According to the prevailing wisdom of the day, there is a global shortage of top talent. But is that really true? Is talent really scarce, or is it that your applicant tracking system (ATS) is dismissing qualified candidates left and right? Scary Applicant Tracking System Issues CIO reports that “Error-prone applicant tracking systems kill 75 percent of job seekers’ chances of landing an interview as soon as they submit their resumes, despite how qualified they may be.” A quick Google search will net you thousands of articles about how to design your resume to “beat the ATS.” Meanwhile, Forbes offers this observation about the potential loss of talent with an ATS: “If it takes a job-seeker an hour to complete all the mind-numbing fields in your applicant tracking system, the best people have already fled for greener pastures. If you’re a Recruiting Director or a curious CEO, ask your ATS vendor what the abandonment rate is on your recruiting site. How many people, in other words, start the process and then drop out of it? There’s your talent on the hoof, off to a friendlier welcome mat than you were able to lay out.” Here are a few other stats to give you pause when considering your current ATS: 80 percent of job candidates describe their job search as time-consuming and stressful. 60 percent said they would be deterred from completing an application if they encountered tech hurdles. 55 percent said they would be deterred from completing an application if they could not upload their resume. RecruitingSocial.com conducted an informal survey of job seekers in the U.S. and Canada who had recently written and sent out a resume. Here are some of the responses the survey collected about how applicant tracking systems impact job seekers: “ATS’s are terrible at making the candidate feel as though their resume has been reviewed by someone qualified to determine whether or not you have the skills to perform the work noted in the description.” “Job hunting would be awesome if employers would treat people like people, not another piece of paper.” “When I submit a resume, I would really like to get some kind of response. Even if it’s a no thanks at least I know my resume didn’t go into some black hole that was never reviewed.” Clearly, it makes sense to check your ATS to determine whether your technology is scaring your best candidates away. Modern ATS Tech Eliminates Candidate Stress If your ATS abandonment rates are high, that is a good sign that you may need to embrace a new applicant tracking system. Cutting edge ATS technology eliminates the busy work from the application process, streamlining processes at every step of the candidate journey. ThriveTRM smooths the candidate experience, attracting top talent to your organization. In your company culture revolves around innovation, it makes sense to use an applicant tracking system that accurately reflects that culture. ThriveTRM is a complete talent management solution that enables you to get a global real-time view of your candidates anywhere and anytime. ThriveTRM provides a seamless candidate experience, from smart resume parsing to candidate communication throughout the recruiting and onboarding process. Schedule a demo today to see what ThriveTRM can do to help you attract and acquire top talent.