Questions to ask about an applicant tracking system
Start with the hiring workflow your team must support: requisition approval, applications, interviews, offers, reporting, and handoff to HR. Ask the vendor to demonstrate each step using the same scenario.
The requirement questions in the tool provide a demo-day agenda. Ask who configures each step, what depends on another product, how failures are handled, and whether the output can be exported.
How to choose an ATS with a scorecard
Enable the requirements that matter, assign a weight from one to five, and name the vendors you are considering. Scores run from zero to five: zero fails, three meets the requirement, and five demonstrates a particular strength. Leave unanswered items blank.
The weighted score is the earned points divided by the maximum points for the selected requirements. A complete score appears only after every selected item has a score. Required items must reach three; a high total cannot override a failed requirement.
Download the requirements template and scored spreadsheet
The blank template exports selected requirements, weights, required flags, and demo questions. The scored CSV adds your vendor scores, weighted totals, evidence coverage, and decision status. Both open in spreadsheet applications.
Exports contain values from this browser session, not live spreadsheet formulas. Edit the scorecard here and export again to update calculated totals. No evaluation is saved to an account or submitted to a vendor.
Keep market evidence separate from evaluation scores
The ATS directory shows public job-board evidence for companies using covered systems. It can help form a shortlist, but it does not supply product quality ratings. This scorecard intentionally starts with blank vendor scores.
After a demonstration, preserve the supporting evidence with your procurement notes. Use observed adoption as context and your functional requirements as the basis for the decision.