How Applicant Tracking Systems Improve Productivity

Businesses from all industries have, in recent years, turned to data to drive productivity and performance. For recruiters and HR teams looking to overcome talent shortage, an applicant tracking system puts in place a single stream for critical data on recruitment strategies. This allows businesses to collect data and organize prospects based on their skill sets.

A high-quality applicant tracking system can accelerate the recruiting process, especially when it is powered by artificial intelligence. Companies and recruiters save time by not having to manually sort through hundreds or even thousands of applications that do not satisfy the basic qualifications for open positions.

Although candidates' information may be saved in various systems, only the best applicant tracking systems can keep track of all interactions and allow users to easily retrieve them. 

This makes it straightforward to search and filter resumes and other application information in order to shorten the time it takes to fill a position.

Throughout the recruitment process, collaboration becomes simplified with comments and notes on a prospect in an applicant tracking system. Some of these solutions make it simple for busy recruiters and hiring managers to collaborate from a mobile device.

Artificial intelligence and natural language processing are two of the most cutting-edge technologies employed by the best applicant tracking systems. These technologies algorithmically examine resumes for keyword matches and other patterns using a variety of techniques.

Critically, applicant tracking systems are enablers of multi-channel communication that can be done simultaneously. For instance, it allows recruiters to post a single job advertisement across various job boards at once. It then helps to sort out the multitude of applications that come in, scoring candidates based on prerequisites that are critical to the role. 

For small and medium-sized businesses, a technological enhancement like this cuts the time spent on manual work and significantly increases the opportunity to make data-backed hiring decisions.

Companies of all sizes may benefit from applicant tracking systems, but those that often recruit new employees or get a large number of applicants for each position will find them the most useful.

An applicant tracking system is likely to deliver a high return on investment for high-growth companies looking to scale their teams and operations. For small businesses or startups at a high-growth phase, the ATS becomes an invaluable tool that streamlines tedious or complex hiring processes that require more resources. 

Perks of an applicant tracking system

1. Allows for more time to be spent on value added tasks

There are several advantages to using an automated applicant tracking system, but one of the most important factors that drive recruiters to invest in an ATS is that it saves time.

This whole process may be completed in a matter of seconds rather than hours, thanks to the elimination of the manual posting and listing on job sites, as well as the ranking of applicants.

2. Provides a centralized, holistic overview

A singular view of all recruitment data points essentially eliminates data silos and the possibility of conflicting data sets coming from multiple parties working on a recruitment campaign. 

By integrating all data points into a single dashboard, recruiters, hiring managers, as well as clients would be able to review results from the entire process. Needless to say, operations become faster, and decisions become better informed. 

Consider how much more productive you can be if you don't have to deal with several email accounts, spreadsheets, and the need to keep track of appointments and notes anymore since everything is recorded on a single platform.

3. Simplifies job posting

An applicant tracking system lets you post a job ad to many platforms with just one click.

Job postings may be made simultaneously across different job boards without having to post them individually on different platforms. 

In addition, you may provide information such as a job description, remuneration, location, and benefits.

An applicant tracking system also allows you to customize your career page, which is an important channel for job-seekers wanting to know more about the company and its work culture. 

READ MORE: Learn how to set up a career page on Manatal

4. Improved candidate quality 

More firms today are employing a wide range of measures to define the quality of their new workers. With an AI-driven ATS, the most qualified candidates are scored against pre-set requirements and filters. 

This optimizes the selection process and gives recruiters a deeper look into the quality of candidates applying for a role from any given channel, against the set criteria. 

This can help in two ways. One, it allows you to look into the effectiveness of a job campaign on a specific channel, and two, it helps you identify the best qualified candidates early. 

5. Encourages inter-departmental communication

Poor communication between the various departments, such as the recruiter and the hiring manager, can potentially cause severe complications throughout the employment process.

An applicant tracking system makes it easier for recruiters and others engaged in the hiring process to communicate with one another. It also makes it possible to deliver messages to a large number of recipients at once and to distribute duties according to a predetermined schedule. All team members are able to take part in the process and provide comments and ratings for each candidate.

Manatal’s Guest Portal feature allows different parties to work together seamlessly throughout the recruitment process. HR or recruitment teams can invite hiring managers to view or take part in the process. At the same time, recruitment agencies can share candidate profiles with their clients directly on the platform. 

Oftentimes in fast-paced work, broken communication leads to downtime, stalled action plans and increased dissatisfaction. By allowing access to Manatal, guests will be able to keep everyone in the loop and track candidate progress.

6. Speeds up decisions

Hiring is one of the most critical aspects of a company's financial health, and even the slightest misstep may have a significant impact on cost, productivity and performance.

Hence, with everyone in the loop via an applicant tracking system - and all applications and processes are made accessible in one place - employers are able to get a better picture of the recruiting process.

Once the applicant tracking system is in place, the whole recruiting process—from receiving applications to screening them for suitability, setting up interviews, and finally selecting the best candidate—becomes much more efficient.

Additionally, the use of automated contact capabilities enhances the recruitment process, allowing for general follow-up and the transfer of applications. 

In a nutshell, an applicant tracking system simplifies your recruiting agency's numerous procedures, allowing you to make data-driven choices with more certainty.

7. More impact from your investment

When it comes to recruitment solutions, it's tough to know where to allocate the funds. Confusion like this may lead to a lot of wasteful expenditure by a business, which in turn leads to losses.

A firm might spend on publishing job adverts across multiple media and channels when it could have been better spent on, for example, one well-targeted social network.  

Seeing immediate data on the performance of your job advertisements across different channels will allow you to make more high-impact decisions on how to spend your budget in order to get the best results.

8. Improved candidate experience

An efficient hiring and application process is the key to success for your business.

These same candidates can speak favorably about your business which will help you attain a stronger position in the market.

BROWSE: Over 200 ready-to-use job description templates

9. Automated report generation

One of the many benefits of using an applicant tracking system is the ability to keep track of the whole employment process from start to finish.

To keep tabs on the progress of the project, data from various stages of the workflow, including job listings, is gathered. Analyzing the performance of social media networks may be done using an applicant tracking system.

This aids businesses in identifying and optimizing process flaws and inefficiencies. In a nutshell, it streamlines the hiring process and makes it easier to find and hire new employees. One of the most important features of any recruitment program is the ability to automate repetitive tasks.

How does an applicant tracking system save a business time and money?

It's not a question of if an applicant tracking system will save you time and money but how much. There are many ways in which an applicant tracking system can save a business time and money. 

These include:

• Avoiding paid job advertisements when you already have suitable applicants in your pool of talent. If a position is open due to staff turnover, there may be candidates who could jump straight into the new role without a prolonged training or adjustment period. If those candidates are not being actively considered because they're not actively looking for work, then you're missing out on a potentially cost-saving source of talent.

• Reducing the number of applicants you need to interview. If a candidate cannot pass an initial screening, then there's no point in interviewing them further unless they have special skills or qualifications that make them stand out from other candidates for similar roles. This makes it easier and faster to identify those who will be successful in your hiring process.

It goes without saying that it will also save you time spent physically reviewing application documents like resumes or CVs which can be tedious to read through in the first place. 

If your team members spend most of their working week on other tasks like filling out forms for applicants, it means that you are losing out on the potential productivity being generated by your employees.

According to figures published in this Harvard Business Review article, great companies prioritize production (doing more with the same number of resources) above efficiency (doing the same thing with less). How would you characterize the two in light of this?

Despite their apparent similarities, these two techniques may have radically different implications on a company's long-term success and return on investment.

Results of the study in the article showed that workers desire to be more productive, yet organizations usually obstruct this aim from being realized. After polling 300 top executives from major corporations across the world, they discovered that those who embraced an efficiency mindset were more than 40% more productive.

READ MORE: How to start a staffing agency

Final Thoughts

With the use of applicant tracking systems tools, the time it takes to complete an application may be dramatically decreased. Firms will find the streamlined technique to be far more efficient, particularly when dealing with a large number of candidates.

Finding new personnel for your business may be a challenging process, so you want to be sure you select the right choice. Using an applicant tracking system may save recruiters and hiring managers a lot of time and work and the way your organization recruits and increase your bottom line.

Manatal offers recruiters and HR teams a way to cut the manual tasks and improve productivity. With AI-driven candidate scoring, a singular data dashboard for deeper collaboration and decision-making, our ATS is a strategic investment that helps teams improve productivity and save cost.

Start your 14-day free trial today and leverage Manatal to supercharge your recruitment operations.

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