What does an ATS track?

Open positions, applications, the stage each candidate is at, interview feedback and the final decision. Good systems also record where each candidate came from, so the cost and yield of each sourcing channel can be compared.

Do candidates need to apply directly into an ATS?

No. Applications from job boards, referrals, agencies and email can usually be added, though importing them by hand is where duplicates and lost CVs tend to appear.

How does an ATS connect to onboarding?

When a candidate accepts an offer, their details should pass into the employee record so they are not typed in again. Re-entry at this point is a common source of spelling and date errors in payroll.

Does an ATS need to handle candidate data carefully?

Yes. Candidate CVs contain personal data, so access should be limited, and rejected candidates' data should not be kept longer than the organisation's retention policy allows. Check the current requirements under India's data protection law.

HR & payroll glossary

Applicant tracking system (ATS)

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Definition

Software that manages candidates from application to offer: job postings, CVs, interview stages, feedback and the offer itself. Its job ends at acceptance, when the candidate's details should pass into the employee record so nothing is keyed in twice before the first day.

In practice

In day-to-day recruiting, the ATS is where every requisition starts. A hiring manager raises the request, it is approved against the headcount plan, and only then is the job posted. Recruiters move candidates through stages and interviewers enter scorecards there, so the history of a hire sits in one place instead of in email threads.

Weekly, the recruiter pulls a pipeline view: for example, 120 applicants, 30 screened, 10 interviewed and 2 at offer for one role. A stage where candidates pile up without movement usually means an interviewer has not given feedback, and that is the conversation to have with the hiring manager.

The mistake teams make is letting stages go stale. If rejected candidates are never closed out, the reports overstate the pipeline and candidates never hear back. Closing each record with a reason also builds the data needed to see which sources produce hires.

Treated in depthEmployee Onboarding Guide

FAQs

ATS: common questions

Open positions, applications, the stage each candidate is at, interview feedback and the final decision. Good systems also record where each candidate came from, so the cost and yield of each sourcing channel can be compared.
No. Applications from job boards, referrals, agencies and email can usually be added, though importing them by hand is where duplicates and lost CVs tend to appear.
When a candidate accepts an offer, their details should pass into the employee record so they are not typed in again. Re-entry at this point is a common source of spelling and date errors in payroll.
Yes. Candidate CVs contain personal data, so access should be limited, and rejected candidates' data should not be kept longer than the organisation's retention policy allows. Check the current requirements under India's data protection law.

HR & Payroll Glossary

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