Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are Not Bringing the Bright New World
The rise of the Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) has been a boon to many recruiting agencies…well almost all recruiting agencies. Has it reduced turnover? Has it lowered politics in companies? Has it made the company that got the candidate consistently more profitable? I see the emperor has no clothes. Sure, the people who do algorithms for ATS can certainly brew up statistics. I do not buy itl.
I am sure that places like Microsoft who get 1000’s of unwanted resumes needs an ATS, but people will all find more ways to defeat the software than ways the software defeats them. For example, does Microsoft China have less politics than companies we help? Only the software writers benefitted. There are always ways to beat any system and many people will help you do it. See how Jobscan can help people overcome ATS. See what these guys say.or thee guys, These are easy to find. You think candidates cannot find them and sign up for more training?
Some companies will get benefit because they were using gut feel and their gut feel was not good enough. My gut feel is excellent and that is why I got into recruiting, but it once cost money that it took years for the company to earn back. ATS might not save them ivern if it gets them farther from gut feel. I see that gut feel finally decides all even with ATS. But ATS can be beat so the most nefarious people will get in in a pure ATS world. So using ATS to leave gut feel behind could be a beneficial step if people really lefdt gut feel behind, but moving to ATS may be going from the frying pan to the fire. Further, the system means our humanity can get lost as well as good candidates who are not good with marketing themselves or understanding system.
The real benefit of ATS was to recruiting agencies. It saved them time. It helped them to be able to cut staff. None of this provided value added benefit no matter what the spin doctors say. It may have saved some companies time. We see companies and agencies who worship time like it was the key point in recruiting. What we really needed was a way to up the quality and not the speed, Speed is valuable, but anyone would agree that they would rather take more time and get the right person and not rush and get the wrong person. Quality is the key. Speed is secondary. ATS only possible beneifti was speed and then only sped to a risky hire. We found small data was powerful and not open to gaming by trcky candidates and so we invested in this skill.
One recruiter in quora told a candidate what she should do if a recruiter contacted her abput a postion she was not qualified for. See his reponse.
“Are you frigging serious? Those are the best opportunities that can ever come from IT recruiters. Invent your “management experience”… It’s not that hard….
I know it is scary, like approaching a beautiful girl. The only thing that separates you from a successful contender is not physique. It is confidence. What you have to lose? …
No one is going to verify your exact title and how many people you managed. If someone goes out of his/her way to do so, it means he/she didn’t unconditionally love you at the interview. Eventually you’ll train yourself to achieve that unconditional love each and every time. Assuming you also like the company culture and the hiring manager personally.”
You can lean on some ATS or some recruiter who uses one. It is much harder to build a good bridge than it is to destroy one. Systems like ATS and interviewing techniques are just a challenge to defeat for those whose skill is how to get in. Their skills are in that area and not in the area of work you need..
Also see here