27 Jul, 2017

Recruiting is, and always has been, about people. In today’s digital age, where so much of our business is done over the web, it can be difficult for recruiters to maintain focus on the personal aspect of the profession. Throw various tech-focused software systems in the mix, and the true purpose of recruiting can get lost in the fray.

Since 2001, Recruitment Systems has been developing software that uses today’s amazing technology to facilitate the person-to-person interactions so necessary for recruitment. Led by our innovative CEO, Neil Bolton, we’ve come along way in 18 years, and the road ahead looks equally exciting – here are some insights into Recruitment Systems’ past, present and future.

The origins

Like many similarly innovative companies, Recruitment Systems originated when someone found a gap in the market. While working as a recruiter earlier in his career, Neil saw a need for a recruitment platform that focused primarily on enabling recruiters to streamline their administrative processes, rather than attempting to change the way they actually recruit.

“I created Recruitment Systems because I couldn’t find any system which had quality at its core. Other systems concentrated – and still do – on trying to automate what must always be a human process: That of matching a human’s aims, career objectives, beliefs etc., with an employer’s mission, vision and values,” Neil explains.

After the creation of Recruitment Systems’ innovative program, the Total Recruitment Information System (TRIS), the company rapidly expanded to multiple overseas locations and grew at an incredible rate. Recruitment agencies around the world recognised the value of a system that didn’t try to automate the personal component of recruiting.

“So much attention is given now to trying to build a “magic button” a recruiter can push and the system will somehow do all the human matching,” claims Neil. “A recruiter’s only value is in doing that human stuff – if recruitment could be automated then computers would be doing it, and they’ll never be able to.”

What sets TRIS apart?

TRIS was designed to streamline the recruiting process, particularly from the administrative side, and allow recruiters to dedicate more of their time to meeting candidates. The software does this by managing emails, scanning resumes, messaging applicants, syncing with calendars and job websites (such as Monster and SEEK) and creating necessary documents – effectively halving the administrative time spent by recruiters.

From the beginning, TRIS has been revolutionary software. Back in the early 2000s, Recruitment Systems was the first company in the world to integrate Outlook with any database. Over the years, the company has developed other handy tools, such as offline sync, allowing recruiters to continue working even when they don’t have internet access.

“Desktop systems are quite old, as is the whole browser concept,” he says. “The future is in apps. No-one would dream of using a browser-supported system on their phone – they’d use an app, as it’s a far better user experience. It will be that way with all computing, on all desktops, laptops, surfaces. We’ve been bleeding-edge all our life – we’ll stay that way.”

For this reason, Recruitment Systems’ team of engineers is continuing to drive the recruitment software industry forward with our exciting and innovative new products.

Looking ahead to the future

In an effort to stay one step ahead of both technology and our competitors, Recruitment Systems is in the process of developing TRIS 5, our new app. TRIS 5 will improve upon the current software and transfer it to a format that is easily accessible, providing recruiters with a far speedier, more intuitive interface than available within a browser or traditional desktop application.

In addition to our new app, we’re working on multi-level security options. This will change the world. Neil explains why these updates and his new app will take recruitment technology to a new level that other systems can’t reach:

“Apps are the future of computing – browser-based software is very old and incredibly, unbelievably difficult for developing powerful applications. But companies who have everything invested in browser-based systems really cannot move to an app-based architecture the way Recruitment Systems has.”

Keep your eye out for TRIS 5 hitting the market in 2019.

As technology progresses, companies like Recruitment Systems are rising to the challenge of keeping up with it. We are looking forward to the future of recruitment apps and programs, and we’d love to hear from you if you have any questions or would like more information. Get in touch with a representative from Recruitment Systems today!

21 Feb, 2017

Today's candidates need to be courted. You can't wait for them to come to you in droves, you need to actively seek them out. That's because a large portion of today's top talent comes from passive candidates – professionals who aren't necessarily looking for a new job but are open to the idea.

"If the only candidates you have are the ones that come to you when they are ready, you will only have candidates that other people have too," explains global recruitment expert Greg Savage.

"Your job is to unearth unique candidates. We have to build long-term relationships with candidates who have not yet started to apply for jobs."

What does this mean? How do you better attract clients and candidates?

In order to build these long-term relationships we have to first attract candidates and then nurture these connections. The solution is marketing. Recruiters need to take note of consumer-marketing techniques and apply them in real time to their strategies for attracting candidates.

This leaves us with one question: How do you market for recruitment? Fear not, we've compiled a list of marketing tips for recruitment companies.

1. Understand the different approaches

In marketing, there are two general approaches – inbound and outbound. For recruiters, inbound marketing comes in the form of creating content that draws candidates to your services, explains technology company Oracle in an article on marketing for recruitment. Effective inbound material is aligned with your audience's interests and communicates on the right channels.

Outbound marketing is a more direct approach. It is when you reach out to your candidates in a very straightforward way – either with catered job postings or paid advertisements for your recruitment service, notes Oracle.

2. Identify who you want

Marketing today is not about throwing out random ads and hoping they reach the right people. New technologies can help you to identify where your target audiences lie and reveal how to reach them. Are you aiming for males aged 30-50? Is your demographic new university grads? Before you start creating and disseminating content, identify what kind of candidates you are trying to attract.

3. Use the right channels and content for your market

Once you have identified the kind of candidates you are trying to attract, do some research about the preferred channels and content for their demographics. Should you be reaching out on Twitter? Should you be publishing thought leadership blogs on LinkedIn? Putting the right content in the right place at the right time is arguably the most important aspect of marketing.

4. Keep it consistent

Once you have your marketing techniques in place, be consistent with them. Engage your current candidates on a regular basis, interact with prospective candidates and always be on the lookout for new ones. The future of successful recruitment lies in effective marketing, so you should start mapping your strategies now.

26 Jan, 2017

Industries everywhere are undergoing major shifts. It's the technology revolution and no one is coming out untouched.

Decade-old systems and processes have been flipped on their side, customer expectations are changing faster than ever, completely new roles are being created and organisations are restructuring more frequently than ever.

Recruitment is no different. The rules of the game are quickly shifting and recruiters either need to adapt or fall to the wayside. So where did recruiters go wrong in 2016? More specifically, what steps did they fail to take on their road to evolution? Let's take a look.

1. They focused too heavily on the tech – Technology can be a really cool tool. Digital developments help improve processes, platforms can make workflows more effective, online interactions allow businesses to reach out to their clients instantly and the list goes on.

However, many professionals get so distracted with implementing technologies and creating new systems that they complete neglect the human element of recruitment. There is so much value in building real-time in-person connections with both clients and candidates. There is something about a face-to-face meeting or client lunch that instant messages and Skype calls will never be able to recreate. While embracing tech is a critical step in adapting to industry trends, there is something to be said about diving in too deep and forgetting about other key functions.

2. They ignored the tech completely – The flipside of this is a complete failure to adapt. While this issue was a lot less common in 2016, there are still recruiters and recruitment companies that have yet to make their digital transformation. This comes at a great cost.

Recruitment software, business intelligence solutions and management software all provide recruiters with critical data that helps advance their bottom line. Moreover, these developments can help optimise the recruitment process overall. Neglecting the tech in today's digital world often proves to be a fatal error for recruiters.

3. They neglected to build a digital brand

Recruiters need to market too. It's just a reality of the industry today. Without a blog, a solid website or a strong presence on sites like LinkedIn and Twitter, you may as well mark yourself irrelevant. According to recruitment expert Greg Savage, recruiters need to double as marketers today. Clients and candidates alike will seek out strong brands. They want recruiters and recruitment companies that are committed to them and your online presence will help show them that.

4. They didn't jump on the other opportunities

Recruitment is no longer just about placements. Clients and candidates expect more out of these professional relationships, and recruiters have the ability to give it to them. With new technology, all recruitment companies sit on a goldmine of critical information. From market insights to salary averages, you have the ability to provide your client base with market knowledge and consult them on the best next steps – show this value and you will create an extremely loyal set of clients.

Moving forward – 2017 and beyond

Luckily, everyone can learn from these mistakes. The new year provides a fresh slate and as recruiters begin to find their footing in 2017 there is ample time to re-direct efforts to remedying the issues of 2016.

Finding a balance between leveraging tech and still putting value in human relationships, building up a genuine digital brand, offering your clients and candidates deeper value – these are all attainable goals for the new year. Recruiters that adapt will not only survive these waves of change, they'll thrive.