2007 Leading Applicant Tracking System Software Providers

LEADING APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEM SOFTWARE PROVIDERS

CareerBuilder.com’s most recent Applicant Tracking System Guide is understating the case when it says that the software "covers a gamut of functions that allow companies to streamline and automate recruiting processes to increase efficiency, improve accountability, expand reach and reduce costs."

With vendor descriptions trending more toward phrases like "talent acquisition solutions," a term like "applicant tracking" can sound quaint. But, as CareerBuilder describes it, applicant tracking systems are not a thing of the past. Their form has changed, however. Once stand-alone products, they now might be an addition to an enterprise system or HRMS, a part of a larger talent management or acquisition suite, or an element of an e-recruitment tool.

The core functionality of an applicant tracking system most often contains the automation of the job requisition process, including creating the job requisition, posting it on internal and external Web sites; sourcing automation, which is the actual tracking of résumés from their source through the recruiting process; the collection of résumés and detecting duplicates; candidate prescreening and interview collaboration, scheduling and communications; and reporting and analytics, including key metrics and compliance data. CareerBuilder’s 2006 report (157 pages) is here. The 2007 report has not been released.