Question 1

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) overview

Accepted Answer

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is a type of talent acquisition software that provides a centralized system for creating job postings, screening applicant resumes, storing candidate information, conducting interviews, and sharing offer letters. 
 More advanced ATS software applications may feature various capabilities like interview scheduling, applicant database management, job board integrations, automated emails, hiring analytics, and reporting. 
 Hiring agencies, talent outsourcing companies, and human resources (HR) teams use applicant tracking system software to automate traditionally manual recruitment tasks with artificial intelligence and cloud technology. 
 ATS systems sort candidate resumes with natural language processing (NLP) to find applicants with relevant experience and skills. Recruiters can use ATS tools to share interview status updates via email and text, meet Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines, track metrics like time-to-hire, and enhance the overall candidate experience. 
 Some HRMS & HCM software may feature built-in ATS functionality. However, stand-alone ATS applications are ideal for managing diverse talent pools, screening resumes, communicating with candidates, and optimizing the hiring process with rich analytics.

Question 2

Who uses applicant tracking systems?

Accepted Answer

Recruitment agencies, enterprises, and small or medium-sized businesses (SMBs) use applicant tracking systems to weed out irrelevant resumes, find qualified candidates with desired skills, and communicate with them throughout the hiring process. 
 ATS solutions serve the following business types:  
 
Startups
Enterprises
Recruitment agencies
Small and medium-sized businesses
 
 Types of recruitment and hiring professionals who use ATS include:

HR managers: Talent leaders of organizations of all sizes rely on applicant tracking solutions to enhance the talent pipeline with efficient candidate sourcing, meet target headcount goals, and optimize hiring costs.

Corporate recruiters: A corporate recruiter or talent acquisition specialist responsible for filling open positions uses an ATS platform to source and compare candidates, shorten interview cycles, and manage tasks across the recruiting funnel.

Recruitment agency executives: ATS systems are invaluable to recruitment executives, helping them source and hire candidates on behalf of an organization. They rely on ATS to store applicant data, view real-time pipeline progress, and share updates with hiring managers.

Diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) officers: ATS also aids DEI practitioners in visualizing and improving the presence of historically underrepresented and marginalized groups within the workforce.

Executive search service providers: Executive recruitment agencies filling senior-level positions within companies use ATS systems to attract and convert top talent.

Campus recruiters: On-campus and off-campus recruiters are responsible for sourcing and hiring college and university graduates. They use ATS software to manage talent databases and hire for open jobs at different companies.

Freelance recruitment consultants: Freelance recruiters also may use ATS tools to manage, analyze, and interview candidates for various positions across organizations.

Question 3

Types of applicant tracking systems

Accepted Answer

Below are different industry-specific ATS platforms available in the applicant tracking system software market.

Recruitment: ATS solutions tailored for staffing agencies feature intelligent workflows to help them manage job postings and source candidates for multiple clients. These systems also feature email and SMS capabilities to help recruiters communicate with candidates.

Government: Central and local government agencies use public sector ATS solutions to maintain candidate anonymity and eliminate recruiting prejudice or bias. These systems also enable shared service team members to support hiring managers during recruitment. Government organizations rely on these systems to meet internal standards, measure DEI progress, and comply with EEOC guidelines. Medical organizations and practices rely on healthcare staffing services to review credentials, verify licenses, assess skills, and run background checks.

Hospitality: Leisure and tourism sector players use custom applicant tracking solutions to post on job boards, boost hiring pipelines, pre-screen candidates, and onboard them.

Education: ATS platforms enable colleges and universities to create job templates, publish branded careers pages, maximize candidate pool, and boost screening efficiency.

Retail: In-house retail recruiting teams turn to these systems to submit job requisitions, source candidates from job search sites, and share real-time updates with applicants.

Manufacturing: Manufacturers run background checks, manage payroll, screen tax credit eligibility, and hire applicants based on behavioral assessments and knowledge-based evaluations.

Nonprofit: Nonprofit organizations use cloud-based candidate relationship management (CRM) tools or ATS software to craft job ads, attract the right candidates, coordinate hiring across locations, and improve administrative efficiency.

How Many Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) Products Does G2 Track?

Category Stats (Sep 2026)

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G2 Grid® for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

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Best Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) - Page 30