A typical human being would feel fairly insulted if a computer told them that they weren’t good enough to do something. Imagine you’re going on a ski trip to a mountain that you haven’t been to before: You’ve got your skis, goggles, warm clothes, you’ve previously had lessons (on a different mountain), you’ve bought your mountain pass and lift ticket and you’re fairly confident that with your skills that you will be capable of tackling the runs on this mountain. You get to the entrance, scan your pass and there is a loud buzzer and a pre-recorded voice saying “Sorry, you can’t ski here, you haven’t demonstrated that you have the skills to ski our runs.” It appears that you need to know someone who can get you through the entrance, but you don’t, so holiday over.
What is the cost of the wrong hire…?
A note of caution:
- Ensure that the users of your ATS are fully trained in the system – know the strengths, know the weaknesses, know as much about the functionality as possible;
- If your ATS provider doesn’t already host one, create a knowledge sharing portal for your recruiters to share their tips, post questions and leverage each other’s skills;
- Be cautious and risk averse when building screening criteria – consider a ‘screen-in’ approach rather than a ‘screen-out’ approach, which will allow you to view those candidates who may be a great fit, but not meet your ATS criteria;
- Practice, learn, refine – get to know the sensitivities of your system, tweak your key words and understand the impact;
- Ensure that your ATS supports your employment branding messages – both via the articulated questions and via the candidate experience.
Applicant Tracking Systems can be highly sophisticated and will continue to improve in functionality. Whilst they can present a significant risk if used inappropriately, when used well, they can be highly effectual. What are your experiences, tips and stories?