Applicant Tracking Systems Overview

Project Title and Authors

• Apply: Streamlining Application Processes and Enhancing Career Development
• Alanoud Alsharidah, Hton Banafea, Lara Alsudais, Layan Kamal
• Supervised by Dr. Fadwa Alrowais

Project Details

• A graduation project report submitted to the College of Computer and Information Sciences at Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (PNU)
• In partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science

Additional Information

• Part of Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Faculty of Computer and Information Science
• Graduation project 1
• Riyadh, KSA
• Academic year 1445-1446H (likely 2023-2024)

Table of Contents

• Contains various chapters and appendices, covering the introduction, background information, system analysis, system design, references, and supporting documents.
• Includes specific page numbers for each section of the report.

Chapter 1: Introduction

• Problem statement and significance: Discusses challenges in managing job and internship applications, especially regarding repetitive procedures and document retrieval.
• Proposed solution: Introduces "Apply," an innovative digital platform to streamline the application process by eliminating complexities and automating tasks.
• Project domain and limitations: Focuses on undergraduate to adult job seekers in Saudi Arabia.
• Definition of new terms: Explains key terms and concepts related to the project, such as Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), Curriculum Vitae (CV), Autofill, and others.

Chapter 2: Background Information and Related Work

• Evolution of job application process: Describes the historical changes in how people apply for jobs, from in-person to online methods. Focuses on the use of technology and job listing websites now.
• Software Requirements: Swift and SwiftUI for the front-end, Node.js for the back-end,
• Hardware Requirements: iOS phones with internet access for user devices, Windows/MacOS PCs for developers.
• Algorithms: Discusses algorithms like collaborative filtering, item-based collaborative filtering, and content-based filtering, and their use in job recommendations.
• Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS): Explores how ATS formats influence resumes and applying processes.
• Artificial Intelligence Chatbot (Octu-pal): Describes the AI assistant's role in improving resumes, preparing for job interviews, and proofreading job applications.
• Similar systems comparison: Reviews existing job search platforms (ZipRecruiter, Indeed, LinkedIn, Handshake, Glassdoor, Jobscan, Resumonk, Smartrecruiters, and CareerBuilder, and Bayt) to compare the features and functionality with the new platform Apply, highlighting their advantages and disadvantages.

Chapter 3: System Analysis

• Requirements specification: Discusses the methodology behind collecting information about user requirements.
• Interviews: Details the interview process and questionnaires used to collect qualitative data focused on job seekers and recruiters.
• Surveys: Describes the online questionnaire, and its use to gather quantitative data about user needs (includes specific questions about user needs as described in appendix A).
• Interview Analysis: The results and themes identified from interviews with recruiters.
• Survey Analysis: Analyzes the survey data to identify user needs and preferences.

Chapter 4: System Design

• System Architecture: Outlines a layered approach to designing the application for understanding and maintaining. Focuses on user interface, interfaces management, core business logic, and system support layers.
• Flowcharts: Provides visual representations of the user and administrator workflows using various functionalities, including login, registration, job searching, managing applications, and handling support tickets.
• User Interface (UI) Design: Details the UI designs, including screenshots, of the various screens and functionalities of the Apply app. Provides details about navigation and structure.

Chapter 5: References

• Includes a comprehensive list of academic sources used in the project.

Appendices

• Questionnaire questions (Appendix A): Provides the full list of questions used for the questionnaires, a link to the online questionnaire.
• Approvals (Appendix B): Presents formal approvals from relevant review boards.
• Participant information sheet (Appendix C): Provides detailed information about the project study for participants, participant consent, and ethical issues.