Want to Boost Your Employer Brand? Use an Applicant Tracking System
Companies that don’t spend time and resources building their employer brand miss out and run the risk of jeopardizing their future growth. Not only do they miss out on the best hires, but they also miss out on the countless benefits of employee loyalty. The longer a company retains its employees, the more specialized skills they acquire and the more efficient they become. Employees’ knowledge is one of the key ingredients in the success of a company.
Want to Boost Your Employer Brand? Use an Applicant Tracking System
Jeremy Bourhis
Companies that don’t spend time and resources building their employer brand miss out and run the risk of jeopardizing their future growth. Not only do they miss out on the best hires, but they also miss out on the countless benefits of employee loyalty. The longer a company retains its employees, the more specialized skills they acquire and the more efficient they become. Employees’ knowledge is one of the key ingredients in the success of a company.
Loyal staff can also become brand advocates. These help to attract more talent and create a positive work environment. This then attracts a larger pool of candidates, which makes it easier for businesses to find future employees that fit the profile and culture that they require.
Making a good first impression is important to build a strong employer brand. It all starts with offering a quick and painless recruiting process.
One of the proven ways to speed up the hiring process – and improve your employer brand – is to use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to automate administrative tasks and stay up-to-date with the latest details of a vacancy. An ATS can be used to filter CVs, communicate with the candidates, and keep track of applications for several vacancies at the same time.
Some companies may be reluctant to make the investment, but GetApp’s recent survey highlights concrete evidence that using an ATS really does speed up the hiring process and improve the quality of hires. Yet less than half of companies surveyed use one.
Using an ATS makes a huge difference for hiring managers, candidates, and future employees. The initial investment is worth it in the long term. Hiring managers and interviewers are more productive, while candidates are less likely to drop out during the hiring process.
Here’s a few of the ways using an ATS can boost your company’s employer brand.
Speed up the hiring process
86% of recruiters surveyed who use an ATS found that it sped up their hiring process. 78% have also found that it’s improved the quality of their hires. This makes a huge difference to everyone involved. Candidates transition to their new role quicker as they’re a better fit. In the long-term, they’ll be happier, too. When the company hiring has the right person for the role, it helps it to reach its growth objectives. It also makes recruiters more efficient, means they can deal with more candidates and vacancies in the same amount of time, and they’re more fulfilled in their day-to-day role. Less paperwork and happy clients.
So why aren’t more companies using an ATS?
Using an ATS means changing the status quo. This forces people out of their comfort zone, and not everyone is happy with this. After all, if the current hiring system is perceived as working, why change?
When HR teams want to try out new tools they may also face roadblocks such as data security questions from the IT department.
And of course, investing in new software costs money. Companies only want to spend money if they know it will be a genuine return on investment. However, when someone has to go around and train everyone in how to use the software, it doesn’t always feel that way initially.
Statistics like those from GetApp’s survey show the difference automation can make. It also helps HR teams to build a concrete case when trying to push for new hiring tools.
Create a better candidate experience
We talk about candidate experience a lot on the Cronofy blog, but that’s because it makes a big difference. When a candidate goes through a positive hiring experience – even if they don’t get the job – they’re more likely to view the company favorably. That means they’re more likely to reapply for future roles which they could be an even better fit for. They’re also more likely to recommend friends and family for roles, or leave positive comments on sites like Glassdoor or social media.
If the hiring process leaves them with a sour taste in their mouth, you can guarantee that candidates will share their negative impression with their online and offline social circles, potentially damaging your employer image and brand. It could even lead to you missing out on the best person for a future role.
Make teams feel valued
Speeding up the hiring process doesn’t just affect the people directly involved. It also affects the people in their periphery. Team members get more time with their manager because they aren’t juggling with their schedules to find time to hold interviews and all the preparation that comes along with them. This makes team members feel more valued and therefore more likely to speak positively of their employer. This further improves their employer brand and helps the company to attract more talent.
Encourage employee referrals
A strong employer brand also opens the door to setting up successful employee referral programs. Employee referrals produce the most valuable type of hire. They’re also one of the fastest ways to hire. This creates a circle where the company continues to attract great candidates, hires the right person for the job, and they become a productive member of the team that speaks highly of their company to those around them.
Boost your employer brand
All these things benefit a company’s employer brand. The stronger this brand is, the better the candidates they’ll attract. If a candidate has a choice between two companies that operate in the same industry, for example, they’re more likely to go for the brand they’ve heard positive things about.
The hiring process doesn’t have to be long and drawn-out. It’s better for companies and candidates when the hiring process is quick and painless. It costs businesses less money, and less time is lost while the vacancy waits to be filled. Candidates, meanwhile, receive clear information and updates throughout the process and can move on if they’re unsuccessful. The successful candidates have greater visibility and can start planning for their first few weeks in their new role.
The more monotonous tasks that are automated, the more tasks employees can complete. Getting more done helps the business to grow faster. Embracing new technology also attracts a more forward-thinking workforce, which means they’re more likely to generate new ideas that can further benefit the business and keep it thriving in the years to come.
If you use an ATS or are thinking of switching to one, have you considered adding real-time calendar sync to handle your interview scheduling, too? It speeds up the hiring process even more by letting you organize interviews automatically. With our interview scheduling solutions, you can share the availability of interviewers with candidates to let them pick the slot that works best for them. Your team save time, candidates can book their interviews in their own time, and it creates a more seamless process for everyone.
Contact us today to find out more.
