If you’re looking for recruitment software you’ll likely be overwhelmed with the vast amount of choices available, overcome with endless functionality promises and possibly a little bamboozled by overly technical feature lists.
Getting ahead of the competition
To
gain a competitive edge in a crowded marketplace you need to do more than find the perfect candidate, you need to find them and put them in front of your client before your competitors do. When selecting recruitment software look for features such as integration with job boards and social media as well as job alerts via email and SMS to promote vacancies quickly. For shortlisting include pre-screen questions in the application process and ensure you can quickly search for matches based on skills and experience parsed from CVs.
Making your candidate database a valuable asset
Good
recruitment software has tools built in to help you grow the size of your candidate database and improve its quality. Look for features that help you find and engage passive candidates such as social media searching tools. Keep your data accurate with duplicate checks and portals for candidates to self-serve and keep their contact details up-to-date. Don’t forget to consider the customer service you offer to candidates, this morning’s happy candidate is this afternoon’s word-of-mouth brand ambassador so keep your candidates engaged with automated progress updates and an easy and convenient application process.
Growing your recruitment business
If your ambitions have yet to be realised and you’re making plans to expand, your recruitment software should be a conduit to growth and not a limitation. Cloud based software means no investment in expensive hardware and licence-based models are easily scalable to support increases or decreases in staffing levels. Ensure you have reporting tools as part of your software that help you identify your business’s strengths and weaknesses and make measuring KPIs a stress-free process. Systems that let you define workflows and upload templates will ensure your processes and brand remain consistent if you open multiple branches.
Improve the performance of your recruiters
Could your team of recruiters be working smarter and harder? Set realistic but challenging targets using reporting tools to help you benchmark current performance. Ensure you have full visibility of user activity so you can identify training needs in any poor performance areas and give staff the tools they need to be the best they can be. A cloud based system is accessible anytime and anywhere and we’ve developed Eploy to be mobile friendly so users can keep in touch with the office on the go and view candidate profiles in client meetings on smartphones and tablets. The core functionality of a recruitment software system should be saving your recruiters time with tools to complete actions in bulk, automate communications and conduct quick searches.
Increase your revenue
Do you know which markets deliver your most profitable or high-volume customers? When you’ve identified markets you want to target ensure you have marketing tools to promote to your database contacts through email and direct marketing campaigns. Don’t underestimate the power of word of mouth and the importance of retention. Ensure you’re delivering a market leading service to clients with quick appointments, relationship-building account management and a dedicated client portal to simplify their recruitment process. And of course, the most obvious way to increase revenue is to ensure your recruiters are selling. You’ll need reports that monitor staff performance, sales activity and a reverse market search that finds employers that match stand-out candidates. And whether for now or the future, can the software support variable types of recruitment so you can expand your product portfolio and open new market opportunities?
Choosing the right technology
Recruitment technology is a significant investment, not necessarily financially but it’s a purchase that can have a major impact on your business so the decision cannot be taken lightly. If you’re not a technical whizz look for providers that communicate in a language other than tech-speak, who really understand your needs and challenges and don’t just list their product features. To avoid disruption to your business find platforms that integrate with your other providers such as payroll and job boards. Ask to see the supplier’s road map for their product and clarify whether there are cost implications for upgrades and new version releases. Also check whether you can take your data with you, if you’ve been relying on spreadsheets can that wealth of information be uploaded to your new system so you’re not starting from scratch?
Protecting your business
It’s your pride and joy and your livelihood so protecting your business must be high on your priority list. The right recruitment software will help you put protective measures in place to highlight risks and keep you operational, compliant and your data safe and accessible 24/7. Ask for a supplier’s track record for keeping their system online and what measures they have in place to retain knowledge and protect your assets when a staff member moves on. Reporting tools should easily forecast financial information so you can plan your cash flow as well as highlight any compliance risks with regards to AWR, equal opportunities, data protection etc.