The Curriculum Vitae (CV) is the written overview document of a person’s experience and qualifications and is a piece of literature very common for many HR professionals involved in the hiring process. But, with recent advances in recruitment software, is this method of receiving a candidate’s experience becoming outdated in favour of modern methods, such as online application forms?

Online application forms offer a platform which allows you to capture the data of your candidates in a controlled manner and boast many benefits for busy HR professionals looking to streamline their recruitment processes.

In the first of Webrecruit’s Recruitment Software Surgery Series we dig into the functionality of recruitment software vs. traditional methods and share our knowledge of the benefits it can offer.

So without further ado, let’s consider the benefits that an online application form has over the traditional CV:

Capture what you require

An online application form is built to include the data fields you require. Although there are common trends amongst the data candidates include within their CV, there is no guarantee that all candidates will submit CVs that contains the exact information you need to know.

Job specific questions

Recruitment software allows you to personalise your application form whenever you use it.

Therefore you can have a standard form created at implementation stage and add on job specific questions whenever required. In a simple tick of a box you can also mark these questions as mandatory.

Simplify your filtering

By including an application form which captures the most important data you require, you can ease the process of filtering your candidates. Any applications made that instantly match the correct answers to your job specific questions can be bulked and scored assisting with your initial short listing.

Include CV as an option

Long and lengthy application forms are off putting for busy people who may be actively applying for multiple new roles. Don’t risk your candidates dropping out of your application process and getting snapped up by competition due to over complicating your application form.

Webrecruit recommends keeping your application form short and focused, and include the option for the candidate to upload their full CV.

Use CV Parsing

CV parsing software is a tool that analyses a document and extracts data, which in the case of a CV includes skills, work experience, education, contact details and so on.

CV parsing is commonly included within recruitment software. CV parsing will allow you to keep your application form simple and focused, and then sift your candidates a stage further by searching for key skills etc.

Also CV parsing can be integrated to work with cloud storage methods i.e. Dropbox, Google docs etc.

Uniform your data

Using an online application form that is linked with your applicant tracking system means you can collect all your data in a uniformed manner. This instantly makes it easier for you to review your candidates’ responses all via one platform.

Boost your employer brand

An online application form also allows you to further enforce your employer brand by allowing you the option to include your company colours and details to reinforce your branding to candidates.

Multiple options

Your recruitment software allows you to have multiple application forms. Therefore you can build  a selection of forms relevant to your requirements and have them saved within your software to add in when needed.

The structure gained from using application forms is paramount for busy HR professionals.

When implementing recruitment software, your online application forms are designed around you. They are built at implementation stage to match your needs. Additionally they are fully editable and your recruitment partner should offer you full training on how to use your application forms and how to make any changes you may need.

For a more detailed overview of recruitment software and application forms, request a demo today.