Google has announced that its applicant tracking system (ATS), Google Hire, which launched two years ago, will shut down in 2020. With functions like applicant searching and scheduling capabilities, the system integrates into G Suite products and was intended to simplify the hiring process for small- and medium-sized businesses.
While Google says that Hire won’t shut down until September 2020, it’s wise to start your research for finding a replacement ATS now to avoid disruption with your hiring process. This article will discuss the top three things you should consider when looking for a replacement ATS.
A great ATS helps you efficiently and accurately identify the best candidates. It does so by allowing you to organize your hiring data in one place while easily coordinating communication and schedules. With so many different applicant tracking systems on the market, it can be overwhelming to know which one will fit your company. We suggest taking some time to think about how your current ATS guides your process and aligns with your company’s goals.
Identify Major Pain Points
Before embarking on a search for a replacement ATS, take a moment to reflect on your current pain points. Where are the bottlenecks in your process? What would make your hiring more efficient? For example, is your applicant screening process too complicated or time-consuming? Candidates dropping off in the middle of the process is an indication that your process should be streamlined. With so many job opportunities available to applicants, time is of the essence.
Or perhaps you’d like to leverage prior candidate data for your current hiring needs. Often candidates who weren’t the right fit for a particular position fit well in other positions. Can you easily access and search through prior applicants? If not, you may want to consider an ATS with a robust database that lets you search by keywords, tags, and qualifications.
- Depending on your needs, ask yourself some of the following questions:
- What do I want to accomplish with a new ATS?
- How many users will need access?
- What is my current recruitment volume and what is the projected growth?
- What is my technological comfort level?
- What is my budget?
What Would Make Your Process Easier?
Identify important features that will make hiring easier for you and your team. You might need to reduce the time you spend vetting candidates or try to fill jobs more quickly. Certain features will be more vital than others, like having access to integrated job boards or the ability to monitor diversity compliance. Consider the following:
- Reporting options
- Access to job boards
- Multiple-user functionality
- Connection to social media
- EEOC data tracking
- Onboarding documents
Three Considerations for a New ATS
Once you have a clear picture of what you do and don’t want in your next ATS, it will become much easier to evaluate your options. At HiringThing, we highly recommend that you incorporate the following attributes into your decision-making:
- Ease of use: ATS software isn’t useful if it isn’t convenient. Any employee should be able to start using it with minimal training and setup. Look for an ATS with a dashboard that is easy to navigate and contains a snapshot of your recruiting activity. The option to personalize your system without contacting customer support is important. Key configurations include user permissions, workflows, employer branding, templates, etc.
- Candidate user experience: An ATS shouldn’t only be easy for hiring managers to use; it needs to be straightforward for applicants, too! Don’t risk losing qualified candidates due to a complicated and lengthy application process. When considering an ATS, go through the process as an applicant. Your goal is a clean, intuitive, mobile-friendly experience.
- Support and education: You don’t need just another vendor. An ATS relationship is a partnership that requires continued support and education. During product demos, find out what support resources are available to customers. You’ll want to know response and resolution times for support tickets and customer satisfaction/retention rates. You can also request customer testimonials along with case studies.
Is a private label applicant tracking system actually the platform you need? Check out the additional benefits private labeling an ATS for your organization can bring.
Finding an ATS to replace Google Hire might seem like an overwhelming task, but HiringThing is here to help you simplify your recruitment process in order to discover Hiring Happiness™.
About HiringThing
HiringThing is a modern recruiting platform as a service that creates seamless hiring experiences. Our private label recruiting technology enables organizations to add hiring capabilities to complete their solution. With our open API and developer-friendly documentation, we enable customized workflows and seamless connectivity for HR Solutions, PEOs and ASOs, Franchises, Staffing Agencies, and more. Approachable and adaptable, our platform empowers everyone, everywhere to hire their dream team. Start your free trial today!
