It can be a hard call deciding if you need to invest in an Applicant Tracking System.
Some companies might manage their recruitment okay without one, or some may use smaller, individual tools like a multi-poster.
But, 75% of recruiters and hiring professionals say they, in fact, use a recruiting software or Applicant Tracking System according to Capterra, with some obvious benefits for doing so.
However, if you’re still be toying with the idea, this blog features the 11 key recruitment failures, which are signs you need to invest.
Struggling to Store Candidate Data
How are you storing your candidate data? Is it easily accessible, organised, and GDPR compliant? Data is essential in recruitment, so if you don’t have an efficient system to manage it, there can soon be detrimental consequences like losing important documents or breaching privacy laws. Having a Cloud ATS provides the ability to store all of this information online, in one secure, safe place. So, when you need to access candidate contact information, you know where it is, and that you have obtained it lawfully. By having ATS software, it also allows you to compile this data over time, eventually leaving you with a pool of talent. Making the process for future recruits even easier, and more time, and cost-efficient.
Using Multiple Tools to Manage Your Recruitment
How many applications do you have open when going about your day to day tasks? For example, your email, social media, spreadsheets, internal communication tools, etc. All of these are essential to do your job, but using multiple resources at once can sometimes be hard to manage, especially when you want to work as efficiently as possible. This is another sign of needing an ATS. An Applicant Tracking System will allow you to manage all of these tasks and more within its system. Making for a much easier life!
Bad Feedback
Have you received any bad feedback regarding your processes such as, your application process is difficult to navigate, resources are hard to find, or there’s a lack of communication? Feedback is a clear indicator that your current methods aren’t working as competently as they should be. Ask your peers exactly what they don’t like about the current system, it’s the best way to find out how it should be improved. This feedback is crucial in ensuring that your system works for all parties including, recruiters, hiring managers and candidates. Don’t risk losing out on top talent due to poor processes. This brings us onto the next one.
Losing Out on Talent
Are you missing out on great candidates because you’re taking too long to communicate, and they accept another offer? Losing out on talent is a big deal and is possibly one of the most important reasons to consider getting an Applicant Tracking System. Continuously losing out on talent is a pricey business, not to mention the loss of potential opportunities if you were to get there first. Candidates want to feel valued from the start. Remember, active candidates will be applying to multiple jobs at a time, and an ATS can help you interact with them as soon as possible.
Lack of Communication with Stakeholders
There are multiple stakeholders in the recruitment process like hiring managers, who need to be kept informed and tasked. Every company will have a slightly different approach to how they allow their hiring managers to manage their need to recruit. Often, hiring managers need to request to recruit, something which could take longer, or even be missed without a sufficient system in place, with the potential to cause serious repercussions if a business fails to fill urgent roles. The process to then coordinate and decide on successful candidates can also be time-consuming. An Applicant Tracking System will prevent going back and forth through different communication systems by having the whole of the recruitment process done by the necessary party within the software. Stakeholders can see progress updates with communication capabilities reducing miss-communication errors.
Day to Day Tasks Are Time Consuming
How long does simple day to day task take? Do you spend too much time repeating the same processes? For example, repeatedly providing the same information in emails to candidates, submitting candidate information into a spreadsheet, or posting each job manually to jobs boards. These tasks are essential, but if they become too time-consuming, they can reduce the time to do other necessary jobs. Having an ATS will save time by being able to do all of these tasks in one place, and by providing the capability to automate some of your processes including, email templates, scheduled messaging and multi-posting.
The Recruitment Process Isn’t Smooth
How smooth is your recruitment process start to finish for you, your hiring managers, and candidates? For example, are you having to continuously submit recruit’s information from a spreadsheet into your Human Resources Information System (HRIS)? Are candidates dropping off at certain points? Do some parts of the process take significantly longer than others? The whole process needs to be as smooth as possible for everyone to get the best return. Because an ATS has all of the recruitment tasks included within, it makes the journey as easy as possible for all involved.
Your Inbox Is Full of Unsuitable Candidates
Receiving lots of candidates is great, although useless if they’re unsuitable. But, it’s a worrying process deleting their information in case you’d need it, time-consuming doing to so, and clogs your inbox and storage systems in the process. An Applicant Tracking System includes custom application forms with screening questions including, killer questions, which instantly determines candidates to be unsuitable. For example, whether they are legally able to work within the UK. Those who are unsuccessful will be automatically rejected and categorised, not deleted! So, the ATS does all the hard work for you, saving your time on unqualified applications, but allows you to evaluate your options if you need to. The system can then be set up to automatically send a custom rejection message to candidates and keeps them in a sperate categorised pool for organised recruitment.
Your Careers Website Does Not Perform
Your careers website is the start of a candidate’s journey with you, but is it performing how it should be? And does your recruitment system interlink with it? An ATS and a careers website can work together to make everything seamless, custom-built, and branded to your requirements. You can instantly post jobs from your ATS onto your career’s pages and track them. Important, as many candidates will go to an employer’s career page first to view their content. A great careers page and a recruiting system that works together is essential to ensuring smoother processes that ROI.
Spending Lots of Money on External Recruiters
Are you spending a lot of money recruiting for lower-level roles through external recruiters? You can often receive great candidates this way, but it’s expensive, especially when you could recruit them yourself with the right system in place. An Applicant Tracking System comes with the whole process built-in helping to easily recruit these levels of hires and delivering you with an easy-to-use hiring pipeline.
Lack of Reporting Capabilities
How do you keep track of your recruiting process? Do you know where and how to improve? If not, it’s probably because there’s no record of what has worked in the past. This data is useful to make sure you’re doing the job as efficiently as possible, but it can be hard to keep track of this without a system in place. An ATS has reporting capabilities within, helping you to obtain vital information on where you need to update your methods.
We hope these points make it clearer your need for a new system, but regardless of whether you think all of these points apply to you, there are certainly some key benefits of an ATS.
So, if you decide to take the leap, check out our free ATS Procurement Guide.
This free downloadable step by step guide will give you all the information and support needed when buying an ATS.
You can download the guide here.
If you require any more support regarding your ATS enquiries, do not hesitate to get in touch.
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