GOLDEN GATE UNIVERSITY
Applicant Tracking System
Anupama Rajagopal
GGU
8/11/2014
Introduction
To understand the hiring process it is important to understand all the technology being used by job boards and hiring companies. Most people incorrectly assume people are still reading resumes. Just a few years ago, about 70% of the hiring companies were using applicant-tracking system to manage applicants. Now almost all companies and job boards like monster, career builder and indeed are using resume filter technology and applicant tracking systems. The proliferation of this technology has been driven by the volume of applications for each job and the need to search for applicants based on specific criteria for each job. Even if a candidate networks his way into the company, his resume will be put into a applicant tracking system. This is because equal opportunities employment laws, which are, and other unfair hiring practices govern companies. In most companies hiring managers are no longer allowed to accept resumes through e-mails or physical resumes without it first being submitted to the applicant tracking software. Therefore referrals, social media and LinkedIn all are subjected to applicant tracking system
What is an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)?
Technology has infiltrated in all sectors of businesses, and recruitment commerce is not an exemption. It is no shock that the predictable primary source of modernization in Human Resources has also influenced the
When companies are hiring hundreds people per month and getting thousand resumes per position, they are using ATS systems that are helping them with the first candidate preselection. Resumes are scanned and parsed by ATS and many of these systems matching the profile with current openings based on the keywords in resume. (They could also inform candidates if the company is going to open some new position.)
According to Wright et al (2011) recruitment and selection are part of the human resource practices common within organizations in an effort to develop human capital, which is necessary for better production. Numerous scholars have discussed the issue in different contexts. Pramila (2010) discussed the issue of recruitment and selection in an Indian- based company. The article presents effective recruitment practices, which are valuable for organizations. Among the identified practices include internal recruitment, interviews, personality tests, employer references, succession planning, and newspaper recruitment. According to Najafi (2011) the most important aim is to achieve an improvement in their recruitment and selection. With information provided in this article, the researcher is able to advance a thorough understanding of the different issues on improving recruitment and selection processes within organizations.
I’m going to discuss technology and the role it plays amongst recruiting and selection procedures. Technology has changed the process of HR recruitment and selection of applicants significantly and will continue to do so. Chapter 7 and 8 does not cover technology; however, I would argue that technology is a game changer when it comes to recruitment and selection. The reason I’m discussing technology is because I’m assisting with recruitment and the biggest challenge is our ability to expand our recruitment pool, since our technology resources are currently limited. Large organizations
The final selection would be improved on Human Resource Management; technology in the workplace can change the way human resource conduct business. It improves on the cognitive operation of screening, recruiting and employing new employees of the Human Resources Department. The human resource managers are using the internet to advertise job openings. Targeted candidates will be in a position to apply for these positions online by submitting their resumes to the human resource site. This process saves time and it makes the human resource department work more efficient. Technology is also being used to track performance and productivity of each employee. Once employees are mindful that they are being monitored, their productivity will increase.
The approach to job hunting has changed over the years due to the onset of social sites from the internet. The conservative methods like the resumes and letters of recommendations that are widely used when applying for jobs are now supplemented with social platforms such as LinkedIn. There are many cases when the recruitment panel will wish to break ties between candidates during an interview. Due to the robust nature and the personalized appeal of many Linked in profiles, the panel mostly visits such profiles to look for qualities that can make one individual to be considered over the other.
Fake candidates will frequently exist in industry with moderate measurement: no longer because head hunters are careless or irresponsible, however, considering the complexity of recruitment is more often than not difficult -- and humans have simplest constrained ability to control complexity. Additionally, it is true that for any intricate systems, implementation of employment screening services can on no account be totally ruled out.
Job applicants no longer actually visit businesses to complete an application. Resumes and other documents can be uploaded and easily accessible to the Human Resource Manager. Online postings, applications, and screeners provide applicants the luxury of completing this process from their own home. Likewise, businesses are able to obtain a great deal of information and select qualified applicants for further evaluation.
An improved applicant workflow process will guide both the hiring manager and candidate from application to pre-screen, to background checks, through the interview process, to the offer letter and finally to hiring. Through efficient workflow, confusion is minimized. In addition with high cost of employee turnover and new employee training, the university’s goal is to improve employee loyalty and retention, saving them money. With effective pre-screening questions, unskilled applicants will never go into the candidate pool and pre-screening won’t be only contingent on the candidates resume. In addition integrated background checks will verify employment history and other records automatically so no human resources representative will need
Utilizing a standardized employment application and application process are critical elements of an organization’s ability to conduct a fair, unbiased, and legally compliant selection process (SHRM, 2012). Therefore, organizations should deploy standardized employment applications that have been reviewed by their Human Resources and Legal Department to ensure they do not request any improper information and remain compliant with all Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (UGESP), and Title VII requirements. Moreover, these requirements compel employers to maintain all applicant information throughout the online and/or in-person screening and selection process along with information
Many different avenues exist that can be utilized in the recruitment process. While traditional methods of recruitment such as newspaper advertisements employee referral programs are still be used, many companies, including Fortune 500 companies, are moving towards more technologically advanced avenues such as career opportunity pages on the company website, online job boards, social media, etc. The way an organization presents itself using any of these avenues is essential to the recruitment process as it is the only opportunity for the organization to attract
The professional recruiting industry is a challenging environment where radical transformations are occurring. New recruiting trends are emerging. Social media is also changing the landscape for hiring managers and human resource departments. With all the changes in the recruitment industry, to prioritize the job candidate by providing job applicants with the information is the most important thing based on their employment history, work experience, and career ambitions (About the Recruiting Industry). According to some sources, the "talent acquisition" or recruiting industry is valued at over 120 billion dollars if all services related to employers and job seekers are taken into consideration (About the Recruiting Industry).
The problem is that utilizing technology based recruiting (including Social Networking Sites and Applicant Tracking Software) for selection of candidates may result in a detrimental fit between employee and organization. When considering organizational fit; “The concept Person-Organization Fit (POF) deals with the congruence between the employee’s own personal values and the values of the organization, according to the employee’s perception” (Farooqui & Nagendra, 2014, p. 123). These limitations could culminate into a poor fit, resulting in diminished job satisfaction as well as poor job performance (Farooqui & Nagendra, 2014). The population that is affected by this problem is Human Resource (HR) management. The research will specifically focus on talent acquisition that will reduce problems through strategic recruitment.
Susan Ward(TB, 2016) talks about the different hiring shortcuts which are made available to new applicants which we find realistically speaking very modern and applicable to this new era of technology. Part 3 examines the different developmental stages in the recruitment process and how employers should go about it. We discuss new ways toward a better recruitment process and at the same time see the importance of incentives or perks to employees.
At their core, ATS’s function to document applicant records, maintaining a history of the candidate’s recruitment activity as well as the majority of hiring activity that is not captured by the HRIS. They tend to be the only system where recruiting related information on a candidate can be found. An ATS is also used in many cases out of necessity in many cases for compliance under laws like OFCCP or EEOC. Although this can be an important system for recruiters, the information in an ATS can become outdated very quickly which can limited the effectiveness of the tool. Most recruiters end up using the ATS as a “just in time” tool all the time.
New technology surrounds us with everything we do in our daily lives, and is continually being upgraded. One process that has changed as technology has advanced is in the way we apply or recruit employees for a job. The process of submitting a resume or an application to apply for a job position is all technology based these days and has caused some businesses to forget that there are actually real people behind those submissions. Though I do enjoy the innovation of accepting resumes and applications electronically, my hiring process for The Lakeview Inn will always include a formal face-to-face interview, so those human qualities I am looking for in an employee, are never missed.