Using a Human Resource System to Source the Best Candidates

Candidate selection and hiring are always crucial functions of human resources departments. No matter how technology advances, employees remain a company's best resource, and making the right choice is more important than ever in a tough economy. There are more applicants, which can make the selection process more laborious. And it is essential that those coming in are trained, or can be trained successfully. An effective human resource system can help you do this in a streamlined and efficient way so you can focus on how to source the best candidates for your hiring needs.

In the old days — ten years ago or so — applicants would send in paper resumes and references. It is faster and more convenient for both parties to send electronic application documents. Whether online or paper, however, an effective HR system needs to be in place. A human resource management program should include an application and selection component. This helps track an applicant throughout the entire process, whether he is hired or rejected.

Here is what should be included in any comprehensive program:

• Integration with your personnel management program to allow internal applicants to enter the hiring system for new jobs.
• A continually updated list of open positions.
• Resumé screening.
• Contact information tracking.
• Equal Employment Opportunity and Veteran tracking to allow documentation and conformance to EEO guidelines.
  
• Pre-employment drug test or physical test tracking.
• Qualifications, education history, skills, work history, certifications, and training tracking.
• Candidate searches based on qualifications.
• Transfer applicant files to employee files if hired.

With this HR software, you can determine your current personnel usage and analyze your needs, saving you time and money. You need to get the best candidate for the job, whether you have to recruit on job forums or with placement agencies or you have to select from internal candidates. In any event, you can use this technology to place the right candidate in the right position.

Maintaining a current and dynamic database of openings and candidates is necessary to ensure that personnel are used optimally. It can be expensive to maintain this, not to mention inefficient in terms of time and HR manpower. An integrated system allows for this process, from tracking candidates to hiring or rejecting, to be efficient.

Online recruiting and recruiting management software is becoming increasingly important in the current job market as well. Your business can sift through candidates—whose number will be continually growing—to find preliminary hiring candidates. You will be able to flag those with special skills or experience. Even if a candidate is not hired at that time (whether because the job fit was not quite right or another applicant narrowly won out on the position), you are able to maintain that candidate’s data and application for consideration on other open positions in the future. The diverse functionality that a good human resources system can offer is incredible, but they have one thing in common: they make your hiring process and employee management tasks much more efficient. For today’s employers, efficiency is gold. You have to be able to utilize what you have, and an effective HR management solution helps you do that much more easily, quickly, conveniently, and yes, efficiently.