Applicant Tracking Systems

I would love to hear from this positive group of HR professionals about applicant tracking systems you use or have used that you would highly recommend - specifically for companies that have affirmative action reporting requirements.

We are currently using Taleo Recruit.  I think it is overly expensive for what we get from it and am wondering what better options are out there.

Thanks, in advance, for your input!

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    • Jon Thurmond, SHRM-SCP
    • HR Leader / VA SHRM Social Media Director / @jon_thurmond
    • Jon_Thurmond_SHRMSCP
    • 8 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    I've used multiple ATS tools over the years, several with AA reporting functionality (Taleo, Brass Ring, Staff Advisor, Acclaim, among others).  All of them have their positives and negatives.

    Is it purely a cost issue to look for other options?  I led an optimization project with a previous employer using Kenexa Brass Ring, we found that we weren't necessarily using what we had effectively and ended up developing multiple candidate portals and improving the reporting functions.  

    How long is your current contract with Taleo?  Early opt out usually comes at a cost, and you have to be sure you have the new ATS in place and functioning with other HRIT.  Implementation and change management plans are critical as well. 

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  • We have a home grown applicant tracking system, but we've recently made a point to shop around and weigh the pros and cons of others. We like owning our ATS so we can go downstairs and have the guy that wrote the code add something new or update or tweak whatever we need, but I don't know that it's necessarily saving us any money. I really liked the demos we did with SilkRoad and Halogen. I have a friend that LOVES iCIMS. It just depends on what is important to your organization and what you expect out of an HRIS. I say make your list of wants (wishes and deal breakers), set your budget, and start doing demos. It's a time consuming process! Don't forget to look into the ATS from the job seeker point of view. The last time I was looking for work ( a few years ago) I had difficult experiences with the applications for companies that were using Taleo so I always said I would never use it as mine. 

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    • Jessica Stephenson
    • HR Technology Enthusiast & Marketer
    • Jessica_Stephenson
    • 8 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Hi Roshelle, thanks for starting this discussion. If you are looking for an ATS that can support your organization's AAP reporting needs, then as you may already know you'll want a solution that can easily accommodate the following:

    • disposition/status an applicant for EACH position to which the applicant applies
    • develop custom applicant flow log reports (for Admin-level users) that can be saved and run on-demand
    • automate the process of advertising job listings on 3rd party job boards related to diversity/inclusion, state workforce development, etc.
    • customize the various job portal pages to include references to appropriate AAP-related info

    In addition to the above items, as long as you are considering a change I'd highly encourage you to find a solution that is already mobile-optimized (in terms of both the job listings and the actual employment application).

    In the interest of full disclosure, I work for ExactHire...which provides the HireCentric applicant tracking system (though I'm not one of the salespeople). We may or may not be an option for you depending on your size. Our focus is on small- and medium-sized businesses...many of which turn to our ATS solution when they first become subject to AAP reporting.

    If you'd like additional info, just let me know. Otherwise, if you happen to work with an AAP consultant, he/she may have suggestions on ATS solutions for your consideration, as well. Best of luck!

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  • The Galileo Applicant Tracking System by HR ProFile, Inc. is programmed to allow the user to customize the workflow/hiring process and e-mail templates, "out-of-the-box", so the client can design their experience/interaction with applicants to their liking.  The Galileo ATS allows our clients to "organize their HR Universe", by identifying their best candidates through a number of screening tools and it also allows applicant data to be "recycled" for consideration of other job postings where they may be more suited.  The biggest difference between the Galileo ATS and other ATS solutions out there is that we are not overly resistant to customization requests.  Essentially, if an enhancement makes sense and could be enjoyed by other users of the Galileo ATS, we are typically agreeable to programming that improvement, usually at no additional cost.  All ATS systems have certain basic functionality and reporting capabilities and the Galileo ATS is no exception, but it also has other unique tools like its "Hot-Match" feature which uses a very sophisticated algorithm to not only identify keywords, but it evaluates how unique or common those keywords are and the likelihood that they would be found in a typical resume.  This system allows easy communication and follow-up with the applicant pool to let those applicants know "where they stand" with each phase of the hiring process, thus eliminating many of the unwelcome "follow-up calls" that employers often get with each application.  Best of all, this program is available at a very reasonable price. 

    www.galileo-ats.com

    800-969-4300

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    • Roshelle Pavlin
    • Creator of pathways to success
    • Roshelle_Pavlin
    • 8 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Thanks to all of you for taking the time to reply!  I will definitely incorporate your recommendations during my research.

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  • Hi Roshelle - I always found that clients benefit from both sides of the story, meaning analyst/tech reviews -- Gartner, Nucleus, Bersin and Constellation -- and then end-user satisfaction, like G2Crowd. I'd start there and wittle it down!  Good luck

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    • Roshelle Pavlin
    • Creator of pathways to success
    • Roshelle_Pavlin
    • 8 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Thank you, Aaron!

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  • We use "Workday" for our applicant tracking and all other HRIS.

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