What Should You Be Looking For In An ATS?

If you’ve started your search for an applicant tracking system (ATS) or you’re thinking about investing in one, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the market. Many systems have similar features, some are more expensive than others and some systems can appear incredibly complicated.

As there’s so much choice out there, it’s important to keep your business’ requirements at the forefront of your mind at all times and not to be swayed by fancy functionality that you don’t actually need.

So, what should you be looking for in an ATS?

Every business’ needs are different, however, Webrecruit recommends starting with looking at the following four pieces of criteria:

1. Ease of use

Even if you’re tech-savvy, you need to make sure that your ATS is simple and easy to use, especially if there are multiple people within your department who will be using it. The whole point of using recruitment software is to make your life easier and not overcomplicate things.

Remember, everyone has varying levels of IT ability, so it’s important that each member of your team is comfortable using your new ATS. It’s a good idea to ask them to sit in on your demos so you can check that they understand the system and feel that they would be able to use it properly.

2. An improved candidate experience

When you’re viewing multiple applicant tracking systems, it’s tempting to focus purely on the user-side of the software. However, it’s important to think about the candidate experience as well.

Before committing to an ATS, try testing it from a candidate’s point of view and think about their journey. Don’t forget that a poor or clunky candidate experience can reflect negatively on you as an employer.

3. Good reporting functionality

Easy reporting is a huge selling point for ATS providers and it’s one of the top reasons why businesses choose to invest in recruitment software in the first place.

When viewing a system, make sure that its reporting functionality is simple and easy to understand, and you’re able to produce the reports you need.

4. Dedicated support

Make sure you find out what level of support will be provided after the system has been implemented. If you experience any problems, who do you contact? Is there a dedicated account manager or support team who you can call if you experience any issues?

Want to learn more about applicant tracking systems? Find out more information about Webrecruit’s Fusion Plus software.