Applicant Management-Designing the ideal process

Applicant Management Tasks

Applicant Management is a central aspect of e-recruitment, i.e. the digital form of recruitment. The entire recruiting process, from the job advertisement to the invitation to interview, is now mostly carried out electronically. The biggest advantages of e-recruiting are significantly shorter processing times and costs per application. A Applicant Management system supports this and should cover all processes relating to applicants. These processes range from the approval and advertising of a position to the implementation of the application process and recruitment. From applicants to HR managers and line managers, everyone is involved in the recruiting process.

Applicant Management includes both the recording of incoming applications after the job advertisement has been placed and the corresponding confirmation to the applicants that the application has been received. In addition, the applications are forwarded to the internal contact persons, usually the specialist departments. In addition, the Applicant Management covers the comparison of applicants' skills and facilitates the selection of suitable candidates. Invitations to interviews and the acceptance or rejection of applicants are also part of the tasks of applicant management. A Applicant Management should also ensure that all data protection regulations are actually complied with.

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Goal of applicant management

The main aim of successful applicant management should be to save time and money. A professional Applicant Management system enables applications to be processed quickly. On the one hand, this results in shorter processing times for applications (i.e. a shorter time-to-hire), which in turn can lead to a positive candidate experience and thus to an excellent employer image. On the other hand, recruiting costs can be reduced and the quality of candidates increased.

But efficiency and effectiveness alone are not enough. In our understanding of Applicant Management , it is primarily about finding and recruiting the right employees for the right tasks.

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Applicant Management process - what do you need to consider?

The Applicant Management process is usually initiated by determining personnel requirements. In the case of a replacement, the requirements profile is already clear. In the case of a newly created position, the first step is to think through the tasks that future employees will be expected to perform. It is important to be as specific as possible. The most important questions here are

• What challenges do employees have to overcome?
• What competencies and skills are necessary for this?
• What expertise and experience are mandatory?

Once these questions have been answered, the relevant target group is defined. It can also be useful to further differentiate the relevant target group, for example with the help of so-called personas. A detailed target group analysis helps to put yourself in the best possible position to find the right candidates. The next challenge is to reach the right candidates. There are numerous communication tools and HR strategies that recruiters can use to help. Current studies and specialist journals provide information on the preferences of the applicant group in demand. At Applicant Management , the relevant HR tools and software applications are always geared towards the candidates - not the other way around.

Once the appropriate measures and instruments have been found, the actual recruiting process begins: The vacancy is initially advertised internally, then later externally. Engaging job ads should have the structure required by Google for Jobs. To keep the effort as low as possible, you can make sure that your software supports Google for Jobs. If the job advertisements are not adapted to Google's requirements, you lose an enormous potential.

Some companies also work with an active sourcing team that specifically looks for suitable candidates on LinkedIn and Xing. Professionals in this field have usually already built up a good network with interesting talents. The so-called social media recruiting can be expanded even further: YouTube videos, Facebook campaigns, and much more.

Once exciting applications have been received, the interviews are coordinated. If necessary, some interviews are also supplemented by diagnostic procedures/online tests. Once a suitable new employee has been selected, an employment contract is drawn up. The other interview candidates receive rejections and/or are added to the talent pool. A Applicant Management software structures the process, makes it transparent for everyone involved and makes the overall effort more efficient for each individual.

This is how Applicant Management is technically underpinned

When it comes to technology, two fundamental things are important: on the one hand, a pronounced user-friendliness – today an absolute must for every e-recruiting tool – and on the other hand, the perceived benefit of the HR software used. The latter refers in particular to practical aspects, such as the possibility of being able to apply for several jobs quickly or to be able to gain a first insight from the future team. Both offer applicants a candidate experience that can be experienced.

Ideally, the advertisement leads directly to a convenient application workflow. It should be possible to enter applicant data quickly and easily and the system must give a serious impression. This is the only way for candidates to feel comfortable placing their trust in the company right from the start of the application process. After sending the application, most users also expect a confirmation of receipt as soon as possible.

In order to attract top talent, e-recruiting requires a change in thinking: applicants are seen as customers who are being courted.

These advantages of Applicant Management software simplify the recruiting process not only for recruiters, but also for candidates:

Applicant Management-Software: Advantages at a glance

1. Job ads meet Google for Jobs criteria.

2. Applications are accepted directly via the company's own career page and cumbersome submission forms are avoided by, for example:

• CV parsing: automated pre-selection of incoming CVs – applicants upload their CV, which is automatically recorded by the applicant tracking system. Matching procedures are used to systematically compare requirement and application profiles.
• Applicants take their details from existing social media profiles

3. Sending automatic acknowledgments of receipt or status reports to candidates.

4. Career page is tailored to the media use of the target group.

5. The application process is optimized for the use of mobile devices.

6. The process is transparent and comprehensible for all parties involved at all times.

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Optimize the Applicant Management process with the right KPIs

A well-running Applicant Management system supports recruiting and lays the foundation for the company's future success. However, there is increasing pressure in HR departments to make their own work measurable. This trend is being reinforced by the big data hype. Below you will find out which are the most important key figures in reporting and controlling for successful Applicant Management

Time-to-Hire

Time-to-hire describes the length of time that elapses from the occurrence of a vacancy to hiring. The length of this period is an important parameter for several reasons. First of all, the departure of key employees and the resulting vacancies can result in very real costs, for example if project goals cannot be met or the capacities for new business are not available (vacancy costs). On the other hand, lengthy processes are a serious negative factor in the battle for the best minds, as hardly any applicants will apply for just one position. If the process then takes too long, the top talents have long since been accommodated by a competitor. Therefore, it is important to always keep an eye on the time-to-hire and to use adjusting screws to reduce it.

Cost-per-Hire

Cost-per-hire is calculated as the quotient of recruitment costs and the number of positions filled within a given period of time (e.g. one year). A distinction can be made between internal and external costs. Different hierarchical levels or functional areas can also be viewed separately in order to gain an insight into which positions can only be filled at very high costs in order to be able to make adjustments if necessary. For example, there is a very detailed work on the calculation from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Conversion Rate

The concept of conversion rate originated in online marketing and e-commerce. It describes how high the rate of actual conversions is in relation to reach (website visitors). This concept is very applicable to HR and shows how efficient different channels are in terms of applications received and actual hires. Furthermore, this metric can be used to estimate how much reach is needed to generate a certain number of applications.

Validity

In addition to a fast time-to-hire, it is important for successful Applicant Management that hired candidates do not turn out to be bad hires. The level of attitudes towards the selection method and future performance in the position can be calculated using the validity coefficient. 0 stands for no validity and 1 stands for maximum validity. An unstructured interview with an applicant has a validity coefficient of approximately 0.3.