How can you select the most user-friendly ATS vendor for HR and candidates?

1 Evaluate your needs

Before you start looking for an ATS vendor, you need to evaluate your current and future hiring needs. What are your pain points, goals, and priorities? How many hires do you make per year, and what is your budget? What features and functionalities do you need from an ATS, and what are nice to have? How do you measure your hiring success and ROI? By answering these questions, you can create a clear and realistic list of criteria to guide your search.

2 Research the market

Once you have your criteria, you can research the market and compare different ATS vendors. You can use online reviews, ratings, testimonials, and case studies to get an idea of how each vendor performs and what their strengths and weaknesses are. You can also ask for referrals and recommendations from your network, industry peers, or professional associations. You want to narrow down your options to a few vendors that match your needs and budget.

3 Request a demo

The best way to assess the user-friendliness of an ATS vendor is to request a demo and test it yourself. You want to see how the ATS works in action, how easy it is to navigate, and how well it integrates with your existing systems and tools. You also want to check how the ATS handles different aspects of the hiring process, such as job posting, resume screening, candidate communication, scheduling, reporting, and analytics. You should involve your HR team and some hiring managers in the demo process, as they will be the main users of the ATS.

4 Solicit feedback

Another important step in selecting the most user-friendly ATS vendor is to solicit feedback from your candidates. You want to know how they perceive and experience your hiring process, and how the ATS affects their engagement and satisfaction. You can use surveys, interviews, or focus groups to gather candid and constructive feedback from your candidates. You can also monitor your candidate metrics, such as application rate, drop-off rate, time to hire, quality of hire, and retention rate. You want to choose an ATS vendor that helps you attract, retain, and delight your candidates.

5 Negotiate the contract

The final step in selecting the most user-friendly ATS vendor is to negotiate the contract and finalize the deal. You want to make sure that the contract reflects your needs, expectations, and budget. You also want to clarify the terms and conditions, such as the duration, renewal, cancellation, support, maintenance, and updates of the service. You want to avoid any hidden fees, penalties, or limitations that could compromise your user-friendliness or ROI. You should also review the contract with your legal team and ask for any revisions or amendments if needed.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?