Recruitment and technology are no strangers; as an industry we’re well accustomed to keeping up-to-date with advances such as online job boards and social media. But that’s not to say the relationship is an easy one. When it comes to recruitment technology, many of you may be battling with a clunky system that doesn’t seem fit for purpose, or feel completely overwhelmed at the many options out there with no idea of where to begin.

 

To begin with, you should do some in-depth research on the multitude of recruitment systems out there. While the big-name brands tend to dominate this market, we’d highly recommend looking at the smaller ones that are able to produce bespoke platforms. We’ve heard some fantastic feedback about such systems, with many satisfied customers not only praising their tailor-made nature, but also reporting huge cost savings from going small. This discrepancy can be tens of thousands of pounds when you compare the smallest and largest suppliers, so should not be sniffed at. Unless you’re a multi-language global company, the features of a lesser-known system should be more than adequate.

 

Planning is essential at this stage, and mapping out your needs will help to narrow down your options. Start by separating recruitment from HR, as it is almost impossible to find one solution that fits both purposes without some sort of compromise. Investing in specialist platforms for each purpose, with one that’s ideally tailored around your data requirements and in-house processes, will almost certainly pay off in the long run.

 

In terms of the recruitment function, ensure that the system is capable of the following three basics at the very least: admin, process and information. Taking away some of the administrative burdens from your recruiters will free up their time for more important tasks, while designing the IT system around your recruitment processes, rather than the other way around, is just plain common sense. Finally, you should plan exactly what type of data you want your platform to collect. Creating a strong information management framework will not only assist with your choice of IT, but is also an effective way to monitor exactly how well your recruitment is performing. The best providers will offer scalability and flexibility, so that information fields can be amended and expanded over time; essential as your data needs change.

 

Once all the above is in place you can now go to market and choose the best system for you, one that offers an attractive combination of features. We’d recommend looking out for the following, although I’d be wary about any solution claiming to offer every single one:

 

·         Job posting to all of your job boards (and don’t forget social sharing)

·         CV searching and parsing across all of your CV databases

·         Online application with bespoke vacancy questions

·         Applicant tracking system (ATS)

·         Talent pooling; effective capture of all candidates applying for roles with advanced CV, keyword and location search functions (you could even look for one providing auto-recommendations to match the job spec with your talent pool)

·         Candidate management system (CMS). This should include the marketing of positions to candidate database, job alerts, candidate profile management, brand updates and company news

·         Talent pipelining , to nurture passive talent in talent folders or communities

·         Inbuilt online testing, or partnering with online testing provider

 

So be brave, consider going small and take the time to choose a bespoke system that suits your needs; partner this with good customer service, flexibility for the future and cost savings, and you’re on to a winner.