More businesses than ever are recognising the advantages of an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). However, we still hear a lot of misconceptions floating around about recruitment software.

Using an ATS allows recruiters and HR professionals to manage their company’s entire recruitment process; from posting a job advert and receiving initial applications to interviewing, hiring and onboarding candidates all within your recruitment software.

There are many benefits that an ATS can deliver, including increased efficiencies, streamlined processes, speedier hiring and reduced costs.

So why do they have such a bad reputation amongst people who don’t actually use them?

At Webrecruit, we champion the use of the ATS and want to debunk some of the common myths we hear about Applicant Tracking Systems:

 

Misconception 1: They remove the human element of hiring

When many candidates think about ATSs, they think that their applications are being assessed and rejected by robots.

Yes, many types of ATS feature pre-filtering technology, however the majority of the time CVs are being reviewed by real-life HR and recruitment professionals.

We’re a strong believer that technology should help you to recruit but it shouldn’t do the hiring for you. Recruitment will always be a people-focused industry and human-to-human interaction will be the best indicator of whether a candidate is absolutely right for your business.

Recruitment software can bring many benefits to the recruitment process, such as relieving admin tasks, reducing your time to hire and providing data and insight to help influence future decisions. However, it will never replace the humanity in hiring.

 

Misconception 2: They are too expensive

An ATS doesn’t have to cost the earth. There are a wide variety of ATSs on the market, ranging from basic shortlist managers to fully configured enterprise level systems. Whatever your budget, you’re likely to find a solution that’s suitable for you.

Different vendors tend to adopt different pricing models for their ATSs. This is why it’s important to take stock of your requirements and find a pricing model that works for your business. For example, if you advertise hundreds of vacancies a month, choosing a supplier that adopts a ‘per job’ pricing model probably wouldn’t make sense.

Additionally, using an ATS can actually save your business money in the long-term; whether it’s by improving efficiencies to free up time for your team or providing the means to report on advertising spend, you can end up with a great return on your investment.

 

Misconception 3: They should only be used by large organisations

Whether you have 100 employees or 10,000 employees, all companies can benefit from an ATS. Your company size might very well influence the type of recruitment software that you choose, however the benefits you experience should be the same.

Smaller companies might not need to make many hires, however an ATS can help them to manage their applications and build talent pools to make future recruitment quicker and more cost-effective.

 

Misconception 4: They take weeks to implement

Choosing between Applicant Tracking Systems can be a difficult, lengthy process. However, implementing an ATS doesn’t have to be a long drawn-out process; many companies can be set-up with access to their recruitment software in a matter of days (in fact, web-based systems such as Webrecruit ATS can be implemented within hours!)

While you might need to wait a little longer for a fully configured, enterprise-level system, you can get up and running quickly on most ATSs that are accessible via a browser.

 

Misconception 5: They’re not secure

With the implementation of GDPR in 2018, there’s more awareness than ever before about data privacy and security. As ATSs hold a lot of candidate data, there’s a common belief that they might not be secure.

However, quite the contrary. Candidate data is much more secure when held within an encrypted database, rather than being included in multiple emails and spreadsheets. An ATS makes it easy to identify and delete candidate data as requested as it’s all stored in one place. Additionally, all candidates will be presented with your company’s privacy policy when applying for a vacancy.

Looking to learn more about Applicant Tracking Systems? Book a demo of Webrecruit ATS to find out how recruitment software can benefit your business.