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Applicant Tracking Comparison: 10 Tips To Guide Your Recruiting

Today’s recruiting landscape can appear difficult to navigate when you are looking for ways to boost your company’s hiring effectiveness. One job posting can attract hundreds to thousands of resumes, making efficiency a key concern for companies in the midst of an applicant tracking comparison. To automate the hiring process and increase the productivity of busy HR managers, many companies have made the switch to modern applicant tracking systems.

Unfortunately, choosing the wrong recruiting software can drive away highly-qualified candidates instead of attracting them. This article highlights 10 applicant tracking comparison tips to effectively find and attract the most qualified candidates for your open jobs -every single time.

1. Look Ahead, Not Backwards When Looking At ATS Reviews

Outdated software and legacy systems may be costing your company star candidates. This is often due to errors, inefficiencies, maintenance costs, lack of integration and more. Instead of choosing an old dinosaur system in haste, perform the necessary due diligence with a thorough applicant tracking comparison. Look towards a modern ATS built for the cloud as opposed to dated technology that will actually hinder your recruiting efforts.

2. Simplicity and Ease of Use

An intuitive and user-friendly experience is expected by top talent. Solutions that are difficult to learn and navigate will have higher learning curves, and they can prove even less efficient than handling those same processes manually or using dated technology. Furthermore, your entire team should have no difficulty using the software after minimal training. This will save your organization time, money, and resources.

3. Your Needs and Functionality

Deploying a solution with more functionality than you need, or not enough functionality for your unique needs, can cause various problems. An applicant tracking comparison is needed in order to find a solution with the features and functionality your company needs, right out of the box. It’s important to ask each vendor about the standard features and customizable options.

Is additional functionality included or will it cost extra? Make a list of your company’s needs and ensure whichever solution you choose is equipped to handle the unique recruiting needs of your company—now and in the future.

4. Reporting and Analytics

Which source is bringing the best candidate referrals? In the last year, how long did it take to fill open positions? Reporting and analytics provide ongoing tracking of your sourcing efforts. Having access to a robust solution with comprehensive reporting and detailed analytics allows you to see where your recruiting efforts are working, and illuminates any weak links in your hiring process.

5. Flexibility and Customizability Should Matter in ATS Comparisons

Your company’s needs can and will change as it grows and expands. Choosing a flexible platform that’s fully customizable equips your hiring managers with the features they actually need while providing a bevy of benefits. Make sure every facet of the recruitment platform is fully configurable and allows full support of your business processes, with minimal hassle or interruption.

6. On-Point Applicant Tracking Comparison from Vendors

Research is absolutely necessary, and this should be something your vendor is willing to do for you. Will the vendor perform the research for you? Prior to making a final decision and investing any money on software, request an applicant tracking comparison from vendors. This comparison is vital to learn the features, pricing, customer reviews, and other important details of a solution before making a commitment. Contact your preferred vendors and have them find the best possible solution based on your business goals—regardless of whether you buy from them or not.

7. Social Media Integration

Social recruiting is becoming a necessity in the competitive recruiting market. Integrating seamlessly with various social media channels allows candidates to apply for job openings at any time and from anywhere using their mobile devices. Social media integration empowers organizations to easily send job alerts to qualified candidates, dramatically speeding up the tedious process of finding and vetting available talent.

8. Job Distribution via Multiple Channels and Job Boards

When the time comes for an applicant tracking comparison, choosing a platform that supports job distribution through multiple channels and job boards is essential. Job distribution provides recruiters with the ability to share jobs with a large number of job boards such as CareerBuilder and Indeed. It’s imperative to post job openings using as many channels as possible to ensure the distribution is seen by top talent. This will also simultaneously maximize your time, improve your results, and reduce overall costs.

9. Employer Branding and Career Site

Today’s applicants are more Internet-savvy than those in the years past. Many are accustomed to visiting a company’s website, clicking the ‘Careers’ link, and applying for a position—without even realizing they’re no longer on the same website. That’s the exact experience your career site should provide. A polished, branded career site that’s a mirror’s image of your company’s website is a simple-yet-powerful addition for any company’s hiring toolkit.

10. Finding the Right Fit for Your Company

A good ATS comes equipped with automated screening algorithms that indicate which candidates meet your minimum qualifications, saving hiring managers and recruiters precious time which can be allocated on more pressing tasks. Applicant tracking software is becoming the standard in identifying and engaging with top notch candidates.

Making the right decision when choosing recruitment software requires not only a great deal of research, but also significant effort and due diligence. The 10 applicant tracking comparison tips detailed above will give your business a competitive and unfair advantage— in the ongoing pursuit of highly coveted talent.

Interested in learning more about Simplicant’s cloud-based hiring platform? Request a demo.

Photo by Ash Edmonds on Unsplash