High Unemployment Makes Job Applicant Tracking a Priority

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics recently revealed a slight increase in unemployment to just over 9%. The Congressional Budget Office is claiming that, according to their predictions, it's likely to remain at that level at least through the end of 2011. The previous low of 8.8% in March, the best since April 2009, is not likely to be seen again this year. At the beginning of May 2011, there are currently 13.7 million workers unemployed in the United States, and 5.8 million of them have been out of work for more than 27 weeks.

The good news is that there has actually been job growth in the private sector this year. In April alone, 268,000 jobs were added in retail, health care, business services, leisure and hospitality, manufacturing and mining. The increase in unemployment came as a result of state and local government job cuts. Most business analysts see this as a good sign. The streamlining of government and addition of private sector jobs will eventually lead to a much healthier economy. They are cautioning business owners though to make sure that job applicant tracking systems are in place for recruiting and hiring efforts.

Human Resource Software

An applicant tracking database is designed to keep track of all candidates that apply for a certain position. Advanced versions of this type of software can keep scanned copies of resumes, list job references, and bring up a history of any single applicant and how many times they've applied. It can also show changes or discrepancies in candidate information. Unfortunately, when unemployment is high and jobs are scarce, candidates may elaborate on their experience or fabricate references. Human resource managers can only do so much. Having a top-of-the-line job applicant tracking system will help them make better decisions.

Another upside to going out and buying the best job applicant tracking software you can find is the search features available in their databases. If you run a large national or multinational company and are getting thousands of applicants a week, how do you keep track of them all? Tracking software allows you to index resumes and job skills when you receive them and then search for them when you need them. With high unemployment, the pools of potential candidates will be larger, so you'll need some way to keep track of them all.

How many people are in your human resource department? How many man hours are spent on the recruiting and hiring process for a single candidate? These are the tough questions that are being asked by small business owners and corporate presidents across the country. High unemployment is an indicator that we're not out of the woods yet from the most recent recession. Business analysts and financial experts suggest that the path to higher profit margins can be found in increased efficiency levels. Job applicant tracking software makes a company more efficient. That is its intended function and that's why it's such an important tool to have when running a business during this economic downturn.

High Unemployment Makes Job Applicant Tracking a Priority

Applicant Tracking For Hiring Managers

Congratulations! You've just been hired as a human resources hiring manager. Or even better, you're already working in that position. It's a good paycheck, and you like your line of work. Now the real question you need to ask is if you are performing up to expectations? Can you take your job to the next level and prove how truly invaluable you are? Of course you can and the way to accomplish that is through efficiency. That is where a thorough applicant tracking software program can come into play.

Utilizing applicant software means you'll be able to provide your employer with the most comprehensive and up to date listing of past, current and future staff members, with the end goal of attracting better talent to the company.

Human Resource Software

An Applicant tracking solution is essentially a complete database of all the potential employees who have applied for any job within your company. The end goal of applicant tracking software is to attract the most qualified talent to your company. Typically, the application process will begin with a resume. As you're well aware, the first wave of new resumes will probably be sent to you via email.

You'll want to find an applicant program that can upload those resumes and convert them to a database that will be easy for you to access. Keep in mind that these resumes could come in many forms such as a Word DOC, PDF, text file or anything else. You'll want to make sure that the applicant tracking software you are using can upload all of those types of files into one easy to read system. And that access is extremely important. Naturally, your applicant tracking system should provide all the pertinent information of a prospective employee such as phone numbers, email addresses, previous work history and any letters of recommendation. These are the basic elements of the applicant tracking database but you can customize your system to take full advantage of it.

For instance, you should be able to build a set of key word search commands into your applicant tracking system such as "management, support, maintenance, IT," etc. This will allow you to find the applicant with the specific qualifications for the position without searching through every file in your database. You should also be able to flag certain applicants who might not have been awarded a job on a particular hiring cycle but they are certainly someone you want to stay in contact with for future reference.

You can further expand your categories by breaking down applicants in terms of years of experience, training or certifications. Speaking of certifications, a large component of many company's business could mean having work through government contracts. This in turn means it will fall to the recruiter to provide the stringent compliance restrictions when it comes to hiring procedures. With a strong applicant tracking system, you should be able to instantly provide compliance reports for the EEOC, OFCCP. This is going to save a lot of time in administrative duties.

The bottom line is that by using a powerful applicant tracking software program you'll be able to instantly tell your boss, "I've got the perfect employee for you!" And doesn't that make you the perfect employee?

Applicant Tracking For Hiring Managers

Have You Heard of ATS Applicant Tracking?

While most business people have heard of ATS applicant tracking, not all small business owners have heard specifically of what this type of targeted business technology can do to help them to grow their businesses. That is because in the early days of this type of technology, many small business owners tended to file this type of technology in the realm of big business with full out, dedicated human resources management departments. In today's world, businesses of all types and sizes are have become far more technology dependent and, today, small businesses especially can gain from the increased reach and efficiency that these type of technologies offer.

The globalization of the marketplace and the economy as a whole is a huge factor in this change of perspective. Thanks to information management and communication technologies, even small businesses can operate on a global level, with production operations scattered across the nations of the world, meeting the needs of a customer base that spans the globe. Applicant tracking systems and recruitment software allow businesses of all sizes to dip into a far broader pool of potential recruits than they were in the past, improving production and growing their businesses in ways that just weren't possible in the past.

Human Resource Software

Small businesses not of the size to merit a dedicated human resource department staff yet needing exactly that to take their business to the next level of success now have the option of using a more efficient option. The information management tasks that the leading applicant tracking systems can perform surpass that of even the most expertly staffed human resource management teams, simply because they can perform those tasks so much more quickly and on a much broader scale. With the usability that the recruiting software and applicant tracking systems of today are designed with, there's no need to be a computer expert. The average business owner that is reasonably familiar with basic computer operation will do just fine.

Cost used to be prohibitive for small business owners; another reason many never paid too much attention to how these types of systems and software options could help grow their businesses, and really haven't heard about what ATS applicant tracking has to offer them. That has changed dramatically. As the technology supporting recruiting software and application tracking software improved, it also become more affordable. The new cloud based systems and software as a service options have significantly reduced the upfront costs of utilizing these types of targeted business solutions, making them far more accessible to businesses of all sizes.

ATS applicant tracking is a smart way to recruit the most effective employees, helping to increase the overall success of your organization. This type of system can help facilitate information accessibility, an important element for small businesses operating across wide geographic areas. Staying in compliance with employment law becomes a much less complex process, and the efficiency gained with this type of system will reduce the time and costs associated with staffing. This cost-effective solution is a real benefit to all businesses, but most especially small businesses seeking to expand their reach and their success.

Have You Heard of ATS Applicant Tracking?