An increasing number of companies are using software-based applicant tracking systems in the 'cloud'. The so-called "Software as a Service"(SaaS) model is a particularly popular area of use because it can be implemented quickly and without internal IT expenditure. This also enables small and mid-sized companies to make convenient use of all software functionalities – with any web-enabled end device and without having to worry about procurement and maintenance of the infrastructure. Our checklist will tell you when web-based HR software is worthwhile and what you need to bear in mind when choosing a solution.
1: Is the user interface clearly laid out and well structured?
In order to be able to work really efficiently, a good applicant tracking system should have a dashboard that displays the most important content at a glance, directly after logging in: What appointments are there today? What tasks are due? Have new applications arrived? A clearly laid out, user-friendly navigation menu further enhances the recruitment tool.
2: Does the system allow career pages and job advertisements in your corporate design to be optimised for mobile devices?
An increasing number of applicants use their smartphones for job searches. Your career website is one of the first points of contact for candidates, making it all the more important that these are appropriately designed and optimised for search engines (Google etc.), job portals and mobile devices.
3: Is the system flexible and can you make minor modifications yourself at anytime?
Ensure that the individual functionalities of the applicant tracking system can be aligned to your company's own processes from the outset. However, you should also be able to make minor modifications yourself at anytime via the administrator interface, without having to rely on support from the vendor. This not only saves money, but also valuable time.
4: Does the new system enable an efficient application process?
Your HR software will make daily work easier if imported CVs in all established document formats (.doc, .pdf, .jpg) can be automatically read. The more data in the system that can be accurately collated the better.
5: Does the pricing structure allow additional users or functions to be added?
Market changes often result in changes to the structure within your organisation. Think about this when choosing your ATS and check, for example, whether additional accounts or functions can be added quickly at short notice and if it is cost-effective.
6: Can you reach potential candidates on all job portals directly from within the tool?
If your system is linked to a job platform you can post job vacancies to it, in some cases free of charge. If your recruiting tool also offers clever job distribution functions, then you can work particularly efficiently. This will allow you to post any job advertisement that you have created, not only on your own career pages, but also in all desired job portals, regional platforms and social-media networks with just a few clicks. Having this functionality means you can not only save time, but also increase the coverage of your job advertisement - increasing the chances of finding the ideal candidate.
7: Does the system make personal communication with individual applicants easier?
Good ATS software allows the creation of personal email templates for easy and efficient communication with your applicants. For example, you should be able to send acknowledgements to your applicants directly from the system, whilst still giving automated replies a personal touch.
8: Are you able to collect, retrieve and successfully contact talented people again using the HR software?
An integrated candidiate pool within your system is a useful additional function for selecting suitable applicants. Candidates who apply for your job vacancies automatically land in the company's own applicant database. Does the system allow you to search quickly, easily and accurately, to manage applicants efficiently and, if required, to filter according to relevance? Can interesting candidates be tagged with individual comments so that they can be remarketed to at a later stage?
9: Does the system offer valuable reporting tools for analysing and optimising your HR processes?
For example, it may be useful to identify the most relevant recruitment channels for specific vacancies, to optimise internal processes and through this, last but not least, to ensure optimal use of your budget.
Find out more about cloud solutions from CareerBuilder here.
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