Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

Is an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) more than just E-Recruiting? How do you find out which application channels work? Learn here about the benefits of E-Recruiting and what to look out for when tracking application channels.

Applicant Tracking System
Advantages E-Recruiting-Software
Traceability of the channels
KPIs for job markets and other channels

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What is an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)?

The term Applicant Tracking System comes from the American and is generally defined as software that automates the recruiting process i.e. enables the electronic handling of the recruiting process. In German-speaking countries, the term E-Recruiting software or applicant management system is more common.

However, ATS also means the possibility of tracking the application channels of the candidates. This function was not possible in the software of the local providers for a long time, despite its importance.

In the next two sections, learn about the general benefits of an ATS and why it is so important to evaluate the channels.

Applicant Tracking System (ATS) in general: What are the advantages?

Central & digital filing

Depending on the channel, applications often come in different ways:

classic by mail or email
at job platforms also by email or in the corresponding inboxes
as a message on social medias
etc.

Instead of searching in various mail or file folders for the corresponding applications and their current status, you can see all applications directly at a glance in an E-Recruiting-Software. In addition, search and filter functions allow you to quickly narrow down your selection.

Minimize administrative effort & enable fast communication

Save yourself the effort of entering data in an Excel spreadsheet or creating letters and emails. Letters, e-mails and documents can be generated from the templates in E-Recruiting software at the touch of a button. This also applies to mass rejections: Instead of writing various individual rejection emails, these can be done with just a few clicks and yet personalized. Fast and professional communication also has a positive effect on employer branding. 50% of respondents in JobCloud’s 2019 Labor Market Survey said they occasionally to frequently do not receive a response to their application. With an ATS, all communication with the applicants can be handled and standardized thanks to templates.

Simplify decision management

With a few clicks, you can release applications to the line managers for rating . Check at a glance which line managers have not yet given you feedback on applications or interviews. Company-specific rankings per applicant can be defined and evaluated on the basis of the ratings submitted. This allows you to always have your top candidates in view and ensure fast communication.

Exploit channels

Advertise on various channels at the same time. Use the potential of your own career site and the various job markets and social medias. Afterwards, you can then directly check which channels bring in the most applications. Also pay attention to the cost-benefit ratio. For example, take advantage of free posts on social media feeds. If your employees share/like the post additional you increase the reach without a big budget.

Develop job posting

As soon as you post a job a second time, a good ATS will give you the details of the last job. This saves you the effort of manual data entry and allows you to easily make any necessary adjustments.

Simple deputization and rights

An applicant management system enables a central storage of all data. In addition, it is clearly regulated who has access to which data. This facilitates cooperation, increases the data protection and enables simple deputization.

Data protection

Data protection, especially for personal data, is becoming increasingly important. This includes for example the right to be forgotten. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the filing of mail applications. In E-Recruiting software, dossiers can be easily deleted or anonymized for later evaluations in a data protection compliant manner. Pay attention to compatibility with the data protection GDPR (EU) and DSG (Switzerland).

Talent Pool

Gather the most promising applicants into a Tatent pool. This allows you to search your current talents for potential candidates free of charge before posting. With the automatic reminder functions, older dossiers can be archived (deleted) or requested again. This way you avoid building a data graveyard and can easily contact your talents.

Applicant Tracking System (ATS) in the narrower sense: traceability of channels

Through which channels or source do I receive the most applications? And how far do applicants get in the recruiting process? Once the job has been filled, you can evaluate the channels used and adjust the selection for future job postings if necessary. This can save costs and time.

Applications per channel

How many applications were received per channel? In other words, how did the applicants become aware of your vacancy? If necessary, you can also identify differences in different jobs or professions and thus advertise more efficiently.
When apprentice recruitment, the comparison over several years is exciting. From this, trends can be derived and, if necessary, measures can be taken (e.g.: Are new/different application channels necessary?).

Cost-benefit ratio / return on investment

Compare the cost of advertising on the platforms with the applications received. Pay attention not only to the number of applications received but also to the quality. So where did the candidates I hire at the end come from?

Applicant quality per channel

Can you make any statements about the quality of applications per application source? Is e.g. channel X receiving a majority of applications that did not match the profile and received a rejection directly? Or were there channels where many candidates made it to the second or even third round? How many interviews were arranged per source? And lastly: Through which channel were most acceptions made?

To be particularly noted in the training area:

In the field of training (e.g. in the apprentice recruitment), the term “channel” must be defined more broadly than just the job markets. It is also important to take into account which applicants have already participated in trial apprenticeships, information afternoons or trade fairs. It is therefore important that the E-Recruiting software can also track these process steps. The goal is to find out which of these occasions generates the most high-quality applications.

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