Ah, yes the hiring process. Something truly exciting for some and horribly miserable for others. No matter which way you spin it though, dealing with finding a new job, recruiting for a new job, or hiring for a new job is stressful. Many recruiting companies rely on an ATS or Applicant Tracking System to do a lot of the heavy lifting for them. While an ATS can be an “ok” option for most, it’s certainly not perfect and there are at least 3 weaknesses you should be aware of - take a look!

What is an ATS?

Before we dive into the weaknesses of an ATS, let’s first define an ATS...What is this Applicant Tracking System you speak of? Let’s take a look at a few different sites’ definitions of an ATS:

“An applicant tracking system — or ATS, for short — is a type of software used by recruiters and employers during the hiring process to collect, sort, scan, and rank the job applications they receive for their open positions.The applicant tracking system was initially created for large corporations that are accustomed to dealing with several thousand inbound job applications on a weekly basis. Today, approximately 95 percent of Fortune 500 companies rely on ATS software to help streamline their recruitment process. However, what began as a recruitment solution for large employers has turned into a commonplace tool for companies of all shapes and sizes.” - TopResume

“When applicants apply for a job online, their contact information, experience, educational background, resume, and cover letter are uploaded into the database. The information can then be transferred from one component of the system to another as candidates move through the hiring process. The system allows company recruiters to review the applications, send applicants automated messages letting them know their applications have been received, and give online tests. Hiring managers can schedule interviews and mail rejection letters through the ATS. Finally, human resources personnel can use the same information to put individuals on the payroll once they are hired. These integrated systems streamline the recruiting, application, and hiring process for employers.” - The Balance Careers

“An applicant tracking system automates an organization’s recruiting and staffing operations, and provides a central repository for candidate data—including résumés and applications. An ATS is built to help you better manage every stage in the recruiting process, from application to hire, while delivering greater overall efficiency.” -Bullhorn

The 3 Weaknesses:

It Lacks the Human Element- When you are the one looking for a job, one of the most frustrating aspects, especially when dealing with an ATS is not being able to get a hold of a human being. The human element in HR is huge these days and rightfully so. There’s nothing more irritating than having to deal with technology and run into a problem and then not be able to actually get a hold of a person who can reason and think independently. CIO states a great quote from Lever: "Finding talent and recruiting is one of the most human of endeavors, but so often the human element is left out of the equation. Recruiting should take a page from marketing's playbook to focus on finding and connecting with people the same way marketing does -- only your candidates are your consumers," says Leela Srinivasan, CMO for ATS and recruiting software solutions company Lever. It’s true, finding a job should be a human experience and sometimes an ATS can really throw a wrench in your hiring plans.

An ATS isn’t Tailored Towards Your Target Market- Because ATS softwares tends to be pretty generalized so it’s tough to tailor the system to one target market. There isn’t a whole lot of customization available so if you’re targeting an incredibly niche market, the odds of that specific criteria being met is low. Job Align gives this perspective on ATS and target markets: “In the current recruiting world, salaried workers apply to jobs by going on a computer and uploading their resume, which gets submitted directly into an ATS. However, these ATSs were not designed with the hourly candidate in mind. Roughly 90% of hourly candidates do not have a resume, so why would your application require one? ATSs often do not allow hourly workers to engage in ways best suited for them, such as applying through text message, searching and applying through Facebook, and offering a bilingual solution. Many require password and login creation. What this leads to is only 20% of hourly candidates completing the application process. Eight out of ten hourly job seekers abandon! Don’t accept this as the norm.” See what we mean? If you’re using an ATS to hire for an hourly position, you may want to reconsider if you’re trying to find a specific candidate.

Increased Risk with Receiving Low Quality Candidates- This goes hand in hand perfectly with the above weakness: you’re going to deal with low quality candidates when you use an ATS. This is because you can’t really tailor an ATS to your specific needs and can’t really reach those target candidates, bringing in those that are less than satisfactory. Job Align also has an opinion on this point: “When it is a struggle to attract a sufficient volume of candidates in the first place, it is especially difficult to attract qualified candidates. If you are recruiting for a position requiring specific qualifications and in a particular location, but don’t screen out candidates based on minimum requirements of the job and distance traveled to the location, your recruiters are wasting time reviewing and reaching out to candidates that fundamentally may not be a good fit.” If you’re going to use an ATS, be sure to implement some sort of integration if possible whether it be a human recruiter or additional softwares to try to increase your odds of bringing in top talent.

We hope this article doesn’t discourage you from using an ATS, it can be a great resource to use! It’s important to remain aware of the weaknesses so you can troubleshoot ahead of time and or integrate it in such a way that’s it’s the most efficient. Check out this blog of greats an ATS can bring here.