Recruiting new talent can be a time-consuming and challenging process for any business. Finding the right candidate who fits your company culture, has the right skills and experience can be a daunting task. Thanks to technology, recruitment is now easier, and HR professionals need candidate tracking systems.
What is a Candidate Tracking System?
First and foremost, a CTS helps HR professionals and hiring managers to organize and streamline the recruitment process. From posting job openings to extending an offer, a CTS tracks every step of the process. Manually managing a large volume of applicants is time-consuming and prone to errors, so it’s important to use automated processes.
The system begins with the job posting. The CTS can automatically post job openings to multiple job boards and social media channels. The system can also screen resumes based on predetermined criteria, which can help to narrow down the pool of candidates.
After screening resumes, the Candidate Tracking System (CTS) can schedule and manage interviews. It can also send automated communication to candidates, like interview confirmations and reminders. This ensures no candidate is forgotten or neglected, resulting in a better experience and improved employer reputation.
In addition to the hiring process, a CTS can also help with onboarding new employees. The system can facilitate the paperwork and documentation process, track new employee progress, and provide a streamlined onboarding experience.
There are different CTS options: standalone software or integrated HR suites with more HR features. Some CTS systems may even incorporate artificial intelligence to improve candidate screening and match applicants with relevant job openings.
A Candidate Tracking System is important for HR professionals and hiring managers. It makes recruiting easier and helps with hiring faster and better. Therefore, a CTS can make tasks easier and communication faster. So, it helps to choose the best candidate for the job.
How does a Candidate Tracking System work?
Steps for using a Candidate Tracking System:
- Define your hiring needs: First, identify the skills and experience needed for the job before starting the recruitment process. This involves defining the job role, responsibilities, and the qualifications necessary to perform the job. The hiring team should create a job description that clearly outlines the position and its requirements. Consequently, this helps to ensure that you are targeting the right candidates and reduces the chances of hiring the wrong person for the job.
- Create a job posting: Once you have a clear understanding of the job requirements, it’s time to create a job posting that outlines the requirements and qualifications needed for the position. The job posting should be well-written, engaging, and clearly explain the responsibilities and qualifications required. Also, you can use various job posting templates available in your candidate tracking system to create a polished job posting.
- Post the job: After creating the job posting, it’s time to post it on various job boards to attract a pool of candidates. Posting a job on multiple job boards increases its visibility. This improves the chances of finding the right candidate. Your candidate tracking system can automate the posting process. So, it allows you to post the job on multiple job boards with just one click.
- Review resumes: As resumes start coming in, you can use your candidate tracking system to review resumes that have been submitted. This is done by either automatically parsing resumes and extracting relevant information or by manually reviewing resumes one by one. The system automatically categorizes resumes and highlights the ones that best match the job requirements.
- Shortlist candidates: After reviewing resumes, you should shortlist candidates who meet the job requirements. This involves carefully evaluating the candidates’ qualifications, experience, and suitability for the job. Your candidate tracking system can help you narrow down the candidate pool by automatically highlighting the top candidates based on their qualifications and experience.
- Schedule interviews: Once you have shortlisted candidates, it’s time to schedule interviews with them. Your candidate tracking system can help automate this process by allowing you to send interview invites to candidates and scheduling the interviews on a calendar. This ensures that candidates are aware of the interview dates and time and reduces the chances of scheduling conflicts.
- Communicate with candidates: As you move through the hiring process, you will need to communicate with candidates about interview dates and provide feedback. Your candidate tracking system can help you communicate with candidates through email or other messaging tools. This keeps candidates informed about their status in the recruitment process and helps you maintain a positive candidate experience.
- Hire the best candidate: Finally, after conducting interviews, evaluating candidates, and obtaining feedback, it’s time to select the best candidate for the position and make the job offer. Your candidate tracking system can help you make an informed decision by providing a detailed overview of each candidate’s qualifications and experience. You can also use the system to generate job offers and manage the onboarding process.
Benefits of using a Candidate Tracking System:
- Saves time: A CTS automates the recruitment process by allowing HR professionals to manage job postings, applications, resumes, and candidate communication from a single dashboard. This saves a significant amount of time for HR professionals as they no longer have to manually review and sort through each application. Instead, the CTS does it automatically, and HR professionals can focus their time and efforts on other aspects of the hiring process, such as interviewing candidates and evaluating fit.
- Reduces errors: With a CTS, errors are reduced as the recruitment process becomes more streamlined. For example, a CTS can help ensure that all required information is collected during the application process, eliminating the risk of missing critical information that could impact the candidate’s qualifications for the role. Additionally, CTSs often use pre-designed templates for job descriptions, ensuring consistency and accuracy across job postings.
- Improves communication: The candidate tracking system also improves communication between HR professionals and candidates. With a CTS, HR professionals can communicate with candidates from a single dashboard, ensuring that all communication is centralized and accessible. This can include automated messages that keep candidates informed about the status of their application, interview scheduling, or even just simple updates about the hiring process. By keeping candidates informed, a CTS can significantly improve the candidate experience and overall perception of the company.
- AI-powered algorithms: The use of AI-powered algorithms in CTSs has become increasingly popular in recent years. These algorithms can help identify the best candidates for the job by analyzing various data points, such as resume keywords, work experience, and educational background. By identifying the best candidates for the job, a CTS can improve the quality of the hires, leading to higher retention rates and overall job performance.
- Eases compliance: Finally, a CTS can help ensure compliance with legal requirements by storing candidate data and tracking the hiring process. This is especially important in industries that have strict regulations regarding hiring and discrimination. By using a CTS, HR professionals can ensure that they are adhering to legal requirements and reduce the risk of non-compliance, which could lead to legal and financial consequences.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a candidate tracking system is a vital tool for HR professionals that enables them to manage the recruitment process efficiently. RecruitBPM, an AI-powered candidate tracking system, is a user-friendly and feature-rich platform that streamlines the recruitment process. With RecruitBPM, HR professionals can post job openings, screen resumes, schedule interviews, and manage the entire recruitment process from start to finish. By using RecruitBPM, HR professionals can save time and improve the quality of hires, making it the best candidate tracking system available in the market.
FAQs:
What is an applicant tracking system?
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is a software tool that enables recruiters and hiring managers to manage job applications and track candidates throughout the recruitment process. The system automates many aspects of the hiring process, from posting job openings to managing resumes and scheduling interviews. Therefore, system can be used to streamline and optimize the recruitment process, reduce the time to hire, and improve the quality of hires.
What are the benefits of using an applicant tracking system?
There are several benefits to using an applicant tracking system, including:
- Time savings: An ATS automates many aspects of the recruitment process, which can save recruiters and hiring managers a significant amount of time.
- Improved communication: An ATS allows recruiters and hiring managers to communicate more effectively with candidates and colleagues throughout the recruitment process.
- Improved candidate experience: An ATS can help to provide a more positive experience for candidates by providing timely and consistent communication, automated updates, and an easy-to-use application process.
- Data-driven hiring: An ATS can provide valuable insights into the recruitment process, such as which job boards and sourcing methods are most effective, which candidates are progressing through the process, and which stages of the process are taking the most time.
What should I consider when selecting an applicant tracking system?
When selecting an applicant tracking system, it’s important to consider the following factors:
- Features: Look for an ATS that includes the features you need, such as resume parsing, automated scheduling, and candidate scoring.
- User interface: Make sure the ATS has a user-friendly interface that is easy to use and navigate.
- Integrations: See if the ATS works with your other tools, like HRIS or background check provider
- Pricing: Consider the cost of the ATS and whether it fits within your budget.
- Customer support: Look for an ATS provider that offers good customer support, including training and ongoing support.
