2 min read

Optimize Onboarding With an Applicant Tracking System

HR and automation go hand in hand. HR departments rely on tremendous amounts of applicant data, and they need a way to carefully manage and analyze it. Automation technology, like applicant tracking and onboarding systems, makes that possible.

An applicant tracking system (ATS) follows candidates from the moment they first inquire about open positions through their first few months of work. It makes the vital work of categorizing, databasing, and tracking dozens of candidates through a complex recruiting system far more manageable.

Embracing automation can help any HR department deliver on its objectives, but finding maximum success depends on the technology’s ability to integrate. While an ATS is incredibly important, it’s best used in conjunction with other HR systems. HR departments use other technology, such as tools that manage job postings and onboarding technology. Data from those systems needs to make it into the ATS first, or else pertinent details can be left out of an applicant’s central record.

Because of this, it’s important to consider how ATS technologies integrate with other tools. Ideally, HR departments don’t only have an ATS — they have end-to-end applicant tracking and onboarding systems.

Using an ATS for Onboarding

Automation allows HR managers to sort through thousands of applications and résumés in minutes instead of days, handling some of the most time- and labor-intensive aspects of recruiting. But it also extends beyond the hiring process and into onboarding.

With the right ATS, companies can follow a digital onboarding process. Social distancing requirements forced companies to depend on digital onboarding in ways they never had to before. Typically, onboarding happens in close quarters, with one person guiding new hires through their new responsibilities. That wasn’t possible during the COVID-19 pandemic, but neither was foregoing onboarding altogether. Onboarding technology helped companies navigate this unfamiliar situation, and digital onboarding processes will continue to be integral moving forward.

A robust ATS can also help companies extend their onboarding processes. The system can track what resources and training materials have been given to an employee, who they’re working with, and what they’re working on. Integrated onboarding technology ensures that onboarding proceeds at the right pace, covers the necessary topics/materials, and collects the required data along the way.

Plus, an ATS can apply the benefits of automation to the digital onboarding process to make engaging new hires easier and smoother than ever while still requiring less manual input and effort than before.

Upgrading Onboarding With Ample Integrations

One of the key features of an applicant tracking system is the ability to link candidates to the test scores from their pre-employment evaluations. This is especially important for recruiters because the process should intuitively guide them to those candidates with the requisite skills and abilities necessary for success on the job — and not cause them to pursue those who are not suitably skilled and able.

As companies prioritize transforming HR through technology, they’re using TestGenius to revolutionize the pre-employment testing process. Our technology gives users a clear, accurate assessment of candidate ability. We also integrate test scheduling, administration, and reporting seamlessly into any tracking system to facilitate the hiring and onboarding process.

Ultimately, integration with an ATS is important for two reasons. First, it ensures that HR decision makers have the complete picture of a candidate instead of an incomplete record that doesn’t include testing data. Second, integration enables automation. HR teams don’t have to manually import testing data into candidate records because the information is automatically transferred into the applicant tracking and onboarding system. And if the onboarding process involves early assessments to track the new hire’s development, those scores can be automatically entered into the tracking system.

The right approach to recruitment driven by the right technology offers a better experience for employers and job seekers alike. HR can turn aspects like pre-employment testing and onboarding over to automation, making it possible for HR professionals to save time and focus on the human side of HR.

Learn more about our pre-employment testing software and see how it could transform your hiring today.