Why an Applicant Tracking System Is Essential for a Top-Notch Candidate Experience
Are you giving your candidates a great experience when they work with you, or are you simply shuttling them through the process and into positions? The candidate experience is vital to your staffing firm’s sustained success, so you’ll want to optimize it in any way you can. While you understand the importance and value that applicant tracking software and customer relationship management platforms bring to your bottom line, you should know they’re also important tools to ensure your candidate experience is top-notch. Here’s why.
You’ll become a better communicator
From a candidate’s perspective, one of the most frustrating parts of working with a recruiter is getting multiple contacts from several people who clearly aren’t communicating with each other. This is especially prevalent in high-demand industries such as IT, where passive candidates often report getting contacted by different people in the same organization. When you aren’t coordinated, the experience feels disorganized and unprofessional — and is a great way to turn candidates off.
Using recruiting technology to track communication, results, and candidates’ progress in your pipeline improves your business and gives candidates a better experience. Your recruiters won’t be stepping on each other’s toes and your candidates will know exactly where they stand in the process.
It’ll streamline the application process
If a candidate is interested in applying but has trouble finding the application and then has to fill out a lot of fields manually, you’re less likely to get completed applications from top talent. They’re just not willing to go through long, repetitive processes to get past the door. The more work there is on the front end, the less likely they are to complete it. This point is especially important for higher-margin firms that are seeking out those high-value passive candidates, who generally are simply not interested in filling out forms.
A good applicant tracking system can make it easy to apply via social media, such as a LinkedIn account. And while some organizations still feel they need to go old-school and collect a lot of information during that first contact, it can be helpful to change that thinking and just get the basics at first. Once the candidate is in the system, let the ATS do all the work.
You’ll have more time to be human
Of course, relying too much on tech tools can make candidates feel like your firm is unreachable or distant. I’ve seen recruiters try to use mass emails or other automated efforts to find top candidates, and the return just isn’t there. No matter how efficient or full of features your applicant tracking system is, you still have to have that human element.
Keyword matches might give you an idea of someone who could be a good fit, but only a person can make the final decision. Let your ATS do what it does best, which is saving time by tracking communication. Your recruiters will have more time to determine the quality of those conversations and make a decision on how to proceed. In the end, it’s the human connections that give your candidates a great experience.
Want to learn more about the top ATS features to look for in an applicant tracking system? Check out the ATS Buyer’s Guide for everything you need to know to make a worthwhile investment in your staffing firm’s future.
