Staffing companies sit on hundreds, if not thousands, of candidates in their ATS. Yet existing databases are significantly underutilized. Often instead of taking advantage of the pool of candidates in front of us, the first thought is to utilize a job board to find applicants for a role. Job boards are an effective way to find candidates, but your ATS can also be just as effective. When your ATS is utilized to its fullest, it can become a major source for finding quality candidates. 

A recent study from Glassdoor showed that recruiter sourced candidates represented 14% of all job offers in 2025, up from 7% in 2023. Direct sourcing nearly doubling in two years shows the effectiveness of direct outreach. The same study also showed that referred candidates are 35% more likely to receive offers compared to those who start with an online application. This too can be an opportunity for reaching out to existing candidates in your ATS for referrals. 

In this article, we will take a look at tactics for maintaining candidate data in your ATS and we will also look at ways to utilize your ATS to match candidates with jobs.

Maintaining Your Candidate Data in Your ATS

Keep Data Clean and Complete 

For your ATS to be effective when sourcing candidates, you first must keep your candidate data clean and complete. Every new candidate that enters your system should have a complete profile. Missing information won’t yield any results when searching for them later. You can have the most qualified candidate in your database, yet they are never found due to an incomplete record. Think about Name, Contact Information, Address, Skills, Work History, Education, etc. These are some examples of basic information all candidate records should have. If you are missing their address, how can you search for candidates in specific areas? If you are missing skills, how can you find them when searching for candidates with a certain skill set?

For consistency, create a manual for entering candidates into your ATS that everyone at your staffing agency can follow. This way, all new candidates coming into the system are entered the same way. Candidates may be coming into your ATS through your website, job boards, and other sources. Once the recruiter connects with them, this is the opportunity to gather any other key information that may be missing from their candidate record. 

Track Activities and Activity Notes

“If it isn’t documented, it didn’t happen.” This old saying couldn’t be more true when working with data in your ATS. It is important that all candidate activities and activity notes are tracked. This means candidate statuses should be changed when moving to another phase in the recruiting cycle and all communication with the candidate should be shown in the activity notes. Without this information, recruiters can’t see what previously happened with that candidate and they can’t see insights into the “candidate story.”

This too should also be recorded in a company manual. The manual should outline how to log activities and activity notes, so again everyone is logging activities the same way. 

The more data you have, the richer the results will be when sourcing candidates in your ATS. 

Add Top Candidates to Pipelines and Favorite Lists

When working with candidates, you always come across favorites and “top” candidates. Whether they are candidates that didn’t work out to place them onto a job or previous candidates that worked for you in the past, add these candidates to a pipeline or favorites list in your ATS. You can break the lists out by roles or industry, based on what is most appropriate for your staffing agency. These lists can be very valuable for tracking your top, qualified candidates and making them easily accessible. If your ATS offers this feature, you may even be able to go a step further and rank the candidates on your pipeline based on a 1 to 5 or 1 to 10 rating scale. 

How to Utilize Your ATS to Reengage Candidates

Use the Tried and True Search Tools in Your ATS

Sometimes there is no need to get fancy when searching for candidates. If you follow the above ways for maintaining candidate data in your ATS, your tried and true search tools will yield the results you are looking for. Search tools in your ATS should be robust, allowing you to use the basic search functionality to enter the exact criteria a candidate should have for a position. From the search results, you can send a quick text or email to the candidates, seeing if they are interested. 

Some key searches that may be helpful when direct sourcing is searching by:

· Skills

· Position

· Employment History Titles

· Location (if there is a specific location you are recruiting for)

· Last Contacted (to find candidates you haven’t reached out to in a while)

· Dates Last Worked (to find former employees you may want to reach out to again)

Another important search is a Full Text Search for keywords. A Full Text Search scours your database for certain keywords in a candidate’s profile, including their resume. Not only can it search for keywords, but it can search for synonyms. This is handy if you want to search by position to see what candidates have held a similar role. It is also handy when looking for a specific skill set. If you aren’t already taking advantage of the Full Text Search, be sure to check out your ATS to see if it has this feature.

*Note* As you are conducting searches and sourcing candidates for a position, create a pipeline in your ATS to keep track of your candidate list.

Utilize a Candidate Mobile App for Candidate Engagement and Matching

A candidate mobile app is one of the best ways you can keep candidates engaged with your staffing agency, before employment, during, and after. A candidate mobile app will allow candidates to view your open jobs, apply, message with the recruiter, and more. One of the biggest advantages that could be available with a mobile app, is the ability to push out AI-powered invites to pre-qualified candidates that meet the criteria for a job. Candidates can accept the job on the spot and be put onto the assignment in your ATS. This creates the ultimate candidate experience. As more candidates search for self-service tools, a 

candidate mobile app is an easy and effective way for candidates to stay engaged with your agency as they search for assignments. 

Take Advantage of AI Tools for Re-Engagement and Screening

This article wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t talk about AI tools you can take advantage of for re-engagement and screening. AI and automation tools, such as with our partner Sense, can help you re-engage with candidates. We will look at a few ways on how AI can help with re-engagement.

Keeps Candidate Information Up to Date

AI and automation tools that integrate with your ATS, can help you keep candidate information up to date. You can have a candidate in your ATS from years ago and the last communication was from just then. AI tools can help you send emails or texts to candidates to confirm their information is still correct. If not, they can update their information and this information is automatically updated in your ATS. This is a great way to keep candidate information clean and accurate, so you are communicating the best way and finding the right jobs for them.

Use it for Candidate Matching and Screening 

AI tools can help match candidates to jobs in your ATS. If a candidate meets the criteria for a position, an automatic email or text can go out to that candidate to pre-screen them for a job. If they pass the screening, the candidate can be automatically assigned to the position in your ATS. This eliminates back and forth communication and streamlines candidate matching to a job. 

Automated Communication and Check-Ins

AI and automation tools can also be used to trigger emails and text messages for candidates that meet certain criteria. For example, if a candidate hasn’t been contacted in a certain period of time, an automatic email can go out to that candidate checking in to see if they are seeking a role. In your check in communication, you can also mention if they aren’t looking if they know of anyone that is seeking a new role. This ties back to the referral stat noted earlier, that 35% of referrals are more likely to receive job offers. Check-in texts are a great opportunity to see if you can get any referrals. 

Re-engaging with Candidates Today

Your ATS is a powerful tool. When information is stored clean and completely, it becomes an even more powerful tool for sourcing candidates. Sometimes your best candidates are right in front of you. By utilizing the tools in your ATS, you can find and place candidates quicker. AI tools and a candidate mobile app can help streamline candidate matching and eliminate some of the minutiae involved with traditional recruiting practices. Hope these tips help as you reactivate your candidate database and match more of your existing candidates to jobs!

Questions about re-engaging with candidates in your ATS? Contact Us to learn more about how you can take advantage of an ATS like Ultra-Staff EDGE Staffing Software to reactivate candidates in your ATS with today’s top staffing tools.