The Ultimate Application Tracking System Comparison

In today’s world, the vast majority of job applications are done online. Mostly gone are the days when candidates would hand over their CVs in person and hope to get a phone call offering them an interview. In this increasingly digital age, application tracking systems are crucial to employers to ensure they get the right candidates for the roles they’re looking to fill. Before we start, let's establish exactly what application tracking systems are.

What is an application tracking system?

An application tracking system (or ATS) is a piece of computer software that streamlines the hiring process for recruiters, hiring managers, and human resource departments. An ATS will store, rank and score CVs based on keywords, formats, job titles, work experience, and a variety of other factors. It's one of the most in-demand tools in the recruitment tech stack, assisting recruiters in filtering and sorting through hundreds of thousands of CVs in order to find the most suitable candidates for that role.

What are the benefits of using an ATS?

Time efficiency

A key benefit of employing an ATS system is the time efficiency factor. Utilising Artificial Intelligence to sift through the large numbers of applicants for most jobs today is much more cost and time effective than using employees.

Facilitates posting of jobs

Using an ATS avoids much of the work involved in manually uploading job vacancies to different on-line job boards. The software from an ATS can also collate the data from different job board sources, into a simple and easy to manage format

Optimise the application experience

Using an ATS streamlines the experience for the candidate as well as the employer, with much quicker response times and automated confirmation emails upon each stage of the application process. This can also help to improve the reputation of an employer, even if the candidate was unsuccessful - after all nobody wants to apply for a job and hear nothing back!

What other features are there?

Other potential features of using an ATS include employee referral programmes. This allows current employees to easily inform their contacts where to look for open positions at your company by utilising a well-established referral programme. Others also allow video recordings to be inserted during the application process. This allows businesses to more easily maintain swift communication with applicants by having them respond directly to the recruitment team through a series of screening questions.

Which ATS should you use?

The type of ATS best suited to a business depends on the type of candidates they are recruiting. For instance, some specialise in Apprenticeship vacancies, a type of employment that has risen sharply in popularity over the last few years. It is also worth noting that the Apprenticeship Levy has meant that Training Providers and Recruiters have to focus more on having a system in place that can help employers to attract talent and create vacancies that can be posted quickly and efficiently to the government ‘find an apprenticeship’ site.

ATS that focus on apprenticeships include enrola and JustApply.

enrola

This ATS allows a number of features, such as automated recruitment, employer and contact management, as well the ability to post to multiple job boards at once. enrola also includes fully customisable application forms to tailor the type of data employers want to collect.

JustApply

JustApply enables employers to post apprenticeship vacancies quickly to the National Apprenticeship Service website among others. They also create brand-specific recruitment portals that let employers capture candidate data and find suitable candidates for their job vacancies. 

However, ATS exists for the majority of job vacancies today, not just apprenticeships. Other popular systems include Broadbean and Amberjack.

Broadbean

Broadbean focus on cost analysis, helping employers to identify the top-performing candidate source, as well as posting jobs to different platforms. They also offer a media service for businesses looking for support to make the best decisions when it comes to attracting talent.

Amberjack

With a focus on their High Volume Hiring Solution, Amberjack provides support across the entire recruitment process. They help employers recruit efficiently and on a larger scale. Amberjack also supports employers to build their presence in their sector and ensure long-term pipelines of talent are created.

There is likely to be a suitable ATS for most employers, however, which one depends on the employer and what their key objectives are.

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