Insights

Stacks of resumes, hundreds of emails and not enough time to process them all. The process of recruiting qualified candidates can create real issues, not only for human resources, but also for hiring managers and departments. Luckily, there are helpful and cost-effective solutions for adding transparency, automation and structure to your search. Here’s how goBRANDgo! implemented a new system that has saved us time, effort and many headaches.

In the past, we posted a job listing to our website and created a basic Gravity Form through WordPress to allow the applicant to submit his or her name, email, cover letter and resume. This created a flood of emails; so many, in fact, that it could have easily taken a full-time employee to process them all. We didn’t have an easy way to send bulk responses to applicants, but knew this was a priority since responding to each inquiry is part of our company values. We needed a way to respond to them all efficiently without creating a ton of manual labor.

Another challenge was that two-thirds of the candidates who applied weren’t qualified, and it was wasting their time and hours to wade through all their applications. Because our business has changed and we’re servicing more and more demand, we need to hire people who have the right skills and experience to jump into a position. Hiring qualified candidates ensures a win-win situation in which both the employee and company have a good experience.

We knew our current system (manually sorting through emails) wasn’t working, so it was time to do some research on applicant tracking systems. Paying for a large enterprise tracking system didn’t seem wise, but we had grown too big to continue to do things manually. We needed a Goldilocks solutions: not too big, not too small; just right!

Challenges

• Processing unqualified candidates
• Responding to applicants
• Sorting through hundreds of resumes
• Systematically organizing profiles for ease of access
• Assigning status or level of interest

After some research, goBRANDgo! Implemented Fitzii, which is a web-based software that offers both free and paid versions. Through Fitzii, you can post listings, track applicants, organize their resumes, categorize them based on your interest and easily share and communicate about them internally as well as to them externally. Even better, Fitzii allows you to push your posting to Indeed and Glassdoor, as well as create paid postings on other job boards (LinkedIn, Simply Hired, Monster, etc.). Since everything can be managed through the Fitzii hub, it’s an efficient way to manage candidates, keep track of interview notes and create a good user experience for all.

Top Benefits

• Time saved reviewing resumes
• Easy-to-manage dashboard with overview of candidates by interest level
• Fast qualification and decision about which candidates move to the next round
• Ability to add notes to candidate profiles and each a status that is visible to your team
• Communication capability to easily update candidates, even in bulk

The paid version offers even more benefits, like the ability to create custom applications that include certifications and other qualifiers. If you’re looking for a candidate with CPR Certification, for example, you can quickly eliminate applicants without it by making it a requirement to apply. For our business, we made sure to create the type of job listing that would immediately resonate with and appeal to the type of candidate we’re looking to hire. Finding candidates who are a good fit for our culture is as important to us as a professional certification would be to other industries. We want the right person to see the posting and think, “That’s me!” or “No Way!” so they can quickly self-select for the hiring process.

It’s time to stop wasting time wading through stacks of email applications and struggling to organize your candidates. Technology has finally caught up with the needs of recruitment, so consider automating your hiring practices with software like Fitzii. You’ll get to your ideal candidate faster and make the process more pleasant for everyone involved.