8 Steps to Choosing the Right Applicant Tracking System
Choosing an applicant tracking system should be an exciting endeavor, not a daunting task. To free you from the time and stress often associated with selecting a new ATS, we have developed a quick and comprehensive outline of the critical points that you need to hit on while going through your selection process.
Step 1: Know the difference between Applicant Tracking Systems for employers & Recruiting Software for external agencies
Applicant Tracking Systems for Employers – Designed for HR and recruiting to manage and organize internal hiring processes. These systems maintain the one to one relationships between an employer’s candidates and the internal staff that interviews them. Recruiting Software for Agencies – Used by recruiting agencies, executive search firms, and staffing agencies to manage external recruiting projects. These systems are designed to help recruiting firms manage candidates and their contact information for many employers.
Step 2: Establish a timeline for your go-live date
When do you want to have your applicant tracking system fully activated? Take that date and work backwards.
Step 3: Outline a selection process
- Independent Research – Identify a core group of potential ATS’s for your company
- Discovery Calls – Refine your list down to a select few
- Product Demos – Determine which ATS fulfills your core needs
Insider Tip: The cost of “hiring” the wrong ATS far outweighs that of a couple discovery calls and demos.
Step 4: Read the fine print
Contracts can be tedious but it is very important that you understand the terms set forth by them. Be wary of vendors that require multi-year contracts. They may be looking to “lock you in” so that you don’t have the freedom to switch systems.
Insider Tip: If a vendor is worried about you wanting to switch after a year, what does that tell you about their product and service offering?
Step 5: Understand the pricing structure
The most common pricing strategy is to charge by user and/or by feature. Avoid systems that charge per job (posting) or per employee.
Insider Tip: You should never pay for support!
Step 6: Know the activation plan – Steps and Timeline
- Stage 1. Data Collection
- Stage 2. Kick-off Call
- Stage 3. Account Configuration
- Stage 4. System Education
- Stage 5. Connect the System to Your Careers Page
Insider Tip: Find a vendor that will be your partner throughout the activation process and take full responsibility for the workload.
Step 7: Post-activation and support
You’re looking for a partner, not just another vendor. Ongoing support is essential for the successful roll-out and adoption of an applicant tracking system at your company.
Step 8: Educational resources and career development
Beyond support, your ATS vendor should provide you with ongoing educational resources that not only improve your knowledge of the application but also help you grow in your career.
Hire Faster & Smarter with Paycor Recruiting
Finding, interviewing and hiring talented people are the most important challenges growing businesses face. Paycor Recruiting is a software solution designed and built by recruiters for recruiters and HR hiring teams to help you solve your hiring problems and optimize your recruiting process.
Buyer's Guide To HCM And Payroll Technology
An HCM platform is the foundation of your business, and choosing the technology is one of the most important decisions you'll make.
Get ExpertiseMore to Discover
How to Hire From an Increased Talent Pool
After years of a tight labor market, organizations are now facing a radically changed recruitment landscape. Unemployment is reaching levels unseen since the Great Depression, and the economy lost 20.5 million jobs in April alone. For most companies, just surviving is the goal.But even if the focus is on cutting costs now, it’s still important to think about the future and to keep an eye on building the right team. When you do get back to hiring, you’ll find that a lot has changed. Could This Be the Perfect Time to Hire? Most everyone right now is focused on their 60/90/190 day cash flow. But for those with the capacity to hire, this a unique moment, with a massive influx of top talent suddenly available. After years of skills shortages,...
Hiring & Onboarding Staff Virtually
The coronavirus pandemic has completely changed the way we operate. For many office workers, remote work is the new normal. And many businesses have completely altered their hiring plans, placing freezes on new roles and reducing budgets during the current economic crisis. But for some organizations, hiring more staff is essential during this time.As virtual recruiting becomes part of the new normal, HR leaders are also being forced to adjust to a virtual onboarding process in lieu of the typical face-to-face meetings with direct managers and team members. This can present some challenges, but we’ve put together a few tips and best practices to help you onboard virtually and create a memorable first impression during these challenging...
Remote Hiring: A Step-by-Step Guide
The Recruitment Challenge Once you start hiring again, you could very easily find yourself overwhelmed by a ton of resumes from smart, talented people who suddenly, through no fault of their own, are unemployed. To make matters worse, you can’t rely on much if any face to face communication. What’s the solution? You’re going to have to figure out ways to quickly and efficiently filter and screen candidates and then move them through the process virtually, without overwhelming your frontline managers. Filter Job Applications We’ve all just experienced the most shocking whiplash of our professional lives—just a few months ago we were living through historically low unemployment and now state officials have been hit with record-breaking...Recruiting
