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Things to Think About Before Picking an Applicant Tracking System

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Pick out a sturdy applicant monitoring device, your effects will improve, applicants could have a amazing enjoy, and hiring managers will see greater on-goal resumes. A terrible choice could have severe detrimental consequences costing you sad hiring managers, misplaced applicantscash, time, and frustration.

The following is a primer on matters to think about while making your choice on an applicant monitoring device. It takes time and research, however the payoff can be nicely really well worth the effort.

Company profile.

Ensure you’re obtaining an ATS that works first-class in your unique wishes. There are 3 employer profiles for customers withinside the ATS field: corporation, staffing organizations, and small/medium businesses. Although a dealer might also additionally declare their ATS is first-class in your employer profile, don’t take their phrase for it. Read unbiased reviews, ask for references of corporations which might be much like your length and wishes, and ask them.

Ease of use.

Your crew must be capable of use the device without problems with minimal training. This will prevent time and cash, and your crew gets a whole lot of use out of the device, making the funding worthwhile. You will discover companies will provide some of bells and whistles, which can be confusing. Ultimately, what’s maximum vital is whether or not it is simple to installation, intuitive, and calls for minimum maintenance. A pattern of questions you may ask the seller: Is there a dashboard for the inner recruiter and/or hiring supervisor? Can you’re taking us via the procedure for looking applicants and monitoring applicants? Can we configure the device ourselves, or can we should region an order (with the seller) for modifications on every occasion? (This normally takes many days and is costly.) If your device wishes to have international functionality, does the device have customization for different international locations employment legal guidelines?

Candidate experience

You will lose many applicants in the event that they have a terrible enjoy the usage of the applicant monitoring device. If they should bear a prolonged and irritating procedure due to too many clicks or gradual overall performancethey’ll surrender and go away your webweb page. This is without problems not noted however one of the maximum vital elements to think about while comparing an ATS. Sample questions: Can you’re taking us via the software procedure for a candidate? (Look for variety of clicks, intuitiveness, overall performance, and attractiveness.) Can we add a candidate resume to the webweb page? Are we checking out a stay device or a demo? (Performance can be different.) Can we do a ridicule take a look at on a contemporary patron’s webweb page? How can we installation an auto-respond with an acknowledgement of receipt while applicants apply?

Social networking/Job posting.

Ask the seller to take you via their social networking and activity posting abilties. ATS companies have made amazing strides on this region in current years, which for lesser-acknowledged corporations may be a completely vital asset as they could benefit higher candidate visibility. Sample questions: What activity posting webweb sites do you’ve got got get admission to to? What social networking webweb sites do you’ve got got get admission to to? Can you’re taking us via the posting procedure? (Ensure the interface is easy and clean to use.) If there are webweb sites that fee extra cashare you able to supply us reductions from the activity webweb page’s trendy rates? How are we charged for postings at pay webweb sites … By credit score card, or through invoice?

Search and matching.

Surprisingly there are nevertheless ATS’s with terrible seek functionality. Ensure the searches are accurate, quick, and the effects are specified in a logical layout. Learn what kind of seek engine they use. Make certain you’ve got got a couple of testers carry out real searches on a stay device. Sample questions: Is there an area to position notes and ticklers for observe up? If our wishes are international, will the hunt characteristic display through country?

Customer guide.

Customer guide is an vital aspect for your choice, as usability, downtime, and overall performance troubles may be crippling. You might in the end like your dealer to have a 24/7 customer service crew. However, 24/7 customer support is incomprehensible if the guide is terrible. Sample questions: What hours and days of the week is your customer service crew to be had? Is your customer service crew constructed from personnel or outsourced? Can you offer us with patron pleasure ratings? Do you’ve got got second- and third-stage technical guide abilties? Is your customer service loose for all requests?

Reporting.

Ensure the seller has a reporting tool. Don’t simply ask, however research what they may be reporting on. There must be facts at a minimal for time-to-fill, diversity (withinside the U.S.), and supply of hire, amongst different matters. Sample questions: What reviews are trendy? Can we configure the reporting tool, so we will run custom designed reviews? If now no longercan we should pay on every occasion we want a custom file? How lengthy does a custom file take to be brought to us?

The cloud vs. IT.

Decide whether or not you need your dealer to hold and replace the device (software program as a service), as opposed to your employer’s IT department’s retaining it. Unless you’ve got got devoted IT assetsgo along with a product this is up to date and maintained through your dealer. You can maintain them responsible and do now no longer should cope with over prolonged inner IT assets.

Financial viability.

Gather records on the seller’s revenue, economic viability, and years in enterprise, as companies on this area come and cross at an alarming rate. For example, once I become at T-Mobile our applicant monitoring device dealer went bankrupt. It close save quick and disappeared with its clients’ cash and in lots of cases, records. This created a whole lot of frustration, misplaced cash, and misplaced time as we and others scrambled to put into effect new ATS’s. Sample questions: Can you please offer us together along with your financials for the closing 3 years? How many personnel do you’ve got got? How many in Engineering, IT, and customer support? Can you please offer us with a listing of your contemporary clients?

Easy integration.

Depending upon your lengthyou may probable combine the ATS with any other device. Small corporations and maximum organizations will combine the ATS with a website, at the same time as large corporations will combine a couple of systems. If you’re a bigger employerresearch in amazing element what assets the seller will offer for the integration. Gain dedication as to while assets can be to be had. Some companies can be over-prolonged, so make certain you may have devoted assets to be had while you are geared up for integration. (Also, make certain you’ve got got an inner undertaking supervisor and IT resource.) If you’re a smaller patron, ask what steps are taken to combine the ATS together along with your website.

Legal compliance.

If you’re a employer with operations withinside the U.S., make certain the ATS has monitoring equipment for criminal compliance so that you do now no longer reveal your self to complaints and fines. If you’re doing enterprise with the federal government, it’s far vital which you are OFCCP compliant. (The OFCCP is liable for making sure that employers observe the legal guidelines and policies requiring nondiscrimination.) Even in case you aren’t doing enterprise with the government, the ATS must have monitoring equipment for race, sex, etc.

Performance.

Slow overall performance and down time can result in misplaced applicantsannoyed customers, and misplaced opportunities. Learn approximately the seller’s up-time percent report and the ATS’s speed. Sample questions: Can we do checking out on stay systems? What is your report concerning device outages? Where are your records centers/servers positioned? Are your servers positioned at a couple of webweb sites? (If their servers are positioned at one webweb page and there’s a herbal disaster, you could have a prolonged down time.) If the income consultant can’t solution your questions, ask to talk with a person in IT.

Internal candidate portal.

For corporation clientsinner motion is an vital way to a wholesome group of workers and worker retention. Ensure that the ATS has a portal for personnel to get admission to, and that it’s far appealing and intuitive. Sample questions: Do you’ve got got a separate portal for inner personnel to view positions? Will the inner recruiter be pinged while an inner worker applies? Can the inner recruiter put up positions for inner personnel’ eyes only? Can positions be published for outside and inner viewing concurrently, with enhancing abilties for inner jobs?

Employee referral portal.

For corporation clients, the ATS must have a separate portal for personnel to refer their friends. Evaluate for the person enjoy, for each worker and the candidate. Sample questions: Do you’ve got got a separate portal for personnel to refer applicants? Does the worker acquire acknowledgement? Does the candidate acquire acknowledgement? Does the inner recruiter get pinged while a referral has been despatched in?

Ownership of records.

You might also additionally sooner or later extrade companies, or extrade your enterpriseso that you will want your records. Ask the seller if you may down load your candidate resumes and facts. If they are saying yes, then pry in addition so that you recognize precisely what facts you may acquire and in what layout. Sample questions: How can we request a down load of our candidate records? Can we down load the candidate records ourselves? What layout can we acquire the records in? Will there be a price for those services? Can we’ve a reference of a employer that has downloaded their records?

References

This is an absolute must. Ask the seller for at the least 5 references. Prepare a listing of questions primarily based totally at the 15 bullet factors above. If possible, make certain you’ve got got at minimal an inner recruiter, an IT professional, and a hiring supervisor blanketed withinside the meetings.

Do research

You will now no longer discover unanimous satisfied clients for any ATS. But through doing a little Google searches and achieving out to enterprise friends you may benefit masses greater information than you may from the seller’s income crew. Reach out. Most humans are greater than satisfied to narrate their studies and come up with suggestions. Also, ask if you may “strive earlier than you buy” or pilot the software. Many companies will let you do so. If you do, make certain you prepare a radical tick list of objects to take a look at.