Applying yourself to Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Software
Collaboration and efficiency are vital in your hiring and recruiting practices. But how do you accomplish that in the face of narrow timeframes, and increasing pressure from a considerably smaller selection of premium hires? Particularly when they are perfectly willing to abandon you in favor of a company that is willing to move quickly and pay more?
In the eight year aftermath of the crash, between 2008 and 2015, employers began to think they would be in control forever. There was a huge pool of qualified people that needed jobs, and employers had a leisurely time picking the very best candidates and, when combined with low-ball salaries, were accumulating talent like never before at huge discount prices.
Times have changed
Now that the economy in North America has finally turned the corner, not only are the surplus hires obtaining employment, but people that feel that they’ve been slighted by their employers are seeking new positions. There is a good chance that someone you don’t suspect may suddenly depart leaving you with a completely unexpected hole to fill.
Now, more than ever, it is essential to streamline your hiring process. If you get a good fish-on-the-line you’d better reel that candidate in as efficiently as possible. Why? Because of an astonishing statistic that shows despite the new shortage of premium hires, the delay between identifying a candidate and hiring them has nearly doubled from eleven days to 21 days, and up to 43 in nursing and medical positions.
We’ve gone from 11% unemployment to 5.5% and yet we’re taking longer to complete the process. This isn’t just ill-considered; it borders on unbridled arrogance. Talented candidates have multiple offers, so speed is of the essence. If you don’t make the offer right away, you will find yourself in a bidding war that will end up costing you a lot more.
Managing your options with Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Software
We spoke of collaboration and efficiency earlier, and the best way to accomplish that is with Applicant Tracking System (ATS) software. All large companies use ATS software, and virtually all medium-sized do so as well. It hasn’t been as common with smaller companies because of the expense.
Prices have been dropping, with more competitive offerings for smaller companies available, but if it is still outside your range, there is another option. With a little investigation you should be able to locate a large to medium company that “rents” its Applicant Tracking System software to other companies. It’s a surprisingly clever way to offset the large investment they’ve made and consequently even the smallest operations have access to first rate ATS software.
Getting started
Whichever path you choose, get the process started! ATS software can provide a lot of options but the best systems are intuitive, with a very small learning curve. A complete neophyte should be able to open the program, read a couple of straightforward instructions, and begin their task without needing to call tech support.
Your expectations
It is a very good idea to know what you expect your Applicant Tracking System software to do for you before you start. If functionality is lacking you’re going to be wasting time, effort, and money.
Among the best programs, they should be able to do this on-the-road, at home, or in the office. We’re a mobile society now and we don’t spend the hours between nine and five behind a desk, in an office. Accessibility is a major consideration.
Cloud-based software assures everybody is on the same page, using the same version of the software, and eliminates dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of individual updates. SaaS (Software as a Service) is the new de facto standard, saving money by eliminating all those with individual installs in all the disparate devices such as laptops, tablets, Smartphones, and PCs.
Efficiency
Equally important is bringing it all together. Hiring is not a one person show. An instigator describes what sort of person they want; another person (or panel) approved or modifies it; eventually HR gets their hands on it, and advertises it, deals with the response and arranges interviews. There are additional steps and a lot more back-and-forth, but irrespective of the steps involved, at every juncture people will interact with the ATS software. Excellent software is collaboration personified.
The Tools
You likely get 100 applicants for every position you advertise. That is an awful lot of résumés to read. The best ATS software will parse those résumés for you, quickly separating the wheat from the chaff.
Responding to a good candidate should be easy with e-mail integration. A simple pre-designed form suggesting interview talks should only be one click away.
Integrating tasks, such as telling HR to begin vetting a candidate that you like, should also be a one click operation. The whole system should be designed to reduce the amount of time and effort you spend, or else it is simply not worth the trouble.
Remembering that candidates have multiple offers and won’t wait three weeks or more for you to come to a decision, ATS software will improve the hiring experience for the candidate. This gives them a better impression of your business, and how well it is run.
Recruitment firms
Recruiters use ATS software because they have hundreds of candidates in their pipeline. This gives them a degree of organization that is simply impossible with paper files. Personal notes about candidates concerning style, corporate culture, special abilities, sense of humor, and so on makes it so much easier for them to find the ideal candidate for a specific position.
If they are doing it, why aren’t you?
The economic downturn is over; we’re looking at a protracted period of growth. It’s very likely that people are going to start expanding with great gusto, and the ones that are going to succeed are those that have integrated ATS software into their plan.
You know this is important. Get it handled today!
Alliance Risk Group provides pre- and post- employment background screenings and investigative surveillance services. Our easy to use web-based system allows you to request, obtain and track customized background check reports 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. The investigations are customizable to your specific industry, fully integrated and able to link to ANY ATS software. In addition, Alliance has developed a proprietary Applicant Portal System where candidates can log in and provide all necessary information for each investigation including electronic signed releases.
Please see the list of ATS software we are currently integrated with. If you do not see your ATS listed, please contact our office and we will contact your ATS to start the integration.!
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