(...or is it product suicide :)<p>Nearly everyone hates their applicant tracking system. ATSes have become these clunky, workflow pieces of software, mostly because of what larger companies need (every ATS wants/has moved upmarket). It's quite shocking how little true innovation there has been in how companies hire.<p>Hiring managers are rarely spending the time doing the work of hiring and have outsourced much of it to the recruiter, including screening/filtering applicants. Only in-house talent folk/recruiters will put up with these systems and that too because they have to. The problems are too many to count - here are two that I find particularly self-defeating: job descriptions that are a copy/paste and how companies review and respond to applicants. A good ATS should help you do this better.<p>In the process, I believe hiring has become a painful exercise for everyone involved, not in the least the candidate (how often have you not heard back on your application? how often has someone dropped the ball on you?).<p>Early stage and mid-sized companies often don't need much of the complexity. I believe I have a strong, somewhat opinionated perspective on this and am toying with the idea of starting with building a lightweight solution for small teams.<p>I'd love to hear your thoughts - especially if you're a hiring manager or in the in-house talent function. What do you suffer from in your current hiring process/ATS? What do you hate (enough to want an alternative)?