Choosing an ATS Provider
So you may be a small/ medium sized business that has seen rapid growth, a larger company looking at changing providers or an established business using old school methods in your recruitment processes, choosing a ATS provider can be a daunting process. Reading through company websites, understanding technical terms, jargon, buzz words etc this can seem overwhelming especially to non IT related companies.
Here are 10 thinks you should consider before choosing an ATS provider.
- Do I need an ATS what is it?
ATS is an abbreviation for Applicant Tracking System, basically it’s a software application that enables the electronic handling of recruitment needs. An ATS can be implemented on an enterprise or small business level, depending on the needs of the company. An ATS is very similar to customer relationship management systems, but are designed for recruitment tracking purposes.
- Picking an ATS provider that works best for your company/organisation, there are many ATS providers that suit larger organisations and those that focus on small and medium sized enterprises, choose a provider that best matches your company profile and can provide you with the support and functionality you require.
Most providers provide client lists and testimonials do some research and don’t be afraid to ask for references.
- Accessing the system do I need to install additional software.
Do you want to access your ATS from home, work , mobile etc, most of the newer systems are entirely online with no need to install additional software , however for larger companies installing additional software or you may want your ATS to communicate with multiple internal systems discuss your needs with your vendor, a fully online system would usually suit small and medium sized companies.
- User Friendly system, using the system should be easy and require minimal training, intuitive menus, simple to navigate, using and paying for functionality that is relevant to you and your HR Department and if you do encounter a problem choosing a product that is fully supported via email and phone.
- Job Posting, if you wish to post your jobs to third party job boards, social media platforms and your own company careers site you need to choose a provider that works with the job boards you regularly post to and if not can they easily integrate their systems with this job board or social media platform?
- Reporting, you need to ensure your ATS provider can provide you with the reports you require for your organisation, can you run them yourself, do they comply with your current requirements, what format are the reports in, can they tailor reports specific to your company ? is there additional costs for custom/bespoke reports.
- Compliance, is your ATS provider compliant with current legislation? i.e. data storage, applicant information, equality reporting, OFCCP for US clients etc.
- Company Experience/reliability, how long has your ATS been in business?, are their systems reliable, given that you will be accessing the majority of functionality online can your provider assure you they have back-up systems etc.
- What functionality do I need from an ATS, i.e. Applicant progression, job postings, reporting, auto acknowledge,pre-screening, auto fail, metrics/analytics, how many users are included , are there additional charges etc ?
- Who owns the data/Legal , many vendors have additional charges for the storage of data, purging of information after a specific period of time do you research, make sure to check if there are data caps/limits, ensure your company owns all information pertaining to your account, if your company terminates the agreement how can you retrieve this data what format is it in etc. again do your research .
Most ATS providers will be happy to go through the above with you in detail, and provide comprehensive websites listing, ask for a demonstration first or even a trial period to assess if your new provider is going to work for you.
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