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As the labour market becomes heavy with potential candidates, things are likely to get even tougher for hiring specialists. One thing they have in their corner is technology. HRM considers the latest recruitment and applicant tracking software developments
Recruitment is one of the most difficult functions for HR: so many applicants, so few efficient ways to sort the wheat from the chaff. It ends up being an unfortunate reality that the first stages of any screening process will involve some mundane sorting.
Fortunately, there are some tools to help. And the data-sorting technology of applicant tracking software (ATS) often proves ideal in the early stages of new or group hires. Typical packages can help standardise different sections of a résumé to make them comparable against a set base. But the latest developments allow HR to integrate the ATS with other technologies.
Background checks
This is particularly true when it comes to background screening - something that has become much more complex and difficult with the globalised world we now live in. By using an ATS that works together with the background checking software already in place, HR can reduce its workload and experience faster hires with improved accuracy, consistency, and efficiency.
According to HireRight, a US-based recruitment consultancy, some 32% of organisations are now planning on integrating their background screening solution with their ATS software. Its recent background screening benchmark report found 26% of the organisations it surveyed had already integrated the two functions.
It advises those in the planning stages to think carefully about the security controls and not set them too low. With the downturn, the risk of employee-related theft and other crime has increased so it's important to have an accurate and useful screening tool in place.
Software for free
ATS systems don't have to cost a lot of money. In fact, some US-based developers are giving their products away for free, particularly to small and medium enterprises (SMEs). One such company, MrTed, offers the web-based SmartRecruiters solution free to anyone who wishes to download it.
The application allows HR professionals to post and edit job listings, screen candidates, and rate them according to selected keyword criteria.
Kevin Wolf, a spokesman for MrTed, says the tool has been particularly popular with SMEs and more than 1000 have signed up over the last six months. "Small businesses have the same hiring needs as large companies, but significantly fewer financial resources and IT expertise to purchase and deploy talent acquisition software," he says.
Customers also prove to be good developers. Wolf says the brand takes feedback and customer needs carefully into consideration when designing upgrades or new products. "Our goal is build a community of highly active users who will help us conceive new and increasingly valuable features and service enhancements."
Leaving ATS behind
Integrating ATS systems - free or otherwise - is one thing, but some experts warn that HR can sometimes rely too heavily on its results. Iain Martin, General Manager, Asia, Dillistone Systems, says the actual scope of such systems can be limited. "Applicant Tracking Systems do exactly that - they track applicants," he says. "Therefore, they are perfect for those roles where the recruiter is prepared to limit the list of potential candidates to active job seekers.
"For organisations wishing to attract the very best person for a key position they need to work the way retained search firms work. They need to identify those individuals who are best placed to fulfil the role - perhaps because they are already doing it well for a competitor - and they need to reach out to them.
"Trying to do that with an applicant tracking system is like trying to catch rain with a sieve," he warns.
He advocates the use of search management software, either in combination or instead of a standard ATS system.