11 Key ATS (Applicant Tracking System) Requirements

You already know how important an applicant tracking system is for processing job applications from different channels — paper forms are ancient history. Just as you assess every candidate on how well their abilities match the job, you should also evaluate ATS solutions against your company’s needs. Read on to discover the essential applicant tracking system requirements to look for.

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Top ATS Requirements

We’ve onboarded over 100,000 users into our software selection platform, which has given us a wealth of insights into their usage patterns based on industry, company size and user persona. By leveraging this data, we’ve identified key requirements you should consider to minimize the risk of selecting the wrong software.

Our goal is to empower you to benefit from the collective experience of your peers who’ve embarked on the same journey before you.

Create a custom requirements list to find the right fit for your business needs.

Now, the moment you’ve been waiting for — here are the key ATS requirements to be on the lookout for during your software search.

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1. Applicant Tracking

While applicant tracking is a prerequisite of every ATS software in the market, there’s more to the hiring process than the name suggests — you’re juggling recruiting activities, candidates and task priorities. Automation features to standardize these tasks and systematically progress candidates through applicant pipelines.

Some solutions go beyond the basics, offering AI capabilities that help you match candidates to job roles based on their profiles. And it doesn’t stop there. Customizable rejection templates help you deliver feedback thoughtfully, improving the candidate experience.

Another important feature is KPI tracking. Metrics like time-to-hire, offer acceptance rate and more give you a clear view of your recruiting performance.

Greenhouse lets you measure recruiting KPIs like offer acceptance rate, average time to fill and so on. Source

2. Customizations

Your ATS software should be as unique as your business. Look for a solution that takes care of branding through custom logos, themes, career pages and candidate-focused promotional materials. You can shape the entire hiring process through custom modules, fields, widgets, filters, workflow templates, partner platform portals and more, maintaining brand image and consistency throughout.

3. Talent Sourcing

Complex tech like automation, AI and machine learning are making their way into every business function. Modern ATS solutions use AI to screen, score and rank candidates, freeing your hiring teams to focus on other recruiting activities.

A comprehensive ATS should help you identify and acquire the right talent using a systematic approach and a varied candidate pool. Here’s what you should consider:

• Talent Search: To leave no stone unturned, you want your talent hunt to include active and passive leads. Is the ATS able to reach out to passive candidates? Does it offer filtered keyword searches to find candidates with better accuracy?
• Equitable Hiring: Human bias can unconsciously weed into recruiting. With the right technology, you can employ a democratic approach. Does the ATS provide DEI features and AI-based functions to eliminate hiring bias?
• Expansive Distribution: Can the system generate and launch far-reaching campaigns across multiple job boards? Does the system enable you to gather insights on the performance of ongoing campaigns?
• Knowledge Base: Ask vendors if capabilities like universal, semantic and natural language searches are part of the package. Does the software have an easily searchable knowledge base? Can the solution allow looking up keywords or phrases to pull relevant resumes, candidate profiles and support documents?

Once you have used every resource at your disposal to find potential hires, features like candidate tagging will come in handy for categorizing, filtering and saving these records in an organized way for easy access.

iCIMS provides a search feature to locate specific candidate profiles from internal databases. Source

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4. Career Websites

A recent study by Appcast revealed that 92% of job seekers abandon the application process. Don’t let a sloppy career page be the reason candidates lose interest in your company.

Consider whether or not the system provides an intuitive, user-friendly experience for the candidate. Ensure that the tools you implement provide responsive designs, easy sign-up processes and extensive branding options to create lasting positive impressions.

Candidate portals for application status tracking further personalize the experience, motivating candidates to apply for more jobs at your organization.

Workable lets managers set mandatory and optional fields on job application forms. Source

Some ATS platforms provide quick application capabilities like auto-populated fields, drag-and-drop features to upload resumes and cover letters, and AI-based assistants to answer queries.

5. Interview & Offer Management

Scheduling conflicts can occur when your team coordination falls short. With ATS implementation, get your team on the same page by synchronizing calendars and enhancing communication. A solid ATS offers:

• Internal Communication: Does the ATS offer effective communication tools such as tagging users, creating notes and assigning comments for tasks?
• Calendars Sync: Can you synchronize existing calendars and schedules into the ATS?
• Video Interview Capabilities: Does the ATS allow video interview integrations to schedule and host live and on-demand video sessions with prospective hires?
• Offer Tracking: How well does the ATS manage the final onboarding stages? Can you send offer letters and onboarding forms to candidates with options to view e-forms and record digital signatures?

Platforms like Zoho Recruit let you use customizable interview scorecards to evaluate candidates. Source

6. Candidate Assessment & Evaluation

Recruitment efforts pay off when you hire and retain quality talent. With the right ATS tools, you can develop comprehensive candidate profiles to evaluate candidates on technical knowledge, aptitude and soft skills, ensuring the best fit for both the role and your organization.

Look for an ATS that helps you screen candidates based on qualifications for the open role. Early identification of certain applicant qualities can help increase job and culture fit.

Here are some candidate evaluation capabilities you should consider:

• Personality Evaluations: Check if there are ways to assess applicants’ personality traits and emotional intelligence to ensure they align with your organization’s culture.
• Pre-screening Tests: Choose a solution that lets you schedule preliminary tests for candidates before the next round of interviews, saving time and effort.
• Applicant Shortlists: Screen and assess applicants using comparable scorecards to expedite and simplify decision-making.
• Background Verification: Look for full integration capabilities with reputable background check providers.

Zoho Recruit provides three candidate evaluation categories for different hiring stages. Source

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7. Communications

Being on the job hunt is already tiring and time-consuming, so you don’t want to discourage quality candidates with yet another lengthy application process. Candidate resentment is real, and ineffective communication only runs the risk of stirring it up.

Whether it’s after applying or following an interview, many potential hires are left to sit in limbo as they wait, hoping to hear back from the employer. Making candidates feel like you have no regard for their time might tarnish your brand image. On the other hand, providing prompt, clear communication fosters trust and creates a positive experience from day one.

AdvanceWorks, a UK-based company, embraced this mindset by implementing Manatal’s collaborative ATS features. With tools like built-in email communication and test messaging capabilities, they achieved a 25% rise in positive responses from job-seekers.

8. Onboarding

Deploying an offer letter is only halfway toward hiring someone. To set things in stone your selected candidate should agree to the terms of employment, which involves integrating them into your organization after processing the necessary paperwork.

So, another thing to consider is how well an ATS can track document completion and send reminders to fill out forms. Opt for software that lets you have a separate customizable portal for completing background checks, storing electronic documents and allowing candidates to update their profiles as part of their onboarding.

9. Platform Capabilities

You can have the most advanced recruitment functions and facilities in the world and it still won’t matter if the system doesn’t let your hiring team easily access information, share resources and monitor candidate pipelines.

You need to know whether or not an applicant tracking system offers custom reporting and provides high-level visualizations.

Many ATS systems allow you to analyze candidate sources or flow by exporting the data into an Excel spreadsheet. But the icing on the cake is features like @mentions, which make it easy to tag team members and keep everyone on the same page.

Zoho Recruit’s responsive design allows hiring managers to track active candidate pipelines on iOS devices.

Other capabilities to consider include:

• Mobility: Mobile apps can recruit potential employees and let users do small tasks away from the office or computer. To use features like push notifications and automated alerts, make sure the ATS platform has a responsive design and is accessible on mobile devices.
• Compliance: Manually adhering to the U.S. compliance laws for equal opportunities, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, can be time-consuming and stressful. Your ATS vendor should provide built-in reporting and compliance tools to ensure EEOC, OFCCP, GDPR and CCPA compliance.
• Data Visualization: Check if the vendor provides an insight and analytics module to measure key recruiting metrics. An overview dashboard that not only offers a quick glance but also lets you manage tasks and track KPIs is quite useful.

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10. Integrations and Extensibility

Think of software integrations as add-ons of complex machinery. They may not be as essential as the nuts and bolts, but, when you pack ‘em on like parts on Voltron, they help you do specialized work you couldn’t accomplish otherwise.

The more seamless the integration capabilities of your ATS, the better it is at building a cohesive ecosystem that enhances collaboration while streamlining workflows.

Here are some tools your ATS should integrate with:

• Appointment scheduling tools ensure interview coordination and minimize scheduling conflicts.
• Background screening capabilities are essential for verifying candidate credentials quickly and efficiently.
• BI platforms provide valuable analytics that can help optimize your hiring strategies.
• Enterprise communication tools like Slack, foster team collaboration and make it easier to share feedback and updates.
• Job board systems expand the reach of job postings.
• HR management platforms ensure a smooth transition from hiring to onboarding.
• Onboarding platforms for efficient new hire processing.
• Payroll systems to automate compensation management.
• Video conferencing platforms facilitate remote interviews, enhancing accessibility for both candidates and recruiters.

You should also look for custom API integration because they allow you to tailor the ATS to your unique workflows.

These integrations not only improve overall efficiency and candidate experience in the hiring process but also cater to your growing business needs.

11. Platform Security

Given how sensitive candidate and company data are, you’ll definitely want some robust security features. For example, audit logging creates a detailed record of user activities within the system, helping you monitor compliance and detect anomalies in real time so there’s a clear path to investigate potential security breaches.

Similarly, data encryption at rest safeguards sensitive info by ensuring that even if data is compromised, it remains unreadable without the appropriate decryption keys.

Controlling access to confidential data is equally important. Features like role-based permissions and field-level permissions allow you to define who can view or interact with specific data, ensuring sensitive information is only accessible to the right people.

Additionally, your ATS should include single sign-on (SSO) and two-factor authentication capabilities. Why? Because:

• SSO simplifies the login process by allowing users to access multiple applications with one set of credentials, reducing password fatigue and improving user experience.
• Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of protection against unauthorized access by requiring users to log in through two forms of identification.

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Optimizing Your Hiring Process

Now, I know you’re getting excited about exploring all of the possibilities of ATS systems, but there are a few things to check off your list before diving right in.

First, consult the people who will be the driving force behind your ATS. Your squad should consist of:

• Executive Leader: C-suite members with decision-making authority who can ensure the system aligns with your organization’s goals.
• Selection Manager: A manager with strong knowledge of hiring processes to guide the selection process.
• Committee Members: HR staff who will use the solution regularly and can provide insight into operational needs such as ease of use, job posting workflows and candidate tracking.
• Contributors: Representatives from other departments like IT or finance who can advise on technical and budget considerations and ensure the system integrates smoothly across the organization.

From there, gather your team to figure out what works, what doesn’t and what features you can’t afford to skip. This evaluation will help you weed out practices that no longer add value and clarify what your new system should include, making creating a requirements list much easier.

With the right prep, you’ll find an ATS that supports your organization’s long-term goals.

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FAQs

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Next Steps

The right software benefits both your hiring team and your potential hire — a better candidate experience paired with an efficient and structured hiring process is a win-win.

To help you cut through all the buzz on the market, try our free ATS requirements template to easily prioritize the features you need.

Did we miss any key ATS requirements or features? Let us know in the comments!