There are seven essential, interrelated components of an Applicant Tracking System. (You might take a look at this great little piece …Animals are Tracked, People have relationships.) The actual functionality is very simple and can all be generated from a single database.

The basic components are:

1. Candidate Database (Resume and Relationship Information) This may need to be two separate databases to meet regulatory requirements
2. Jobs Database
3. Publication Services (for Managing the Talent Pools)
4. Workflow Management (Routing and Scheduling)
5. Searching and Matching Technology
6. Embedded Wisdom (Help, Templates for Letters and Newsletters)
7. Workspace Integration Services

Rather than cover a lot of old ground, please take a look at this series:

• ATS Market Basics
• ATS Market Basics II
• ATS Market Basics III
• ATS Market Basics IV
• ATS Market Basics V
• ATS Marke Basics VI
• ATS Market Basics VII
• ATS Marke Basics VIII
• ATS Market Basics IX
• ATS Market Basics X
• ATS Market Basics XI
• ATS Market Basics XII
• ATS Market Basics XIII

In the transition, I’ve gotten all sorts of new accounts. Johnsumser.com is hosted by a company called DreamHosts, these days. I haven’t been a customer long enough to decide whether or not I like them. But, they do know how to write a job ad. (more…)

There are a number of converging elements that make up the current inflection point. They include

• The Redefinition of the Sourcing Function
• The Explosion in Information Sources (Blogs, Podcasts and VBlogs))
• The Continued Growth of Job Boards, Niche Job Boards in Particular
• The Emergence of Regional Recruiting Phenomenon
• The Free Fall In The Pricing of Storage, Video and Still Images
• The Rapid Multiplication of Social Software Tools and Environments
• The Generational Power Shift In The Industry (and In the Workplace)

In this series, we’re going to look at them all in some detail. (more…)