All You Need to Know About ATS Systems in 2025

Quick Summary – Advanced solutions like applicant tracking systems (ATS) help hiring managers and recruiters attract, source, assess, and hire candidates faster and more efficiently. In this definitive guide, you’ll explore the fundamentals of ATS and how it can help you digitize the hiring process from A to Z and obtain maximum outcomes.

The best recruiters know how to identify the best people for their organization. It takes a lot of time and effort to find those exceptional talents and manage them throughout the hiring process. Slack talks with the hiring team are in the candidate's mailbox; interviews are scheduled on Google Calendar; feedback is written on a piece of paper; the real candidate database is stored in an Excel spreadsheet on someone's computer; etc.

As a result, they have to spend much of their time to sifting through information from various sources instead of focusing on recruiting and engaging with individuals.

Here is where Applicant Tracking System (ATS) steps in.

What is ATS in recruitment? What role does it play?

In a nutshell, ATS helps HR professionals streamline the entire recruitment process, from finding applicants to getting them onboard and training. When a candidate submits an application through the system, the applicant tracking system sorts and organizes the data to make it easier for recruiters to find qualified candidates for open positions.

By 2026, the ATS development market is estimated to generate USD 3.2 billion, at a CAGR of 6.75.

This article will dig deeper into what ATS means, how it works, why you should use it, and much more.

With more than two decades of experience in the software development industry, Radixweb has established a reputation as a reliable success creator, having successfully completed over 4300 projects for a customer base spanning across 25 nations. Rest assured that our services will assist you in meeting and exceeding all of your recruitment goals with quality HR management software.

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What is Applicant Tracking System?

An applicant tracking system allows businesses to acquire candidate information, organize prospective hires and decrease the time a candidate takes to apply for a job.

You can use an ATS to keep track of all of your hiring and recruitment activities. It helps with candidate management and shortens the time-to-fill. Top ATS software products available in the market are used in recruitment to keep track of every little aspect, from posting a job online to making an offer.

This is why more than 90% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS as an integral part of their business ecosystem. Such systems dramatically cut down the complexity of the hiring process by offering a unified platform to view candidates, manage their progress through the hiring process, and filter applications and resumes based on the criteria mentioned in the job posting.

Who Can Use an ATS System?

Applicant tracking systems are recruitment and hiring tools deployed by companies to collect, sort and filter candidate resumes. ATS systems have a wide variety of use cases within an enterprise. The most common users of ATS systems are as follows!

1. Recruiters

Recruiters stand to benefit the most from an ATS system because it reduces the amount of time they spend looking for information and conducting operations. Especially, a recruitment management system can be highly useful in such cases.

2. Talent Acquisition Managers

Talent acquisition managers can use ATS systems to generate reports and track their hiring pipeline. TA managers can develop reports and go deep to derive meaningful information, whether it's pipeline progress or applicant inflow by source.

3. Team Leaders

When a group is hired together, they stay together. Team leaders can keep an eye on the candidate pipeline and express their comments without the recruiter having to go to the trouble of keeping everyone in the loop.

4. Employees

Top Applicant Tracking Systems usually include a referral portal. This implies that employees can look at job postings and refer any interested friends and family members without having to meet with a recruiter in person and risking the resume getting lost in the mail. Employees can also use a referral site to keep track of the status of their referral without having to contact the recruiter directly.

Major Benefits of Using an ATS

Despite its varied functionalities and use cases, we can define what ATS means in its truest form by highlighting the benefits it provides. For example:

1. Broadcasting Employment Opportunities

Job posting on ATS is a breeze, thanks to integrations with various job boards. The ATS allows you to handle the posts and incoming applications from the comfort of your own space.

2. Getting More Work Done

Automate your manual procedures so you can spend more time on recruiting and less time on administrative tasks such as emailing updates and scheduling interviews.

3. Detailed Candidate Information

The complete history of candidates is recorded in the ATS system. This means you will never need to look for information anyplace other than your ATS.

4. Improved BizOps Collaboration

When everyone involved in the hiring process is on board, they have access to all of the information they need to make swift, informed judgments.

5. Access to Talent Pool

You will come across some outstanding applicants when sourcing people but they might not be an immediate fit. An ATS helps you to collect and develop candidates for future roles.

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Key Features of an Applicant Tracking System

The features you require in recruiting software are entirely dependent on the size of your business, your budget, and the complexity of your hiring process.

Fortunately, whether you need an ATS, CRM, Human Capital Management, payroll management system, or one of the many other forms of recruiting software, there is certainly a platform that will meet your applicant management demands.

So, now that we have a basic idea about what is ATS software, who can use it, and what benefits it provides, take a look at some fundamental features that top Applicant Tracking Systems offer:

• Interaction monitoring
• Interview management
• Posting on a job board
• Searching for a resume
• Resuming parsing
• Team collaboration
• Branding management
• Pages dedicated to careers
• Data centralization
• Passive candidate management
• Reporting on metrics
• Candidate tagging
• Candidate categorization
• Recruitment on the go
• Process security and stability

Each of these features will have its own perks and specialties which you must analyze carefully when determining the best fit.

How Does an Applicant Tracking System Work?

Between raising demand and employing a superstar, Applicant Tracking Systems handle everything. To help you understand how, here’s the step-by-step procedure:

1. Collecting Requisitions

First, recruiting managers create a requisition on the applicant tracking system to inform the Talent Acquistion team about all the open or future positions.

2. Sourcing the Best Talent

After consulting with the recruiting manager, the sourcing team writes a job description for the open position and posts it on the ATS. Your sourcing team can use an ATS to post the job to your preferred employment site, social media platforms, and integrated job boards. Your job will be seen by top talent in the market with only one click.

3. Scanning Candidates

After receiving the maximum number of resumes from different sites, the ATS parses the applications and analyzes candidate profiles. All the information is efficiently stored in the candidate database that you can access anytime.

4. Scheduling Smart Interviews

You can use scorecards in the ATS software to objectively rank or score candidates. It allows recruiters to collect input from the panel in one location and simplify hiring selections.

5. Conducting Pre-Onboarding

An ATS converts a recruit into an employee on your system as soon as they sign your offer. It includes all pre-onboarding tasks such as form completion, document signing, and more. Furthermore, eSignatures avoid hundreds of downloads and uploads, making this a completely paperless and efficient operation.

When Should You Build an Applicant Tracking System?

Deciding to build the right ATS software at the right time plays an important role in the overall success of your recruitment goal. Here are some real-life scenarios when developing an Applicant Tracking System can prove to be a winning strategy:

• In the current or upcoming quarters, your organization is planning to expand rapidly.
• You're hiring for at least three separate positions at the same time.
• Inability to effectively reach and manage applicants across several platforms.
• On a daily basis, use multiple systems to meet your recruiting demands, such as job boards, calendars, video interview tools, a career site, social media, and so on.
• There is no way for you to save candidate data for future roles or time.
• Due to a lack of communication, the right candidates are falling through the cracks.
• You don't have visibility into what's going on in the process, so you can't tell what's working, what isn't, or what you should be doing.

Best Applicant Tracking Systems in 2025

ATS systems are automated tools that businesses use to filter resumes, organize candidates based on skill levels and experience while allowing the company to find the best fit for the position. If your organization's goal is the same, take a look at some of the top Applicant Tracking System available in the market today:

1. VidCruiter

The first ATS platform in this list is VidCruiter's. This applicant tracking system is both comprehensive and user-friendly to streamline the end-to-end recruitment procedure, with over 40,000 recruiters using it.

2. Avature

Avature is a robust platform that combines ATS and CRM functionalities. One of its most useful advantages is the ability to personalize the processes for both recruiters and candidates, ensuring that everyone has a positive experience.

3. iCIMS

In this field, iCIMS is a behemoth. iCIMS' Talent Cloud includes a set of cutting-edge tools that will help you manage candidates throughout their lifespan. It is designed for major enterprises with a global presence.

4. JazzHR

JazzHR is one of the best Applicant Tracking Systems and is laser-focused on small and medium-sized businesses' particular recruitment needs. SMBs can use the JazzHR solution to not only find, track, and manage candidates but also to improve their employer brand.

5. Lever

Lever is a robust, enterprise-grade recruiting solution that combines the capabilities of an ATS and a CRM and is used by several big-name companies like Netflix, KPMG, and McGraw Hill.

6. Breezy

If you're a small business just getting started with ATSs, Breezy is a good place to start. Breezy's user-friendly and easy-to-use design makes it easier to find, manage, and recruit applicants.

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Overview of the ATS Software Market in 2025 and Beyond

Businesses at various levels can access these ATS systems on the Internet based on their recruitment needs, allowing them to collect and evaluate candidate data. Companies utilize recruitment trackers to efficiently recruit the best talents. The system can also be used to advertise job openings on a company's website or in a job feed, screen resumes, and send out email interview invitations to shortlisted candidates.

As a result, the simplicity with which applicant tracking software can be integrated with various productivity tools has given the market a substantial boost. The technology can smoothly integrate with productivity applications like Microsoft Outlook, allowing users to arrange interviews without the need for dual entry.

To increase technology usage in applicant tracking system and other such advanced HRIS software development fields, recruiting firms are forming a number of cutting-edge technology collaborations. It has gained popularity among businesses that engage with potential employees via social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and others.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, remote recruiting for recruiters and managers proved to be quite beneficial. With platforms like Microsoft Teams, Skype, and Zoom, and candidates who are getting more comfortable with these developing technologies, organizations are seeing a major shift towards virtual interviewing.

The remote recruiting process will necessitate the acquisition of new skills and the refinement of candidate tracking strategies. Onboarding new employees is also leaning towards tech-assisted communication channels like custom HRMS for remote teams.

In a nutshell, the future of applicant tracking software looks bright, and considering the cut-throat market competition, this is high time to invest in these platforms.

How to Select the Best ATS?

Comparing your needs to the available options can help you find the finest Applicant Tracking System for your firm. Although most of the top ATS software share some similar features, we recommend looking for the one that includes the following functionalities as a starting point:

• A browser extension to simplify candidate sourcing and employment.
• Recruiting nurture tools use automated and tailored email campaigns to engage passive talent.
• Recommendations from candidates to help fill vacancies more quickly.
• A candidate dashboard to make it easy to manage your talent pipeline.
• Interview kits to provide unique instructions, questions, and scorecards to interviewers.
• Passive applicant sourcing tools, structured interview kits, and hidden feedback features for diversity recruiting.
• Integration with Slack to get interview and feedback reminders.
• Hiring manager dashboard for easy hiring status reporting.
• By role and function, talent reporting time to hire is broken down.
• Connect with LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and other third-party sites to make sourcing easier.
• Candidates can schedule their own interviews using the Easy Book self-scheduling links.

How Much Does It Cost to Develop an Applicant Tracking System?

Applicant Tracking Systems, like any other software product, can range in price from free to extremely expensive.

Free applicant tracking solutions are usually included with job board posting tools or can be used alone. These are typically used in the same way as Excel spreadsheets and serve as temporary stop-gaps until you upgrade to scalable choices like Lever.

As previously stated, the pricing of various ATS platforms, such as Taleo, SuccessFactors, and IBM Kenexa, can easily reach several thousand dollars.

However, the most significant component of determining the expenses of Applicant Tracking Systems is determining your needs and analyzing the systems based on how well they match your present and future demands.

How to Build an Applicant Tracking System: Six Best Practices

So, you've decided it's time to create an ATS and have selected a vendor. What comes next? The following recommended practices will help you hire the ideal development partner for your company or customer while also ensuring that you get the most out of your job Applicant Tracking System.

1. Consider Alternatives to Employment Boards

While job boards are fantastic forums for discovering active prospects, reaching out to passive candidates through employee referrals and social media can help you build a strong employment brand.

2. For Monotonous Chores, Use Automation

Recruiting tasks and workflows that are automated boost recruiter productivity, cut time-to-fill, lower cost-per-hire, and improve your company's overall talent profile.

3. Improve the Precision of Your Search

If you build your ATS software with filtering and such other specific features, you can search hundreds of resumes from your database using matching algorithms just within some seconds.

4. Define Your Objectives

Staying on top of your hiring will be easier if you have defined goals and measurable indicators. To be successful, you must first determine your success measures.

5. Manage and Utilize Vendor Assistance

Vendors are specialists when it comes to implementing their ATS, so they know what has worked and what hasn't. Hence, make sure you find the right vendor to work on your ATS development project.

6. Get Robust Support

Many ATS vendors provide varying levels of installation assistance, usually based on the size of the firm or the hiring teams. Some suppliers will provide case studies of successful deployments for smaller clients. Make the most of this perk and obtain as much advice and support as possible while setting up your ATS.

Should I Buy or Build an Applicant Tracking System?

Pros and cons of the "build vs. purchase" issue are examined, time and costs are calculated, and it's becoming clear that this is a decision that will have a significant impact on the future health of your company. Salesforce encourages developers to innovate on its platform and helps in building HRM software. This has been done by a number of top ten recruiting firms. Others have chosen to "purchase," working with an existing Salesforce recruiting technology supplier – such as TargetRecruit – to save time and money while leveraging the experience of a dedicated technology provider.

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Implement Your Applicant Tracking System with RadixwebGetting everyone on board with the ATS is a challenge. It's critical to ensure that everyone on your team is up to speed before implementing a new system or replacing an existing one. It's a good idea to start by emphasizing how the new system will boost overall performance. You can understand this by going through case studies or statistics on how other businesses have profited from using the chosen ATS in their hiring processes.Remember that Intelligent sourcing and dependable screening are the first steps in finding the ideal person. Employers who are having trouble finding top-tier candidates for open positions should use every resource at their disposal during the hiring process.Because of this, Radixweb can help you build the best ATS for your requirement goals and budget while deciding on your tech stack. our expert developers can provide you with a built-in data analytics function that you can for continual optimization of your sourcing and screening process, assuring optimal efficiency.So, if you want to develop high-performance ATS system for your enterprise, you have reached the right place. With over two decades of experience, Radixweb is a custom software development company capable of meeting and exceeding all your requirements. Let's talk!