Confessions of a Compulsive Organizer

Every Job Candidate Management System Should Have These Features

by Ricardo Hart

Using a job candidate management solution allows a company to deal with HR needs more competently. If you're trying to choose a candidate management system, it's important to think about its features and how it will work. Every job candidate management system should have these four features.

Robust Candidate Details

You want to have a robust database covering all of the critical details for the hiring process. There should be fields for all identifying and contact information. Likewise, the system should allow you to quickly assess education, skills, and interests.

This should also be as thoroughly standardized as possible. You don't want to have to shoehorn details into text fields because that approach can make searching much harder. Ideally, the system should be uniform enough for you to search by specifying, for example, everyone who can use Excel.

Streamlined Communications

The goal of a job candidate management system is to reach out to the best available candidates as soon as possible. You want to have the means to send emails from the platform, and it should also be possible to initiate phone calls. Some companies may want social media integration, too.

Also, you'll want to be able to track contacts as they are made. Once an HR person has placed a phone call, for example, the system should note that fact. Similarly, you'll want to identify the outcome of the call to ensure you can make callbacks to candidates who weren't reached on the first try.

Screening

The system should permit you to screen by candidates' skills and backgrounds. If you're trying to find everyone who can code in C++, for example, you don't want to sift through a hundred resumes of people who don't know how to program at all.

You'll also want to screen candidates for experience. This should be adjustable so you can look at the next tier of candidates if the current screen doesn't yield enough.

Process

The job candidate management system should employ a trackable process. You should be able to follow a candidate's progress as they go through applying, contact, first and second interviews, and a job offer.

Notably, a system should also track folks who weren't offered jobs. The reasons for not making an offer should be included so you can track the second-best options for later hiring cycles.

Also, make sure the job candidate management solution quickly provides notifications to individuals who didn't make it through the current round. People appreciate quick responses, and they're more likely to reapply if you can inform them of the outcome as soon as possible.

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