7 ATS Features Recruitment Agencies Should be Using More

86% of recruiters believe that Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) or Applicant Tracking Software help speed up the recruitment process. Furthermore, 78% of them believe that it also increases the quality of hire.

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Not all ATS have complete capabilities that could provide an end-to-end hiring solution. That is why it’s necessary to pick one that can bring a significant impact on your recruitment system.

In this article, we’ll lay down the basics of what you should look for in an ATS. If you want to invest in the right recruiting software, keep on reading!

Struggles of Recruitment Agencies

First of all, what are the challenges that recruitment agencies are facing? This is crucial to know because identifying the root cause can lead to better solutions. Applicant Tracking Systems can help.

Hiring and filling job vacancies are big responsibilities. Without this function, it will leave the company lacking critical talent to operate smoothly.

It’s not easy as it sounds, though. Recruitment agencies face a lot of problems daily. Here are some to name a few:

Cutthroat competition

There are hundreds and thousands of recruitment agencies in the world. With such cut-throat competition, it’s difficult to stand out in the market.

It will be a fierce battle of what they offer, how they handle customers, and more. Do not underestimate the power of brand unique selling propositions or USPs.

No standard process

Most recruitment agencies have no standard process. They let the recruiters do whatever so long as they get customers. Even if they have, it’s usually messy and disorganized. That is why it’s no surprise that not all are successful.

There must be consistency in the workflow. Only when there are reliable steps in place can recruitment agencies see change.

Scalability

Scalability is a common problem for organizations. Starting a recruitment agency is already hard enough, but it gets even harder as the company grows. This is an issue that must be addressed to succeed.

Here are a few scaling factors that should concern your hiring agency:

1. Number of Clients

When there are more clients, how do you distribute tasks? Do you have enough manpower or resources to operate?

You must have adequate recruiters to successfully convert leads into customers. Or to nurture existing clients, for that matter. Or else, you’ll risk losing potential clients or existing ones.

2. Number of Candidates

As a recruitment agency, expect more and more candidate profiles to pile up. It’s your bread and butter, after all. 

Tracking them via spreadsheet is only a recipe for disaster. You would need a more advanced and automated system to keep up and not lose a single file.

3. … and many more!

This applies to all sorts of information that the recruitment agency will take in.

Outdated Tech

Having modern technologies is an investment. It can help recruiters produce more output efficiently. Thus, giving recruitment agencies higher ROI.

Outdated tech will only be a hurdle to success, which can lead to several complications. Data protection is one of them.

This is a serious issue that any recruitment agency should be careful about.

Must-Have Recruitment Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Features that Can Help Recruitment Agencies

Do the problems above sound too familiar for your recruitment agency? Then you need to check these key features out:

The right applicant tracking system or ATS will give you a major competitive advantage over your competitors. Stay ahead of the market by utilizing and maximizing the following:

Ability to streamline all workflow

You don’t need tons of tools for different functions. Great and reliable ATSs should allow you to streamline your entire workflow.

It should give you an all-in-one solution for all your hiring needs. This can be from sourcing candidates down to the onboarding phase. 

If ever you do need other tools, there are applicant tracking software solutions that make it easier to integrate other platforms. Manatal, for instance, has an open API that promotes an interconnected ecosystem.

It easily connects other applications such as payroll systems, HRIS solutions, and more.

When everything you need is in one place, you’d be surprised by how much time you’ll save doing and achieving more.

Cloud-Based Applicant Tracking Systems

This is perfect to address scalability issues. As your company grows, get rid of that overwhelming feeling with all the data flowing in.

When you ensure that your recruitment ATS is cloud-based, you can automatically store files online. Easily access them whenever and wherever. This is helpful so you can backtrack information. It stores contacts that you think can be a great fit for other roles, too.

All this information won’t be lost easily, too. You just need to log into your browser-- as easy as that. No need for flash drives, physical computers, and the likes. All of which can perish fairly quickly. 

Multiple Candidate Sourcing Channels

You probably already know that ATSs help source candidates. What you need is one that allows you to cross-post on multiple and reliable sourcing channels. This can be job boards, career site or careers pages, social media, etc.

Let’s take a look at Manatal. It gives recruiters the option to post job ads on places like Indeed, JobsDB, Monster, Linkedin, and many more.

We wrote an in-depth article on optimizing where you post your job ads. Check it out.

Applicant Tracking Software with Recruitment CRM

As a recruitment agency, you also need software that lets you excel on the customer front, as well. Having a recruitment CRM can help in this regard.

You can read deeper about the topic here. Recruitment CRM helps manage customers and nurture existing relationships with clients. This promotes higher sales to the company overall.

This is a must-have feature because you need to be all-around if you want to succeed in all areas.

Social Media Enrichment & Candidate Recommendation Engine

These are uncommon features that you’ll love. If you’re having trouble with dishonest applicants, the social media enrichment and candidate recommendation engine can help you.

With the social media enrichment tool, it can scan a candidate’s social media account. This takes relevant keywords that can build their profile better.

The candidate recommendation engine, on the other hand, gives suggestions on which candidates are best for a specific job.

Don’t rely on AI too much, though! Yes. Such tools help speed up the process. However, with that saved time and effort, you can use it to ensure quality through human output.

Do a background check. Screen properly. Decide smartly.

Data Compliance Privacy Tools

This is another example that not every applicant tracking system (ATS) has. Regardless, it’s important to consider that your recruitment software has this. Why? To protect yourself and your candidates from any data-related risks.

Manatal has data protection compliance tools. They can help you be on the safe side and be aware of business legalities. 

Don’t overlook this one as data protection is a serious matter at the moment.

Reports and Analytics

Last, but not least, you might be forgetting about the reports and analytics. This feature is a must-have for a reason.

Not only does it show your progress in all aspects. It displays areas of improvement to better the entire recruiting process and performance.

You know what works, who’s doing well, who’s doing that, and so forth. You can even check which career site or careers pages are effective for you.

These are based on facts, so no assumptions or prejudgments can be inferred.  To that end, it will be easier to modify your approach (if needed).

It’s not one-size-fits-all, but it helps to have everything at your disposal

No ATS is the same, but it’s important to find one that ticks all the boxes above. It will greatly benefit your recruitment agency by a mile.

There are several struggles in running such a fast-paced agency. However, the right tools and features will surely be advantageous.

The ability to streamline recruiting processes, store information on the cloud, and have useful tools. Those are some of the many key features that should be the bare minimum.

A lot of people are using ATS, even 98% of Fortune 500 companies. What’s stopping you from learning from these major powerhouses?

Let Manatal be your guide in making your workplace more inclusive. Click here to read more of our insights on recruitment and HR technology, or here to explore our 14-day free trial.