One of the most crucial aspects of smooth functioning of any business is the manner in which they hire new employees. Yes, the activities related to human resource management is of paramount importance to the overall success or failure of any company. Employees are human capital for businesses, and thus it is really very important to hire the right people and then manage them well. And there are many companies that face the toughest challenges here.
The situation is made all the more challenging by the sheer volume and magnitude of the number of job applications that many companies receive. There are numerous talented job aspirants, and companies receive a large number of resumes too. In this scenario, manual handling of an entire recruitment drive is almost impossible – since there is always the risk of losing important resumes or potential candidate data. Fortunately, with the advent of applicant tracking software products, business firms have been able to automate the entire process of recruitment, in a quick, inexpensive and efficient manner.
Applicant tracking systems come in the form of software products that can be used by business houses of any size. Currently, almost all the large enterprises make use of this software for their recruitment drives, while over 50% of small to medium companies make use of this technique too. Recruitment of new employees using the software is a streamlined, well-organized process, and keeps every necessary detail under consideration. In fact, e-recruitment processes (i.e., the use of the software that electronically screens through resumes and job applications from potential candidates) are of great help to the HR managers.
The benefits of an applicant tracking software are manifold. It can store, retrieve and access (whenever required) data regarding candidate profiles, HR contacts, applicant resumes and profile information of the existing internal candidates as well. A detailed account of the vacancies in the company and corresponding recruitment of new employees is also maintained. Companies differ in their structures and the way in which they hire people. The software is thus flexible, and can be molded for use by all types and sizes of businesses. Generally, a one-time fee has to be paid for acquiring the Applicant tracking software. It can also be conveniently used in the company website. Transfer of applicant information to the recruiting staff as well as the overall setup of hiring employees is considerably made easy by this software.
Its use saves a lot of time and money of the HR department, since the software already boasts of advanced recruiting features. It can scout for the best talents available, screen their resumes and match the ones that would ideally suit the positions. The software is of immense benefit to potential candidates too. They can now upload multiple resumes, get their CVs short listed, and even receive interview calls through e-mail, all thanks to the software. The candidates can make comprehensive job searches and receive newsletters on a regular basis as well. Recruitment drives at all stages is well-documented and effectively tracked by the software.
There are quite a large number of such software products that are currently available. They are being supplied by various vendors differing in features and prices, which mainly depending on the size of the company it has to serve. Some of the most popular applicant tracking software products that are in use are:
- PCRecruiter (Main Sequence Technologies) – This software provides huge data storage properties, along with effective resume screening and automated resume importing features. Often used along with job portals, this tool supports wireless PDA access and can be integrated with Outlook as well,
- Talent Platform (ICIMS) – This software offers seamless screening and recruiting facilities to companies, and also helps to evaluate the overall performance of the company. Succession planning and easy reporting is also possible in this software,
- Recruitment On Demand (Taleo) – It can effectively integrate front end usage of the software with hiring management processes at the enterprise. It is considered to be the most flexible and convenient application tracking software currently available,
- myStaffingPro (HR Services) – Advanced applicant screening properties are the principal features of this. The tool can ideally serve the recruiting needs of companies of different sizes and capital resources,
- recruitNEXT (EON Applications) – This software is ideal for the needs of both executive recruiters and staffing agencies. Its use ensures efficiency in recruitment drives, and it also eases the communication channels between companies and job-seekers,
- Hirebridge (Hirebridge) – It is among the most inexpensive ones that are currently available. Boasting of all the requisite features, it provides for an efficient, low-cost hiring and recruitment option for companies, and
- Resume Direct (HRM Direct) – Arguably the most easy-to-use applicant tracking software, this tool is extremely popular among companies and recruitment agencies. It comes with a one month free trial offer and an instant price quote as well.
Some of the other widely used software products are:
- Peerless i7 (Peerless Systems),
- Gopher (BlackDog Recruiting Software),
- Jobvite (Jobvite),
- Acclaim (HRMC),
- ATS On Demand (TalentXpress),
- Recruiting CRM (Avature),
- TempWorks Enterprise (Temp Works Software),
- Quadrant HR (QHR Software), and
- Akken Staffing (Akken).