Many recruiters make use of an applicant tracking system, otherwise known as recruiting software. This investment in a software can help keep track of candidates, job orders and even help make the placement process much more efficient.
Along with it are features that typically try to stay flexible and helpful for the recruiters use case. Often though, there may be features that are simply overlooked or not taken advantage of quite as much – but could be used in a really powerful way. Sometimes it’s enough where it can be considered a return on your investment.
Here to possibly help you find a new way to use an applicant tracking system, here are some features that can be used to make the most of your experience:
Pre Screening questionnaires
This can be really helpful for both recruiters and corporate staffing. When you are out trying to find that perfect candidate, it can be a challenge to really grasp what a person’s qualifications are just based off of a resume. When it comes to hiring a professional with a specific area of expertise, often it is best to have some pre-screening questions to get to know them.
Typically, this is a feature that applicant tracking system’s use. With the amount of time that is put into a candidate being placed, it is worthwhile to use some of these questionnaires to make the process go smoother. This can not only save the candidate time in their job search, but it saves you time as a recruiter being able to have only the most qualified candidates going after your position.
Seen pretty often in computer science for example, there can be pre-screened questions that include a candidate’s experience with certain programming languages. With many different questionnaire formats, it is possible to shape them for your individual needs as a recruiter.
Have preset email templates and triggers
With any candidate coming into a job pipeline, there can be many stages to go through. There is the pre-screen, background check, interview, follow-up, second interview, and so on. Between each stage and with multiple candidates, it can be hard to remember to send out timely emails to each individual.
With a feature such as email triggers, you can be saved both time and attention to the emails that go out to candidates. Each time there is a hiring stage change, there is the opportunity to utilize these emails which can save you time in the long run.
This can also be really beneficial to you and your brand. Whether you’re a single recruiter or an HR staffing specialist, having really good communication with applicants is important. Oftentimes, many candidates can be left in the dust waiting for any response at all!
Utilizing the Reports function
Reports often are really helpful when in an agency setting for recruiting. When it comes to reporting on your weekly, monthly or even yearly performance – reports are going to have your back. Certain Applicant Tracking systems have a built-in center for both reports and Key Performance Indicators.
By making sure that your candidates are logged correctly and get organized into specific groups, you can utilize reports to its fullest potential. Some of the things you can track are:
- Qualified candidates
- Cost-per-hire
- Placement ratio
- Retention rate
- Offer acceptance rate
Job Boards + Job posting
This feature is usually well used by corporate or in-house users — and for good reason. It usually is a really great tool for getting your job information out there. If you have certain jobs in your company that are open, using these job board features can bring candidates straight to you.
For many recruiting software platforms, they automatically post to the big job websites out there. But often, this is a good alternative and having your own website to gain credibility. In some cases, this also lines up with the scheduling that is done for interviewing and beginning onboarding.
Segmenting and Boolean Search
One feature that often gets overlooked is the ability to use a specific search. In applicant tracking systems, there is usually a system in place to be able to group your candidates. Whether it’s based on experience, education level – different talent pools can be created to make it easier for you to find them when you need them most for a placement.
Boolean search operations come in really handy also when you are doing some searching within your database. Using the AND and OR operators is something that doesn’t always get used frequently but is very powerful when you have too many candidates or job orders to sort through.
Making use of Lists
Whether you are by yourself or on a team of hiring partners, there is always the function of lists that can come into play. Especially in a team setting, this can be used to keep track of onboarding procedures, legal proceedings, important contacts or candidates coming through – you name it!
Lists often go unnoticed in recruiting software because of all of the other functionality. But forget your pen and paper, use the built-in feature! Keeping better track of the processes that go on within your recruiting can help you save valuable time and help you be more efficient.
In Conclusion
Following these tips can help you squeeze every last ROI out of your ATS investment. With overlooked features and different use-cases, recruiting software is designed to streamline your placement experience — so why not make the most of it?