Why e-recruiting software is critical for your tech stack

4 mins, 39 secs read time

E-recruiting software (also known as an applicant tracking system or ATS) is the cornerstone of the modern HR tech stack. What exactly does e-recruiting software do and why do you need it? Let’s investigate.

What is e-recruiting software?

E-recruiting software is technology that can help you to streamline your hiring process. Here are just a few of the tasks e-recruiting software can perform:

• Collect applications
• Store data about applicants (which source they came from, which role(s) they applied to, where they are in the application process now)
• Promote your open roles through a job board
• Store feedback on candidates gathered during the application process (from interviews and take-home assessments, for example)

There’s a reason why we call e-recruiting software the cornerstone of the modern HR tech stack – over 90% of Fortune 500 companies use this type of software.

Why is this? Candidate data is simply too important to manage without a dedicated system. Small teams might think they can get away with spreadsheets and other manual processes. But this approach increases the chances of human error and won’t scale as your team grows. Plus, when you collect data in a streamlined system, it’s much easier to run reports and measure your talent team’s performance.

What are some of key components of e-recruiting software?

In the past, e-recruiting software was a simple mechanism for gathering and storing applicant data – and this type of no-frills software still exists today. But forward-thinking companies see talent as a competitive advantage and seek more robust talent acquisition suites that cover every stage from prospect to employee.

Here’s a quick overview of what our e-recruiting software, Greenhouse Recruiting, has to offer:

Structured hiring tools

Guide the interview and assessment process by creating a standardized set of questions for each role and a guide to what good, acceptable and unacceptable answers look like. Make sure everyone on your hiring team is on the same page. Learn more about structured hiring here.

Customized career pages and email templates

Create a standout application experience with a branded career page. Promote consistency for candidates (and save recruiters’ time) with email templates.

Reports and analytics

Gather the data you need to help you understand current activities and predict future hiring performance with reports on your pipeline status, most effective sources and more. Get an overview of recruiting reports and analytics here.

A talent acquisition suite can also include components such as candidate relationship management (CRM) tools that help recruiters build long-term relationships with prospective candidates, tools that mitigate bias in hiring practices and onboarding tools that guide the transition from candidates to new hires.

Since e-recruiting software is often considered the source of truth when it comes to candidates’ data, it’s well situated to integrate with various other types of software such as the Human Resources Information System (HRIS), scheduling software, video interview software and much more.

What are the benefits of e-recruiting software?

Looking for a way to create streamlined and scalable hiring processes? This is where e-recruiting software will be your BFF. Use this technology to easily track what’s happening with each candidate. There are several benefits to this approach:

Reduce errors and duplicated efforts

With one unified system, everyone on the talent team can easily track candidates’ progress and manage recruiter and hiring manager tasks.

Ensure no candidates get lost in the shuffle and create an overall enhanced candidate experience

No more relying on spreadsheets or individual recruiters’ memories – all candidate outreach and milestones get stored in the e-recruiting software.

Empower your recruiting team to act quickly

Many e-recruiting software solutions have automated messages and reminders so candidates don’t have to wait too long for responses.

Easily access data

Track how many candidates are moving through the pipeline, which sources they’re coming from, how long they spend in each stage, how you’re tracking toward hiring goals and more.

Mitigate bias in hiring decisions

E-recruiting software can hold your hiring team accountable to use the same interview questions and assessment criteria for candidates, which can help reduce bias when it comes to decision-making.

What other HR technology should you consider in addition to e-recruiting software?

In addition to e-recruiting software, many companies also use an HRIS to store employee data, manage payroll and benefits and track PTO. You might also want to build out your HR tech stack with employee engagement, learning and development and employee recognition offerings. For a great overview of the modern HR tech stack, check out this post from our friends at Culture Amp.

Stacey Nordwall, formerly Culture Amp’s Senior People Operations Manager, writes, “You’ll want to assess what information you need to receive from these platforms and what kind of reporting you need to do. To a certain extent, the utility of the platform is only as good as the data you can get out of it. You should also think about how or if the platforms integrate together. You want to minimize the number of data entry points you have to maintain otherwise data integrity can be difficult.”

Need help choosing your e-recruiting software?

To sum up, e-recruiting software will help you create a consistent and scalable process for your recruiters and hiring teams, reduce bias in hiring decisions and empower your recruiters with reporting and data. If you’re putting people first and creating a positive candidate experience is a priority at your company, e-recruiting software is a must-have addition to your tech stack.

Considering buying e-recruiting software for your company? Here are some resources to help.

Learn more