The Top 3 Things You Should Know About Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

To streamline the hiring process, many companies rely upon systems to scan, qualify and organize the sometimes thousands of applications and resumes they receive for their vacant positions. These systems are known as applicant tracking systems or ATS for short. While ATS systems are a gem for an employer’s human resources department, they can pose difficulties for individual applicants who simply want to get their foot in the door. So, how do you beat the bots? Here are the top three things you should know about the ATS. 

What is an ATS?
Dissimilar to what many people believe, the ATS isn't a machine. The top applicant tracking systems are actually software programs offered by an array of vendors. An ATS is useful because it facilitates the employment process, making sorting through a pile of resumes much easier than doing so manually. Fundamentally, these systems gather, read, sort, and output resumes dependent on algorithms for keywords, including employment titles and industry buzzwords, contingent upon the employer’s unique framework for who they are searching for in a candidate.
 
How does the ATS work?
Applicant tracking systems are customized and prepared to pre-screen candidates before their resumes ever make it to the hands of a real person. These systems can manage a large number of resumes to determine who is the best and most brilliant candidate – those candidates the system deems qualified enough for a possible interview.
 
Here are three key things to keep in mind when submitting your resume through an applicant tracking system:
 

1. Ensures compliance with the Internet Applicant Recordkeeping Rule: The ATS is also utilized to keep up with the Internet Applicant Recordkeeping Rule set forth by the US Department of Labor for exacting recordkeeping of workers enlisted through electronic methods. Because of this standard, all organizations utilizing at least 100 representatives are required by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to report their worker segment enrollment data yearly. An ATS can store large volumes of data, allowing for transparency when it comes to reporting and compliance. So, the system isn’t used just to screen a candidate in or out, there is a much larger frame of reference at play here as well.

 

1. An ATS is used to easily narrow down the applicant pool: Recruiters and hiring managers, especially those within larger organizations, might not have the ability to review every single resume they receive. This is especially true when it comes to reading the fine details of resumes and figuring out which applicant is qualified versus who is not. An ATS limits the candidate pool very quickly by rejecting the under-qualified candidates in an automated way, that way the hiring managers only receive those applicants who are qualified for the role.

 

1. Cost and time savings: Restated, the applicant tracking system can save a business both time and money by rapidly decreasing the size of the candidate pool and presenting the top candidates only. An ATS helps to eliminate the hours spent selecting candidates which frees up valuable time to focus on other areas within the human resources or operations processes.

 
While these are just a few insights into the ATS, to beat the system you should seek expert assistance from an insider such as a professional resume writer who can help you navigate the hiring process and select the right combination of keywords and phrases to include in your resume. Eliminate the guesswork by employing an expert who can provide professional guidance on how to write an ATS-accommodating resume.
 
To learn more about applicant tracking systems, schedule a call today to speak with one of our career experts.
 
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