21 Sep How do ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) work?
Nowadays employers have a wide range of recruitment tools at their disposal, these include the Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), designed to make the recruitment process easier.
In this blog post, we explain how they work since this information may help you in your application preparation.
What is an ATS?
The Applicant Tracking Systems enable employers to store, sort and analyze candidates’ resumes and cover letters, as well as tracking the progress of applications during the recruitment process.
Another helpful function of ATS are filters. The recruiters simply need to enter a keyword in the filters to consult the profiles that match the search. These tools also analyse submitted CVs to extract key information, such as previous employers, skills, qualifications, interests, etc.
This is why it is important to know how to write your CV in a proper way, and use the right words to emphasise your professional experience and skills.
How does an ATS work?
Most ATSs are interoperable: they can be integrated with other recruitment tools as well as professional social networks (LinkedIn) or internal tools (CRM, etc.).
To reach the best profiles, many ATS have a sourcing function: the tool connects to the social networks, and analyses the profiles based on the inputs provided by the recruiters. Once collected, these data are stored in a database.
Some AI tools organise the data, and make it available to the analysis tools. These ones highlight the candidates who best match the job requirements.
When interviews are done, through ATS candidates are sorted according to their progress through the recruitment process.
What are the benefits of using an ATS?
The first and most visible benefit is the time saved for recruiters. Using a recruitment software enables recruiters to automate certain tasks so that they can concentrate more on their core business: selecting the best candidates. With an ATS, the total time of the recruitment process is considerably reduced.
Further, all the recruitment information is centralised and available on a single platform.
Knowledge of recruitment tools is very important for those who want to apply for a job. It allows you to better prepare your resume and choose your words well.
If you want to better understand how to make sure your CV passes ATS checks, do not miss our article “ATS: how to beat it?”.