Applicant Tracking System: Everything Need to Know

What is Applicant Tracking System (ATS) 

Applicant tracking system, widely known as ATS is a smart system that handles everything in terms of recruitment, from resume parsing to candidate tracking.

Here's what ATS does for you-  

• Resume Filtration- ATS helps in filtering tons of resumes just like a personal assistant. It scans, fetches the ones that match your preset criteria and filters what’s more useful to your organization. 

• Candidate Ranking- The system is capable of ranking candidates based on the job description/preset criteria, this helps in saving a lot of time and effort involved. 

• Application Tracking- No more follow ups and tabs on the employee recruitment cycle, ATS helps you track candidate’s application in just one click.  

• Adherence to Compliance- Your ATS is highly useful as it ensures compliance of the hiring laws and focus on onboarding the right candidate.  

What are the benefits of an application tracking system? 

ATS offers a wide range of benefits for streamlining and elevating the recruitment process. Here's how ATS can bring in great benefits alongside-  

• Time Saving- It helps in automating repetitive tasks including resume parsing, adding job descriptions to the job portals and scheduling interviews with the right candidates. Saving a lot of time for the recruiters to focus on other tasks rather than the repetitive stuff.  

• Improves Efficiency and Quality- It helps in speeding up the time to hire a candidate by up to 86%, alongside with the use of AI and keywords matching, it helps in identifying the right candidates and reduce the risk of unmatched hires.  

• Cuts Down Cost Per Hire- Reducing manual efforts and cutting on outsourcing recruitment helps in saving a lot of costing. The system is fully equipped to help hire faster, better and highly accurate.  

• Data-Driven Operations- ATS operates basis AI’s intelligent and data-driven approach, offering analytics on hiring metrics like source effectiveness, time-to-hire, and candidate logistics.  

• Scalable- No matter if you are a startup or fully established enterprise, ATS platform adapts to your hiring requirements and scale conveniently with your dynamic business needs.  

How does an ATS resume checker work? 

ATS resume checker is an automated function with simulated how can ATS scans and evaluated candidate’s resume before any human intervention. Here’s how it works-  

• Keyword Matching- It starts with matching the keywords with the job description provided against the job opening. It identifies missing or relevant keywords and helps highlighting the same.  

• Formatting- ATS checks the resume for ATS friendly formatting which in turn flags issues like tables, columns, graphics, fonts which do not look usual or might seem confusing for the system to recognize.  

• Reviewing Section Heading- ATS is trained to look for default or general headings such as Work Experience, Educational Background etc., using different heading like- my work journey, my interested areas etc., might not be fetched.  

• File Compatibility- In most cases ATS systems prefer Docx or PDF format. Rest of the formats might not be supported through the systems or shall be flagged if not compatible.  

• Grading and Feedback- ATS systems finally provide compatibility score after evaluating all aspects. It further provides actionable suggestions to improve keywords density, layout and clarity.  

CRM vs. ATS: What's the difference? 

Seeming almost similar in approach, CRM and ATS serve distinct functions-  

• ATS- Applicant Tracking System  

It manages the application workflow from the job posting to onboarding, focusing of the operational efficiency and compliance. Its key features include- resume parsing & screening, job posting automation, interview scheduling, candidate journey tracking etc. ATS is best suited for handling active applicants and streamlining the hiring pipeline.  

• CRM- Candidate Relationship Management  

It builds and nurtures relationships with the active and passive candidates, focusing on engagement, branding and fostering long-term talent pooling. Its features include talent pool creation, personalized messaging and campaigns, candidate engagement tracking etc. CRM is best suited for proactive sourcing and maintaining a pipeline for future roles.  

Here’s a more precise differentiation-  

Which type of recruiting software should you choose?

 There are multiple types of recruiting software which can be used, depending on your organizational purpose and key features that suits best-  

• ATS- Most used, ATS is excellent for managing job applications and hiring workflows.  

• CRM- It is great for building long-term talent pipelines which helps in engagement tracking and personalized messaging. 

• Video Interviewing Tools- This method is suitable for remote or hybrid hirings as it can help in conducting one-way or live interviews.  

• Job Board Integrators- Posting jobs on job boards helps in reaching the candidates on a large scale, excellent for multi-platform posting and SEO optimization.  

• Background Check Software- This helps in a secure, accurate and compliant hiring by identifying verification and any employee records in terms of legal actions etc.  

• Onboarding Platforms- These are generally used for post-hire integration that involved document management and training modules.  

• AI-Powered Matching Tools- AI-powered tools are a smart method for high-volume hirings of tech related hirings. They are generally based on skill-matching and predictive analytics.  

Final Thoughts

Applicant tracking system isn’t just a tool, it's smart method to strategically ease recruitment through resume parsing, application tracking, interview scheduling and much more with just one click. Fostering better coordination and streamlined compliance, ATS is a one stop solution for all recruitment hassles and data driven approach to hiring. 

Looking for a system which can help you implement ATS and speed up your recruitment process without any human intervention? HONO can help you find the right solution and get started!  

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