The complete guide to choosing an applicant tracking system (ATS) for your company
What an applicant tracking system (ATS) is, what it does from job posting to CV screening, its benefits, and how to choose one for your hiring team.
In short
- An applicant tracking system (ATS) collects CVs and organises applications, hiring stages and candidate communication.
- Easy applications, status tracking and clear communication improve the candidate experience and hiring-team collaboration.
- Match the system to your needs, budget and integrations, and check customisable hiring stages, CV parsing and reports.
Every company opens its doors to new hires from time to time, and hiring never really stops. Many companies look for help with it, because it is a difficult process with many stages. That is where an applicant tracking system (ATS) comes in.
In this article you will learn what an ATS is, what it does, and what its benefits are.
You will also learn how it differs from traditional hiring methods, and how it improves the candidate experience.
The article also covers the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in applicant tracking, and how to choose the right system for tracking applicants and managing recruitment.
Finally, you will see how Dawmt helps you manage recruitment and track applicants.
What is an applicant tracking system (ATS)?
An ATS is a system that uses technology to make hiring easier: it organises and screens candidates, sorts CVs against set criteria, and manages job applications from start to finish. It also helps the company identify the right candidates and the CVs that best match the job's requirements. An ATS is fully digital, with no paperwork or running costs, so the company can complete each step quickly and easily.
What an applicant tracking system does in a company
An ATS takes on many tasks in the hiring process and makes it much easier. These are its main functions for CVs and hiring:
- Collecting CVs
The software collects CVs that match the company's open jobs from different sources and stores them in a single database, so the company can reach them easily.
- Screening CVs
Once it has collected them, the system screens the CVs and assesses candidates against the company's requirements and its vacancies, which helps the company find strong candidates without spending much time and effort.
- Posting jobs
The system posts the company's jobs widely, in many places, so the company can find the person it needs more easily.
- Managing the hiring process
The system lets you track each candidate's progress, from the CV to the interview, scheduling and notes, so the company can follow every candidate and every hire easily. This makes the process more transparent.
- Automating communication
The software sends notifications to candidates and to the people responsible for hiring, so communication is easy, every update is clear to both sides, and there is no confusion, misunderstanding or delay.
- Reporting
An ATS gives the company detailed reports on its hiring, including how long it took to fill each need. This shows the company its strengths and weaknesses and the reasons behind what happens at each stage of hiring.
- Legal compliance
One of the system's most important tasks is making sure hiring and its procedures comply with the law, which helps the company avoid mistakes and legal liability.
You now have a detailed picture of what an ATS does for CVs and hiring. Next come its benefits.
Read more: The integrated HR management system: a guide to your company's success
Benefits of using an applicant tracking system
An applicant tracking system brings a company many benefits and gives it more complete, better-run recruitment. These are the main ones:
Faster hiring
The system's tools collect candidates and CVs, screen and rank them, and pick out the strongest candidates. That saves HR staff a lot of time and effort, and hiring moves faster because every step is finished sooner.
More efficient HR
The software helps HR staff complete each process accurately and quickly, with reliable data to hand. HR becomes more efficient and gets results sooner.
Better candidates
The system is built to find the strongest, best-qualified candidates for each job the company advertises. HR staff get better candidates without wasting time and effort on people who do not fit.
Better collaboration in the hiring team
The software provides analysis and data that let everyone on the team share their views and work together on the right decision, with the information they need in front of them. This strengthens collaboration and team spirit.
A simpler hiring process
The software automates many tasks across the stages of hiring and provides the tools that support them, which makes hiring easier for the staff involved.
A better candidate experience
The system gives candidates and recruiters tools to communicate, makes applying easy, speeds up each step, and organises interview scheduling. The candidate experience becomes better and more transparent, and candidates trust the company more.
Applicant tracking systems compared with traditional hiring
An ATS and traditional hiring methods differ clearly, and the difference shows in a company's performance, in quality and in speed. Here is how they compare:
Applicant tracking system | Traditional hiring methods |
|---|---|
Automates hiring tasks quickly and easily, without human intervention. - Processes and data are handled efficiently and accurately, because the technology checks each process and completes it in the company's interest. - The system filters candidates' CVs and puts the strongest forward to the company. - Data is stored securely in a single database that you can reach any time, from anywhere. | Every process is done by hand, which takes a lot of staff time and effort. - Manual work with human handling can lead to errors and problems, and may be inaccurate. - Every CV is accepted and has to be read and studied in full, and the company may need to interview every applicant to find the right one. - Data can be lost or damaged because it is kept on paper, and it is hard to reach when you need it. |
See also: AI in HR: transforming how employee data is analysed
How does an applicant tracking system improve the candidate experience?
The system gives candidates a good, simple experience. They can apply for a job through the software easily, communicate clearly with recruiters, track where their application stands, and find many job options in one place. All of this comes through a fast, easy interface that needs little effort to learn.
The role of AI in applicant tracking
AI plays a large role in applicant tracking, to the point that most of what the system does depends on it. AI automates tasks across the stages of hiring: it screens CVs and puts the strongest forward to the company, schedules interviews at suitable times and follows them up, and makes the candidate experience easier. With AI, hiring is also faster and better organised.
How to choose the best applicant tracking system for your company
To choose the best applicant tracking system, apply a few criteria that make your choice sound and give you features that improve your company's performance and HR administration. Here is how to choose:
- Your company's needs: define your needs precisely: the problems you face in hiring and the obstacles you need a system to help you overcome. Also consider the size of your company, how many employees you need, and how many vacancies you have.
- Your budget: set the budget you have, so you choose software or a system that fits it and does not cost you money.
- Ease of use: make sure the system is easy to use and quick to learn, and that your employees can work with it without effort that slows them and the company's work down. A system that is hard to use also leads to errors that can cause the company many problems.
- Integration with other systems: make sure the system integrates with your other HR systems, for better results and more accurate processes.
- Security: make sure the system keeps data secure and uses protection measures, so you are not exposed to theft or hacking by any person or company, and so you earn trust.
- Features and capabilities: the system should have features that help you get high-quality results, such as AI and other features that support accurate management.
Practical features to look for in an applicant tracking system
Beyond the criteria above, some features set one system apart from another in a hiring team's daily work. Check that they are there before you choose:
- One place for all jobs: the system shows every vacancy and its applications in one place, so you can follow the applicants for each job without moving between sites and files.
- Customisable hiring stages: you can add, remove or change hiring stages to match how your company screens, interviews and hires.
- CV parsing: the system extracts the key data from a CV, such as name, job title, experience and education, so CVs are easier to screen and compare.
- Reports and analysis: the system tracks measures such as time to hire and the platform each candidate applied through, so you can base hiring decisions on data.
Read more: The best HR software for managing employees and running your company efficiently
How Dawmt handles applicant tracking and recruitment
Dawmt offers a recruitment module that includes a recruitment portal for posting jobs and receiving applications. You manage your hiring through it and automate much of it, so it takes far less time and effort.
Dawmt stores data inside Saudi Arabia or Bahrain, and it puts ease of use and a good experience for both candidates and companies first.
Dawmt's AI helps you write interview questions and fill in job requisition fields such as job title, employment type and the reason for the request, which cuts the preparation time for each vacancy.
Sign up for Dawmt to get an integrated HR system that brings current technology to how your company manages applicants.
Frequently asked questions
Is an applicant tracking system suitable for small and medium-sized companies?
Yes. An applicant tracking system helps small and medium-sized companies find employees with the right skills and experience, simplifies many steps in the hiring process, and supports growth and expansion.
How do I get an ATS?
You can choose a standalone ATS or an HR system that includes a recruitment and applicant tracking module. Dawmt provides a recruitment portal for posting jobs and receiving applications, and you can book a demo to see which modules are included in the plan that fits your company.
Can an applicant tracking system connect to job boards such as LinkedIn?
Some applicant tracking systems can connect to job boards, so applications submitted there move into the company's ATS automatically. This feature varies from one system to another, so check for it when you choose.