As an HR professional, I am sure you are very aware of the long and arduous process of finding the perfect candidate to fill a position. Reading resumes, going over applications, checking in with references, interviewing, running background checks and so on are tasks that take a long time and keep you from focusing on other important responsibilities. It's a long process and we all wish we didn’t have to do it so often. Depending on the level of turnover at your company, some might be doing this more often than others. Is there a way to make this process easier? Does focusing on entry-level candidates help the process? Many employers believe that hiring experienced professionals is the smartest thing to do because they don’t need as much guidance or training, they have already worked in professional settings, and they know what they need to do in order to get things done in a timely manner. Whatever the reason may be, employers tend to prefer hiring experienced professionals rather than entry-level professionals. What employers need to realize is that there are many pros to hiring entry-level candidates over experienced professionals.

5 Ways Employers Can Benefit From an Applicant Tracking System

Previously I have shared with you the benefits of going paperless, or how technology can make your HR department’s life easier. The truth is that doing things the old fashioned way has little to no advantages nowadays, which is why technology has become much more advanced in order to streamline processes. When recruiting, HR departments get swamped with resumes and cover letters, and whether these are paper or electronic, they need to be stored somewhere. Does your company have a central location or database where the HR department can keep the company’s recruitment efforts? If your answer is “no”, then I encourage you to consider getting an ATS, or Applicant Tracking System. An ATS is a software that allows you to handle all of your recruitment needs electronically. It allows recruiters to collect and store candidate data and any other job-related data in order to track and monitor the process each candidate goes through during the hiring process. Having an ATS has many benefits for any company or even small business, and I’d like to share some of those with you.

Using an Applicant Tracking System to Improve your Candidate Experience

If you’re reading this blog, I’m going to assume your company either doesn’t have an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) or doesn’t utilize it to its full extent. A solid ATS can turn your hiring process into a well-oiled machine that will relieve stress from your HR department and offer an enjoyable, easy to follow process to your potential job candidates. What exactly is an ATS, though? It's a software application that enables the electronic handling of recruitment needs. A bad candidate experience can negatively impact a company's ability to recruit quality hires, as well as its bottom line, so implementing an ATS is the best step to simplifying this process. Not convinced? Let me throw some facts and figures at you.

Human Resources, BusinessGuest UserMay 25, 2017Applicant Tracking Software, ATS, HiringComment

Why Your Interview Process Should Be A Two-Way Street

Way too often the interview process is looked at as a way for the candidate to impress their prospective new employer, with no regard to how the employer should also be in ‘wooing’ mode. If you’re in the traditional mindset that an interview is structured so the candidate can win over the employer, you may need to rethink your motives here. What employers are failing to realize is the interview process is best compared to your dating experience. Think of it this way, during the first date you can get a pretty good idea of how well the two of you will mesh. You learn more about your date, their interests, hobbies, family, and values, and of course, they learn the same from you.

Human ResourcesMarketing TeamJanuary 20, 2017HR, Interviewing, Hiring, Hiring Process, Candidate ExperienceComment

Leveraging Your Company's Strengths to Attract New Candidates

The hiring process is just that, a process that we follow in order to find the right candidate to meet the needs of our organization. Sometimes this process, along with many others, fall so much into our ‘routine’ that we forget to challenge them. Why do we have three in-person interviews before putting an offer out to a candidate? Is the test we administer really necessary, or will we hire regardless of the results? Just because the path has been paved for you does not mean you should follow it. In fact, I challenge you to question your hiring process and use those around you to improve upon it.

Human ResourcesMarketing TeamJanuary 11, 2017Employee Onboarding, Onboarding, Hiring, Hiring Process, Talent RetentionComment

4 Steps You Should Take to Improve Your Hiring Process

It’s easy, as the years go by, to forget that nervous, excited, somewhat anxious feeling almost everyone has when they get a new job. When you stay in one place too long, you forget what it’s like to walk into the great unknown that is a first day on the job. That’s why it’s important to consider the perspective of your new hires when refining your hiring process. At the ripe age of 25, I have had a total of 10 different jobs, mostly two or even three at a time. This means I’ve gone through the arduous task of filling out new hire paperwork 10 times over the last decade. While the terminology within these documents has become familiar and I’ve learned how many dependants to claim, that hasn’t made it particularly enjoyable. However, by following these 4 steps we can evaluate our experiences as new hires in order to get a good insight into how we can ease this transition and make for a smoother onboarding process.

Human ResourcesGuest UserJanuary 9, 2017Human Resources, Hiring, OnboardingComment

Creating a Better Candidate Experience Through Your Hiring Process

If you chat with a marketing person, you’ll find out that nearly every single interaction can be thought of as a chance to strengthen your branding or your company image. This is no different in the recruiting space; in fact, it may be considered even more important in this scenario. You can ruin a great brand image by simply ignoring some key details during your recruiting process. Our friends at Software Advice, an HR technology firm, conducted a study to learn more about the impact our follow up efforts (or lack thereof) have on job applicants. You can read more on their findings below.

Human Resources, BusinessMarketing TeamNovember 30, 2016Hiring, Applicant Tracking System, Candidate ExperienceComment

Writing Effective Job Descriptions

Job descriptions are essential in the hiring process. After all, they are the first thing potential applicants see about your business. Job descriptions can say a lot about your company, and they ensure that applicants and future employees fully understand what the job is about, what their role involves, and what they will be held accountable for. An effective job descriptions does the following:

Business, Human ResourcesGuest UserJuly 25, 2016HR, Hiring, Job PostingsComment