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What is an applicant tracking system (ATS)?

Talent Acquisition

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is software that employers use to manage hiring from job posting to offer. It stores applications and candidate records, moves candidates through interview stages, and keeps feedback, approvals, and offer details in one place. It is usually the system of record for open roles and the people who applied.

How an applicant tracking system works

An ATS holds the recruiting process together. Once a job requisition is approved, the role is opened in the ATS, posted, and applications collect against it. Recruiters and hiring managers then move each candidate through stages such as review, screen, interview, and offer, and the notes, scorecards, and messages stay attached to that candidate's record.

Most applicant tracking systems cover some version of the following:

  • Job posting: Publishing roles to a careers site and job boards.
  • Application intake: Collecting resumes and application forms against a specific role.
  • Pipeline stages: Showing where each candidate stands and who owns the next step.
  • Interview feedback: Collecting ratings and notes from each interviewer.
  • Offers and reporting: Recording offers and hires, and reporting on volume and speed by stage.

Features, stage names, and workflows vary by vendor and by company. Public employers use the same kind of system. OPM describes USA Staffing as the federal government's integrated talent acquisition system, used to recruit, evaluate, assess, certify, select, and onboard talent.

An ATS also holds records that employers have to keep. Under the EEOC's recordkeeping rule, 29 CFR 1602.14, employers must preserve personnel and employment records, including application forms, for one year from the date the record was made or the personnel action was taken, whichever is later. When a discrimination charge is filed, relevant records must be kept until the charge or action is finally resolved.

Why an applicant tracking system matters for talent teams

  • It holds the hiring history: Findem's integrations page notes that an ATS holds years of candidate history, most of which goes unused once a role closes.
  • Records go stale: Findem's post on ATS integrations points out that past applicants, silver medalists, and referrals sit in the ATS while their profiles age and get forgotten.
  • Reporting depends on clean data: Findem's guide to ATS reporting recommends a source taxonomy that separates inbound, referrals, rediscovery, alumni, employee connections, agencies, and external search, along with stage definitions that match across recruiters, roles, and business units. Without them, metrics like time to fill are hard to compare.
  • Small teams can start without one: Findem's guide to hiring without a recruiter suggests a shared spreadsheet is enough for a few roles a year, and an ATS becomes worth it when several people interview for several roles at once or candidates start slipping through the cracks.

How Findem approaches applicant tracking systems

Findem works alongside the ATS and doesn't replace it. According to Findem's integrations page, the ATS remains the system of record while Findem keeps candidate data current, connected, and usable across workflows. ATS Rediscovery surfaces past applicants, finalists, and silver medalists who match current searches. Data Enrichment brings ATS data into each Findem profile, Profile Deduplication merges duplicate candidate records, and Candidate Refresh keeps profiles current as careers change. Candidate Export sends notes, tags, and attachments from Findem back to the ATS so context stays with the candidate record.

On Findem's talent acquisition page, Findem describes itself as the sourcing, verification, and analytics layer that works on top of the ATS a team already uses, so existing workflows stay intact. People still decide who moves forward.

Further reading

Related terms

Sources

Frequently asked questions.

ATS stands for applicant tracking system. It is the software recruiting teams use to post jobs, collect applications, move candidates through interview stages, and record offers and hires.

An ATS manages people who have applied or are in process for an open role. A recruiting CRM is used to nurture relationships with people for future roles, including those who have not applied. Many products overlap, so the line between the two varies by vendor.

In the US, the EEOC's recordkeeping rule requires employers to keep application forms and other hiring records for one year from the date the record was made or the action was taken, whichever is later, and longer when a discrimination charge is pending. Other laws can set different periods, so review retention settings with counsel.

Not always. Findem's guide to hiring without a recruiter suggests a shared spreadsheet with one row per candidate is enough for a few roles a year, and an ATS becomes worth it when several people interview for several roles at once.

No. Findem works alongside the ATS, which remains the system of record. It surfaces past applicants and silver medalists who match current searches, keeps candidate profiles current, and sends notes, tags, and attachments back to the ATS.