Recruitment Management System: A Small Business Guide

The recruitment industry has evolved significantly from what it used to be only a few decades ago. With digital workplaces becoming the norm, firms intend to make the employment process as virtual as possible.

Recruiting was once considered a time-consuming and administratively demanding task for HR professionals. To hire even one qualified individual for the organization was nothing less than a challenge. It could take days or weeks to determine which candidate fits the profile and then going through the whole recruitment cycle—from interviews to screening to background checks—never guarantees a 100% positive outcome.

Times have changed now, thanks to technological advancements and system automation that have altered the way the recruitment industry operates. Every manual aspect of recruitment that used to focus on tedious tasks like screening resumes and keeping track of all candidates can now be made easier with the use of a recruitment management system, or RMS.

In this article, we will learn more about what recruitment management is, how it works, how it benefits a business, and why you should (or should not) use one in your hiring process.

>“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” — Theodore Roosevelt

Understanding the concept of a ‘recruitment management system’?

A recruitment management system (RMS) is a human resource solution that automates and manages the hiring process for a company. It currently serves as the most important human resource (HR) system for many businesses. Recruitment management systems are designed with smart integrations and capabilities that help expedite your hiring process and improve your overall hiring strategy.

A good recruitment management system can help you in publishing job postings, distribute them through various sourcing strategies, manage candidates, schedule interviews, and manage your entire hiring process from conception to completion.

This is one of the many reasons why software programmes like recruitment management systems and applicant tracking systems (ATS) are becoming increasingly popular around the world.

In today's environment of hybrid recruiting, recruiters are now required to be knowledgeable in both human resources and software and technology.

How does a recruitment management system function?

From posting job advertisements to screening hundreds of resumes to drafting and distributing job offers, even down to coordinating and monitoring the entire process via email and spreadsheets takes a lot of time and makes record-keeping and reporting difficult, if not impossible.

This is where a recruitment management system steps in; organizations can have all of their hiring tools in one location, with all of the important information neatly arranged. Furthermore, excellent recruitment systems like such enable efficient coordination among multiple parties (i.e., hiring managers, candidates, and recruiters) in a single location, avoiding the need for time-consuming back-and-forth emails.

It also eliminates the need for candidates to manually submit information about themselves, since the recruitment management system in use can scan a candidate's résumé and obtain crucial information about them, such as their professional history and educational background. Once the algorithm gains a better understanding of an applicant, it can even recommend specific professions that might be a good fit for them. The goal is to engage and maintain the applicant's interest during the whole process.

This is incredibly advantageous to candidates since it speeds up the job application process, produces a more informative career site, and simplifies scheduling.

Some of the features of a recruitment management system

Recruitment management systems, which include a variety of management capabilities, can assist businesses in easing the hiring process. Each system has distinct characteristics that may benefit from professionals' engagement in various ways depending on their needs. Some of the features include:

v Job listing management: The ability to create and manage job postings is a typical feature available in the Recruitment management system.

Resume management: Users can upload applicant resumes and search for those that best fit a job description using resume management features.

Career website management: Some Recruitment management systems assist the hiring teams in improving their job boards or interface of the websites so that potential candidates can have a pleasant user experience. This can motivate qualified applicants to continue the application process without any hindrance.

Candidate sourcing: Another great feature in RMS that helps automatically post job openings to appropriate channels can help hiring managers identify qualified candidates.

Candidate tracking: RMS software typically includes search options that let hiring teams discover and monitor the profiles of qualified prospects.

Candidate screening: Some systems can also assist with running background checks on candidates and validating their qualifications.

Schedule management: Some RMS interfaces can help hiring managers schedule interviews, meetings, and deadlines, and then automatically share these events with the relevant parties.

What are some of the benefits of a recruitment management system? Implementing RMS can benefit your organization in several different ways.

Enhances stability in the organization:

A set of given protocols and procedures would have to be followed with the RMS implemented in place. This is significant because if employees become accustomed to the workflow, they will find it easier to innovate and optimize established standards. When individuals become accustomed to how things are done, it provides a stronger foundation for future work. This increases productivity as well as employee happiness and retention. The basic structure will benefit everyone's long-term security.

Develops effective recruiting practices:

Recruitment management systems can increase recruiting managers' efficiency and evaluation capabilities by narrowing searches to appropriate individuals. They can also help by tracking the candidates' progress.

These solutions may also help businesses manage their recruitment process more effectively by automating other tasks like deadline notifications. They may also set up automated reminders for essential tasks for both employers and candidates, reducing the number of reminder emails and follow-ups required during the process. This can help with time management when hiring a large number of candidates at once, especially during a busy recruitment season.

Cost-effective:

Using an RMS can help you save money on new team member hiring. This is because the recruiting process could be streamlined, requiring fewer staff members to review applicants and onboard new personnel. This type of professional and successful strategy can assist reduce team turnover rates, saving the organization a significant amount of money by reducing the need to replace employees who choose to leave.

Provides an opportunity for introspection:

Recruitment management systems help in employee recruitment by tracking progress and measuring the success rates of hired team members, which can help determine how well a company is hiring new talent. This period of contemplation can enable them in making different adjustments to their recruiting strategies. RMS software is also helpful for recruiters in assessing performance, developing insights, and making better-informed decisions about how to manage their workforce.

Creates shared records and database:

An RMS-based recruitment process can generate an automated record of all candidates. It also creates a central database of all candidates and enables transparency through a streamlined document storage method. This could be a valuable tool for enhancing recruiting methods year after year and creating hiring progress reports.

Improves the recruitment team's flexibility:

An automated process can be managed centrally. This is one of the most significant benefits of an online recruiting management system. With this functionality in place, the recruiter even has the freedom to work from a remote location away from the office.

How to choose the best recruiting management system for your organization:

Now that we've reviewed all of the RMS's features and benefits, let's look at how you might choose the best RMS for your business.

The key to choosing the right RMS is to select one that best meets your company's recruitment needs. Remember that each company is unique, as are its recruitment goals; therefore, ensure that your RMS meets those requirements.

Here are some important variables to consider when choosing recruitment software:

Step 1: Evaluate the company's needs. The most effective recruitment management system will be determined not only by the company's recruitment needs but also by its size and industry. To choose the best RMS, you must first determine the basic needs of an organization. RMS is an expensive investment for businesses; hence, make sure you know whether you need one or not. Additionally, be certain that the system is tailored to your company's specialization, and recruitment needs. Furthermore, confirm that you will be able to hire employees through the programme.

Step 2: Choose only the required features: Once you've completed your research on your company's needs, establish a list of the software features you'll require before you proceed with selecting a software. Recruitment management systems, like any other technological tool, are not all developed with the same functionality and features. Some software, for example, may provide virtual interviews, while others may provide more assistance in terms of social recruiting. In truth, some recruitment platforms may even lack key features, rendering them useless for your firm. As a result, be sure you know what features you want and that the programme of your choice has all of them.

Step 3: Calculate the Return on Investment (ROI) of the software you’re choosing. Whenever you attempt to hire new employees, you incur certain fees while at the same time contributing to the growth of your company. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that you also compare the ROI of recruitment software to the projected business outcomes. One such method for calculating the ROI for recruiting software is to compare the time and resources saved by the platform to the whole hiring process (time invested in screening resumes, interacting with applicants, scheduling interviews, etc.)

When does an organization require a recruitment management system? (When it doesn’t)

The type of recruitment management system you should select is decided by the number and frequency with which you expect to hire.

A free job board and application tracking system spreadsheet may be best suitable for small businesses that only hire a few employees annually, whereas extensive recruiting software is better suited for rapidly expanding businesses.

Small organizations usually transition from very manual processes that rely on email and spreadsheets to an ATS. As the recruiting process advances and the company expands, they may want to take their recruitment to the next level by employing the advanced features offered by an RMS.

However, because the software and installation costs are considerably higher than those of an ATS, an RMS is frequently best suited to large organizations.

Other complex features such as AI-integrated chatbots and resume processing also tend to incur additional costs. Furthermore, extra effort from the hiring team is necessary to manage these added functionalities, which can be difficult for a small recruitment team.

Another reason why an RMS is best suited to large organizations is because of the sheer volume of resumes that they have to go through every day which cannot be handled manually. The demand for simplified procedures and automation grows in tandem with the number of candidates.