Is it time to rethink how you track candidates?

Investing in the right tech can give you an edge over the competition and help organisations to stand out amid a tight talent market. An applicant tracking system (ATS) is one such investment that helps recruiters streamline the hiring process. While ATS can come in various shapes and sizes, the general idea is to automate recruitment and track candidates, allowing quick and easy sourcing of candidates.

Oracle highlighted that 78 per cent of recruiters using ATS said it improved the quality of workers they hired, and 86 per cent said it reduced the time to hire.

ATS can also improve the candidate experience, as time to hire can be reduced, which in turn can increase engagement and reduce the risk of potential employees looking elsewhere for work.

The onboarding experience can also be improved as it not only reduces the menial tasks but can also allow for better communication between hiring managers, HR departments, and candidates.

Some ATS also include artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, which can assist in reducing bias within recruitment. According to Elevatus: “In the past, candidate resumés would fall into the hands of hiring managers. Which all too often would lead to unconscious bias, especially if the hiring manager was swayed by the candidate’s picture, ethnicity, race, or background.”

“One way ATS can combat this issue is through ‘blind applications’.”

With AI taking over the sourcing and reviewing of resumés, the risk of bias and unconscious bias is reduced, which creates the blind application. Everyone is treated equally and free of bias, allowing for the role to go to the right person.

There are some things to watch out for when implementing ATS, as there can be disadvantages.

One common negative that comes from ATS is missing out on good talent, as the process is automated.

The US at Work Network commented: “Applicant tracking systems pose the risk of eliminating candidates who are still valuable but perhaps do not have the exact credentials advertised with the position.”

“This can include people who are switching careers or recent college graduates who may have still have a great deal to offer. Also, these systems can reject highly qualified candidates for reasons outside of their qualifications such as differently formatted resumés or other technical mishaps.”

Candidates can avoid missing out on opportunities by creating an “ATS-optimised resumé”.

Jobscan offered some tips for refining a resumé for ATS:

• Carefully tailor your resumé to the job description every single time you apply.
• Optimise for ATS search and ranking algorithms by matching your resumé keywords to the job description.
• Use both the long-form and acronym versions of keywords, such as master of business administration (MBA), for maximum searchability.
• Don’t use tables or columns, as they often cause errors.
• Use a traditional resumé font.
• Don’t use headers or footers, as the information might get lost or cause a parsing error.
• Use standard resumé section headings like “Work Experience”.