Excel spreadsheet vs. ATS: which to choose?
On average, each job posting attracts 250 CVs. Of these candidates, 4 to 6 will be invited for an interview, and only one will get the job. It is therefore essential to organize and track all candidates , their scores, the schedule, and the results.
Excel is an excellent tool for storing and sorting relatively simple data, and with advanced knowledge, it's capable of much more. But can it effectively handle the demands of a modern recruitment professional ? With the advent of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), this no longer seems to be the case. Excel vs. ATS : which will win?
What is an ATS?
What is an ATS?
An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is software that manages the recruitment and hiring process, including job postings and applications. It organizes information about job seekers and makes it searchable.
As its name suggests, an ATS tracks candidates throughout the hiring process . It helps schedule interviews, issues notifications and alerts, and sends automated emails to candidates and employees, such as recruiters and hiring managers.
But these systems are much more than just organizers. An ATS is also used to sort applications and recommend the best candidates. It can also search for keywords or use AI-like algorithms to perform a more in-depth analysis of the candidate. The goal is to speed up the application review process.
Hiring managers can then pre-screen candidates using the ATS and track their progress through the hiring process. By digitizing the hiring process in this way, an ATS allows employers to save time and money.
How do ATS work?
An applicant tracking system (ATS) helps an organization manage every step of the recruitment process, from writing the job posting to making a job offer . The ATS keeps track of all activity surrounding the candidate.
The following steps are typical of a recruitment process:
- The job application is created and, if necessary, approved in the system.
- The position is posted in one or more locations , including internally for employees, on the organization's website, and on external job sites.
- Candidates apply for the position . They may have to answer questions related to the job, such as their work experience and education. Some Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) can be configured to automatically reject candidates based on their answers to certain questions.
- The ATS can analyze resumes and rank new applications as they are submitted.
- At the same time, a headhunter approaches the candidates . Thanks to the ATS, he can automatically download all the candidate's data from LinkedIn into a single software program, accessible to recruiters.
- The recruiter reviews the applications in the system and selects the candidates to pursue.
- Interviews may be conducted with the recruiter, the hiring manager, and other individuals as needed. Notes may be entered into the ATS after each interview for future reference.
- Once the preferred candidate is identified, the recruiter typically uses the ATS to send the offer to the candidate .
- If the candidate accepts the offer , the ATS reception functions are made available to them, they can read and digitally sign policies, fill out online forms and learn more about the organization.
Advantages and disadvantages of an ATS vs. Excel
10 advantages of an ATS software
→ 1. Fewer administrative tasks that deplete resources and waste time.
Managing the day-to-day recruitment process with the right ATS means you will spend much less time repeating tasks such as copy-pasting, searching, storing, and backing up.
→ 2. An ATS allows you to develop talent and obtain long-term value from your candidate pool.
There are gems to be found in previous applications, but buried in spreadsheets and inboxes, they lose all value.
→ 3. It allows for the development of an informed hiring strategy .
It's difficult to make long-term, data-driven decisions about future recruitment with disparate systems. An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) allows you to implement a consistent process through its recruitment analytics tools.
→ 4. The hiring period is shortened.
A key metric for recruitment effectiveness, time to hire is a strong indicator of a recruitment team's performance. By automating tasks that were previously done manually, the process from application to acceptance is accelerated and cost-effective.
→ 5. The candidate's experience meets their expectations .
A comprehensive, integrated management system will offer a transparent, enriched, and informed process for job seekers and applicants.
→ 6. The employer brand is strengthened
A positive candidate experience enhances your company's reputation and impacts your business . Companies with strong brands have lower hiring costs and attract better candidates.
→ 7. Automated job posting is efficient and fast
Automatically posting job offers on classifieds sites and social media saves you time, reduces your administrative to-do list, and offers more guarantees of success.
→ 8. High-quality candidates are more easily targeted
It is now easy to know where candidates are in the hiring process, and as a result, none get lost along the way. Frequent and thorough communication keeps candidates engaged.
→ 9. Compliance is maintained
With a standardized approach and specialized tools for background checks, it is easier to protect candidates' sensitive data and demonstrate that you comply with data protection laws and regulations.
→ 10. Collaboration within the team is stronger
If you use a group approach to manage recruitment, it is easier to cohesive and effective recruitment team , with shared access to all relevant information and communications.
3 reasons why Excel isn't suitable for recruitment
- Data storage, presentation, and retrieval
Excel can store a massive amount of simple data. The quantity of data Excel can store isn't the problem; it's the type of data, how the data is presented, and the search capabilities that limit recruitment professionals.
If you work with Excel, you will need to switch between programs and have an extremely organized filing system to avoid losing essential information.
As new candidates register, data accumulates rapidly and it becomes increasingly difficult to find what you need, when you need it.
- Collaboration and confidentiality
Standard Excel documents are limited because they can only be edited by one user at a time . Documents downloaded from cloud storage, modified, and then placed back on the network often result in data loss , as user changes are overwritten.
Sometimes you might want to hide specific data from a selection of users. In Excel, you can password-protect individual worksheets, but this doesn't guarantee data security. This can be a problem if you use Excel to store sensitive information.
- Integrations and workflows
If you use Excel to store data, chances are you also use a word processing to take notes, as well as a calendar email application to manage communications.
The more you switch between different software programs, the more time you waste . As recruitment evolves, you'll increasingly rely on multiple applications. This will create a disjointed and complex workflow, increasing the likelihood of errors.
Excel is an excellent application with many uses in the business world, but it is not designed to handle the workflow of modern recruitment.
Marvin ATS, why is this practical?
Marvin Recruiter is ideal for supporting recruitment activities.
Adding candidates proposed via the platform in 1 click thanks to AI saves a lot of time on sourcing , and advanced search in the database makes sourcing smarter and better targeted to offer more qualitative support.
On the other hand, the workflow makes it easy to organize the workday by centralizing candidates to be contacted in one place, without being cluttered by other information. Everything a recruiter needs is on a single platform: statistics, process tracking, and a candidate pool.
The Marvin Recruiter team is also available to customize the platform as much as possible to suit your needs.
From a management perspective, the tool allows me to track the overall and individual performance of my team to ensure that each salesperson achieves their objectives.
Conclusion
Although Excel is an excellent application with a wide range of uses in the business world, it is not designed to handle the workflow of modern recruitment.
Like Marvin Recruiter, there are many solutions that develop recruitment software for recruitment professionals. These Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) allow you to manage the entire recruitment process from a single, highly integrated system.
Thanks to features such as key task automation, intelligent resume analysis, connectivity to social networks and job sites, powerful LinkedIn integration and two-way email management, ATS have proven their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.
Marvin Recruiter solution and form your own opinion on Excel VS ATS !
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