Ever since the 1990s, companies have been using applicant tracking systems (ATS’s) to keep track of all of their applicants for roles within the company. However, while these systems have some benefits, they are not enough, by themselves, to properly keep track of and manage applicants.

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The reason why applicant tracking systems are not enough for recruiters in the modern world is because the hiring process has become more sophisticated and complex. Whereas hiring managers and recruiters used to just have to keep track of the applicants, now, they are expected to monitor the applicants, provide an exceptional hiring process, and fill roles extremely quickly.

In other words, recruiters and hiring managers have more responsibilities than they used to in the 1990s, and as a result, they need more than just applicant tracking systems in order to do their jobs effectively. In fact, hiring managers and recruiters who only rely on ATS to do their jobs and who do not have any other tools or frameworks to use can find themselves feeling completely overwhelmed, stressed, and drained.

On the other hand, managing the hiring process with an adequate approach can make a major difference in overall team performance. It can also release recruiters from some of the mental stress and challenges associated with their everyday activities.

Applicant tracking systems still have their benefits. After all, candidates still need to be kept track of. However, in order for companies to be as competitive as possible with their recruiting, they need to start thinking beyond just racking applicants.

Instead, recruiters need to focus on optimizing the entire recruiting process from end-to-end, every step of the way. Only by optimizing the entire recruiting process can a company reach its full potential when it comes to recruiting.

In order to optimize the entire recruiting process, a framework is needed. Recops is the ultimate framework that can help recruiters to move beyond applicant tracking systems.

Recops is the combination of recruiting operations and recruiting optimization. This framework is specifically designed to provide recruiters with a set of guidelines and principles that they can use to make their lives easier.

The creators of Recops are recruiting experts who fully understand all of the unique challenges that recruiters face. For example, they know that many recruiters try to rely too much on applicant tracking software and that trying to do this creates major problems.

Recops is similar to “Devops,” which is the intersection of software development operations and optimization. Many companies successfully use Devops to streamline their development operation by eliminating bottlenecks, reducing inefficiencies, and optimizing teamwork.

Just as many software companies use Devops to improve efficiency, implementing Recops for your recruiting operations can also help you to get similar benefits.

One of the biggest problems that recruiters have today is that they provide a sub-par interviewing process. Oftentimes, when candidates feel that they have had a bad interviewing experience, it can cause them to leave very negative reviews of the company on important job sites like glassdoor.com.

If this happens on a regular basis, then it can actually make the recruiting process significantly more difficult because high-quality applicants might stay away from your company due to the buildup of bad reviews. In other words, too many bad reviews for the interviewing process at your company can significantly harm the reputation of your business. Instead of letting bad reviews pile up, your company should take practical steps to actually improve the interviewing process.

One of the best ways to improve the interviewing process is to provide meaningful feedback to a candidate following his or her interview. There is nothing that irritates candidates more than receiving a rejection email that says something along the lines of.

“Thank you for your time, but we decided to go a different direction” with no explanation of why a different candidate was chosen or what the candidate could do better.

With Recops, providing meaningful candidates is a part of the workflow of the hiring process. Generally speaking, the more time the candidate has been in the hiring process with your company, the more feedback you should provide.

54% of candidates receive no feedback after an interview, but 94% want to receive feedback.

So, by providing meaningful feedback and incorporating feedback into your workflow process, you can keep your candidates happier and you can actually make them stronger candidates. This is because they might incorporate your feedback and thus be better candidates if they decide to apply to a different position at your company in the future.

1. Be Timely

You should contact candidates no later than 48 hours after the interview to let them know that you will not be moving forward with them. Candidates often undergo a lot of anxiety following an interview when they are waiting on an answer. Providing a quick answer can help to alleviate this anxiety.

‍2. Use the Phone

‍If the candidate has made it to the phone screen or the interview, then you should use the phone to contact them. This is because using the phone adds more humanity and is less cold. For candidates who didn’t make it to the phone screen, you can use email to contact them.

‍3. Stick to the Facts

‍Many candidates might be emotional when they are hearing the bad news. As a result, you should really try to stick to the facts and provide specific feedback. Just tell them clearly the main reasons why they were not selected.

‍4. Be Respectful

‍You should try to always speak in a tone that is respectful and polite. You do not need to come off as condescending or rude. Speak to the candidate in a way that is friendly. You can just pretend that you are talking to one of your friends.

‍5. Give Advice About What The Candidate Could Change to Be More Competitive

‍Provide specific action items that will inform the candidate on how they could increase their odds of being hired. For example, you could recommend that they add specific skills, obtain a specific degree, etc.

‍6. Ask for Feedback From the Candidate About Your Hiring Process

‍Sometimes, candidates provide extremely meaningful feedback about the hiring process. Asking them for their feedback can also make them feel more appreciated. Candidate experience improves by an astonishing 148% when candidates are asked to provide feedback for the hiring process.