Employment agency software solutions are specifically designed for use by staffing agencies. Candidate Relationship Management (CRM) systems and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are two of the most popular – although there are now also some that combine both of these in one.
Employment agency challenges
As an employment agency, manually dealing with candidate management is highly stressful, inefficient, and often inaccurate. Even some basic digital methods such as using spreadsheets and Outlook contact records leave a lot to be desired. Dedicated software has the potential to make things so much easier for employment agencies and staff – and even for candidates.
Employment agency software – key benefits
The main advantages of such software are centralisation of records, reduction in paperwork, automation of some tasks, integration with other systems, and easier collaboration. Many systems are now also based in the Cloud so they can be accessed anywhere at any time (internet connection permitting).
What is a mass hiring campaign and why are they needed?
Mass hiring, sometimes also referred to as bulk-hiring or high volume hiring, is the practice of recruiting for a large number of positions in a given (often short) timeframe. These campaigns are most common in industries such as hospitality, retail, and logistics and tend to be driven by a number of factors including seasonal demand, rapid organisational growth, and new mergers/takeovers.
Employment agencies, if given these roles to fill, will need to find ways to scale up their operations in order to meet these demands. They will have to spend more time on screening and shortlisting than usual.
Interviews
One of the significant challenges for these types of campaigns, because of the volume, is scheduling interviews. There may be a need to hold hundreds within the space of just a few weeks.
One thing that can help is to adopt a software platform that is constantly updated in ‘real-time’, is able to automate notifications, communications, and crucially can deal with complex scheduling. Real-time interview scheduling via a specialised software platform prevents double-booking and saves on calls and emails.
Many systems will also now allow candidates to ‘self-schedule’ interviews – reducing the need for recruiters to call/email to organise them and then have to input the details into the system (by which time someone else may have taken that slot.)
Self-scheduling also gives candidates control over their application/interviews and should also increase engagement and enthusiasm. They can choose a time that is convenient for them and does not disrupt their routine.
The fact that they can see that the company is using the latest and most efficient technologies will also give them confidence that the company knows what they are doing and is tech-savvy.
The best employment agency software is able to automate the application, shortlisting, and interview scheduling processes. This saves a great deal of time, allows for faster hiring, and improves the candidate experience as well as freeing up recruitment staff to focus on human factors.
