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Keeping Records is Easier Than You Think

In Human Resources — by Trakstar

While other recruiters are cleaning up their data and creating functional CRMs , are you still working in excel, trying to create searchable fields, tracking down information that others have gathered but haven’t added to profiles? There really is an easier way to keep records .

If a company’s HR department isn’t organized, what hope is there for the rest of the organization? ATS companies like Trakstar offer user-friendly systems to organize the HR department via openings, candidates or even contact information. The following is a step by step guide to our system, which we provide to show you how simple record-keeping CAN be with free and low-cost ATS solutions.

Starting at the dashboard, the recruiter is presented with a list of all of the openings that they are managing. Rather than opening up a file folder and trying to look at all of those wretched little tabs with multiple people’s handwriting, you can easily view archived, current and processing positions.

What this tells you: Your solutions, whether ATS, HRIS or CRM, should provide you with a dashboard option that is as easy to navigate as many consumer solutions. Record keeping can become exponentially harder as your organization grows, so make sure this is a feature you insist upon from your vendors.

The simple lay-out allows recruiters to start a new opening with a click of the (you guessed it) “new opening” button. Once the “new opening” process has started, the recruiter can either create a whole new listing, or work from the template of a previously created one. And job postings can be shared across social networks from the system.

What this tells you : Look for offerings that depend on fewer clicks to make things happen. If you are dealing with an old-school nesting system, you may not be as compelled to enter and clean up data. While this may not matter in the beginning of your HR career, it will be come paramount as your company, and your HR team, grows. Less clicks=better.

The “candidates” section is where the magic happens. Every detail of data that you have gathered about these candidates is a click away, in an easy to read, accessible record. Many systems (ours included) will even pick out the candidate’s email and phone number, and place them into searchable fields. If one of these candidate details should change, it’s very easy to correct them. You can also send the candidate email and keep internal note s, all within the system.

What this tells you: Pay attention to collaboration functionality on the back end. Demos are rarely filled with hundreds of records in which to search, so they can seem streamlined and functional, when in fact there is no room for customization after implementation. Ask about note taking in your demos and if one of your concerns is keeping great records, ask whether those notes, emails and lists are searchable from the dashboard.

As the profile is created, the recruiter can enter details into the fields as prompted, and there is plenty of room for notes. The beauty here is that when the recruiter is prompted to enter information, it ensures that nothing is overlooked or forgotten, and the notes section allows for tailored information that doesn’t necessarily belong in a default field . After all, you can’t search for information that isn’t there.

What this tells you: No record-keeping system can predict the future, but smart companies are finding ways to prepare for it, by creating customizable fields and allowing for custom workflows within an organization. Keep in mind that it seems a new network pops up for social recruiting every other month, does your system allow you to enter information that may not even be on the radar right now? If not, find one that does. (We can give you a hint if you need one.)

Instead of passing around a file, hoping that everything stays intact and updated, recruiters can simply invite colleagues to help fill positions within the system. This feature can be used to easily share information and assignments . The recruiter doesn’t have to assign the whole hire to someone, they can send specific micro tasks to each co-worker.

Additionally, so that everyone is on the same page, there are defaults set for the order of operations for each hire, but you can customize these steps for a more tailored hiring experience. This is reflected to everyone involved in the hiring process for each candidate.

What this tells you: You may be the first one hiring today, but tomorrow, you might have a team working with you. A system that breaks common workflows into customizable or simply practical tasks makes sure everyone stays accountable, even the hiring manager so you can clearly identify issues and poor record-keeping skills and fix them..fast. Look for this accountability safety latch in your record keeping systems as you purchase HR Tech moving forward.

Applications forms are very easy to create too. When Trakstar Hire builds an application form, the recruiter can choose, with checkboxes, exactly what they want included as both optional and required fields. Recruiters can also add their own tailored questions to the form . Hire allows recruiters to accept applications from many sources, and share them with the team. These applications can then go to each colleague’s unique Hire email to be reviewed and commented on.

What this tells you: A system that keeps records but ignores the candidate experience will not be part of your arsenal for long. If it’s pristine on the back-end but hard for your applicants to use, it might as well be useless. So choose a system that makes it simple for jobseekers to enter their information (or a resume that is automatically parsed and searchable).

The to-do tab allows you to set up interviews, or create tasks for yourself or your colleagues. And (drum roll please) these to-dos can be synched with your online calendar. Because this information can be shared and added to by colleagues at your discretion, you are alerted when information, or the status of a candidate has changed or been updated.

What this tells you: Your record keeping systems must be scalable and usable by the entire company. Gone are the days when only HR had a say in hiring and at small to medium sized companies, everyone has to wear multiple hats. If your co-workers find your system tough to use or impossible to navigate, there’s no way they are going to enter the data YOU need to keep great records.

There is too much data available to recruiter’s today for them to be keeping it all in a folder, or on spreadsheets or in a system that wasn’t designed for the needs of today’s recruiters. Knowing what you’ll need these systems to do today and tomorrow, will help you find one that meets your growing company’s goals.

photo credit: macwagen via photopin cc


Trakstar Hire is considered the most user friendly hiring software on the market. If you’re ready to take your recruiting and hiring to the next level, request a Trakstar Hire demo today.


Who is Trakstar?

Trakstar is a multi-product HR software provider helping organizations put the people back in people management. Develop and align your staff through better recruiting and applicant tracking, performance management, and learning management. For a more integrated solution to talent management, check out our website and request a live demonstration today.

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