Applicant Tracking Systems

If you are a business owner or hiring manager at an organization, you might already be familiar with applicant tracking systems. If you aren’t, these are tools employers can use to process in-coming applications for a job with your company.

These types of tools are helpful for companies both big and small. For large organizations – it helps to pare down your pool of candidates using keyword recognition software. Big companies can receive hundreds, if not thousands of resumes and applicant tracking systems can filter out unqualified applicants or those who do not provide adequate proof of their qualifications. For smaller businesses, who may not have a lot of employees to start with, the system can do some of the work for you, so you only have to read the best resumes and cover letters for the specific position.

Applicant Tracking Systems Algorithm 

The ATS system works using an algorithm, which is optimized to the specific job you are recruiting for. Since large companies often are recruiting for more than one position at a time, this allows you to have separate algorithms set for each position. This really saves time and ensures that only the very best candidates rise to the top.

Using Keywords

The keywords you use to set the algorithm. The keywords you use are generally found in the job description in the posting. The words should be specific to the role relating to skills, education, and experience. Some of the keywords will carry more weight than others.

The keywords you want to use are the most important ones for the role. The credentials that are mandatory. This will get rid of the long-shot candidates who thought it was worth trying to apply. Applicant Tracking Systems will filter out those candidates, as it’s unlikely they will have the keywords in their resume.

Which ATS should I choose?

There are plenty of versions of this type of software out there. The best thing to do is do your research, talk to other business owners and watch some online tutorials to see which interface you prefer.

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