Applicant Tracking System (ATS): Definition for Agencies

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is software that employers and recruitment agencies use to manage candidates through each stage of hiring, from application or sourcing through screening, interviews and offer, while keeping a record of every step.

Employers use an ATS to run their own vacancies. Agencies use one to manage the jobs they are recruiting for on behalf of clients, often combined with a recruitment CRM for long-term relationships.

What an ATS typically does

• Job management. Vacancies, requirements, hiring managers and stages.
• Applications and sourcing. Collecting applications from job boards and careers pages, and adding sourced candidates.
• CV parsing. Turning uploaded CVs into searchable candidate records.
• Pipelines. Moving candidates through stages such as screening, shortlist, interview and offer.
• Communication. Emails, interview invitations and rejection messages, often from templates.
• Compliance and reporting. Consent records, retention rules, audit trails and hiring metrics.

Employer ATS versus agency ATS

Employer systems focus on applications, interview scheduling and internal approvals. Agency systems add client management, candidate ownership, submissions to clients, placements and billing. When an agency submits a candidate to an employer, the CV may pass from the agency's system into the employer's ATS, or into a vendor management system that sits between them.

The "beat the ATS" myth

Job seekers are often told their CV must be "ATS-friendly" to pass automated filters. In practice, many employer systems parse CVs into records and let humans search and filter them; the details vary by product and configuration. For agency submissions, what matters more is that the CV parses cleanly and reads well to the hiring manager: clear headings, real text rather than images, and no information hidden in text boxes.

Where formatting fits in an ATS workflow

Most agencies download the candidate's CV from the ATS, reformat it in the client's layout, remove contact details, and upload the formatted version back to the candidate's record or attach it to the submission. Some ATS products include basic formatting; others integrate with specialist formatting tools. The key questions are whether the formatted CV is checked against the original and whether the file attached to the ATS is the version the client actually received.

How CVPitch works with an ATS

CVPitch handles the formatting step and keeps the record of what was approved. Each fact links to its source passage, approval is tied to the exact revision, and the editable Word file and PDF come from that approved version. Native connectors for Greenhouse, Lever, Workable, Ashby, Teamtailor, Recruitee, SmartRecruiters, Recruit CRM and Crelate import a selected CV attachment and attach the approved files back to the candidate's record, using API credentials from your own account; Manatal is supported for import. Bullhorn, JobAdder and Vincere connectors are coming soon, once those vendors approve them. For those and other systems, use the REST API and signed webhooks directly or through Zapier, Make or n8n. See integrations and developers.

Related terms

• Recruitment CRM: relationship management for candidates and clients over time.
• CV parsing: how an ATS turns an uploaded CV into searchable fields.
• Candidate submission: the package an agency sends a client from its ATS.

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