Getting strategic with the hiring process is simpler now than it has ever been thanks to the advent of automated technology. Attracting the right talent and transitioning from application to hire is effective and affordable. An expertly oiled recruitment process streamlines the resources to minimize waste. At the same time, the process must be inclusive to ensure that the hire is best fitting. A process, despite seeming dull and lusterless is integral in getting things working. A hiring process is a series of standardized steps because of the simple fact that these work when applied in a specific flow. Recruitment of workflow management has taken a new turn thanks to the advancement in the software specific for hiring. Using an Application Tracking System like Freshteam software, offers the efficiency of converting a job ad to a hire.

A word on the general hiring process

 Think of the hiring process as a funnel wherein a company receives numerous applicants and the recruiter contacts a few and hires the best among the lot. Now, add an efficient filtering system and what do you get? You are gifted a process which saves you the time and effort in selecting the right candidate.  Instead of peering at an overflowing work sheet of prospective resumes, an automated tracking system manages multiple profiles at the same time. Such a pipeline permits the recruiting team to work together in order to consolidate information, notes, feedback, social media profiles and results on the same page. In the process, the need for unnecessary email threads and possibility of losing important information is avoided.

How An Applicant Tracking System Can Improve Your Hiring Process

Businesses which are spread over a diverse geographical profile benefit from ATS when they hire at a global scale. Territory management comes to the forefront in such situations. Territory management is the when candidates are grouped into predefined criteria enabling the recruiters to cooperate on the grounds of function, division or location. Other benefits of integrating Freshteam ATS software are listed below.

• Tracking the duration of hiring process: Research suggests that the best candidates are off the market within the period of 10 days. Surprisingly, a confirmed hire takes longer than 27 days to organize the process. A simple math reveals that you’ve lost your chance of closing a top tier hire because you’re late by 17 days. Stay on top of the game by syncing the process with Freshteam ATS software which offers archiving the talent pools, collaborating with the hiring team, managing the employee referrals and building customized tracking links.

• Receiving inputs directly from the team in-charge of hiring: The requirements of an ATS are best understood by the people who work with it on a daily basis. Given the saturated state of the current job market, a single posting attracts a throng of applications. The HR team is now faced with a herculean task to shift through all the received responses and shortlist a few. When you fully understand the deployed ATS, you will uncover tricks and tips to post effective requisitions. Communicating with the hiring team will identify requirements which may not be limited to the specific dash boards to offer access to the frequently used features, mobile compatibility to permit access while on the go, requesting permissions which are specifically role based to access sensitive or personal information, customized interface and views for talent acquisition leaders, HR professionals and hiring managers.

• Automating where possible: You can identify the processes which can be automated once the end-to-end process is understood. Through automation, process simplified. The least the ATS can do for to make communication easier for the HR team. On the other end of the spectrum, the maximum utility the ATS offers is to reach the right candidates at the right time and minimize the time-to-fill gap. Attractive choices for process automation are email templates, evaluation forms for the interview, approvals necessary for hiring and offer letter dispatch. When one or all the mentioned processes are automated, the hiring team is supplied with a turbo charge to fill up vacancies. If in case, the ATS in use can’t simplify these processes, reevaluate what the software is bringing the company.

• Streamline internal processes with ATS: As with any software, the key to reap the maximum usage is by exploring the array of possibilities it offers. In line with the previous mention of end-to-end processes, use the Freshteam ATS to identify loopholes in the process. These are the gaps which the hiring team has to perform manually and the ATS is of no help. Once the gaps are recognized, evaluate a strategy to employ the ATS to perform the functions. The key, here, is to ensure that neither ATS nor the internal process is thrown off balance. If the company pivots in favoring of one, there is a high possibility of toppling the mechanism over.

• Useful and useless data: Goodness of an ATS system is intertwined with the data it contains. Not all the data contained is useful. To improve the functioning of the ATS, take a closer look at the information which decides the hiring process, the data captured by the ATS and the gap between the two. Identifying the gaps is the first step towards improvement. If you require the ATS to track additional information about a candidate, include a field specific for the same. Optimization of ATS revolves around streamlining the process for the hiring team as well as the candidate.

• Ease of integration: ATS is a small but significant component of the hiring team. If the ATS is not compatible or overshadows the other processes, expect more losses than gains. Evaluating compatibility is important and can be done thorough analysis whether the ATS works well with the work status verification system, human resource information system (HRIS), payroll and billing system, onboard program or does it come with a separate one, coordinating and scheduling tools and external job posting system.

• Posting jobs on social media: The winds of change have shifted the process of hiring towards social media. The shift is driven by millennials of whom 73 percent have found their current job on social media. If social media is a prominent influencer, your company ought to have visibility and create engaging content to attract potential candidates. At the same time, there needs to be mobile access lest you lose out on the majority of the job seekers. Freshteam ATS makes hiring on social media easy by posting open position with a description, chooses the right status, brands the career site and recruits on social channels.

Improvement in the hiring process may seem like a disconcerting task but once completed you are guaranteed with increased candidate experience.