The document outlines 10 signs that an applicant tracking system (ATS) is outdated and stuck in the 1990s. These signs include: requiring usernames/passwords to apply, lack of collaboration tools for hiring teams, inability to perform targeted searches, reliance on spreadsheets for reporting, manual job posting processes, and lack of LinkedIn integration. The document contrasts outdated ATS features with improved 2015 capabilities such as single click applications, social hiring workflows, analytics dashboards, automated marketing/distribution, and LinkedIn profile importing. The goal is to show recruiters how modern ATS platforms can streamline processes and provide a better candidate/recruiter experience compared to systems designed in the 1990s.

1. 10 signs your
Applicant Tracking System
is stuck in the 90’s
Jason Buss
Recruiting Innovation Officer
SmartRecruiters

2. Overview
Applicant tracking systems (ATS) were originally designed in the late
1990’s to automate the application for job seekers and to track
applicants for employers.
The ATS hasn’t evolved enough over the past 15 years to meet the
requirements for a competitive approach to recruiting.
As a result, many recruiting leaders have had to make decisions to
deploy add-on solutions and modules to close the significant gap
the ATS has created.

3. Candidate experience & drop-offs
Your ATS is designed like a retailer site
with a shopping cart, or one that requires
a username and password.
Your ATS takes 1 click to complete and
submit an application (after clicking apply)
on your career site.
1990’s
2015

4. Employee referrals
You expect your employees to visit an
outdated referral page on the intranet to
constantly see what new jobs are open and
think through who they might know.
Your ATS automatically matches your jobs to
your employees professional networks and
proactively markets jobs.
1990’s
2015

5. Your database
Performing a search in your ATS leaves your
recruiters wondering why a software engineer
search in Silicon Valley pulls up administrative
assistant candidates in New York.
You can easily leverage your proprietary
database and perform easy, results-driven
searches that work.
1990’s
2015

6. Interview & selection activities
Hiring is not a collaborative effort and
you rely on email updates and voice mails
between recruiters, hiring managers,
and interviewers.
Your ATS engages hiring teams, it has an
app and a desktop version with a social
feed of all hiring activities as well as
enabling real time candidate ratings and
interview feedback.
1990’s
2015

7. Reporting & analytics
You are pulling information from multiple
sources, relying on spreadsheets, candidate
self selected source data and third parties to
painfully get basic reports.
Your ATS is the single source of information
for program-wide and by job views.
Everything is in one place and guides
your investments.
1990’s
2015

8. Corporate career sites
You spend most of your time building project
plans and attending internal meetings with
Marketing & IT Resources.
Your ATS allows you to quickly build or
update your corporate career site and
instantly deploy a new landing page for
specific audiences you are targeting.
It also creates search engine optimized
ads directly from your ATS.
1990’s
2015

9. Marketing & distributing jobs
You use third party functionality to post
your jobs, or you are posting them on each
site manually.
Your ATS automatically distributes your jobs to
any job board or network, provides responsive
job ad functionality and enables you to
manage all of your contracts in one place.
1990’s
2015

10. 8
Managing external recruiters
Your process isn’t compliant and external
agency or search firm recruiters are emailing
candidates directly to hiring managers or
internal recruiters, outside of your ATS.
All of your recruiters are in your ATS, including
agencies and search firms, allowing you to
control costs, manage candidate delivery and
analyze agency results.
1990’s
2015

11. Candidate experience & drop-offs
Your ATS is designed like a retailer site
with a shopping cart, or one that requires
a username and password.
Your ATS takes 1 click to complete and
submit an application (after clicking apply)
on your career site.
1990’s
2015

12. LinkedIn for sourcing & branding
Your recruiters are required to go back-and-
forth between LinkedIn & your ATS.
You know if a candidate is in your ATS while
sourcing in LinkedIn. You can also quickly jump
from a profile in LinkedIn to a profile in your ATS,
as well as automatically import LinkedIn profiles
and InMail conversations.
1990’s
2015

13. With 20 years of global human resources and talent
acquisition leadership experience, Jason Buss is a
recognized expert with deep experience in identifying,
recruiting and hiring high-performing teams. As recruitment
innovation officer for SmartRecruiters, Jason helps build
awareness, visibility and advocacy for the new way of
hiring. Prior to SmartRecruiters, he served as head of
talent acquisition for TriNet, and vice president of talent
acquisition and diversity for Ameriprise Financial.
Jason is also the creator and editor of Talent HQ, a premier
online news and information channel for the recruiting and
human resources community and is the president and
community leader of Minnesota Recruiters and California
Recruiters, the nations largest and most active regional
recruiting communities.

14. Read more at the
SmartRecruiters
Hiring Success blog
or sign up for a demo.

15. YOUR HIRING SUCCESS PLATFORM
w: smartrecruiters.com I e: success@smartrecruiters.com I p: 1-800-517-1148