Applicant tracking system (ATS)
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is software that manages recruiting before someone becomes an employee, from open positions and applications to interviews and offer approvals.
An ATS also coordinates background checksBackground check. A background check is a pre-employment screening, typically run after a conditional job offer, that verifies criminal history, employment history, education, or professional licenses.Click to open the term ahead of a hire decision, which stays with your authorized decision makers. Once a candidate is approved, it typically hands off identity, role, location, manager, compensation, and start date to onboardingOnboarding. Employee onboarding is the process that turns an accepted job offer into a working employment record, ready for payroll, benefits, and system access.Click to open the term. An ATS tends to earn its place once hiring volume outgrows a spreadsheet or shared inbox. That volume is common in staffing, healthcare, and hospitality, which hire continuously. If payroll and core HR data are not yet stable, applicant tracking is usually not the first priority.
What should you confirm before onboarding?
Recruiting data rarely arrives payroll-ready, so a validation gate sits between an ATS and onboarding. Creating a payroll record from unconfirmed recruiting data is a common source of early employment errors. Before a record moves into onboarding, confirm the approved candidate, role, requisition, and legal employer. Also confirm final compensation, hire date, employment type, manager, work location, and hiring authority.
| RECRUITING DATA | CAN DIFFER FROM |
|---|---|
| A resume name | The legal name |
| A proposed salary | The final approved compensation |
| A preferred location | The address that determines tax withholding |
General information, not legal or tax advice. Apply current federal and state rules with qualified guidance.