01 Jun, 2019

Smartphones of all different shapes and sizes seem to be dominating the tech world. And they are – unless you have the chance to use something with a nice big screen.

Are mobile apps on phones and tablets the future of recruitment technology in Australia?

Simple answer? Absolutely not.

When you compare apps with desktop systems, the difference in technological advancement is stark. Apps are beautiful. They demolish traditional desktop or browser systems in terms of usability. Ask yourself: have I ever needed to be taught how to use an app? And then compare that with the learning curve for a system on your computer. It should be obvious – apps are the future. End of story.

But it’s actually just the beginning of the story. The killer for small-screen devices is . . . small screens. Screen real estate is valuable. Up to a point, the more you have, the more productive you are.

You just can’t do much on a phone – the screens are too small, your fingers are too big, and you just need to see more to make sense of anything.

Phones are great for making phone calls (!) and reading and sending quick emails. And streaming YouTubes and music, and catching up on social media, and making life-when-you’re-stuck-somewhere less boring. But if you want to do some work, you need pixels, characters, information in front of you. On a desk the average number of computer displays per computer is nearing two – and the average size is 1920 x 1080 pixels per screen. (It seems from personal experience that as soon as workers get given two screens, magically a third or fourth appear from somewhere . . . ) And quite often a recruiter will have a two-display computer – AND a laptop, and be working them all at once.

We have to provide many windows to information, and many tools for all stakeholders. Sometimes – when you’re not at a desk, or in a coffee shop without your laptop/Surface, you have to fall back on your phone. And you use it for what it is good for. And we learn from those things too – apps are easy! Apps are productive! Apps are – well, they’re just cool! We have to phase out desktop programs in favour of  apps – for productivity and for enjoyment.

Taking the drudgery away, making life productive and fun again.

Computer programs grow. They start lean and mean and productive and easy. And then people add stuff to them, and not-so-gradually they become complex and really, really powerful. And people realise after a while they’re only using maybe 15% of them. And it’s just – hard! And they pull out their phone and they are reminded that apps are fun, and productive, and easy – and way more powerful that anyone would have a right to expect.

Guess what, people: that’s what recruitment systems are now – if you just decide to move out of the past into the future of apps.

Finding the perfect candidate is easier than ever with new recruitment mobile apps.

TRIS Recruitment Software is an app. It’s a thing of beauty. It’s something you know how to use even before you’ve seen it.

The TRIS 5 app was released on July 1 2019, and is revolutionising recruitment.

Do you want the most powerful, most fully-featured – yet easiest to use system for recruitment – ever? Just reach out to a Recruitment Systems representative.

You’ll thank yourself, your staff will thank you – and your candidates and clients will love you for it.

09 Oct, 2017

In recruitment, we can get so focused on building a solid talent base that we forget about who we're ultimately doing it for – our clients. Recruiters dedicate such an enormous amount of time and energy into candidate networking that the client relationships can occasionally fall to the wayside.

If you feel like this might be happening at your agency, it makes sense to address the issue – here are four of the best ways to build strong client relationships as an Australian recruiting business.

1. Take time to get to know the client

It might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often recruiters begin scouting talent without truly figuring out what the client is looking for. In the initial meeting or call with the client (and, honestly, at every stage of the process), it's important to be listening more than you're talking.

If you really absorb what the client is telling you they want rather than jumping to conclusions about the quality candidates you can think of for the job, they'll likely be more satisfied with the outcome. Same goes for the industry – you don't have to know it backwards and forwards, but a bit of research could make all the difference.

2. Work on selling a solution, not a person

In the same way that clients typically dislike it when agencies don't take the time to get to know the business, they're also unimpressed by recruiters who throw CVs at them in the hopes that something will stick. When you've learned exactly what it is that the client is after, you can work on selling them a solution to their problem – not just another warm body to fill a job opening.

Phrasing it like this makes it clear to the client that you understand what their problem is and that you have a way to fix it. In this way, you'll provide the personal touch while offering them something that can tangibly improve their business.

Building strong relationships with your clients is simple with these four steps.

3. Work with HR

Sometimes, Australian recruiters tend to avoid their clients' HR departments – whether it's a personality clash issue or something else entirely, this can be detrimental to your success with that client. HR representatives tend to have some of the best insider information that can give you a sense for exactly what the client is looking for, according to Nicky Winch from Capgemini.

Even if the position your client is looking to fill isn't in HR, building a rapport with the department will get you in the good books and will give you greater insight into the company culture.

4. Maintain amazing communication

Above all, the key to building successful (and lasting) client relationships is having great communication skills. It's your job to reach out to the client, even if there aren't any updates on new candidates – they will want to know why. Always be responsive to calls and emails, and make sure you are keeping your clients in the loop.

Unfortunately, maintaining constant communication can be difficult as a recruiter; we spend all day scouring recruitment databases and managing candidates, so there's not a whole lot of spare time. Luckily, there are applicant tracking systems out there that can handle the tedious day-to-day administrative tasks clogging up your schedule.

TRIS Recruitment Software is a business solution that does all the dirty work for you, allowing you to focus on what really matters: finding quality candidates and building rock-solid client relationships. For more information, reach out to a representative today.

24 Aug, 2017

Being a successful leader, particularly in recruitment, is a challenge that becomes exponentially more difficult during a transition period in the organisation. As a business grows, so do the individual teams, and so must the leader. Unfortunately, many recruitment managers maintain their same leadership approach as their team gets bigger – this could be a big mistake.

Leading a large team in recruitment is different to leading a small team, and employers need to be conscious of either making the transition with the team or passing along the torch. Neil Bolton, CEO of Recruitment Systems, debunks conventional leadership models and offers agencies some advice for how to effectively lead a growing business.

Managing leadership transitions in Australian recruitment

There is a debate that occurs commonly in recruitment with regards to which is a better leadership style, push or pull management. The concept is straightforward: 'Push' leaders urge their employees on from behind and 'pull' managers lead up ahead by example. Neil explains why there shouldn't even be a debate.

"I'm pretty convinced that the best way to be a leader is to . . . um, lead? That's where the word comes from, after all. It's no different to any other leadership job. Get out in front – don't be at the back. Pushing never works as well," he said.

This is especially true during periods of growth when teams need to see their manager out in front of the pack, leading the way. With that in mind, it's also important to keep tabs on the size of your team as the business grows.

Building a pyramid of leaders under you is the best way to ensure future growth in your agency.

Neil Bolton's pyramid model of recruiting leadership

Most recruitment agencies start out small; a manager will be leading a small team single-handedly, and will be doing so with ease. Problems can arise, however, as the team begins to grow larger – but don't worry, there's a solution.

"A leader can only really manage 15, perhaps 25 people before the hands-on touch is gone," Neil says. "But if the leader has trained fifteen other leaders then they can have teams of fifteen under them, which means you have 226 people all going the same way."

This approach effectively builds a leadership pyramid under one manager, both aiding the growth of your business and cultivating leadership qualities in lower-level employees. With the help of a strong leader and an intuitive administrative system, like TRIS Recruitment Software, your agency can move to the next level.

Reach out to a representative at Recruitment Systems today!

09 Aug, 2017

Recruiting sometimes feels like an age-old industry, especially given the rate at which it has evolved over the last few decades. Unlike years past, recruiters today have access to an unimaginable number of tools and platforms designed to help streamline their day-to-day processes.

For example, many agencies in Australia now use artificial intelligence and bots designed to hunt down quality candidates, as well as various mobile and desktop apps that do much of the dirty work for recruiters. As great as these developments are, there are a number of issues that have come with the rise of digitised recruitment.

So, what's wrong with recruitment technology today, and what's the future of recruitment software in Australia?

Pitfalls of contemporary recruitment

One of the most pervasive problems facing the recruitment industry – and the business world as a whole – is the declining focus on human-to-human interactions. More so than many industries, recruitment is about building personal relationships, and software should be aiding recruiters in this regard, not attempting to do it for them.

A good portion of agencies throughout Australia are caught up chasing big numbers and are using recruitment technology to do so. Recruitment Systems CEO Neil Bolton elaborates:

"It's all about quality, yet so many recruiters are still stuck in the "spray and pray" method of attracting applicants," he explains. "Put an ad on Seek, get 200 applications, somehow determine the top "best" applicants, send the ten "best" ten to the client and pray."

Finding the best candidates is hard when your scope is too big.

This issue is further exacerbated by the impersonal nature of social media and the frequency with which recruiters are relying on it today. 

"As recruiters, I don't believe we should be chasing a social media presence – we should be building human relationships," Neil claims. "Human relationships are real. If they are good they last for years. Social media, on the other hand, can be fake, transient and low-touch."

While social media can occasionally be helpful, it's paramount that recruiters don't rely solely on the internet to build the relationships they should be chasing themselves, in person.

Where is recruitment technology headed?

As an industry, we need to redirect the focus from expecting technology to do the work for us to allowing it to help us. Recruiters are constantly bogged down by administrative tasks they have to do each day; this is one area in which recruitment software can be an enormous asset without compromising the foundation of recruiting – the human relationship.

TRIS Recruitment Software is specifically designed to streamline workflow, manage candidate pools, improve communication and eliminate the administrative processes of the day-to-day. Since the beginning, Recruitment Systems has been striving to stay ahead of the pack with regards to technology, which is why we're in the process of developing the newest innovation in Australian recruitment software.

Known as TRIS5, our mobile app will expand upon our current software, allowing recruiters to work on-the-go with a speedier, more intuitive user interface. Neil explains:

"Apps are the future of computing – browser-based software is very old and very difficult to write. But companies who have everything invested in browser-based systems really cannot move to an app-based architecture the way Recruitment Systems has," he says.

TRIS5 should be hitting the market in the first half of 2018, so stay tuned.

The digital age has brought many benefits to the recruitment industry, but it's important to remember what truly matters, both to candidates and clients: the human touch. TRIS can help give recruiters the much-needed time to go out and build the relationships they need in order to find the best quality candidates. Reach out to Recruitment Systems today for more information.