Article: How to choose your Applicant Tracking System.

Choosing an ATS is rarely a quick decision. And nor should it. Here at Ventiro, we have developed a specific checklist to help you make the right decision.

HR tech has spent the last 8-10 years on the rise in terms of business impact and importance. How we roll out the best learning & development training, how we advertise our roles, how we measure employee ratings/performance. All these demands have led to the rise in HR Tech and the ATS is a big part of that growth from the recruitment perspective. But choosing the right provider is getting trickier and trickier for HR teams.

You realise that the need is there. You do some research. You go out to market. You go through 6 or so demo’s, most of which involve very few questions about your company, challenges or goals. You shortlist three or four providers, all of which ramp up the pressure and offer pretty intense sales cycles, most simply rehashing the original demo experience/slides. You choose the one that seems to fit the requirements the closest. Implementation is slow and customer service near non-existent.

Sound familiar? It could be so much simpler. And it should be.

Ventiro are trying to cut through the noise and offer our clients a much clearer picture of their recruitment tech options, offering clear and unbiased advice based on a number of internal factors, matching you to those providers you need to actually consider.

However, in the meantime check out a snippet of the checklist we have developed, focusing on some of the questions you absolutely need to consider as you go through this process.

Is it Future Proof?

Too many Ventiro clients are still wresting with an ‘off the shelf’ ATS from the 2000’s (mostly because it was an add on to their wider HR system). This has meant very little in the way of general updates provided since purchase. Meaning a lack of modern experiences and practices for your line managers and candidates alike.

We live in an agile world, even more so now with the impact of COVID-19, so having an ATS that offers you the ability to pivot and focus on different talent attraction trends, techniques & demands will be a key focus area during your search for the right ATS.

Will your provider allow your teams to keep up to speed with modern times? Will they offer a flexible system that allows for any changes to the behavior of candidates of the future? The candidates will expect it. The talent teams will need it.

Will it automate my process?

Digitising a process is nothing new. Yet still there are manual processes within the recruitment process that hinders the experience for the candidates and hiring managers alike. As customers slowly drifted from the high street, retailers adapted to offer a competitive digital proposition. Talent Acquisition is no different.

Studies have shown that the key elements to change for Talent Acquisition (and HR in general) is the removal of manual & paper based elements within the process. This isn’t new. Modernise into a seamless, automated experience for all parties and free your talent teams up to spend time on a more personal recruitment process, leading to better conversion rates.

Self-scheduled interviews, self-service onboarding & real time data management are just some of the things you need to be on the lookout for.

Is there consistent support?

Check the reviews, especially around the support side of the provider. Most ATS’s that we refer in to our clients are excellent in this area. Not just in the implementation phase, but consistently throughout the subscription period.

From the training of line managers to offering 24 hour support, make sure that you aim for the providers that can actually back up their promise for great customer support. Top tip - look for the providers that have invested in a Customer Success function - that’s a great place to start as it shows that they are taking it seriously.

Is the Data up to modern standards?

Data is the way forward when it comes to recruitment - there is no arguing that. The demand for real-time data, downloaded straight from your ATS / HRIS, is on the rise (although there are still a number of organisations struggling with the manual recording/reporting in this area).

This means recruiters will have more time away from Excel / Google Sheets, where they manually record their key metrics. These practices, although cheap, are time consuming and generally impact the recruiters ability to service candidates when they are bogged down in manual data management.

Look out for the systems that offer downloadable reports, full of real-time data across your metrics. Those providers that offer bespoke data reporting are the ones to give real attention to. Off the shelf reports are still moderately effective, but will often mean you have to change your metrics to suit the system, meaning a break in consistent data from previous years.

Can it support my Diversity & Inclusion strategy?

D&I is hugely prominent in 2020. With the rise focus on movements such as BLM across the globe, businesses are rallying behind their D&I strategy more than ever. There are ATS providers to look for that offer options like blind hiring, removing personal candidate data until they are selected for interview, which offers an unbiased approach to selection.

Another, often overlooked element, is the collection of D&I data as part of the application process, meaning you have a full breakdown of anonymous D&I data coming in from your recruitment process. What was the demographic break down of applicants across your jurisdictions? Are we seeing one particular demographic applying for our roles? How can we combat this if there is?

Simply put, the ATS providers that offer this have a huge advantage over those that don’t. This really is a great source of data for your D&I agenda. It allows you to justify change and open your doors to a much broader set of candidates. But until you see the data and genuinely understand where the change is needed, your Talent Attraction strategy cannot truly contribute to your D&I Agenda.

Final thoughts.

Choosing the best provider will always be fundamentally down to your companies current challenges and future goals. On top of that, you have plenty of parties involved in the process and the experience they can be offered to justify your choice. How will the line managers respond to the dashboard? Does this offer a broader reach for our recruiters? Ensure you capture the requirements of everyone involved in the use of your ATS, including new joiners.

If you want to see the full checklist - simply get in touch and let us understand your requirements, no matter how complex, and we will send you the checklist completely free of charge. If you do want to see how Ventiro can help in your decision / market analysis, your advisor will help you shortlist, select and implement your chosen ATS.

Simply click the Get Started button to find out more!