Purchasing an applicant tracking system (ATS) could be beneficial to your recruiting business. However, not every recruiter needs an ATS. Below are a few questions should ask before you make an investment:

1. Understand your recruiting process. Know every step in your recruiting process and think about how a new ATS could improve that process. Will a new ATS improve job candidate quality?  Will the ATS speed up the hiring process?  Or will it reduce your recruiting costs in some way?  Whatever the reasons you have for wanting a new ATS write them down.
2. Make sure your expectations meet the reality of the ATS ability.  Talk with the vendor about how you expect the ATS to improve your recruiting process. Can the vendor demonstrate how the system will meet your expectations? Can the vendor provide case studies? Do they have references from companies which are similar to your business in size, scope and focus?
3. Will the ATS vendor exist over the long-term?  When investing in an ATS you want to make sure you choose a firm which will not only exist in the years to come; but that will remain a market leader. You don’t want to invest in a system which will soon become outdated.