Must-have features:
APPLICANT
TRACKING
SYSTEM CHECKLIST
An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) can be one of the keys to your success as an HR
leader, regardless of your organization’s size, history, or industry.
A bold statement? Yes, but one easily proved.
Not sure what an ATS does? Put simply, an ATS manages the hiring process and helps
you recruit the right people into the right teams at the right times. As you might imagine,
this means a more seamless, engaging, and efficient hiring experience for candidates and
colleagues.
But more than this, an applicant tracking system’s features can centralize your data,
acting as a one-stop shop for all things recruitment. Some employers then integrate their
ATS with their wider human capital management (HCM) software and systems to add
another dimension to their data analysis.
The gold standard is when an employer uses a ‘hire-to-retire’ approach—using a single
platform, like an HCM that includes an ATS, to hire and onboard candidates and engage,
develop, and eventually offboard employees.
Having one system supporting the entire employee lifecycle means fewer systems and
software, which usually leads to impressive cost, training, and provider support benefits.
However, not all ATS are the same. Different providers’ ATS offer different features,
support different stretches of the hiring process, and, of course, require different levels of
time and financial investment.
So, it’s vital that you choose your ATS carefully.
At a minimum, a good ATS makes hiring simpler for your HR team and speeds up the
administrative elements of the process. Pick the wrong ATS, though, and you may need
help to get straightforward tasks done, put good candidates off with poor comms, or lose
the perfect candidate through cracks in your system.
The solution? This applicant tracking system features checklist. It’s a play-by-play of what
the market has on offer as a whole, so you can laser in on what you really need and the
ATS platforms that provide it.
Selecting the right applicant tracking system
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a startup or a large organization with offices around the
globe. The challenge of choosing an ATS provider is simpler when you take a three-step,
resource-discover-align approach.
Step one: Resource a team
It won’t come as a surprise that things get done if your people have clearly defined
responsibilities in the procurement process. However, the individuals you choose to pick
out the right ATS can greatly affect the result.
You need HR leaders who’ll keep hiring strategy front-of-mind. However, HR ‘doers’
should also be included, as they understand the day-to-day challenges and can see how
an ATS will work in practice. Then, there are other specialists: from IT, to ensure the ATS
will integrate smoothly, and procurement or finance, to make sure you get value for
money.
Step two: Discover your hiring requirements
Once your team’s in place, speak to stakeholders across the business to determine what
different departments and managers want from an ATS. These conversations should be
two-way streets: Use this checklist to explain the ATS tools and features available and
how they can improve the way you hire.
Pretty soon, you should have an ATS requirements document listing your must-have
features. Keep coming back to it as you map out exactly what the final ATS (and your
hiring process) might look like.
Step three: Align your requirements with your ATS provider
With so many ATS providers out there, that carefully developed requirements document
will start paying dividends immediately as you use it to select providers whose ATS can
match your list of requirements.
Naturally, compromises might need to be made. Expect to cull some less-important
requirements to create a shortlist of capable ATS candidates.
ATS features: Understanding their breadth and
impact on your organization
An ATS’ features, while varied, can be broadly filed together under three different areas.
An ATS can put all your data in one place, giving you better visibility of your hiring
projects and candidate pipeline. The best ATS then harnesses this data to give you
better management information and insights. These insights can be exponentially more
powerful if your hiring data is merged with your wider employee data streams, as part of
a hire-to-retire setup.
An ATS usually leads to a tech stack reduction: so everyone uses a single piece of hiring
software rather than a collection of spreadsheets, packages, and applications. This cuts
out manual tasks for hiring teams and streamlines operations (just the administrative and
collaborative elements. No one’s built an ATS yet that can make sure stakeholders take
actions the instant they’re required!).
Lastly, ATS features improve candidate experiences. There’s more to this than well-
formatted offer and rejection emails. Things like pre-filled forms and responsive design
make the process of applying for roles simpler and more engaging—improving the
perception of your employer brand and helping you stand apart from rival employers.
Equally, your hiring teams get a better experience, helping them work and collaborate
more efficiently and effectively.
Look for an ATS that allows you to have all your data in one
place
Lighthouse Research & Advisory 2024 Talent Acquisition Trends Study showed that 56
percent of all employers and 75 percent of SMEs struggle to keep accurate and consistent
recruitment data because they use multiple systems.
It’s difficult to use this disjointed information. Effectively, you’re comparing apples with
pasta. You can’t draw proper conclusions or back up strategy with proven facts. It’s also a
key reason why less than half of all companies provide talent acquisition metrics to their
Boards.
An ATS streamlines this workflow. It provides a single source of truth for your HR
professionals, hiring managers, talent acquisition specialists, finance colleagues, and
financial planning and analysis strategists. You can link hiring to performance and
retention, and hiring operations can properly align to wider business resourcing plans.
As part of a hire-to-retire platform, an ATS can complete the map of your entire
employee lifecycle—bringing recruitment and retention together to deliver compelling
insights.
Look for an ATS that provides a consistent user experience,
both for internal users and candidates
According to industry analyst Josh Bersin, “The average large company has 80+ HR tools
and many global companies have twice that!”. That’s a lot of time and money wasted on
procurement, implementation, licenses, and training.
This excludes the constant refocusing of minds, the switching between systems, the
different forms of collaboration, and the processing of all your data, comms, and
content. With 54 percent of companies expecting an increase in hiring volumes this year
(according to Lighthouse Research & Advisory 2024 Talent Acquisition Trends Study),
you have a perfect storm of tech slowdown where systems and processes hinder, rather
than help, your people.
With just one ATS (or wider hire-to-retire platform), employers can save money by
cutting subscriptions to multiple applications. Operations are streamlined, so colleagues
can pick up (and run) processes quicker.
Security is naturally tightened, as your data is with fewer providers. Plus, your people can
focus more on collaborating and giving candidates a better experience. In fact, it’s the #1
way employers who find automation efficiencies are reinvesting that time.
Look for an ATS that and provide a consistent user experience,
both for internal users and candidates
When looking at your ATS options, it’s worth noting Matt Ferguson’s (CEO CareerBuilder)
take on matching your requirements to an ATS’ features: “Companies are willing to
accept less functionality just to have their technology with a single platform.”
This is where it helps to step back, look at the bigger picture, and make sure your
platform’s easy to adopt and gets everyone on board.
For users, an all-in-one, hire-to-retire HCM platform that includes an ATS means just one
system for them to learn, log into, and manage. In terms of hiring, this frictionless process
makes it easier for colleagues to engage more deeply activities, collaborate at speed, and
get access to your HR team’s methods and advice.
On the candidate side, a disjointed application process increases the risk they’ll drop out
of your process. A joined-up, consistent, on-brand candidate journey shows employers in
their best light.
Candidates find it easier to grasp what you stand for, and those who share your values
will then be more inclined to make you their employer of choice. Conversely, poor
experiences can potentially lead to candidates misjudging who you are, leading to
wrong-fit hires.
Looking beyond simply being better at hiring, here’s a really interesting stat: according
to Lighthouse Research & Advisory 2024 Talent Acquisition Trends Study, only 15 percent
of companies say they have a highly personalized, engaging, and compliant onboarding
process. That’s an opportunity to have a competitive advantage over 85 percent of the
employment market.
Applicant tracking system requirements checklist
Your data in one place
Resume database. Repository with details of all applications in your
pipeline
Hiring dashboard. Centralized platform with hiring data and insights
Hiring analytics. Most successful channels, time-to-hire, ROI, etc
Lifecycle analytics. e.g., time-to-hire vs. dept., hiring process vs. length
of service
Comprehensive reporting. Simple hiring breakdowns and more
bespoke documents
Accessible infographics. Visual breakdowns of data for dissemination
Onboarding hand-off. Links to separate HCM or end-to-end HR
platform
Reduce your tech stack
Automated tasking. Project management-style workload management
tools
Interview scheduling. Self-serve interview booking, synch with
calendars
Mobile application. For candidates and colleagues on the move
Tech synch. Facility to link with email, calendar, and video
conferencing tools
Selection partner synch. Background check provider, pre-interview
assessors
Ad partner integration. Posting JDs to intranet and external job boards
Application roadmap. Upcoming features and strategy to meet future
needs
Consistent user experience
Responsive design. Application page sizes match users’ devices
Intuitive applications. Auto-populated fields, drag/drop file boxes,
chatbots
Engaging comms. Editable emails, branding options, language controls
Watertight security. GDPR compliance, single sign-on, and dual
authentication
User training. Video, workshops, and one-to-one sessions
User support. 24/7 user guidance and troubleshooting support
Tech support. Depth of tech support and security of backup networks
What to consider when implementing an ATS
within your HCM strategy
When introducing a new or switching to a different ATS, it’s important to consider how it
fits alongside the rest of your human capital management software.
The big questions to ask are around how much impact it will have and whether there are
any potential gains (or reductions) with economies of scale. There are three main ways
to implement an ATS: standalone, unconnected to any other HR tools; integrated with a
different HCM; or as part of an end-to-end HCM solution.
A standalone ATS still elevates your hiring activities—and is likely to give your team the
ability to advertise, filter, interview, select, and offer with ease. However, when integrated
with another HCM, there’s the added potential of merging datasets across the employee
lifecycle and mining ever-stronger management information.
This power is enhanced even further when the ATS is one tool within an end-to-end
HCM solution, providing seamless comms, comprehensive MI, and possible savings when
compared to working with multiple providers.
An ATS is your ticket to
achieving hiring success
Huge numbers of leading organizations use ATS software in one form
or another. Many of these systems provide great returns—saving
HR teams’ time and improving hiring ROI. However, their influence
doesn’t have to stop there.
Additionally, an ATS can give HR leaders (and their teams) greater
visibility of the hiring process, helping to smoothly roll out resourcing
strategies. Having all your data in one place can also provide detailed
insights that evolve those strategies.
Then, there are the benefits of using a unified system. Reducing your
tech stack not only reduces the time it takes to administer hiring
process. It helps people across your organization engage more easily
with hiring practices.
Finally, there’s the consistent user experience. An ATS can basically
make an employer look good and, if your ATS is part of an end-to-end
solution, it’s a look that continues into employment.
When delivered by a provider who also offers great support and
flexibility, an ATS is more than simply an administrative tool. It helps
you find, win over, and onboard the very best talent. More widely, it
informs, guides, and reacts to the evolving needs of your HR strategy.
For many HR leaders, their ATS is the best hire they’ve ever made.
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