What the Best Applicant Tracking Systems Offer

Having one of the best applicant tracking systems (ATS) in your team’s talent acquisition technology stack can be a game-changer for your recruiters and business.

An advanced TA platform offers (among many other features and functionality):

• Customization options (candidate scorecards and surveys, bespoke dashboard views)
• Talent analytics that offers visual insights into every facet of the recruitment process
• Candidate relationship management (CRM) capabilities to boost sourcing and nurturing
• Assessment features to help TA teams advance and archive active and passive prospects
• Direct connections with other critical recruitment tools to aid with each recruiting stage

More than one kind of company needs an ATS + CRM solution with these crucial capabilities. Small businesses, mid-sized orgs and enterprises all require a complete talent acquisition suite that helps them source, nurture, interview, and hire top talent efficiently and at scale.

Hiring decision-makers’ role in researching the best applicant tracking systems

It’s typically not just one person at an organization who solely decides which applicant tracking system to invest in. Rather, it’s usually multiple stakeholders across the company who have a say in the buying decision.

1) C-Level Leaders and Partners

Executives at growing organizations know they need a strong, scalable talent acquisition solution to support a growing number of recruiters and their hiring needs. The best ATS solutions provide TA managers and their teams with a sophisticated suite that streamlines processes and offers analytical visibility into entire pipelines.

2) Talent Acquisition & HR Leaders

HR and TA leaders usually head up the effort to identify and secure a new ATS for their talent team. They know that the top applicant tracking systems have more than just the basics and instead feature comprehensive capabilities to advance their recruiting programs.

3) IT Directors & Teams

IT leaders get involved in the ATS evaluation process because they want to understand the security, compliance, and integration aspects of each vendor option. They know the chosen TA tech must sync with pre-existing tools and meet company-wide data and privacy standards.

4) Recruiters & TA Specialists

Recruiters are, of course, the daily users of their company’s applicant tracking system. They know the best ATS platforms offer a single candidate view and out-of-the-box nurture functionality so they can quickly see where prospects are in their funnel and engage them efficiently.

5) Operations Managers

Recruiting operations managers aid HR with onboarding and employee training, and assist talent acquisition with ATS utilization. They need robust analytics and reporting to track key recruiting metrics and ensure the team is hitting its hiring goals.

8 capabilities and services the best applicant tracking systems provide TA teams

1) Robust talent analytics and in-depth dashboards

The best applicant tracking systems provide comprehensive talent analytics with visual dashboards that give hiring stakeholders real-time insight into every facet of their recruiting process — from pipeline health and source effectiveness to time-to-fill and offer acceptance rates.

2) Powerful, native ATS + CRM features

The top ATS platforms feature native CRM capabilities that allow recruiters to evaluate and advance candidates faster. This includes candidate scoring, structured interview feedback, and the ability to track every interaction with prospects across their entire journey.

3) Vast integration partner ecosystem

The best applicant tracking systems connect with critical external tools — from job boards and sourcing platforms to background check services and HRIS solutions — so recruiters can work seamlessly across their entire tech stack without switching between tools.

4) An intuitive user interface that leads to a satisfying user experience

Having a user-friendly and intuitive interface is essential for any ATS. The best applicant tracking systems make it easy for recruiters to navigate their platform, find information quickly, and complete tasks efficiently without extensive training.

5) Built-in nurture capabilities

The top ATS platforms empower recruiters to intelligently engage qualified candidates with personalized outreach at scale. Pre-set nurture templates can be used as is or modified, touchpoints can be added or removed, and campaign messaging and schedules can be tested to find the right mix that converts.

6) Talent pipeline management features to track internal and external candidates

The best applicant tracking systems give talent teams full visibility into their pipeline — both internal and external candidates. This includes the ability to track candidates across multiple roles, rediscover previously engaged prospects, and maintain a single source of truth for all candidate data.

7) Automation features to streamline recruitment

Today’s best ATS platforms offer workflow automation that helps hiring teams eliminate manual, repetitive tasks. From automated stage actions and interview scheduling to triggered nurture campaigns and approval workflows, automation frees up recruiters to focus on high-value activities.

8) Guided ATS implementation and helpful customer support

The best applicant tracking systems provide guided implementation support and accessible, responsive customer service. From dedicated onboarding specialists to ongoing training resources and responsive support teams, the right ATS vendor acts as a true partner in your talent acquisition success.

Why LeverTRM is better than the ‘best’ applicant tracking systems on the market

LeverTRM isn’t just one of the best applicant tracking systems on the market. Rather, it’s the only complete talent acquisition suite that offers ATS and CRM capabilities in a single, unified platform. This means your talent team can source, nurture, interview, and hire top talent all in one place.

Reviews of LeverTRM, our complete TA suite

I absolutely love the UI and how organized everything is. The ease of looking up old candidates and being able to seamlessly look at their feedback that was shared with the next interviewer in the process. — Recruiter, enterprise software firm (G2)

Lever has a good balance of UI-friendly design but also complexity when it comes to functionalities. I’ve seen other ATS that are either super intuitive but simplistic or complex to the point of sluggishness. — Recruiter, mid-market IT firm (G2)

Reviews of other applicant tracking systems

This is by no means a user-friendly software. There are several ways to use this to your benefit, but not without an in-depth tutorial on how to use it. — Support ops supervisor, logistics/supply chain business (Capterra)

If your recruiting efforts needs a more robust search engine and better platform to house & source pipeline candidates, I recommend paying more for a premium product. — Recruiter, tech firm (GetApp)