Hiring More Efficiently with Small Teams: ATS Tools That Help You Do More

Hiring often feels like a full-time job in itself, especially for small teams or growing startups. With limited people power and multiple roles to fill, it’s easy to feel stretched. Every new opening means more resumes, more coordination, and more follow-ups, without an extra set of hands to help.

That’s where Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) make a real difference. These tools simplify the hiring process by automating repetitive tasks, organizing candidate data, and helping teams move faster without compromising on quality. From resume screening to interview scheduling, a smart ATS can take care of the busywork, so you and your team can stay focused on making great hires.

What This Blog Covers

This guide is designed to help small and growing teams make smarter hiring decisions with the help of ATS tools. Here’s what you’ll find inside:

• Key challenges small teams face during hiring
• How ATS tools simplify and speed up the hiring process
• A breakdown of essential ATS features like automation, AI screening, and scheduling
• Detailed profiles and pricing for top ATS platforms suited for small teams
• A step-by-step checklist for choosing the right ATS
• Final takeaways and FAQs to support your decision-making process

Whether you’re hiring your first employee or managing multiple open roles, this blog will help you find the right tool to stay efficient and competitive.

How ATS Tools Help You Do More with Small Teams

Applicant Tracking Systems aren’t just databases for storing resumes—they’re built to support lean hiring teams in handling more, without burning out. Here’s how the right ATS can multiply your team’s efficiency:

AI Resume Screening

Manually reviewing every application is time-consuming. With AI-powered screening, an ATS scans incoming resumes and highlights the ones that best match your criteria. It looks at job titles, skills, experience, and more, bringing the most relevant candidates to the top. This helps small teams move quickly and focus their energy on candidates worth interviewing.

Automated Workflows

Routine tasks like sending follow-up emails, updating a candidate’s stage, or assigning reviews can take up hours each week. ATS platforms allow you to set up automated rules. For example, once a candidate completes an assessment, they can be moved to the next round automatically, with an email sent to the recruiter and hiring manager. It’s a simple way to speed things up and reduce manual work.

Built-in Scheduling Tools

Going back and forth on email to find interview times is a hassle. ATS tools often come with calendar integration, so candidates can pick from available slots directly. It syncs with your team’s calendars, eliminates double bookings, and helps interviews get scheduled faster—with less effort from your side.

Centralized Communication

Instead of juggling between Slack, emails, and spreadsheets, everything stays within the ATS. Notes, feedback, and messages are logged under each candidate profile. Everyone involved in the hiring process can see updates in real time, making collaboration smoother and reducing confusion.

Reporting and Analytics Dashboards

An ATS helps you see where things are working—and where they’re not. You can track how many candidates applied, how long it takes to hire, where drop-offs happen, and more. These insights help improve decision-making and keep your hiring pipeline running efficiently.

Key Problems Faced by Small Teams

Smaller teams often take on hiring responsibilities alongside other core tasks. This split focus can lead to delays, missed candidates, and unnecessary stress. Below are some of the most common roadblocks teams face when hiring without a full recruitment staff.

Too Much Manual Screening

When you’re receiving dozens or even hundreds of applications, manually reviewing each one isn’t sustainable. Teams often rely on quick scans or keyword matching, which can be inaccurate or biased. Without a smarter system in place, valuable applicants may slip through unnoticed, and the review process becomes more time-consuming than it needs to be.

Poor Visibility Into Hiring Status

Without an organized system, it’s hard to tell who’s applied, who’s been interviewed, and who’s waiting for feedback. Hiring managers and recruiters may be working from different spreadsheets or email threads. This lack of visibility leads to duplicated work, delays in decision-making, and a frustrating experience for both the team and the candidate.

Inefficient Collaboration Between Hiring Managers

When hiring decisions involve multiple stakeholders, communication becomes critical. But if feedback lives in different inboxes or tools, it’s easy for updates to be missed. Teams lose momentum when they have to chase down approvals or clarify next steps repeatedly. In many cases, it also delays offers, putting you at risk of losing top talent.

Repetitive Tasks That Drain Time

A large portion of the hiring process involves doing the same things over and over: sending thank-you notes, moving candidates from one stage to another, and scheduling interviews. These admin tasks, while necessary, quickly add up. For lean teams, it means less time for strategic hiring activities like sourcing, engagement, or employer branding.

Delayed Responses to Candidates

Speed matters in hiring. When teams are stretched thin, following up with candidates often takes a back seat. Delayed communication can create a poor impression, reduce engagement, or even lead to losing strong candidates to faster-moving competitors. Timely, clear updates are a must, and harder to maintain without the right systems in place.

Hiring doesn’t have to be slow or scattered—even for small teams. These common issues highlight the need for tools that bring structure, speed, and automation into the process. That’s precisely where modern ATS platforms step in.

Top ATS Tools for Small Teams

When you’re running lean, every hour counts—and so does every hire. The right ATS can help you streamline hiring, reduce repetitive tasks, and maintain a high-quality candidate experience even with a small team. Here’s a deeper look at five standout platforms built for growing companies and resource-conscious HR teams.

Manatal – Smart Automation at an Affordable Price

Manatal brings advanced features—like AI screening and candidate enrichment—into a user-friendly interface that works well for non-technical teams. The platform is built to help recruiters focus less on data entry and more on decision-making.
It’s especially helpful for startups without a dedicated recruiter, thanks to its simplicity and low learning curve. Manatal also supports job board posting, making it easier to attract candidates across multiple channels.

• Best For: Startups, solo recruiters, and HR teams looking for cost-effective automation
• What Stands Out: Manatal’s AI ranks candidates based on job fit and also enriches profiles using data from social media and public sources. This cuts down screening time significantly. Its drag-and-drop pipeline makes progress tracking visual and easy.
• Key Features
  • AI-powered candidate ranking
  • LinkedIn and social profile enrichment
  • Kanban-style recruitment pipelines
  • Job board posting with one click
  • GDPR-ready data management

Pricing

Manatal pricing is one of the most affordable ATS tools on the market, making it ideal for startups and small teams.

• Professional Plan – $19/user/month (billed annually)
  Includes core ATS features, AI resume scoring, job board posting, and pipeline management.
• Enterprise Plan – $39/user/month (billed annually)
  Adds advanced features like custom user roles, API access, and white labeling.
• Billing Structure: Per user per month
• Free Trial: 14 days, full access to all features
• Best For: Budget-conscious teams needing powerful features without high commitment

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Breezy HR – Visual Hiring With Built-In Automation

Breezy HR simplifies hiring with a visual pipeline that lets you see exactly where each candidate stands. It’s ideal for teams that want to move fast and keep hiring collaborative and organized.
The layout is intuitive, making it easy for hiring managers and founders to jump in without needing training. It also handles repetitive tasks like reminders and follow-ups with ease.

• Best For: Small businesses, remote teams, and hiring managers who prefer visual workflows
• What Stands Out: Breezy makes team collaboration seamless with @mentions, centralized communication, and evaluation scorecards. The built-in scheduling tool integrates directly with your calendar, saving hours each week.
• Key Features:
  • Drag-and-drop hiring pipeline
  • Built-in calendar sync and scheduling
  • Team scorecards and evaluations
  • Automated email and SMS follow-ups
  • Customizable career pages

Pricing

Breezy offers both free and paid plans, giving teams flexibility depending on hiring volume and feature needs.

• Free Plan – $0
  It includes one active job, a basic pipeline, and limited access to features.
• Startup Plan – $157/month (billed annually)
  Unlocks unlimited positions, branded career sites, automation, and more.
• Growth & Business Plans – Custom pricing
  Designed for companies needing advanced integrations, custom workflows, and deeper reporting.
• Billing Structure: Flat monthly rate based on plan tier (not per user)
• Free Trial: 14 days for paid plans

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Recruitee – Built for Team Collaboration

Recruitee is designed with teamwork in mind. It helps HR and hiring managers work together more efficiently, offering strong customization and reporting capabilities without requiring deep technical skills. The dashboard keeps everything in one place, so your team can avoid scattered tools and miscommunication. Even non-HR users can easily leave feedback or track hiring progress in real time.

• Best For: Companies with multiple hiring stakeholders and fast-moving hiring cycles
• What Stands Out: Recruitee offers a shared environment where teams can assign roles, leave feedback, and control visibility. The platform also includes robust job promotion tools to reach candidates across multiple platforms.
• Key Features:
  • Role-based access for hiring teams
  • Branded career site builder
  • Automated job posting to 15+ boards
  • Task management and approval flows
  • Analytics for pipeline, source, and conversion

Pricing

Recruitee charges are based on the number of job slots, making it suitable for teams that scale hiring seasonally or project-wise.

• Launch Plan – Starts at $269/month for up to 10 active job slots
  Includes multiposting, pipeline workflows, a branded careers site, and analytics.
• Scale & Lead Plans – Custom pricing
  Add advanced reporting, SSO, workflow templates, and priority support.
• Billing Structure: Based on the number of job slots, not per user
• Free Trial: 18 days
• Best For: Teams managing multiple roles with clear growth plans

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Ashby – Data-Driven Hiring for Startups

Ashby is an all-in-one hiring platform that blends applicant tracking with powerful analytics. It’s ideal for fast-growing startups that want to scale hiring operations without losing visibility into what’s working.
It helps teams standardize the process and maintain consistency across roles, which is critical for fast scaling. The reporting capabilities are especially helpful for founders and investors tracking key hiring metrics.

• Best For: Seed to Series C startups prioritizing structured, scalable hiring
• What Stands Out: Ashby combines ATS, scheduling, and analytics in one modern interface. It enables structured interviews, DEI reporting, and productivity tracking—all helpful for data-focused teams.
• Key Features:
  • Unified scheduling, pipeline, and analytics
  • Structured interviews and feedback loops
  • Auto-generated offer letters
  • DEI tracking and inclusive hiring tools
  • Real-time dashboard and funnel metrics

Pricing

Ashby offers custom pricing that is tailored to your team size and hiring volume. It’s built for high-growth startups that need both structure and flexibility.

• Custom Plan Only
  Includes ATS, analytics, scheduling, DEI tracking, and offer workflows.
• Billing Structure: Custom quote based on number of roles, team size, and integrations
• Free Trial: No public trial, but a personalized demo is available
• Best For: Venture-backed startups with fast-scaling hiring goals

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Workable – Versatile Toolset With Hiring at Scale

Workable offers a flexible suite of features that covers the whole hiring lifecycle—from sourcing and evaluation to offer generation. It’s great for teams juggling multiple roles or expanding into new regions. The platform is used by thousands of companies globally and comes packed with pre-built templates, integrations, and compliance tools. It’s particularly strong for teams with growing role diversity or distributed hiring.

• Best For: Mid-sized companies managing several job openings across functions
• What Stands Out: Workable includes advanced sourcing tools like AI candidate suggestions and access to a global resume database. Its offer management and compliance workflows are perfect for scaling operations.
• Key Features:
  • 700+ job board integrations
  • AI-recommended candidate matches
  • Offer letter templates and approval workflows
  • Mobile app for hiring on the go
  • Built-in e-signature and compliance features

Pricing

Workable offers two pricing models: pay-per-job and custom plans for teams hiring at scale.

• Starter Plan – $149/month per job
  Includes sourcing, job board posting, branded career pages, and interview tools.
• Premier Plan – Custom pricing (recommended for 5+ active roles)
  Adds integrations, reporting, compliance features, and full support.
• Billing Structure: Pay-per-job or flat rate for volume hiring
• Free Trial: 15 days
• Best For: Teams with predictable or ongoing hiring needs across departments

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How to Choose the Right ATS If You Have a Small Team

Finding the right ATS isn’t about picking the most feature-packed platform—it’s about choosing one that fits your workflow, budget, and team capacity. Here are five detailed steps to guide your decision:

Prioritize Tools That Automate the Basics

For small teams, time is your most limited resource. Focus on platforms that automate resume screening, email follow-ups, stage movements, and interview scheduling. These features can save several hours each week and reduce the chance of human error during busy hiring cycles. Automation lets your team stay focused on reviewing top candidates and making decisions faster.

Pick a Platform That’s Easy to Set Up

Implementation shouldn’t feel like another full-time job. Choose an ATS that comes with built-in templates, guided workflows, and a clean interface. This ensures your team can start using it within days—not weeks. Tools designed for ease of use allow even non-HR teammates, like founders or hiring managers, to participate in the process without constant hand-holding.

Look for Flexibility to Scale

Even if you’re only hiring a few roles now, your needs will likely grow. A good ATS should adapt as your hiring picks up—whether that means supporting more users, additional job slots, or integrating with new tools like background checks or HR software. Choosing a scalable solution now saves time and cost later.

Make Sure It Plays Well With Existing Tools

Hiring doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Your ATS should integrate with calendars, email clients, video conferencing tools, and job boards. Seamless connections reduce context-switching and keep your workflows intact. Integrations also help avoid duplication of effort, which is crucial when every team member is wearing multiple hats.

Understand the Pricing Model Clearly

Different ATS tools price their services in different ways—some charge per job, others per user, and some offer flat monthly rates. Look for pricing that aligns with your current hiring volume and allows room to grow. Also, check what’s included in each plan: things like analytics, career page builders, or API access may be restricted to higher tiers.

Conclusion

You don’t need a large recruiting team to build a strong talent pipeline. With the right ATS, even lean teams can stay organized, move faster, and deliver a great candidate experience—without compromising on quality or efficiency.

Modern applicant tracking systems help you automate the busywork, streamline communication, and make smarter hiring decisions from day one. Whether you’re hiring for a few key roles or preparing for future growth, choosing the right platform early sets the foundation for long-term success.

Before your next hiring push begins, take time to explore free trials, compare features, and find the ATS that fits your team’s pace and priorities.

Frequently Asked Questions