Recruitment Management System

Recruitment management system is the comprehensive tool to manage the entire recruitment processes of an organisation. It is one of the technological tools facilitated by the information management systems to the HR of organisations. Just like performance management, payroll and other systems, Recruitment management system helps to contour the recruitment processes and effectively managing the ROI on recruitment.

The features, functions and major benefits of the recruitment management system are explained below:

• Structure and systematically organize the entire recruitment processes.
• Recruitment management system facilitates faster, unbiased, accurate and reliable processing of applications from various applications.
• Helps to reduce the time-per-hire and cost-per-hire.
• Recruitment management system helps to incorporate and integrate the various links like the application system on the official website of the company, the unsolicited applications, outsourcing recruitment, the final decision making to the main recruitment process.
• Recruitment management system maintains an automated active database of the applicants facilitating the talent management and increasing the efficiency of the recruitment processes.
• Recruitment management system provides and a flexible, automated and interactive interface between the online application system, the recruitment department of the company and the job seeker.
• Offers tolls and support to enhance productivity, solutions and optimizing the recruitment processes to ensure improved ROI.
• Recruitment management system helps to communicate and create healthy relationships with the candidates through the entire recruitment process.

The Recruitment Management System (RMS) is an innovative information system tool which helps to sane the time and costs of the recruiters and improving the recruitment processes.

When the chips are down, employee retention becomes a nightmare…

The global economy is caught in a downdraft. Organisations are finding hard to maintain worker strength. While employers are helpless, employees are anxious and disgruntled. The agony is higher in organisations that depend on global demand and supply. In the midst of economic gloom and excessive employee turnover, poor retention can result in collateral damage. In such times “onboarding”, as an employee retention technique, assumes great relevance.

Onboarding is a part of the orientation process that prepares employees for their new jobs. Today organisations are speeding up the process. Leaders believe that organisations which create an inspiring work environment by providing the right orientation to employees are more likely to forge lasting ties, as compared to those that do not indulge in onboarding and orientation programmes.

First impression

Onboarding is one of the most defining employment experiences as it gives new recruits a taste of the culture, values and general environment of the organisation, apart from providing other job-related inputs. It is a familiarisation exercise that is aimed at making employees aware of the corporate practices, job position and their respective roles. Some may argue that there is nothing strategic about this ‘mundane’ formality. However, for those who believe it can make all the difference to employee morale and retention, it does make all the difference.

From an employee’s perspective, onboarding programmes help them connect with their colleagues better and begin on a more personal note. Employees who had received only filled up forms indicating their benefits and options will never know the advantages of undergoing a well structured onboarding programme. Organisations that are still undecided on the need for a formal onboarding programme, should consider its benefits against the harm that its absence might cause.

Organisations that have decided in favour of onboarding programmes cite three reasons for their change of mind. They are:

• Onboarding helps employees connect better with the environment and makes them feel a part of the organisation. Interaction with senior leaders and managers helps new recruits understand the management’s concept of an “ideal culture”. It also shows them the part they are expected to play in the larger scheme of things.
  
• Onboarding familiarises new recruits with the corporate culture and practices. While the unwritten rules are learnt over a period of time, the inked policies and cultural practices can be learnt quickly; and the sooner they are learnt the better.
  
• Onboarding also enables employees to get on with the job at the earliest. Effective orientation clears many doubts and apprehensions in the minds of new recruits. It provides employees with the much needed momentum to start their work with the right attitude.
  

Effective onboarding

Having understood the significance of onboarding programmes, one needs to identify the factors that help frame an effective onboarding exercise. While every organisation has its own set of procedures and policies, certain measures are relevant universally. In the context of onboarding, the following guideline will help organisations frame an effective programme

Make it fun and interactive:

Conducting the onboarding exercise in a manner that makes the experience enjoyable is important. Leaders can include team-based games to orient employees. Such games help create instant rapport. While this may not be practical for individual employees, it can be practised while recruiting on a large scale. In addition to having team-based games, interactive presentations and an informal atmosphere can make the experience relaxing and fun.

Spread over a few months:

While onboarding typically suggests orientation for new recruits, the real impact can be felt when the programme is carried on for some months. A number of initiatives can be introduced to help employees get the real feel of the job and a holistic work experience. After the highly focussed first week, the programme can be stretched over a few months to include job rotation, inter-functional job postings and other such issues.

Involve managers:

Onboarding programmes become doubly effective if recruitment managers stay with the process. Their detachment often results in employees who are not as much equipped for job as those who have had their managers involved with onboarding totally.

Mentoring and coaching

New recruits should be provided with coaching and mentoring from the very start of their stint. Mentors must ensure that the new recruit is on the right track and has his feet firmly on the ground. Mentors also need to clear doubts and apprehensions. In addition, formal coaching must be provided to help the new recruit get an insight into the practices in his functional domain, competitor practices and other work-related issues.

Onboarding has often been trivialised. However, in view of the current economic slowdown where organisations are grappling for survival, investing in people on board can help sail through the rough weather!

*Reference: themanagementor

The many benefits of an employment-branding program

Almost every action and process in recruiting is designed for short-term gain. Despite talk about being strategic, most recruiters and recruiting managers alike respond only to requisitions, placing ads, visiting job boards, attending job fairs, and mining social networking sites in an effort to fill today's job openings. There is lots of talk but little effort placed on building out truly long-term recruiting tools and strategies designed to impact the business. If all the talk were true, nearly every recruiting function on the planet would have dedicated resources to employment branding, the only long-term recruiting strategy that is designed to bring in a steady flow of high-quality applicants over a period of many years.

Employment branding stands alone as the only approach corporate recruiting managers can leverage to guarantee an end to their talent shortage problem. Unfortunately, most corporate recruiting managers spend less than 5% of their budgets on this powerful long-term solution. In direct contrast, firms that have taken the time to invest in building a great employment brand like Google and Southwest Airlines have not only dominated their industries, but they have also turned the common talent shortage problem into a more desirable talent "sorting" problem. If you're tired of constantly fighting fires and of being continually bashed year in and year out by your managers for failing to produce a high volume of high-quality candidates, it's time to shift your focus to the only solution that can reduce your job stress and make you a hero.

The primary reason why corporate recruiting managers under appreciate and under utilize a corporate branding strategy is because they have done a poor job in making the business case for investing in their firm's employment brand. You can't make a compelling business case unless you first know the possible benefits of the branding strategy. Over the years, Dr. Sullivan advised dozens of firms on building a compelling employment brand (including a Fortune #1 Best Place to Work winner) and, as a result, have identified the many benefits that a successful employment-branding program can provide. When demonstrated, these benefits can help sway even the most cynical nonbelievers:

· A Long-Term Impact. Once you have successfully built your employment brand, you can expect the positive impacts on recruiting to continue for at least five years baring any major PR issues surrounding your company.

· An Increased Volume of Unsolicited Candidates. You will significantly increase the number of applicants that your firm receives each year. In some cases, applications will increase by 500%. · Higher Quality Candidates. Not only will you get more applicants, but the quality of your candidates will improve dramatically to the point where you will start getting applications from individuals who never would have considered your firm in the past. A great employment brand that highlights your firm's focus on innovation is necessary in order to attract game-changers, managers, and innovators who demand it!

· Higher Offer-Acceptance Rates. As your employment image becomes better known and more powerful, your offer acceptance rates will improve dramatically. · Increased Employee Referrals. The percentage of hires from employee referrals will increase as a result of your employees' increased pride and knowledge about what makes their firm superior to others. Increasing the number of referrals has added benefits in that it increases employee ownership in the recruiting process, while simultaneously reducing recruiters' workloads.

·Improved Employee-Retention Rates. A compelling employment brand increases retention rates among your current employees because they will better know why working at your firm is a superior opportunity. In addition, their pride in your firm will grow as colleagues and friends routinely ask them, "Do those things really happen at your firm?" Unfortunately, the positive impact will be somewhat tempered by the fact that more firms will target your employees because of your strong employment image.

·Increased Employee Motivation. Employee motivation will be easier to maintain because of your employees' increased pride in the firm and the better management practices that are required to maintain an employer-of-choice status.

·Improved College Recruiting. Because college students are highly brand conscious, employment branding is especially effective for intern recruiting and college hiring.

·A Stronger Corporate Culture. Because one of the goals of employment branding is to develop a consistent message about what it's like to work at your firm, employment branding can help strengthen your corporate culture. This consistent message can reinforce corporate values and guide behaviors while a consensus develops across the enterprise among managers and employees with regards to what it means to be a part of the organization.

·Decreased Corporate Negatives. Effective branding programs identify and counter negative comments about your firm. This effort can decrease both the number and the severity of the negative comments that appear in the media and online.

·Ammunition for Employees and Managers. Most employment-branding efforts include elements that gather and centralize information on your firm's best practices and its compelling stories. As a result of this effort, it is much easier to provide every employee with an arsenal of information and stories they can share with colleagues in the media about what makes working for the organization the best possible opportunity.

·Increased Manager Satisfaction. The resulting higher quality of candidates and higher offer-acceptance rate means that hiring managers will have to devote less time to interviews, and they will be more satisfied with the recruiting function. ·Increased Media Exposure. As a result of winning awards, being placed on "best places to work" lists, and having managers give presentations at industry events, the amount of media exposure that your firm will receive will increase dramatically. Having the media brag about your firm's excellent people-management practices adds a level of external credibility that no recruitment ad can provide. As a result of this initial exposure, the number of times that reporters and benchmarking individuals will call your firm for future stories will also increase.

·A Competitive Advantage. Because employment branding efforts include extensive metrics and side-by-side comparisons with talent competitors, you ensure that your talent-management approaches are differentiated and continually superior. This superiority over competitors not only impresses senior managers, but it also improves your chances of winning over candidates who also apply for positions at your competitors.

·Increased Shareholder Value. The Russell Investment Group has demonstrated that being listed on Fortune's Best Places to Work list and the resulting improved employer image can positively impact a firm's stock price. Google, for example, has noted in its SEC filing the important role that recruiting and retention play in its continued business growth.

·Support for the Product Brand. An employment brand can support the corporate brand and your related product brands because many consumers mentally make the link between attracting quality employees and producing a quality product.

Additional Branding Benefits Some additional benefits of an employment-branding program might include:

·Increased knowledge and competitive intelligence, as more employees from top competitors join your organization.

·The increased focus on excellence in people-management programs brought about by the branding effort will result in the continuous improvement of those practices.

·Getting talked about in the press reinforces the stories you have already spread to your employees.

·The increased notoriety might also have a positive side effect on the business by making it easier to attract strategic partners who are willing to link with your firm.

·Employment branding works not just for large corporations but also for smaller firms and for government agencies as well.

·A great employment brand makes it easier to attract top recruiters and branding experts.

·The high impact and ROI of the employment-branding program will help build HR's image as a bottom-line contributor.

* Ref: www.drjohnsullivan.com