Interview Tracking Software: 5 Great Ways To Use It

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With the internet, there’s been more access to job prospects, and easier for companies to find candidates. And having a huge pool of talents to choose from is a good thing for your business, big or small. However, that presents a series of problems in its way as well, like bottlenecks and delays. Those things can ruin the candidate’s experience. In this case, having a huge talent pool backfires instead.

That’s why applicant tracking systems (ATS) have become a huge and indispensable part of recruitment processes. They can automate several administrative tasks which helps you save time and prevent confusion within HR teams. And the system also tracks the applicant’s progress, including when they should be in the interview stage.

Hence, interview tracking is inherently part of applicant tracking software which we’ll discuss. Let’s talk about what ATS is, how it works, and how to use it to cater to your company’s needs. In this way, you’ll also see how important applicant tracking systems are for small and big businesses alike.

What Is an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)?

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An applicant tracking system or software is a program that helps you manage and organize the hiring process. The answer to the question  “what is ATS?” is simple. It’s a central database and everything you need for a recruitment process. It has all the digitized forms of candidate information–resumes, profiles, and cover letters.  It keeps track of the entire hiring process so no candidate is neglected.

Keep in mind that ATS is just the most commonly used name for different recruitment software. But not all ATS software is created equally, so some will have more features than others. Some systems are basic and user-friendly, capable of getting most of the job done for simple recruitment. And you have software that is more robust and can significantly improve your hiring process altogether. The type of ATS you need will depend on your company’s necessities for recruitment.

More similar terms for ATS include “talent acquisition software” and “hiring platform”. And those platforms use candidate relationship management (CRM) to build relationships with candidates. But to briefly differentiate between ATS and CRM, let’s list what each of them does.

ATS software tracks candidates who have already applied to your company. Resume parsing, using assessment tools, and candidate screening are just some of its features. Meanwhile, CRM includes email marketing, communicating with candidates, and scheduling. CRM targets potential candidates who haven’t applied to your company yet. The two systems complement each other very well, hence they’re often used together.

ATS in itself is a powerful tool when used by recruiters and HR because of its many features. And we’ll discuss how to use those features and get the most out of your software.

How Does an ATS System Work?

There are a few basic steps to how an ATS system works so let’s go over them one by one. When a job requisition gets into the ATS, it includes all the information you’re looking for. For example, job titles, the desired skills from candidates, and the experience you require from them. 

Next, the ATS uses that information to make a profile that describes your ideal candidate. And applicants will see what your expectations are of anyone willing to be a candidate and employee. When an applicant submits their resume, the ATS screens, sorts, and ranks them with the profile as a basis.

Because of that, HR is able to quickly identify who are the most qualified candidates in the pool. This hastens the selection process and they can move forward with the hiring process itself. This makes the entire recruitment process more efficient for your team and company.

5 Great Ways to Use Interview Tracking Software

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1. Improve Team Communication and Review Process

An outdated hiring procedure makes it difficult for hiring teams to organize a hiring process. They’ll have a hard time finding convenient times to set up meetings, evaluate applicants, and review their applications. With hectic work schedules, they won’t even have enough time to participate in the recruiting process.

But an ATS enables your team to keep in touch and interact with each other when necessary. Everyone involved in the recruitment process via ATS can post comments, add notes, and rate applicants. Hence, each member can contribute to the communal decision-making process. They’ll be more involved in organizing tasks, scheduling, and evaluating candidates.

This helps drastically reduce the time spent organizing interviews, meetings, and screening. Hence, your team will conduct the entire recruitment process more efficiently than before.

2. Optimize the Candidate Experience

From an applicant’s perspective, a smooth recruitment process and onboarding are a prelude to a dream. Upon application, they’d want the process to have no delays or bottlenecks. They’d expect that anything offering a job online at least has the process planned out. They expect you to have the tools ready to receive and screen their applications.

You can say that applicants choose job openings and companies the same way you choose them. Hence, the applicant experience is vital if you want to keep attracting and hiring top-tier talent. It also reflects your company’s image as an employer and as a brand. That’s why a negative applicant experience will lead to rejected offers and bad rumors.

An applicant tracking system will help automate the improve your recruiting from start to finish. Not just your HR team, but your candidates will also have efficient and satisfactory experiences. You’ll meet and go beyond their expectations, and have them look forward to their employment. Your candidates will have the impression that your company is modern and organized.

3. Locate and Pool the Right Talent Efficiently

Just the task of screening hundreds of resumes can be exhausting at times. You need to pay close attention to their specialties, talents, and experience. You’re tasked with seeing how well they fit your company’s needs and that can take hours or days. It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack with the chances of it not being there at all. 

But an applicant tracking system can take the guesswork for you and offer assistance in the task. It can gather a pool of talents and prospects with skills and experience that match your needs. The ATS is advanced enough to consider the candidate’s work history and why they won’t make a good fit for your company.

Another feature you can use is to have the ATS measure the candidate’s performance in an interview. It will use a video interview tool that records the candidate’s answers that you can review later on.

4. Minimize Friction in the Hiring Process

ATS software involves AI that automates many mundane tasks involved in the recruitment process. This reduces the friction in the process by removing manual steps. That will also enable your team to focus on more urgent tasks, like evaluating candidates.

Because of ATS, HR can manage all of the applicants in one place. From initial application to the interview stage and hiring, ATS systems usually have everything you need. This automation feature is also what filters out the candidates and applicants that we mentioned earlier.

5. Target a Large Audience With Job Postings

Before ATS, you’re probably subscribed to the popular job posting sites that you individually manage. That eats up so much of your time and effort, just checking and keeping tabs on each one. But that all changes with the use of applicant tracking software due to one of its features.

One of the ways you can use ATS is by posting one-click job postings. This means you need to fill out a certain form and it will automatically post on numerous sites. The feature also allows applicants to apply for multiple job offers in one click. This is a great way for HR to find potential candidates who meet company requirements efficiently.

You can also integrate social media platforms into your ATS so you can post jobs there too. This dramatically increases your reach and gets more people to be interested in your company. Additionally, you’ll only be spending a fraction of what you would for advertising.

Conclusion

A benefit that the internet provides to job seekers is having more access to job offers. And so, companies had to deal with hundreds of job applicants which was overwhelming at first. But now, we have software that specializes in managing the recruitment process. It serves as a central space for recruiters to access applicant data and track their progress.

The applicant tracking system is that very tool and it offers several features accessible to various businesses. Some ATS are simpler than others and some are more complex depending on your company’s needs. But more often, companies use CRM to find talents who haven’t applied to them yet. That isn’t to say that ATS isn’t capable of pooling talents that meet company requirements.

ATS lets your team have access to communication within the same system for convenience. It also optimizes the candidate experience so if you reject them, they won’t have nasty words to say. You can smoothen the recruitment process and have a better company image too. There are only benefits to using an ATS system for your company and your team.