You want to simplify your company’s hiring process but you are dithering between choosing an applicant tracking system and recruitment software. But don’t sweat it!
I have carried out in-depth research on both ATS and recruitment software to know their functions, features, pros & cons, and more to write on the topic.
Read on to get the hang of both these systems and decide what will fit in with your company’s size, operational procedure, and budget. So, it’s applicant tracking system vs recruitment software.
Table of Contents
Understanding Applicant Tracking System
An applicant tracking system works as an automation software, primarily developed for scanning resumes, searching keywords, and sorting as well as filtering CVs that match the requirements needed for the company.
Hiring managers can then check or screen candidates using the ATS, as well as track their progress through the hiring process. ATS, in this way, digitizes the hiring process and saves employers time and money.
Understanding Recruitment Software
A recruitment software is a tool designed particularly to help recruiters communicate with candidates, store and scan candidate data to find qualified candidates, and boost their efficiency in discovering and hiring the right candidates.
A recruitment software enables recruiters to communicate with applicants by automatically dispatching emails or reminders to candidates, dispelling the need for manual efforts. The recruiting CRM can store resumes, contact details, and notes about each candidate, making it much easier to track top talent and create candidate pools.
Applicant Tracking System vs Recruitment Software
Working Procedure
ATS
- ATS receives a job requisition. This requisition encompasses info about the position like the job title, preferred skills, and required experience.
- The ATS then leverages this information to build a profile for the ideal candidate.
- As applicants submit their resumes, the ATS analyzes, filters, and ranks them based on how well they align with the profile.
- Hiring managers then swiftly detect the most qualified candidates and move them forward in the hiring process.
Recruitment Software
Unlike ATS, the role of recruiting software is to optimize and partially automate the talent acquisition and hiring workflow so organizations can hire the best talent for their team quickly and easily.
- It kicks off with a company inputting data on open positions and the desired qualifications for those positions.
- The software then gathers data on potential candidates from different sources, including job boards, social media, and resume databases.
- Once the data is collected, recruiting software uses AI and machine learning to identify the candidates that are the best match for each position.
- It then contacts the best candidates for each position.
- The system then presents the results to the company, which can further contact the candidates and start the hiring process.
ATS Facilitates Collaboration while Recruitment Software Eases Communication
ATS systems ensure better collaboration among hiring team members. ATS offers a centralized platform for collaboration. Rather than relying on scattered spreadsheets or email chains, your team members can collaborate better with one another through the centralized system. It allows for leaving comments, sharing feedback, and keeping track of candidate interactions.
A recruiting software, contrarily, leverages automation tools allowing you to have one-on-one communication with potential candidates, keeping them informed about company updates, new openings, or events. This constant communication enhances your employer brand and keeps your organization at the top of potential candidates’ minds.
ATS is Best for Candidates’ Overall Experience but the Latter Improves Candidates’ Sourcing Experience
With ATS, you get to provide candidates with timely feedback on their tests and stay engaged throughout the hiring process through automated email responses and status updates. This makes candidates feel valued, leading to a positive perception of your company and higher chances of them applying for future roles.
The recruitment software enables you to find qualified candidates from various sources, including job boards, social media, referrals, and resume databases. You can also automate and streamline the process of contacting, screening, and tracking candidates with this type of tool, saving you time and resources.
ATS Gathers all Candidate Data in One place while the Latter Nurtures Candidates
ATS helps you collect all candidate information in a single platform, making it easier to access and search for specific profiles. Also, ATS systems often come with advanced search capabilities, letting you rapidly filter and identify qualified candidates based on specific criteria. This improves the speed and accuracy of your candidate screening process, ensuring you find the best fit for your organization.
By contrast, a recruiting platform allows you to maintain connections with potential candidates, fostering relationships and keeping them engaged with your organization even if there isn’t a current role suited for them. This makes sure you have a pool of interested and engaged candidates when new positions open.
ATS Stresses Tracking while Recruitment Software Focuses on Automation Tasks
ATS is meant for tracking and organizing candidates, resumes, and job postings. They are also used for creating a workflow to manage the entire hiring process, from job postings to onboarding new hires.
Recruitment automation tools are focused on automating tasks like resume screening, candidate sourcing, interview auto-scheduling, candidate assessment, etc. This engages and guides candidates throughout the process, and gathers feedback from hiring managers to simplify the recruitment process.
Both Systems Ensure Time-saving & Efficiency
With an ATS, you get to manage the entire hiring process efficiently. An ATS can scale up your recruitment efficiency by automating tiring & repetitive tasks that typically eat up your time.
A recruitment software also maximizes efficiency during the hiring process. From resume parsing to interview auto-scheduling, it minimizes the bulk of HR teams’ time spent filling vacancies, freeing up their precious hours to invest in other profitable tasks.
ATS & Recruitment Software alike Come with Varying Pricing Models
Some of the common pricing models of ATS and recruitment software include Pay per user, Tiered, Per recruit, Per job post, Flat rate, and Pay as you go. So, different ATS and recruiting software have different pricing models, depending on how they want to target their audience.
A number of software platforms have a blend of different pricing models, letting users choose their desired model. Apart from that, both these types of systems come with free trials and free plans, giving potential customers to try their systems upfront.
My Recommendation
Go for ATS-
If you own a small business where you don’t encounter much complexity in your hiring process. Your HR team just creates a required job post, inputs it into the system, and the candidate applications get underway. You also get to keep track of all the applicants with ATS smoothly.
Go for recruitment software-
If you own an SME or Large enterprise where you have to deal with various complexities in your hiring process. From getting higher management approvals to collaborating with HR teams, you need a recruiting system to simplify all these processes.
Take the Plunge
So, that’s it with the applicant tracking system vs recruitment software. Now, the ball is in your court.
I have compared the key aspects & features of both ATS and recruitment software to make it easy for you to choose your option. Consider the size, operational procedure, and budget of your company to easily understand which system will be useful for your business.
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