Request a Consultation
Request a Consultation

    How to Leverage Applicant Tracking and Onboarding Software to Attract and Retain Top Talent

    People working on applicant tracking systems

    How to Leverage Applicant Tracking and Onboarding Software to Attract and Retain Top Talent

    April 29, 2021

    The success of any organization hinges on its ability to attract, develop, and retain talent. Workplace culture, salary, and benefits play a crucial role in recruiting talented people to your organization, but before applicants can assess any of those benefits, they need to be made aware of the open positions at your company. 

    The way you post job openings, interview candidates, and onboard new hires directly affects how prospective employees view your organization. Applicant tracking and onboarding software help ensure that your company looks contemporary. When used effectively, it can automate every aspect of the recruiting and onboarding process including automatically posting open positions to career sites, collecting and sorting resumes, scheduling interviews, and centralizing hiring-manager comments. These systems let your team shorten the recruitment cycle and automate onboarding which eliminates paper, reduces errors and makes your company look relevant. 

    Applicant tracking and onboarding systems improve the recruitment and onboarding experience and allow you to accomplish more with your existing resources. This post explains how these systems work and provides an overview of their benefits and the vital role they can play in the success of your business.

    How Do Applicant Tracking Systems Work?

    A recent study found that 99% of Fortune 500 companies use applicant tracking systems. These systems  quickly sort resumes and prioritize top candidates. Here are some of their most valuable features:

    Screening Questions

    Good applicant tracking software doesn’t require you to manually review each resume because it  highlights candidates based on their responses to knockout questions which are customized to prioritize unique skills, behaviors , and certifications desirable for a given position. 

    Relying on Automatic Rankings

    You can also let the system do the work and rank each candidate based on the skills and criteria you’re seeking. This approach enables you to enter your job description, then let the software sift through applications looking for the best fit.

    Using Keyword Searches

    Applicant tracking systems also let you search through resumes using keywords. You can enter the name of the position you want to fill, or you can do a more advanced search with a combination of skills and roles. 

    A single job posting can yield thousands of applicants. The volume can be overwhelming, but even worse, it can allow the best candidate to slip through the cracks. An applicant tracking system can help guide you toward the best candidate for every position you are looking to fill. 

    old applicant tracking services

    6 Benefits of Applicant Tracking Systems

    You need high-quality people to execute your business objectives, but finding them is challenging when you have thousands of resumes sitting in your inbox. Applicant tracking systems help you separate the wheat from the chaff. They also offer other benefits that streamline the recruiting and talent management process:

    1. Easy Posting

    They allow you to post positions on multiple sites at once. A few clicks put a posting on your career portal and major job boards such as Indeed, LinkedIn, CareerBuilder, and others.

    2. Streamlined Application Process

    Interested applicants can easily upload their resumes to your career portal or apply for specific positions. The easier the application process, the more quality candidates you are likely to attract. Given the current war-on-talent and low unemployment, it’s critical not to alienate any potential candidates.

    3. Custom Workflows

    A manual application process forces you to juggle information in email folders, spreadsheets, and other programs, but an applicant tracking system lets you create a custom workflow to deal with multiple elements in the same application. 

    4. Saves Time

    These systems save your HR or recruiting team time by identifying the best candidates quickly. They also let you automate routine tasks such as sending automated notifications, scheduling interviews, and electronically distributing new hire materials. 

    5. Improved EEOC Compliance

    These tools also enhance the reporting and compliance process. You can easily create voluntary reports on EEO data. 

    6. Reduced Paperwork

    Your HR team no longer has to deal with paper applications or resumes. An applicant tracking system lets you fully automate the recruitment process and  when combined with an electronic onboarding solution, you can fully automate every aspect of onboarding including: employee tax forms, direct deposit setup, electronic policy acknowledgement, and online benefit elections. 

    Applicant tracking and electronic onboarding systems revolutionize the hiring and onboarding process and alleviate manual tasks for your HR department. They position your organization as an employer-of-choice  because you have adopted and deployed the latest innovations. Streamlined recruitment is the first step in showing your organization’s potential to the talent pool. 

    Added Value From an Applicant Tracking System

    A mistake organizations make is using applicant tracking systems exclusively for new hires. Exploit these systems to identify and develop budding-talent within your current workforce. Leverage your applicant tracking system to:

    • Promote positions internally
    • Identify unknown employee skill sets 
    • Identifying areas for additional development and training

    Employers shouldn’t rely exclusively on recruiting talent from the outside. They need to invest in their current employees. Applicant tracking software can help identify eager employees willing to learn and grow within your organization giving your firm the competitive edge it needs to thrive and survive in  today’s competitive business climate. 

    Consult With an Expert 

    Ignite HCM is a team of professionals with over 300 years of direct ADP work experience. If you are looking to increase productivity and the return on your ADP investment, we can help.

    Ignite HCM Consulting and Services provides support and services to improve every aspect of your ADP platform. To learn more, contact us today. 

    Explore More

    7 minute read
    | October 31, 2024

    AI and Leadership: Redefining Managerial Roles in the Digital Age

    In the rapidly evolving landscape of the digital age, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative force, reshaping industries and redefining the roles of... Read More
    7 minute read
    | October 30, 2024

    Navigating the Winds of Change: Empowering Employees in an Ever-Evolving Workplace

    In today's fast-paced, technology-driven world, the workplace is undergoing a constant metamorphosis. As companies adapt to stay competitive, employees often find themselves... Read More
    8 minute read
    | October 29, 2024

    Unlocking Internal Talent: The Rise of Corporate Talent Marketplaces

    In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, companies are facing an unprecedented challenge: how to effectively leverage their most valuable asset — their people. As... Read More

    Subscribe to email updates