Every business is different, but they all need to hire the right people with the right skills — although that’s easier said than done. From creating detailed job descriptions to reading thousands of CVs, the hiring process can take a serious toll on HR staff.

Fortunately, recruitment management systems can help automate the hiring process, saving businesses time and bringing down the cost of finding the best candidates. They can even make the difference between good hires and great hires. Let’s find out how.

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What are recruitment management systems?

Recruitment systems are software tools designed to help companies find candidates, review applications and hire the right people. In simple terms, they make the hiring process easier by automating tasks like matching candidates to positions and tracking application progress.

Here are some of the things recruitment systems can do:

  • Create job descriptions with clear responsibilities
  • Advertise job openings on multiple channels
  • Manage the application process and send updates
  • Screen candidates based on predefined criteria
  • Schedule interviews based on availability
  • Respond to common candidate questions
  • Communicate with candidates using email templates
  • Match applicant profiles with suitable job openings
  • Centralise data for easy access and analysis
  • Track each candidate’s progress through the hiring pipeline
  • Provide analytics for data-driven hiring decisions

What is the difference between RMS, ATS and CRM?

You may have noticed that recruitment management systems are sometimes referred to as recruitment management systems (RMS), applicant tracking systems (ATS) or even candidate relationship management (CRM).

Although these systems overlap in terms of functionality, it’s important to be aware of the differences. Recruitment management systems, for example, are typically more powerful than applicant tracking systems because they include features for candidate relationship management. Here’s a quick overview of each:

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) focus on managing the recruitment process once candidates have applied for specific jobs. For example, they can automatically collect, sort and filter applications, create a database of applicants, schedule interviews and track the progress of candidates through the hiring process.

Recruitment management systems (RMS) support the entire recruitment process — from sourcing to onboarding. For example, they can automatically post job descriptions to various channels, manage relationships with recruitment agencies and create talent pipelines. These systems focus more on overall recruitment strategy rather than simply tracking applications.

Candidate relationship management (CRM) systems are designed to manage and nurture relationships with potential candidates, whether they have applied for a job or not. They focus on building and maintaining a talent pool or talent community and can typically send out personalised emails, job alerts and more to keep candidates interested in future opportunities.

What are the features of recruitment management systems?

Recruitment software comes in all shapes and sizes, so it’s vital to consider which features are right for your business. Choosing a recruitment system that aligns with your needs will not only save you time by automating tasks like scheduling interviews and tracking applications but crucially also help you hire the right people with the right skills.

Here are some key features to look for when deciding on recruitment software:

Job posting and distribution
Create job descriptions and distribute them on multiple channels, such as job boards, career sites and social media platforms.

Applicant tracking
Track and manage applicants throughout the hiring process, including any updates and messages sent to candidates.

Candidate assessment
Evaluate candidates and create shortlists for interviews by automatically extracting relevant information from CVs.

Candidate matching
Automatically match applicant profiles to suitable job openings based on skills, experience and job criteria.

Interview scheduling
Automatically schedule interviews, add them to calendars and send reminders for a hassle-free interview process.

Reports and analytics
Gain valuable insights into key metrics, including the most effective channels for job postings and how long your company is taking to fill new positions.

Anti-bias technology
Analyse job postings for words and phrases that might discourage some applicants from applying to ensure you provide equal employment opportunities.

Background checks
Automatically carry out background checks to make sure candidates are the right fit for your company and culture.

What are the benefits of recruitment management systems?

Recruitment is more competitive than ever, so companies are looking for new ways to find and hire the best talent. This is where recruitment software comes in, helping your business:

Speed up recruitment
Manual recruitment processes are time-consuming and error-prone. For example, employees may have to spend hours reading through CVs. Worse still, some might not even be read. Recruitment systems can help reduce time spent on repetitive tasks whilst ensuring that no applicant slips through the cracks.

Reduce costs
Time spent reading CVs or writing generic emails to applicants are both time and cost-intensive. Fortunately, recruitment software can now automate many of these manual tasks, such as job posting and application tracking, which reduces both time-to-hire and cost-per-hire.

Enhance the candidate experience
Providing candidates with a positive experience is essential. After all, nobody wants to join a company that seems disorganised and disconnected. Recruitment systems help create a positive image of your company with timely communication and detailed updates on application status. They also anonymise data to help eliminate any unconscious bias.

Attract and retain top talent
More accurate job descriptions with clear information on skills and responsibilities make it easier to attract the right people. What’s more, distributing your job postings automatically across multiple channels increases your reach. Advanced matching algorithms then ensure you’re not just filling positions but finding the right fit.

Improve collaboration
Recruitment software ensures that applications from different channels all feed into one, centralised platform. Information is presented clearly and in the same way regardless of where it came from, making life easier for hiring managers. Plus, HR teams can access the system from anywhere and on any device.

Gain insights and visibility
Recruitment systems track the full recruitment process and all the data that goes along with it. This makes it easy to see how good your hiring process is by looking at key metrics, such as cost-per-hire and time-to-fill. What’s more, you can also build a database of suitable candidates, with details of past interviews and more to help you fill new openings.

How to choose the right recruitment management system

Not all recruitment systems are made equal. In fact, they differ wildly, so it’s vital to take the time to find the right solution for your business. Here are three steps to help you select the right recruitment software for your company:

  1. Assess your needs
    Make sure your chosen system can meet your specific needs based on the size of your company and rate of staff turnover. Ask your HR team what features they want, such as compliance, HR software integration and mobile access.
  2. Evaluate key features
    The right system should be intuitive and easy to use but also have the right features to save your business time and improve your hiring process. We recommend systems that come with data analytics and automation for both insights and efficiency.
  3. Plan for the future
    Find a system with transparent costs that you can easily incorporate into your budget. Avoid headaches down the line by choosing a scalable system that can meet both your current and future hiring needs.

How to integrate recruitment systems with HR software

Integration can be a complicated process. But if done right, it can help remove obstacles and reduce errors to keep your business running like clockwork. Here are a few things in mind when integrating a recruitment system:

  • Identify your needs and select a recruitment system that fits.
  • Transfer existing HR and recruitment data to the new system.
  • Train your HR team on how to use the integrated system.
  • Test, test and test again to identify any issues or areas for improvement.
  • Implement the system gradually, starting with a pilot phase before full deployment.
  • Gather feedback from users to flag any issues that need resolving.
  • Make appropriate adjustments to keep systems working in harmony.

Find your perfect recruitment management system

Recruitment systems are a great way for businesses of all sizes to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to acquiring the best talent. Thanks to automation and analytics, hiring managers can easily send follow-up emails, screen CVs and find out what’s working and what’s not in their hiring process.

ADP talent acquisition help you find the right people with the right skills — faster. With customisable workflows, automated scheduling, compliance tools and more, our solutions help HR teams work smarter, not harder.