Is an ATS the Best Solution for Auto Dealers Looking to Hire?

Many times, when certain industries have hiring needs they look to what is known as an ATS or ApplicantTrackingSystem. At ApplicantOne, we work a lot with auto dealers in particular, and try our best to suit their hiring needs. In recent discussions with our sales team on the topic of “Is an ATS a perfect match for these auto dealers?” we came to one simple conclusion: no.

What is an ATS?

Before we dive into the reasons why an ATS is not the solution that car dealerships are looking for, let’s revisit the topic of an ATS. What is it? In our recent blog, The Importance of AI in an ATS, we define the popular hiring software: “An ATS or Applicant Tracking System is a software companies can utilize to help aid and assist in the hiring process. It allows those companies to organize any and all candidates for recruitment purposes by allowing the collection of pertinent information, the organization of potential hires, and the filtration of qualified and unqualified applicants.” Alright, you’re all caught up. First, let’s make one thing perfectly clear before we move forward and you get the wrong impression, ApplicantOne is NOT an ATS. We’ll tell you why in a second...Hang in there.

Why Won’t This Work?

Okay, so we’ve kinda left you hanging with that last point. We’ll circle back, promise. For now, let’s focus for a second on why an ATS is not a perfect match for auto dealers. For this section, we have two quotes: one from a member of our sales team, Buddy Putnam, and another from a member of our recruiting team, Nathan Lewis. Check them out:

“While [an] ATS can be a very useful tool for companies needing to keep track of candidates, the pain that many dealerships are feeling, is the shortage of candidates. Because of this, our ApplicantONE recruiting team would be a much more useful tool, to bring in candidates, and hopefully create a problem of too many applicants.”

-Buddy Putnam, National Sales Executive

“An ATS by itself is designed to keep track of applicants who have been vetted, qualified, screened, and brought through the entirety of the qualification process for a given position. Although very handy, an ATS cannot do the extensive leg work and vetting required by a robust recruiting team or veteran recruiter. An ATS cannot provide a custom built assessment that an organization wants to administer to a candidate.”

-Nathan Lewis, Senior Recruiter

So as you can tell, the consensus is pretty similar: an ATS is great for those initial hiring tasks. However, where it falls short is when the more extensive hiring tactics must come into play. Like Buddy said, in his experience as a salesman, a pain point for dealerships is the lack of candidates, thus making the ATS redundant. Nate’s issue isn’t with the market, it’s more with an ATS as is. Like he said, an ATS cannot perform the extensive leg work that a recruiting team would be able to perform. So what do I do now? Fret not, we have a solution for you!

What Next?

Okay, so you’re in the automotive industry, you’re looking to hire...now what? What do I do if an ATS is not the right solution for me? Well, you came to the right place! ApplicantOne is the perfect solution for your automotive hiring needs. Why? Our recruiting technology takes all of the things that make an ATS great, and amplifies that by 100. Plus, on top of our technology, we have a fantastic team of in-house recruiters driving the technology forward so you don’t have to worry. They do all of that extensive legwork, they control our software, they monitor everything that comes in and out of it - you won’t have to lift a finger.

Now that we have your attention, you might be wondering, “What is ApplicantOne?” ApplicantOne was created out of the need to find quality candidates. Originally starting as an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), we quickly learned that hiring managers do not have the time or resources to drive the process for an ATS. This is how and why our hiring solutions were developed. ApplicantOne’s mission is to make innovative technology solutions easy and accessible for any business.

Our purpose is to alleviate the pain points experienced in the hiring process by delivering value through our advanced recruiting software. ApplicantOne offers solutions that are NOT a typical Applicant Tracking System or a Recruiting Contract. ApplicantOne has created a space where the power of both Recruiting Technology and Contract Recruiting are leveraged AND amplified by including additional features like behavioral and cognitive assessments, job board integrations, video interviews, and a personal dossier that provides a collaborative experience. ApplicantOne combines an advanced recruiting technology with the human element of recruiting which provides an exceptional experience that drives quality results.

See what we mean? For more information about who we are and what we do, check out our Services page and learn how and why we are the perfect match for automotive dealership hiring.