Companies use applicant tracking systems for several reasons, but most often it is for one or more of the following, according to CareerBuilder’s May 2005 paper entitled “Total Integration: Your Roadmap for Streamlining the Recruiting Function”:
• Real-Time Job Postings
• Resume Data and Application Integration
• Third-Party Resume Database Integration
• Reporting
• Leveraging External Technologies
According to CIO.com, “an applicant tracking system (ATS), also called a candidate management system, is a software application designed to help an enterprise recruit employees more efficiently. It is estimated that roughly 50 percent of all mid-sized companies and almost all large corporations use some type of applicant tracking system.”
Taleo Corporation, a major leader in this space, defines an ATS on their website as follows: “An applicant tracking system is a program (usually with a web-based section) used to monitor and coordinate an organization’s job applications and help manage its recruitment needs. In general, an applicant tracking system stores candidate resumes inside a database to permit effective searching, filtering, and routing of applicants. Such systems usually include a job board, allowing companies to post jobs onto a secure website as a means of attracting candidates.” Taleo goes on to describe why such a system is useful: “Corporations and agencies use an applicant tracking system to improve productivity in their recruiting process. Electronic handling of candidate data from their resumes plays a major role in reducing inefficiencies through automated processes. Further, the improved organization of candidate information through the use of an applicant tracking system allows quicker recruitment decisions. All of which leads to reduced cost and time per