All Systems Go: 4 recommendations for ATS Integration

Not so many years ago, applicant tracking systems were not broadly adopted. Candidates were tracked in spreadsheets and resumes were copied or faxed for review. If you have been in Talent Acquisition for a while, you will remember oldies but goodies like Resumix and Deploy. Those early tools were both innovative and time saving in comparison with manual processes.

Today, Talent Acquisition leaders must have a working knowledge of systems and their impact on the candidate journey in order to be successful. The problem – no one Applicant Tracking System appears to do all that we need it to do. Some systems don’t connect with the Candidate Relationship Management (CRM) tool. Others have challenges around resume parsing and candidate search. I have been a part of several ATS systems integrations and wanted share a few learnings. So, for TA leaders considering or in the midst of installing a new ATS, here are 4 of my lessons learned:

Selection: Choose wisely! The recent trend of “big bang” changes of the full HR Management System, Learning Management System and Applicant Tracking system is making it harder for TA Leaders to have choice. However, it is important to ensure that the system you select can do the basics (resume parsing, applicant tracking) and the complex (offer merge, approval flow, KPI reporting). Two notes of caution:

• Beware of shiny objects - make your selection decision after you have actually been in a live demo as opposed to a PowerPoint presentation.
• Get outside input - your peers are having to make this same decision, schedule a few networking calls to understand their journey.

Integration: Make connections! Since you are introducing new technology, integrate various systems used to make TA successful. Consider connections to the HRMS, career website, CRM, background check vendor, assessment tool and talent network. As you evaluate your end to end process, determine points where integration will produce a better candidate experience. Your system project manager should work with each vendor early to understand which connections and data requirements will ensure a successful integration. A side note – allow plenty of time (18 months to 2 years) to install a new ATS.

Preparation: Process matters! Use this time to evaluate and simplify. If you have time, one option is to map the customer journey for key stakeholders (candidates, managers, recruiters). There are many ways you can evaluate and revise process, I’m suggesting that you pick one and ensure you take a clean process map to the new system. My caution here is including extensive quality assurance and testing prior to signing off on the system for go live. In a recent ATS implementation, recruiting operations did focus groups with internal customers to understand pain points. They combined that information with candidate feedback and testing results to identify gaps and define solutions prior to release.

Reflection: Look back! Conducting a post mortem after go live is a vital last step. The exercise is to understand what went well (or not) and to identify any needs for near term system updates. In order to gather a full 360-degree review of the process gather information from recruiters, managers and candidates using a variety of tools. After a recent implementation, the recruiting operations team conducted focus groups, included an NPS question at the end of the apply process and conducted direct interviews with internal customers. The end result of this information gathering identified key opportunities to continue to streamline and improve the system after go live.

Talent Acquisition Leaders faced with a new ATS can consider design plans that include these lessons. While this may not be an exhaustive list, I hope that it will help leaders think about key areas to review as you go through an implementation. Do you have advice to share about changing Applicant Tracking Systems?