How to Use Workday Applicant Tracking System for Job Applications

Introduction

Hiring can be a stressful process for both companies and job seekers.   That’s where the Workday Applicant Tracking System (ATS) comes in. It’s more than just a tool for collecting resumes—it’s a smart, integrated solution that helps organizations manage the entire recruitment lifecycle from job posting to onboarding.

For recruiters and HR teams, Workday ATS streamlines everything: creating job requisitions, tracking applicants, scheduling interviews, and sending offers. And for job seekers, it ensures a smoother, more transparent application experience.

In this blog, we’ll walk you through exactly how to use the Workday ATS to make hiring smarter, faster, and more efficient. Whether you’re a hiring manager looking to improve your workflow or a company ready to optimize your recruiting process, this guide has you covered.

With platforms like TeamLease Digital, you can find comprehensive solutions to streamline your recruitment process even further.

Understanding the Workday Applicant Tracking System

Let’s face it—recruiting today is a lot more complex than just sifting through a stack of resumes. Between job postings, candidate tracking, compliance requirements, and team collaboration, recruiters and hiring managers need a smarter way to manage it all. That’s exactly where the Workday Applicant Tracking System (ATS) comes into play.

This isn’t just a fancy resume collector—it’s a full-blown recruitment powerhouse that helps HR teams stay organized, efficient, and strategic. Whether you’re hiring for one role or a hundred, Workday ATS streamlines everything from the initial job post to the final onboarding task.

Core Functionalities of Workday ATS

At its core, the Workday ATS is built into the broader Workday Human Capital Management (HCM) suite, which means it’s tightly connected to other critical business functions like payroll, time tracking, budgeting, and employee performance. That’s a big win for HR teams who don’t want to juggle a dozen disconnected tools.

Here’s a closer look at what Workday ATS offers:

• Job requisition and posting management: Create job templates, set role requirements, and post to internal and external job boards—all from one dashboard.
• Resume parsing and applicant tracking: Automatically pull key data from resumes and track candidates through every step of the hiring funnel.
• Customizable workflows: Every company’s hiring process is different. Workday lets you configure routing rules, approval chains, and interview stages to match your internal processes.
• Collaboration tools: Hiring managers and recruiters can comment on candidate profiles, score interviews, and tag colleagues for input—no more endless email threads.
• Real-time dashboards and analytics: Need to know how long it takes to hire a software engineer? Or where your best applicants are coming from? Workday gives you those answers with dynamic reporting tools.

Real-world example: Imagine you’re a recruiter trying to fill five roles across three departments. With Workday ATS, you can manage each requisition, communicate with department heads, track applicants, and monitor hiring progress—all without leaving the platform.

How Does It Simplify Talent Acquisition?

Talent acquisition today is all about speed, collaboration, and experience. Workday ATS checks all those boxes by centralizing everything into one place. Gone are the days of bouncing between Excel spreadsheets, emails, and shared drives to keep track of applicants.

Let’s break it down further:

• Fewer bottlenecks: Say goodbye to approvals that sit in someone’s inbox for days. Workday automates routing, so when a hiring manager needs to approve a job post or an offer letter, they get a ping instantly.
• Cleaner collaboration: All hiring team members can access the same candidate profile, leave notes, assign tasks, and even vote on applicants—keeping everyone in sync.
• Enhanced transparency: Candidates don’t fall through the cracks because the system keeps track of who’s applied, who’s in what stage, and what actions are next. Hiring managers can see where each candidate stands at a glance.
• Smarter decision-making: Built-in analytics mean you’re not making decisions based on gut feeling alone. You can see which job boards are bringing in quality applicants or where in the funnel you’re losing candidates.

Why Does It Work for Both HR and Job Seekers?

While the ATS is built for recruiters and HR pros, it also enhances the experience for candidates—a factor that’s often overlooked. Today’s job seekers expect a streamlined application process. They don’t want to upload a resume and type in their entire work history. Workday allows companies to simplify applications, reduce redundancy, and even send automatic updates to keep candidates in the loop.

For example:

• Mobile-friendly applications: Candidates can apply on the go, from their phone or tablet.
• Automatic status updates: Instead of the dreaded “black hole” after submitting an application, Workday can send updates like “Application Received,” “Under Review,” or “Interview Scheduled.”
• Clear job descriptions: Job postings built in Workday often include better structure, salary ranges, and responsibilities—giving applicants a clearer idea of what’s expected.

Bonus Tip for Job Seekers: If you’re applying through a Workday-powered career page, make sure your resume includes the right keywords and is in a clean, readable format. Workday’s parsing engine is good, but overly designed resumes might miss key info.

Now that we’ve got the basics down, let’s dive into what makes the Workday ATS tick.

How Does Workday Function?

With Workday’s Applicant Tracking System (ATS), HR teams get access to an end-to-end recruiting engine that integrates job requisitioning, candidate sourcing, interviews, and offer management—all in one place.

Let’s break down how it works from start to finish:

Setting Up and Managing Job Requisitions Seamlessly

The hiring journey begins with the job requisition—and in Workday, this isn’t just a static request. It’s a dynamic, workflow-enabled document that powers the entire process.

Here’s what you can do with job requisitions in Workday:

• Create standardized templates to maintain consistency across departments
• Define roles, responsibilities, skill requirements, and qualifications
• Set up approval workflows to make sure requisitions are validated by the right people
• Customize visibility settings—so you can control who sees postings internally vs. externally

But it doesn’t stop there.

Because Workday ATS is integrated with Workday HCM and Financial Management, your job requisitions aren’t operating in a silo. Instead, every hiring decision is rooted in real-time data, such as:

• Approved headcount and budget
• Compensation bands and guidelines
• Forecasted hiring needs
• Financial performance and department limits

This integration helps avoid over-hiring, keeps compensation aligned with internal policies, and ensures hiring decisions are data-backed—not guesswork.

Sourcing and Managing Candidates the Smart Way

Once the requisition is live, it’s time to start attracting and managing candidates. Workday ATS excels here by centralizing all candidate information into one place, regardless of where they applied (LinkedIn, Indeed, company careers page, etc.).

With everything in one dashboard, recruiters can:

• Instantly access candidate profiles, resumes, and interaction histories
• Track feedback, interview scores, and notes from different team members
• Avoid duplicate submissions or miscommunications
• Maintain visibility across departments—especially useful for cross-functional roles

And let’s not forget compliance—because staying legally sound is just as critical as finding the right talent.

Workday has built-in tools to support compliance with regulations like EEOC, GDPR, and other privacy standards:

• Role-based access for sensitive data
• Automated collection of demographic and consent information
• Digital audit trails for every action taken
• Consent forms for background checks and data storage

This not only protects your company—it builds trust with candidates, too.

Navigating the Candidate Funnel with Precision

The candidate funnel in Workday is more than just a list of stages—it’s a guided, automated path that moves applicants smoothly from start to finish.

Here’s a typical flow:

• Application received
• Initial screening or questionnaire
• Phone or video interview
• On-site or technical assessment
• Final interview and evaluation
• Offer generation and acceptance

Each of these stages can be customized per role or department, and Workday will trigger automated tasks and notifications when actions are needed—making sure no one drops the ball.

To help narrow down top talent, recruiters can use Workday’s built-in tools like:

• Structured interview scorecards for fair evaluations
• Side-by-side candidate comparisons
• Auto-ranking based on job fit
• Keyword filters and search tools for resume parsing

This data-driven approach boosts both speed and accuracy—helping your team hire better, faster.

Interview and Offer Management—Made Collaborative

When it comes time to make decisions, collaboration is key. Workday ATS makes it easy for all stakeholders to participate in the interview and offer process:

• Team members can add notes, rate candidates, and view one another’s feedback
• Hiring managers can loop in other departments for technical or cultural fit evaluations
• Approvals and decisions can be made on desktop or mobile—making the process faster, even for execs on the go

And once the team is aligned on a top candidate, offer management kicks in with Workday’s pre-configured workflows.

Recruiters can:

• Use templated offer letters with pre-approved compensation and benefits
• Send offers through secure e-signature tools
• Route documents internally for approval in just a few clicks
• Initiate background checks and onboarding processes—all from the same platform

The result? A smooth, professional experience for both candidates and internal teams, with fewer delays and fewer manual tasks.

But hold on, there’s more to the story—especially when it comes to making a candidate’s journey delightful and smooth.

Enhancing Candidate Experience with Workday ATS

How candidates feel during the hiring process matters a lot. It’s not only about finding the right person—it’s also about making sure they feel respected, included, and well-informed throughout. Workday ATS helps with this by giving you the tools to create a smooth and professional experience from the moment someone accepts the offer to their first day on the job.   

Seamless Onboarding Through Workday HCM Integration

The candidate journey doesn’t end at the offer letter—it evolves into the employee lifecycle. That’s where Workday’s deep integration with its Human Capital Management (HCM) suite makes a major difference.

Once a candidate clicks “accept,” the system springs into action automatically:

• New hire profiles are generated instantly, pulling data from the candidate’s application and offer details—no redundant form-filling needed.
• Digital onboarding tasks are auto-assigned, including document uploads (like government IDs), signing NDAs, filling out tax forms (such as W-4s or I-9s), and selecting benefits.
• Orientation information is shared up front, with schedules, welcome messages, company handbooks, and training content delivered via a personalized onboarding dashboard.
• Managers and HR teams receive alerts so they can proactively reach out, offer guidance, and ensure the new hire feels engaged before day one.

This tight onboarding workflow ensures that new employees don’t experience lag or confusion between the offer and their start date—everything is set up and ready for them. It creates an efficient, professional first impression that reflects well on your brand.

Smart Automation That Elevates the Candidate Journey

Let’s face it: recruiting involves a lot of repetitive tasks. What sets Workday ATS apart is how well it automates these without losing the personal touch.

Key recruiting steps are streamlined with automation, including:

• Interview scheduling: Coordinators no longer have to go back and forth via email. Candidates receive automated invites that sync with both interviewer calendars and availability.
• Real-time notifications: Candidates and internal teams are instantly alerted when a new stage is reached—whether that’s shortlisting, interview invitations, or offer creation.
• Automated feedback requests: After an interview wraps, Workday prompts panel members to submit structured feedback, reducing delays in evaluation.
• Candidate status updates: Applicants are kept in the loop with automated emails that notify them of where they stand in the process—no more “black hole” frustrations.

These automation features aren’t just about saving time (though they do that extremely well)—they’re about creating transparency and trust. Candidates know what’s happening at every stage, which improves satisfaction and reduces drop-off rates.

TeamLease Digital offers a variety of software solutions that can further enhance automation and candidate engagement, available through their platform.

Now that you’re getting a handle on the perks of automation, let’s wrap it up with some best practices you don’t want to miss.

Best Practices for Implementing Workday ATS – Quick Checklist

To get the most out of your investment, it’s important to follow proven strategies from the start. Here’s a quick checklist of best practices to help you roll out Workday ATS smoothly and successfully.

• Set Clear Goals: Start with a clear vision. Define what success looks like—whether it’s faster hiring, better candidate experience, or tighter budget control.
• Build the Right Team: Include HR, IT, finance, and hiring managers to ensure a smooth and collaborative setup.
• Customize Workflows: Tailor requisition, interview, and offer workflows to match your hiring structure. Don’t just use defaults—make it yours.
• Integrate Smartly: Sync Workday ATS with existing systems like Workday HCM, payroll, calendars, and third-party job boards for a seamless experience.
• Prioritize Training: Train users based on their roles. Keep it simple, relevant, and ongoing. Adoption is everything.
• Test Before You Launch: Run pilots, test scenarios, and gather feedback to catch issues before going live.
• Monitor & Improve: Use Workday’s dashboards to track KPIs like time-to-fill and source quality. Adjust processes based on real-time insights.
• Stay Connected: Engage with the Workday Community for support, updates, and best practice sharing.

By exploring platforms like TeamLease Digital, HR managers can find insights and tools that help define and achieve their recruitment goals more effectively.

Conclusion

From streamlining job requisitions and candidate sourcing to managing interviews and automating onboarding, Workday transforms every step of the recruitment journey. Its seamless integration with HCM and financial modules ensures hiring decisions are strategic, data-backed, and in line with broader business goals. With the right setup and best practices in place, companies can not only enhance their internal processes but also deliver a smooth and engaging experience for candidates. In short, Workday ATS helps turn recruitment from a challenge into a competitive advantage.

If you’re looking to compare leading applicant tracking systems or explore other HR technology solutions, TeamLease Digital is the go-to platform for discovering, evaluating, and selecting the right tools—all in one place. With a user-friendly interface, in-depth insights, and a wide selection of solutions, TeamLease Digital simplifies your decision-making process and helps you build a future-ready HR tech stack.

To know more about TeamLease Digital and its services offered, contact us!