What are the most important ATS configuration tips for recruiters?
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An applicant tracking system (ATS) is a software tool that helps recruiters manage the hiring process, from sourcing candidates to screening resumes to scheduling interviews. However, not all ATSs are created equal, and some may require more configuration than others to optimize their functionality and performance. Here are some of the most important ATS configuration tips for recruiters who want to make the most of their system and avoid common pitfalls.
Before you can configure your ATS, you need to choose the right one for your organization's needs and goals. There are many factors to consider, such as the size and complexity of your hiring pipeline, the integration with other platforms and tools, the user interface and experience, the cost and support, and the features and capabilities. You should do your research, compare different options, and test them out before making a final decision. You should also look for an ATS that is flexible, scalable, and customizable, so that you can adjust it to your changing requirements.
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Arouj Fatima
56k+ 🎯 Helped 1000+ candidates to secure job with 5-star reviews 🎯 Talent Hunter & Recruiter 🎯 Help companies to connect dream talent 🎯 Helping candidates in their dream career 🎯 Headhunter 🎯 HR Consultant
Configuring an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) optimally can significantly benefit recruiters. Here are some essential tips: -Customization -Keywords and Search Functions -Streamline Workflows -Integration with Job Boards and Platforms -User Training -Consistent Data Entry -Applicant Communication -Reports and Analytics -Compliance and Security -Regular Review and Updates
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Natalia Santander
Executive Search at FARFETCH | Certified Diversity Sourcing Professional (CDSP)
The dream ATS should offer customizable dashboards, allowing selection of key data points. It would provide conversion rate-based recommendations. It should generate tailored reports to access necessary information without sifting through excess data, featuring an advanced Boolean search for identifying hidden talent. GDPR compliance is vital, it'll offer approved diversity-improvement methods. AI would suggest candidates based on historical data and job requirements, making it highly user-friendly for generating complex reports quickly. Users must commit to impeccable data entry, especially concerning interview feedback and scores. The future of reporting is interactive, where managers and recruiters grow their expertise together.
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Once you have your ATS, you need to set up your workflows, which are the steps and stages that candidates go through in your hiring process. Your workflows should reflect your hiring strategy, your hiring team's roles and responsibilities, and your candidates' expectations and preferences. You should also make sure that your workflows are consistent, clear, and efficient, so that you can track and measure your progress, communicate effectively with your candidates and stakeholders, and avoid delays and errors. You can use templates, automation, and triggers to streamline your workflows and save time and resources.
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Emily Tatham
Head of Marketing @ Caraffi
My best advice for setting up workflows is start simple. Configure your systems to the minimum set of steps that allow you to get the job done. When you identify an area that's not performing and needs delving into further, add more process steps that allow you to measure this step in more detail to get the bottom of the hold up. If you start off by trying to get people to drive an F1 car before they've mastered a go-kart you'll never get buy in for your process.
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Pete Stanton
RPO Operations Manager | Reed Talent Solutions | Defence 🚀 Engineering ⚙️ Technology 💻
Keep these to a minimum - in todays market there’s nothing more off-putting than competing unnecessary steps or filling out long, complicated forms for information which can be easily found on a CV. Every decision needs to be made with the candidate experience in mind.
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Another important aspect of configuring your ATS is customizing your fields and forms, which are the data and information that you collect and store about your candidates and jobs. Your fields and forms should be relevant, accurate, and compliant, so that you can capture and analyze the data that matters to you, ensure the quality and validity of your candidates' profiles, and follow the legal and ethical standards of your industry and location. You can use custom fields and forms to tailor your data collection to your specific needs and criteria, and to avoid unnecessary or redundant information.
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Nick Gomez
Helping AEC companies scale their business at Gleky
One-size-fits-all ATS fields are a waste of time. Your ATS fields should be tailored to your specific hiring needs. Don't collect data that you're not going to use, and don't make candidates jump through hoops. Take the time to customize your fields and forms, and you'll be rewarded with a more efficient and effective hiring process.
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Frederic Bonifassy
Global Talent Acquisition | Recruitment & Job Search Services
Even if it's time consuming, it's really important to add as much automation as possible in the workflow of your ATS. Every hiring process steps should have an email template to be sent to candidates, hiring managers, agency. Every steps should trigger an action. For great clarity, try to map out all the steps, with possible scenarios, emails and actions triggered, from application to offer accepted. It will make your life earsier !!
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Resume parsing is the process of extracting and organizing the data from candidates' resumes into your ATS. It is a crucial function that affects the speed and accuracy of your screening and matching process. However, resume parsing can also be challenging, as different resumes may have different formats, styles, and languages. To optimize your resume parsing, you should use a reliable and robust resume parser that can handle various types of resumes, recognize and categorize different sections and fields, and eliminate duplicates and errors. You should also test and review your resume parsing regularly to ensure its quality and consistency.
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Krunal Trivedi
Talent Acquisition Manager @ Krish TechnoLabs | Talent Acquisition & Development
Resume parsing tools are part of most ATS platforms. It is important that your resume parsing tool can scan all types of CVs and easily capture the data from the CV. Along with the employer history, resume parsing tools should be capable enough to capture the other social media links of the candidate from the CV and reflect it.
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Nick Gomez
Helping AEC companies scale their business at Gleky
Garbage-in, garbage-out. So make sure your resume parsing is top-notch. Your resume parser is the gatekeeper of your hiring process. If it's not accurate, you're missing out on top talent. Invest in a good resume parser, and test it regularly to make sure it's doing its job.
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Finally, you should update your settings and preferences, which are the options and features that you can control and adjust in your ATS. Your settings and preferences should reflect your current and future needs and goals, as well as your feedback and suggestions. You should also review and update them periodically to keep up with the changes and trends in your hiring environment and industry. Some of the settings and preferences that you should pay attention to are the security and privacy, the notifications and alerts, the reports and analytics, and the integrations and extensions.
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Nick Gomez
Helping AEC companies scale their business at Gleky
Don't neglect your ATS settings. Your ATS settings can make or break your hiring process. Make sure they're optimized to meet your specific needs and goals. Review them regularly and make updates as needed. It's a small investment that will pay off big time.
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Aiyaz Uddin
Founder. Speaker. Building @TheStaffingCircle | Coached & Mentored Recruitment Entrepreneurs & Business Owners, & Trained Over 4000+ Professionals Globally
Agencies often set ATS settings and preferences based on their own criteria, without realizing that they can also set these for candidates and clients. By carefully reviewing and updating these settings and preferences, agencies can improve client success and candidate experience.
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Sabina Hüttner
Global Talent Acquisition | Senior Sourcer | D&I Sourcer with a focus in Engineering
Don´t forget about the candidate experience. Choose an ATS where candidates can easy apply. Select an ATS where you can easily measure the time to hire, source of the candidate and one that is adaptable and easy to use for Hiring Managers and Recruiters.
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MD AL - SHAHRIAR
Sr. Admin & Document Controller at Italian-Thai Development Bangladesh "ITDB"
Customize fields, stages, and workflows to reflect unique hiring processes and terminology. All team members using the ATS are adequately trained & it should be mobile friendly. To help filter set up keyword & Integrate email system with the ATS