This article will help you quickly compare and evaluate the best applicant tracking systems (ATS).
Why?
Because applicant management and tracking is a daunting task. As soon as you hit “publish” on any job posting site, the resumes and qualifications from job seekers will start rolling in. It can be overwhelming to keep track of them all, not to mention pick out the most qualified candidates and remember why they stood out.
Some people rely on spreadsheets and email threads as their version of a “free applicant tracking system” but that is never a fully reliable method for narrowing down the candidate pool to find the perfect fit.
A complete recruitment management system may simply collect and organize applications—this is a main function of applicant tracking software—but nowadays the entire system may also include many additional features, including recruitment CRM, talent acquisition, human resource management, talent management, metric-based recruiting, candidate experience, and predictive analytics. Finding the right recruitment software can take care of a lot of administrative overhead.
In this post, I’ll share with you the basics of what applicant tracking software tools do, tell you what you should look for in an application tracker, and highlight a few of the best ones I’ve come across.
Quickly Compare & Evaluate The 10 Best Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
The below-recruiting software can help streamline application management, the recruiting process, onboarding, and HR. Here’s a sneak peek:
The Best Applicant Tracking Systems List
Here’s a shortlist of the best ATS systems:
- SAP SuccessFactors
- Oracle Taleo
- iCIMS Recruit
- Smart Recruiters
- Workday
- Workable
- JazzHR
- Bullhorn
- Greenhouse
- Hiring Room
ATS System FAQ
If you’re looking into ATS software for the first time, start here with these common questions.
What is ATS?
ATS stands for “applicant tracking system”, which is a digital tool that assists with collection, sorting, and analysis of online job submissions. Using an ATS is a way to lessen the administrative burden of the recruitment process and the hiring process.
How do applicant tracking systems work?
Applicant tracking systems manage the process of filling an open job role by either aggregating data from third-party sources (like Indeed and Yello) or platforming all of those tasks within the ATS tool itself.
An ATS tool may encompass all or just a few of the following processes: job posting, resume parsing and collection, qualification analysis, referral programs, interview scheduling, HR, CRM, onboarding, and so on.
Overviews Of The 10 Best Applicant Tracking Systems
Here’s a brief description of each of the ATS tracking tools that are featured on this top 10 list.
1. SAP SuccessFactors – Best for data analytics and reporting.
SAP SuccessFactors is an ATS portal with everything from candidate relationship management through talent reviews and calibration tools. This ATS solution also includes functionalities for HR professionals outside of recruiting, such as payroll and performance management.
2. Oracle Taleo – Best for large enterprises.
This applicant tracking software is an easy-to-use Fortune 500 ATS interface for candidates, recruiters, hiring managers, and hiring teams. Oracle Taleo takes a mobile-first, data-driven approach.
3. iCIMS Recruit – Best for advertising job postings.
This ATS online system has tools for job advertising strategies, Google job search optimization, and employee referrals. iCIMS Recruit can also keep track of open positions and job postings.
4. Smart Recruiters – Best for ease of use and user interface.
SmartRecuiters is an enterprise-grade recruitment database with features like screening assessments, scorecards, and background checks. Like many of the other ATS solutions on this list, SmartRecruiters is delivered as a SaaS.
5. Workday – Best for onboarding processes.
Workday is a recruitment CRM software for candidates, recruiters, and hiring managers alike. This tool is great for creating workforce plans all the way through on-boarding.
6. Workable – Best for customization according to specific needs.
Workable offers a recruitment CRM that navigates the hiring process from posting a job description all the way to offer letters, including instant posts to 200+ job sites. Workable is also easy to use for tracking job requirements and requisitions, and has a built-in functionality to schedule interviews with candidates.
7. JazzHR – Best for small businesses.
JazzHR is a human resources management tool with ATS capabilities that lets users rank, track, and discuss the best candidates and top talent alongside a custom workflow for each job opening.
8. Bullhorn – Best for combination CRM and ATS solutions.
Bullhorn offers a combination of ATS and CRM with email integration to parse resumes, whether in PDF or Word Document format; add notes, and create new tasks and appointments based on your inbox.
9. Greenhouse – Best for automating recruiting and hiring tasks.
Greenhouse is great for sourcing and nurturing the right candidates, setting up an equitable hiring process, and tracking candidate relationships over time.
10. Hiring Room – Best for multilingual applicant tracking.
Hiring Room has a multilingual applicant tracking system with social media and referee network links, centralized management, and more.
Other Applicant Tracking Systems
Here’s a few more that didn’t make the top applicant tracking systems list. If you need additional suggestions, check these out.
- Jobvite – Hiring software with powerful referral capabilities, built-in automated intelligence, and the ability to screen and rank candidates automatically.
- Ascendify – Hiring tools that personalize content based on the applicant, automatically skill match people into talent pipelines, and identify which team they fit into best.
- Yello – Leverage acquisition, recruitment marketing, and operations functionality in a single platform and make smarter hiring decisions.
- Avature – A comprehensive enterprise solution that can be configured to manage executive, professional, and hourly recruiting.
- Zenefits – Create a compensation package and auto-send offer letters to new hires, create PTO policies, and manage requests, plus more HR capabilities.
- Namely – Recruiting features that include custom job workflows, job posting and syndication, configurable job applications, and background checks.
- Ultimate Software – Candidate-centric hiring platform design that helps you engage candidates throughout the application process with simple technology that they want to use.
- Beamery – Recruit more proactively by engaging pipelines of qualified talent and improve the end-to-end talent experience.
- Talemetry – An enterprise recruitment marketing platform with AI-powered recruiting software, cutting-edge recruitment automation tools, and training and support.
- Hiretual – An all-in-one hiring platform for talent search, talent engagement, and talent relationship management.
- BambooHR – A human resource manager with tools for automatic alerts, in-system messaging, maintaining your employer brand, sending an offer with letter templates, and a mobile app.
- Symphony Talent – A candidate-centric hiring platform that provides an information-rich, relevant, and engaging experience.
- Freshworks Freshteam – Create, manage, and publish job postings; describe job listings using templates; and advertise job postings through a range of channels.
- Breezy – A user-friendly candidate management system with a drag-and-drop visual hiring pipeline that shows you in a glance where a candidate is, at any time.
- Zoho Recruit – Pre-screening assessments, resume management tools, built-in reports, and dashboards, hiring pipeline, and recruiting KPIs.
- Lever – Build and track your talent pipeline and capture the actions, engagements, and decisions in a talent database that track insights to cost and value.
- MyRecruitment Platform – A cloud-based online hiring system that offers some free ATS tools at their entry-level plan, like 1 active job opening and e-forms.
- Collage – Create a professional, branded career page with no IT required and automatically syndicate it to popular online job boards such as Indeed.
- Smashfly – A talent marketing platform that combines a recruiting CRM, career site, recruiting event management, referrals, and analytics solutions
What Do You Think About These Applicant Tracking Systems?
Have you tried out any of the applicant tracking systems listed above? Let us know in the comments what you look for, and which features you’ve found most useful in your work.
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