Congratulations! You’ve convinced the powers that be that your recruitment team needs an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). That’s an achievement to celebrate in its own right. Now comes the tricky bit – making sure that your project is a success. This can be easier said than done. To give your project the best start in life, you need to carefully plan how you will roll out your new ATS companywide. This article is the result of years of experience of helping to make ATS projects work for our clients. Please use it as a guide to help you think about your entire implementation process from beginning to end. And if you have any questions – please don’t hesitate to give us a call.
Our previous posts included understanding your processes, creating baseline measurements, considering a phased approach, picking the right ATS,getting hiring managers on board and keeping it simple.
Step 7: Set realistic expectations.
Talk with other companies that have implemented a system to get a good idea of what is achievable and what is a pipe dream. Then come up with some realistic goals, and lower them a notch. It’s always better to over deliver and come out looking like a hero, rather than falling short of expectations.
Our next posts discusses the importance of getting your recruiters onboard.
This post is an excerpt from the white paper "Twelve steps to a successful ATS implementation". If you would like to read more, you can download it now.
Photo credit: lopolis
-Susannh
Susannh, great post about applicant tracking systems. At Commongood Careers, we purchased an off-the-shelf ATS system that has required lots of custimization over the years. As our business is recruiting candidates for nonprofit positions, there were a number of fields that needed to be added and processes that needed to be created. With that said, it's an investment that's been worth it. We also learned throughout the implementation process how important it is to qualify what's "essential" and what's "nice to have." For any organization that is serious about recruiting, an ATS is really essential
Posted by: Dana Hagenbuch | July 19, 2010 at 14:43
All true; a good ATS/CRM can transform a company and the way it works. 'They' say that the first step is the hardest which is especially true with buying/implementing software, but once you're up an running the improvement in your day-to-day running can be huge
Posted by: BF Matt | July 22, 2010 at 12:08