger size and recruitment teams.
ATS offers various features that address different stages of the hiring cycle. Sourcing tools attract and source more applicants, filling positions faster and reducing recruitment costs. These features include job board integration, career pages for employer branding, and enhanced candidate search functionality. Automated resume screening and ranking filter out applicants based on pre-defined criteria, speeding up the process and lowering costs. However, it’s important to use screening criteria carefully to avoid introducing biases and limiting the talent pool.
In summary, choosing the right ATS is crucial for successful hiring and achieving strategic objectives. Understanding the benefits and features of ATS can help make an informed decision that aligns with your company’s needs.