Using recruiting software simplifies the hiring process. With business recruiting software, employers can easily store key qualification information such as resume details, college degrees and applicant contact information in a recruiting database for easy access and categorization.

No matter if you have an in-house human resources department or you outsource your hiring needs, recruiting software is a great tool that can make the hiring process function more efficiently. In addition to housing applicant information, you can also use recruiting software to create job postings and weed out applicants who don’t have the required skill sets. Learn more about these benefits to using recruiting software by:

1. Recruiting software allows users to spend less time reviewing applicant qualifications.

2. Most business recruiting software is compatible with other computer programs.

3. HR recruiting software can be used to maintain website job postings.

Action Steps for Best Use of Recruiting Software
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Increase productivity with recruiting software

Employee recruiting software saves time and money. Without HR recruiting software, employers can spend countless hours sorting applicant information and qualifications. Most recruiting database software stores data by type, which allows users to easily pull only the data they need.

I recommend: Check out Enterprise Software Guide from BestSoftwareTips.com to read more about the benefits of using recruiting software. You can also visit Chris Russell’s Secrets of the Job Hunt to obtain guidance on using business recruiting software systems.

Integrate recruiting software quickly and easily

Resume recruiting software can be purchased as CDs or you can download online recruiting software to meet your needs. In fact, many providers allow you to try their software free of charge. To allow for easy integration, most business recruiting software systems are compatible with Microsoft Office Suite and Acrobat Adobe and can be customized to meet any business recruiting needs. It's a good idea to inquire about compatibility if you're unsure whether the software you're considering will work with your current computer operating system.

I recommend: Visit BlackDog Recruiting Software to learn more about choosing providers of business recruiting software through its tip sheet on the 10 worst ways of using recruiting software. You can also check out TechRepublic to learn more about the return on investment of resume recruiting software.

Manage your entire hiring process with business recruiting software

Recruiting software can be tailored to fit your company size and capture applicant information that's most important to your company's hiring goals. Providers of recruiting software offer a range of add-on services and customization features you can use to meet your company's unique hiring needs. For example, you can use recruiting software to offer online testing and application submission sites. You can also use business recruiting software to send form letters and track applicant correspondence.

I recommend: For more information about resume recruiting software visit BuyerZone. You can also read more about the benefits and features of software for recruiting company firms by visiting Top Echelon.

Recruiting Software Smarts

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Many providers of recruiting software offer various solutions designed to fit the budgets of small to large companies. While the bells and whistles of a business recruiting software program that manages your entire hiring process may sound great, be sure to weigh the cost of sophisticated employee recruiting software to ensure you obtain the best possible return on your investment.

Recruiting software is a great tool – if you understand how to use it. Whether you use general HR recruitment software or focused executive recruiting software, find recruiter software that enables you to catch on quickly and get to work immediately filling current (and future) openings at your small business.

The top three things to know about recruiter software are:

1. Choose a recruitment software system that has a minimal learning curve so you (and everyone in HR) can immediately use the system.
2. Take advantage of recruiter software that comes with automatic and customizable tools. This can help you compare candidates based on their skills and on how well they’ll fit with your organization.
3. When beginning a candidate search, use the auto-match tool (or similar tool) to immediately connect details of a job description with experience/skills listed on applicants’ resumes.

Action Steps
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Use recruiting software to spot the top candidates from your resume-filled inbox

The cost of unfilled positions – especially for a small business – can mean the difference between success and failure. Your recruiter software should be able to immediately access the best resumes from your email or files, with simple keyword/name/date searches.

I recommend: Visit ISYS Search Software for a software program that finds emails instantly in Outlook, Eudora, and more, for only $29.95 a month. Check out Business.com to browse their handy list of HR Recruiting Software providers.

Automate — and save time — with executive recruiting software

Some executive recruiting software system vendors offer you a valuable system that not only automates the recruiting process, but makes it so much easier to do everything at once – search resumes, collect candidate data to ensure your compliance with laws, post jobs to the “big” Web sites, and more.

I recommend: Visit PCRecruiter, where their executive recruiting software gives you everything you need for executive recruiting software all in one package – including client/candidate/positions management, as well as allowing you to remotely access your main database to handle candidate inquiries, post jobs online, and many other features – all in a single staffing solution. Business.com’s business-to-business directory provides a listing of executive recruiting software providers.

Executive recruiting software should sort and verify facts on incoming resumes

RésuméDoctor.com, a resume-counseling company, recently conducted a 6-month study of more than 1,000 resumes, and found that 42.7% of them had “significant errors.” Find a recruitment software (or an add-on to your software) that can help you with background checks and fact-checking – saving you time, money, costly and perhaps dangerous hiring mistakes.

I recommend: Check out Abso’s screening software and recruiting software. At Business.com, learn about the Benefits of Recruiting Software.

Use executive recruiting software to find internal leaders

One of the best resources of a small and growing business is the ability to offer current employees the opportunity for advancement – if you take the time and effort to recognize their innate leadership qualities. Find HR recruitment software that assesses all possible job candidates; if they’re already on your staff, you’re almost there – now all you have to do is groom them for the future job.

I recommend: SuccessFactors has more than 1,200 large and small companies worldwide who trust their talent management solutions, including recruitment software that allows you to search both internally and externally for recruiting solutions.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Find an established recruiter software company with a strong client base – and equally strong recommendations or case studies.
• •  Look for recruiting software that uses online resuming processing (not Web forms, which are often too time- and effort-intensive).
• •  Make sure the recruiting software can grow and adapt to your business’s future needs.
• •  Always call to verify references – even when your recruiter software also does some screening.
• •  Use Web-based HR recruitment software – or recruiter software for private networks.

Recruiting software providers are a primary source of education and training for companies that become clients. HR recruiting software is typically customized to fit the needs of the business it services and tends to require training that enhances the implementation of a particular package.

Moreover, these providers offer ongoing recruiting software education and training through a variety of means that include online manuals and webinars to name a few. If you're looking to implement a recruiting software solution for your business, consider using the following the information to enhance your training experience:

1. Start with test-driving recruiting software with free demos and training support first, before making the investment.

2. Get recruiting software education and training from providers of recruiting software.

3. Download free recruiting software handbooks, manuals and guides for written training documentation.

Action Steps
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Utilize free recruiting software training demos

Recruiting software and the training involved with learning a new system can be cumbersome, and it takes time to really understand the software and verify it's the right fit for a company's needs. Educate your team when it comes to recruiting software by utilizing free online trials and demos.

I recommend: MaxHire offers a no obligation 90-day free trial and demo. Take advantage of the staffing software risk free with no upfront fees for set up, training, data conversion and more. HR-Soft.com allows you to check out their software by utilizing live demo versions. Their team will also show you how to import existing data, configure the software to work the way you need, and take you on a guided tutorial so you can see immediate benefits of the software working for you.

Learn how to utilize resume recruiting software from industry experts

Web-based recruitment software puts you in the driver's seat with a single platform that allows you to learn how to use integration tools and other features quickly and with ease. Look for offers that include free customer service support to ensure the implementation of software for recruiting company runs smoothly.

I recommend: Taleo, a leader in online recruiting software systems, offers weekly webinars on their business edition software. Master your company's recruiting database when you acquire knowledge from industry experts. Main Sequence Technologies provides a searchable database, user training and an archive of webinar sessions for PCRecruiter clients. Free webinars are available for general users and administrators on the company's website. In addition to offering a wide selection of web-based recruitment database software, nowHIRE.com educates clients to help them make an informed decision about solutions that can be customized to meet specific business needs. Watch a webcast online.

Download online recruiting software training documentation from a provider's website

Find HR recruiting software providers that offer clients online manuals, handbooks and other written documentation to enhance the training process for new recruiters. Knowledge is just a keystroke away when you utilize these online materials for educational and training purposes.

I recommend: Download a free recruiter's handbook to coincide with the Gopher recruiter software available through BlackDog Recruiting Software. A Gopher Manual and additional users guide is also available on the website. Bullhorn offers a guide to improve web technology skills and improve recruiting practices. Submit a registration to download this guide.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Keep in mind that most software for recruiting services can be customized to meet the needs of clients. Look for a provider that offers the kind of customer service support your business needs to smooth the transition and enhance the solution.

Recruiting has become just as automated of a human resources function as staffing or entry level career management. Recruiting software can assist with extracting essential data from hundreds of resumes to identify the most qualified job applicants, maintaining confidentiality of personal information on applications, and preparing for applicant calls. Learn the lingo of recruiting software to understand some key functions of these programs.

Action Steps
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Profiles

Profiles are forms that help recruiters identify an applicant's qualifications.

I recommend: Access PC Recruiter to find out what form these profiles can take and how the data they record gets transformed into a database. You’ll also learn how recruiters are depending on profiles to create individualized layouts.

Applicant tracking system

Today's HR professionals are using automated applicant tracking systems to facilitate their hiring process.

I recommend: IApplicants explains a typical applicant tracking system in use today. Find out which businesses stand to benefit the most from these automated systems and read a brief description of how they work.

Applicant call preparation

Recruiting software today has applicant call preparation, or the capability to provide HR professionals with the data they need when a prospective hire calls to discuss the job requirements.

I recommend: Blackdog Recruiting Software explains the details you’ll need to have handy for applicant call preparation. You’ll also learn how to study the position you’re recruiting for and how to prepare a script.

Custom programming

Custom programming capability is desirable for recruiting software so that companies can tailor their services to the needs of individual clients.

I recommend: If you’re wondering how custom programming impacts the integrity of the recruiting software you’ve purchased, go to Automated Business Designs for an explanation of how this capability can be used without making fundamental changes to the rest of the program.

Securing candidate information

If you're concerned about maintaining the confidentiality of applicants' information, purchase recruiting software that has secure candidate information capabilities.

I recommend: Recruiting software companies like Akken can explain how a data base with secure candidate information functions. Find out how some individuals can be allowed full access while others can get only limited access.

Resume parser

The term resume parser refers to the ability of a recruiting software program to extract certain information from a job application that can be transferred to another data base or report.

I recommend: Voxunity explains the purpose and benefits of a resume parser.