HR Software Streamlines Recruitment Process as Candidates Demand Faster Job Application Response Time

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In a highly competitive recruitment market, finding top talent can be challenging. The recruitment process is not only about matching the prospective employee’s skills to the abilities required for a position but also about meeting the candidate’s expectations—and that includes no ghosting.

Based on a new survey of more than 1,000 United States job seekers, 80% of respondents said that they want faster response time from recruiters. Promptly engaging with candidates can significantly impact successful recruitment. That’s because slow response time is the top reason applicants lose interest in pursuing a job. Employers that can provide an excellent and smooth job search experience can improve their chances of hiring the best candidates since job seeker priorities include the overall job search experience.

Too Complicated Recruitment Process

Job search experience pertains to a candidate’s impression of an employer. These impressions are formed during interactions in the recruitment process. This process often starts from the job search to the application, communication, feedback, interviews, and onboarding.

Each company will have a different version of the recruitment process, which can also vary based on the specific vacant position. Consequently, some companies might have a complex recruitment process that turns away prospective candidates. The same survey on US job seekers found that 27% of candidates said that the job search/application process has become more complicated.

While multiple factors could influence the speed of the recruitment process (i.e., industry, job type, company size), a complicated one increases the risk of losing candidates. That’s because complicated processes slow down both the applicant and the hiring staff. Eventually, applicants could drop out of the application because of these delays or accept an offer from another company. In another survey, for instance, 43% of applicants said that they left an application form blank because it was too long. They didn’t want to invest the time in filling out a form that took too long to complete.

Leveraging HR Software to Simplify the Recruitment Process

Losing candidates because of a complicated recruitment process is not desirable. Though companies need to have several stages in place to weed out applicants, these should be balanced with speed and responsiveness. Recruitment trends show that recruiters need to be more proactive in finding candidates, engaging with them, and simplifying the recruitment process.

To do so, companies are increasingly adopting HR software tools. These digital, cloud-based solutions can help streamline the entire recruitment process and design a consistent job search experience. Even free HR software products already include features that can help a company’s HR department effectively manage talent search, application processing, interview scheduling, and onboarding.

As companies continue to adopt HR software, the market can also expect sustained growth. Analysts expect the global HR technology market to reach $48.85 billion by 2027. In particular, “enterprises are now gradually adopting the human resource software ecosystem,” as it provides a scalable and cost-effective way of managing human resources.

Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

One of the most useful HR software features is the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). There are different ways recruiters find candidates today. It can be from social media platforms, job boards, or websites. An ATS has integration capabilities with most of these channels that make it easier for recruiters to conduct a candidate search. Additionally, most vendors offer mobile-responsive ATS that allows candidates to submit applications via smartphones and tablets.

Candidate Relationship Management (CRM)

HR software also includes candidate relationship management features. Together with an ATS, CRM can help automate communication with candidates after they’ve submitted their applications. Recruiters can send automated emails to respond quickly to candidates and guide them through the application process.

Moreover, since CRM contains candidate application history, recruiters can build a talent pipeline. They can view the different types of applicants, from active to former candidates, part-time or full-time workers, and freelancers.

Having these profiles also allows recruiters to do analytics-driven recruitment. For example, recruiters can segment candidates based on their previous job titles, specializations, or skills. This is a far more efficient method to match talents with vacant positions than manually going through each resume on the file.

Video Interviews

When COVID-19 struck, companies needed to change their recruitment strategies. These included candidate interviews. HR software may include built-in video interview management tools or integrate seamlessly with third-party video conferencing software.

Offering video interviews can help recruiters attract more candidates and speed up the application process. Job interviews conducted via video reduce the time spent on phone calls and emails; thus providing a more pleasant job search experience to candidates and employers.