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10 Top Tips To Get The Most Out Of Your Recruitment Software | [email protected]
www.itris.co.uk | +44 (0) 1892 825 820
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Contents
Introduction
About itris
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10.
Develop a Plan
Appoint a Usage Decision Maker
Appoint an Internal Trainer
Stay Up To Date
Have a Test Database
Train Your Staff
Manage Resistance
Feedback
Bespoke Development
Maintain IT Infrastructure
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10 Top Tips To Get The Most Out Of Your Recruitment Software | [email protected]
www.itris.co.uk | +44 (0) 1892 825 820
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10 Top Tips To Get The Most Out Of Your
Recruitment Software
Introduction
The recruitment sector is moving forward at a constantly evolving pace and technology
must continue to innovate to support the industry.
Recruitment software plays an integral role in the success of a recruitment agency. It
enables consultants to effectively manage their relationships with clients and candidates
whilst giving key stakeholders the ability to monitor process and productivity. Measuring
quality and improving productivity and efficiency are key elements for a successful
recruitment agency.
Business knowledge is an asset which, if effectively utilised, can be a source of
competitive advantage. This whitepaper provides a complete guide to getting the most
out of recruitment software and highlights the key areas to focus on to ensure
recruitment systems improve efficiency and increase performance. It is based on our
years of experience in the recruitment industry, wealth of employee knowledge and
professional qualifications.
About itris
itris is the benchmark for recruitment software, providing recruitment consultancies of all
sizes with the optimum tools and functionality to manage their businesses and
confidently plan future success. Fully configurable to clients’ specific requirements, we
have built a reputation for enhancing business growth and profitability throughout the
UK and global staffing industry.
We have been developing and supporting itris since 1998 and are fortunate enough to
work alongside some of the most successful businesses in the industry.
10 Top Tips To Get The Most Out Of Your Recruitment Software | [email protected]
www.itris.co.uk | +44 (0) 1892 825 820
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1. Develop a Plan
Choosing recruitment software is a big decision and one that requires thorough research
into the options available to meet the key business needs identified now and in the
future. Following this decision and post implementation, all too often business leaders
naively assume that as the software fulfils their needs, it will automatically be of benefit
and practically take care of itself. Without a plan with regards to its usage being
formulated and implemented, the initial benefits will erode with time resulting in the
investment never realising its full potential.
There are a vast number of reasons why this may occur:
• Limited to no training of new and existing staff
• High staff turnover in recruitment causing diluted system knowledge
• Staff being unwilling to share the tacit knowledge and make it explicit by entering it
into a system – this makes them valuable however from their perspective, making
this knowledge explicit potentially makes them dispensable
• Resistance to change
• Users choosing to use it as they see fit and not to the standard required by the
company – resulting in reduced data and reporting quality for other individuals and
the business
• Staff pretending the system isn’t fit for purpose so they don’t have to use it
• Not staying up-to-date with changes and new functionality added
• Key stakeholders may not support or promote its usage
Any one of these points can have serious negative consequences. However, it is often the
case that a number of these issues will occur at the same time, further reducing the
recruitment software’s benefits. Over time, these problems can result in the software
wrongly being perceived as no longer effective and alternative options considered. Such
a change incurs considerable cost and disruption to the business, without necessarily
solving the issue(s), so history is likely to repeat itself.
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To prevent this, a plan needs to be formulated and implemented to ensure the software’s
success at aiding business performance. This plan will need to be regularly reviewed to
ensure it is still effective. In short, maximising the benefits of the software should be a
continuous project. The next sections of this whitepaper detail a number of areas which
would ideally be incorporated into the post implementation plan.
“Failing to plan is planning to fail”
2. Appoint a Usage Decision Maker
Who would your usage decision maker be? Ideally, it should be somebody who:
Is in a senior capacity
Fully understands the business needs and processes
Has a thorough understanding of the recruitment software’s functionality
Would be able to define and set usage requirements across the business and for
specific job functions – these would be made up of the essential recruitment
software processes and functionality which need to be used in accordance with the
business processes, thus ensuring congruence
• Would ideally be in a position of authority whereby they could roll out the usage
requirements – if not then they need to be supported by someone who is for it to
be taken seriously and adhered to
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Next, ensure the decision maker is fully trained on using all of the recruitment software’s
functionality. Ideally this should be from the software provider directly so they understand
the benefits of using each piece of functionality. This will enable them to make informed
decisions around the features relevance to your business and potential benefits.
Note – If the usage decision maker is not trained, users can easily reject using a piece of functionality
stating it doesn’t work or claim the software cannot do various things and isn’t fit for purpose. This could
be due to ignorance or as an excuse to not use it. However, they may be choosing not to use it as they
wish to hoard knowledge or are concerned about losing power by giving up knowledge. Without the
usage decision maker having been trained, such claims could be perceived to be true as those in power
will not know any different, resulting in unnecessarily reviewing software based on false information and
assumption.
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• Regularly review and define what the essential recruitment software processes and
functionality to be used are across the company and by job role
• Ensure all senior management levels (e.g. Operations, Internal Trainers, Managers)
understand, demonstrate, facilitate, adhere to and continuously support these
standards
• Continuously communicate the standards across the company
• Train to these standards
3. Appoint an Internal Trainer
Appoint an internal trainer or trainers to train internally. Ideally, it should be somebody
who:
• Is in a position to determine how the system is used
• Can react quickly to users and the businesses needs by providing ad hoc help when
questions arise or problem-solving needs to occur (e.g. ‘We need to get a list of all
of the applicants that have not been contacted in six months so that we can
mailshot them, is this possible?’)
• Can train and help reinforce the standards outlined by the usage decision maker
• Would ideally be trained in the recruitment software’s best practice
• Has experience and knowledge of training best practise or perhaps has acquired
training qualifications – this would enable them to identify training needs, design,
delivery and evaluate courses effectively
Note – Having a full-time internal trainer is often not realistically an option for smaller agencies. It is fair
however that this responsibility would never make up a full-time role outside of medium to large
agencies, so it could be incorporated into perhaps a broader role.
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4. Stay Up To Date
With the pace of change in recruitment and the evolution of your business, not staying
up-to-date with news from your provider and regularly updating the version of the
software will result in your recruitment system becoming less effective.
There are two key areas to keep up to date with:
Obtain news from your software provider
Staying up to date with the latest news from your software provider will help you to
establish if their development plans are still in line with your requirements. It will also
make you aware of releases available and their content, new products, services and
potentially much more.
Ideally, both the usage decision maker and the internal trainer would keep up to date in
case new functionality or improvements result in more efficient ways of working or
improved procedures. As a result, the required usage could be adjusted accordingly and
reflected in the internal training. Below are some potential approaches to keep up to
date:
Newsletters – Often sent monthly or quarterly in the post or via email. These primarily
contain news items which existing users would likely be interested in such as release
dates and functionality, new products and services, offers, free release webinars and
much more. itris has a regular newsletter containing information on all the above. Just
email [email protected] and let us know if you would like to receive it!
Social media – Following your software provider on social media platforms will result in
their posts appearing in your newsfeed, enabling you to see the items they are specifically
aiming to share with their followers. These will often include the following information;
products and services, offers, free release webinars as well as general company news. To
learn about ours, why not follow us on:
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Their website – Websites are regularly an excellent source of information on new
products and services, general improvements to the software and news. Some also
contain blogs which are great for finding out about all things recruitment. Our website
has a blog which contains posts about the industry, software and much more.
Via your Account Manager – Account Managers know what is new as well as what is
coming up. They can provide a more human element to this information via the previous
methods detailed. If you have a dedicated Account Manager, they are likely to know
about your business already so will be able to provide you with more relevant
information. Why not give them a call or arrange a meeting?
Our Account Managers are available on +44 (0) 1892 825 820 option 7.
Release webinars – Free release webinars may be provided by your recruitment software
provider which typically run through changes and improvements to the software in an
online demo form with other companies present. itris offers free release webinars for
every full release. These are promoted as mentioned earlier via newsletters, social media
and listed on our website when available.
Ensure you are on the latest release
The leading suppliers of recruitment software are continuously improving their products,
many provide regular releases as part of your support contract. These release updates
may occur automatically, or you may need to update manually.
Why should I update?
• It’s in your interest to update so that your business can take advantage of new
functionality added, improvements made and bug fixes
• These enhancements may provide improved efficiencies and productivity as well as
perhaps enhanced workflow, resulting in streamlined processes for your agency
• Over time your needs will grow and your processes change so not updating or
delaying updating will potentially mean your businesses evolution is being hindered
10 Top Tips To Get The Most Out Of Your Recruitment Software | [email protected]
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• If you have any training from your software provider and you are not on the latest
release, any new items they may have planned on covering in the training may not
be possible to train on, meaning you may miss out
• Additionally, some software providers may require you to be on the latest release
for them to assist you with any support issues you may have (previous issues may
have been resolved in the latest release)
Note – itris clients that are hosted will need to contact support to update itris. For clients who are server
based, we recommend contacting support to ensure compatibility and so we will know that any issues
which may occur will likely be a result of the update. This aids our diagnosis and speed of response.
5. Have a Test Database
Having a test database is a good idea for two reasons:
Training
Firstly, it can act as a safe environment for training to take place in for new starters or
existing users. This database will likely be a copy of your database with data that the users
are familiar with. This aids the users’ understanding of context and buy-in. The benefit of
this database to the business is that it prevents training data impacting the live database.
Testing
The second reason why a test database is a good idea is because it can be used to test
releases or new versions prior to rolling them out to the rest of the business. This
prevents possible adverse effects which could occur if there is a problem with the
software or its implementation. From the test database, the release or version could be
checked by your usage decision maker or internal trainer to test the changes and learn
about them. Once confident they could then decide to roll this out to the live database,
perhaps after any appropriate training, helping to reduce risk.
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We recommend having a test database because of these reasons and suggest if you do
so remove all email addresses on it or have all email fields contain a fake address. This
prevents any unintended emails being sent to real applicants or contacts during testing
or training. If this is something you wish to implement or know more about please
contact your Account Manager who is available on +44 (0) 1892 825 820 option 7. They
will be able to run through the various options, applicable prices and have your
infrastructure checked to ensure feasibility.
6. Train Your Staff
Learn as much about your software as you can
Training will usually take place at the point of purchase and often a minimum required
amount of training will occur based on your business needs. If you initially just took the
minimum training there will be functionality which you are likely to be unaware of or do
not know how to use. If so, once grasped, obtain more training or perhaps self-educate if
manuals are available.
Once the decision maker is fully trained on using all of the recruitment software’s
functionality, they need to determine or review:
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What functionality is required to be used and how?
Does this differ by role?
What is essential that users do in the system?
What would be beneficial (but not essential) for users to do in the system?
What knowledge gaps currently exist and where?
As previously mentioned, this would continuously be reviewed and updated based on
changes which occur.
Design and create courses
The internal trainer would then be made aware of this and create training courses based
on these usage needs.
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• These courses would have training materials including a course manual created
which details the required usage and processes as well as any areas which are
useful but not essential
• The manuals may be company and job role specific, encompassing your processes
within the system and then made available to all users – this enables users to
achieve their KPIs, understand expectations and recognise the benefits of the
recruitment software processes and required functionality
• Delegates would ideally be trained on your test database
• These courses should then be evaluated at the end of the training as well as posttraining to measure their successes and failings – you could measure ROI and then
courses can then be redesigned accordingly
Incorporate them into your induction programme
This training plan would become part of the new starter induction programme so that
watering down of knowledge doesn’t occur which can result in a gradual decline in
usage.
Why should you train existing users?
• Existing users’ processes may change as the business grows and the software is
enhanced
• Additionally, memory loss or infrequent use could lead to data quality diminishing
To resolve this, continuous training as and when required to focus on these needs is also
key. This helps to ensure usage and data quality remains high as well as the maximum
benefits of the software being felt by both the users and the business.
If your business is unable to cater to these needs, your software provider is likely to be
able to. This may also be more cost-effective than having a dedicated resource internally.
Alternatively, your software provider’s training department may be needed to support
your internal training resources in periods of high demand, such as mergers and
acquisitions or a significant amount of new staff being hired.
For example, the itris training department offers a wide variety of off the shelf courses.
We can also create bespoke courses to match your identified required usage needs, or
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we can determine the skills gaps based on your usage needs and then design courses to
fill these deficiencies. Courses can be delivered online, in our training centre or onsite.
Our off the shelf courses are listed on our website. Our case studies also provide the
results of some of our off the shelf training course evaluation with clients. Following this,
the average ROI per delegate is published in relation to two of our off the shelf courses,
based on the results of this project with six clients on our training page.
Another option, if you have just one or two users starting a month, is our open online
courses which prove popular as a way of outsourcing part of the induction process in a
cost-effective manner. Forthcoming dates and availability are published on our calendar.
7. Manage Resistance
Resistance to change is a constant business issue. If resistance becomes part of the
culture or if it is not managed it can result in:
• The deterioration of data quality in your recruitment software and management
reports
• Data inconsistency through varying usage and quality which in turn will reduce
searching efficiency which can impact making placements which will potentially
result in lost revenue
Why do users resist?
Reasons behind this can vary from fear of the unknown and not wanting to change as
well as the share or hoard dilemma – if users perceive that it is more so in their interest to
hoard knowledge than to share it then they will do so. Additionally, users may be
unwilling to use the system as required if they perceive doing so will result in reducing
the power they possess.
What can you do to address resistance?
• As highlighted in section two, appointing a usage decision maker and having them
trained by the provider as well as having an internal trainer trained, will prevent the
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possibility of users claiming functionality or the system as a whole isn’t fit for
purpose if, in reality, it is just that they are using this as an excuse not to have to
use it – this will often be a result of the reasons just mentioned; choosing to hoard,
perceiving they will lose power and fear of the unknown
• Making everyone aware that their usage will be monitored in line with required
usage will result in everyone understanding expectations and how they are going
to be evaluated
• Also, stressing that if skills gaps are identified, training will be provided which will
reassure those that are fearful, whilst at the same time encouraging those that may
prefer not to use the system to do so
Additional ways to overcome the reasons behind resistance:
Communication – highlight the need for change and the benefits change will bring to
both the users and the business will encourage buy-in. Additionally, communicate the
ways in which they will be supported (e.g. through training, the internal trainer,
management and accompanying manuals).
IT Performance – ensure that IT infrastructure and performance is up to standard to aid
usage and prevent systems performance from being a reason to reject the system.
Trust – the greater the trust collectively and additionally with managers the more inclined
users will be to work together and enter the data into the system. Trust can be facilitated
by creating an open and honest environment. Additionally, strong commitment and
competence of colleagues’ further aids trust and in turn knowledge sharing.
Reward and Recognition – financial incentives can motivate users to adhere to the usage
requirements. These could occur by having knowledge management related attitudes
and behaviours part of performance appraisals. Additionally, only paying commission
when the correct system data has been entered encourages necessary recruitment
process information being recorded. Another option is having proper usage rewarded at
group level to promote the teamwork perspective as ultimately correct usage by all
benefits everyone and ultimately the business. A recognition programme where
appropriate and good usage is highlighted by having that individual praised in a
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company meeting, newsletter or on the intranet, whilst explaining what they did so well
will also encourage correct usage.
Leadership – many leadership styles including transformational leadership have been
found to have a positive effect on knowledge sharing, which suggests that correct usage
can be facilitated by effective and appropriate leadership.
Big idea buy-in – having a company vision, and mission statement which employees can
buy-in to, which is about more than making money for the business will result in
increased likelihood of users choosing to assist with the cause and partake in knowledge
management initiatives, instead of potentially acting selfishly and not doing so.
Leadership can also help to communicate and motivate users towards this.
8. Feedback
Recruitment software providers will have a development plan stretching many years into
the future with features and improvements as well as add-ons they plan on developing.
These will be based on market trends, technological enhancements, changes to the
recruitment environment, functionality to gain competitive advantage and feedback from
users.
If you wish to help enhance the software you use so that it is of greater benefit to you,
provide the relevant information to your software provider. Informing your software
provider:
• What improvements or additions would enhance the product for you and why?
• Why this development would be of benefit to you? – this helps your provider to
understand your perspective and without this, what may appear to be obvious to
you may not always be to others as they are not familiar with your processes and
business demands
Your software provider will likely have a channel to receive this feedback as it is an
excellent method of free market research to them. However, do not assume what you
perceive to be obvious and will have undoubtedly been suggested by others to be the
case. Often in our experience, a user will suggest something and act surprised that no
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one has ever thought of it and made us aware of it before. Of course, just by having
suggested something does not necessarily mean your idea will make the development
plan and end up in the recruitment software you use. This may be because what you are
suggesting is very niche to the way your organisation works or perhaps your suggestion
is a vast amount of work.
At itris, we have a dedicated email address where we capture this information,
[email protected]. Please send us your suggestions when your organisation
comes up with them. If you do not do so, your idea may never occur to us. We appreciate
every suggestion we receive.
9. Bespoke Development
With off the shelf recruitment software, the changes will be received by everyone. At
times off the shelf software is too rigid and doesn’t provide the solutions you require.
Providing your suggestions may result in these ideas being added to the software,
however, this is not always the case. Some ideas may never make the development plan
or if they do the timescales for development may not suit you. In this instance, bespoke
development of the product would be the best option.
At itris, we can work with you to define your requirements, offer solutions in the form of a
spec, as well as timescales for delivery determined. For example, some clients want a new
piece of functionality added to a form or perhaps a bespoke report created to save time
manually creating and updating reports outside of itris. To discuss a potential piece of
bespoke development and get a quote, contact our Project Management team on +44
(0) 1892 825 820 option 5.
10 Top Tips To Get The Most Out Of Your Recruitment Software | [email protected]
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10. Maintain IT Infrastructure
Over time the complexity of your system will grow, demanding more from your IT
infrastructure. If your IT resources are not regularly maintained and improved,
performance will be impacted resulting in speed reduction. Unchecked, the consequences
will be a reduction in user buy-in, usage and ultimately, productivity.
Maintaining and investing in your IT infrastructure will enable additional user growth
without performance issues occurring. This investment will also mean that software
updates and new versions can be implemented when wanted so that the latest
functionality based on recruitment trends and legislation are available to assist the
business.
10 Top Tips To Get The Most Out Of Your Recruitment Software | [email protected]
www.itris.co.uk | +44 (0) 1892 825 820