ATS stands for Applicant Tracking System, which is a software application that enables the electronic handling of recruitment and hiring needs. It is designed to streamline the hiring process by collecting and sorting thousands of resumes, and it can be implemented or accessed online at enterprise- or small-business levels, depending on the needs of the organization. An ATS is very similar to customer relationship management (CRM) systems, but it is designed for recruitment tracking purposes.

An ATS can filter applications automatically based on given criteria such as keywords, skills, former employers, years of experience, and schools attended. This has caused many job seekers to adapt resume optimization techniques similar to those used in search engine optimization when creating and formatting their résumé. The principal function of an ATS is to provide a central location and database for a companys recruitment efforts, and it is built to better assist the management of resumes and applicant information.

ATS software is typically used during the hiring process and includes features such as resume parsing, candidate screening, and assessment tools. The downside to ATS software is that it only tracks job candidates that have already applied to your company. Most advanced ATSs are not out-of-the-box solutions, so it’s critical to ensure that the business has the time and IT resources to dedicate to a process that could take months or even years.

In summary, an ATS is a computer software program that simplifies and speeds up the hiring process by collecting and sorting resumes, filtering applications automatically based on given criteria, and providing a central location and database for a companys recruitment efforts.