First some of the benefits of using an ATS: In addition to helping you organize and keep track of candidates, it can also collect data on how applicants heard of your job postings, which will help you maximize your recruiting budget. Most importantly, perhaps, it speeds up the process to help you sign people on before competitors do.

The biggest downside, of course, is cost. But here some things to keep in mind if you decide to make the investment:

Don’t go too deep too soon – A lot of small companies are turning to Software as a Service (SaaS) vendors to save money. Basically, instead of buying software that you install on your network, you’ll pay a scheduled fee to access software hosted by the vendor. Generally, you pay a certain amount based on the number of users, so small companies don’t have to fork over as much money as a huge enterprise.

Also a lot of companies will offer a trial period before you start paying for the service. Look for a vendor that offers that so you can test the waters before making the investment.

Find a trusted vendor - Ask the company how data is handled. You’ll need to make sure everything is secure, backed-up, and always available. This is where you need to communicate closely with your IT department – they’ll know what specific things to look for.

Measure ROI - Look for software that measures how much time and money was spent on filling each position. That’ll help give you a sense of whether or not your investment was worth it.

Here are three key pieces of information to make sure your ATS gives you:

1. Candidates’ decision-making criteria. You need to know what’s convincing people to start looking for new jobs. In the online application, ask something like: “What criteria will you use to help you decide on your next career move?” That will not only help you get info about specific candidates, but also what the workforce in general is looking for right now — which is valuable knowledge for your recruiting program.
2. Who helps them make decisions. Everyone asks for advice before changing jobs. If you know who they’re asking, you’ll have a better idea of how to sell the job to a candidate who’s on the fence.
3. How they really heard about the job. Most candidates go through several sources of info before they complete an application (they see an ad on a job board, then Google your company’s name, etc.). So asking them to self-identify what clued them in isn’t the best way to track that data. Some tracking systems do it automatically by keeping tabs on the Web pages candidates came from when they got to the application page.