Are You Using Applicant Tracking System To Its Best

An applicant tracking system could be the lifeblood of any staffing company. The capabilities of a great ATS solution do much more than merely store CVs and contact data.

It is necessary to consider the applicant tracking system as a tool that can be used for customer relationship management. Staffing professionals can use ATS data to develop and retain customer relationships by frequently understanding their recruitment needs and providing the right candidate at the right time. Unless the recruitment professionals use it with such goals in mind, the features of ATS cannot provide that desired value.

Ins and outs of your ATS. Recruitment professionals can use the ATS as its CRM system to collect core data, which can only work when they understand the real value and potential of this tool. It may include extracting data about candidates — contact details, skills, experience, location — along with the status of the application so that it can be appropriately used at right time.

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For instance, the application status is important to know to ensure they contact candidates who are ready and available to accept the opportunity. There are several other types of data that ATS can capture, like peers’ comments or interview notes. Storing and retrieving such data can  simplify the search for the ideal candidate. The comments of colleagues would help recruiters to zero in the right candidate and understand the preferences of the candidate. Understanding these capabilities of ATS will make the search for right candidate easier.

Data customization. The staffing professional can use the data stored in the ATS to develop a short list of potential applicants that are just ideal and can be contacted for a specific job. After completion of this phase, the next phase is to ascertain how to contact and what to say. Phone call or email? Candidate preferences vary, and the data available of the past contacts in the ATS can help the recruiters make the right decision. Information from the ATS can also help a recruiter know what to say, based on the past experience with the candidates and the exact requirements of the clients — which the CRM systems can provide. The right usage of ATS to get candidates and client data can enable staffing professionals to streamline their approaches and enhance the possibilities of success immensely.

Test, refine and get the data. Recruitment professionals can enhance the usability of the ATS over time the by storing the right data like right time for hiring, number of closed placements per professional and many more analytics that can enable professionals to detect what will work and where is the possibility to improve, resulting in the most ideal possible methodology. In a way, the well-used ATS can help redefine the working strategy of staffing company to perform better in the recruitment industry.

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