Finding and attracting the best teachers and school staff can feel like a constant battle, but it really shouldn’t. An applicant tracking system (ATS) can save your HR team time and money and, more importantly, help you find and hire the right candidates.
There are many systems available out there, all boasting a range of features, some of which are industry standard and others that are fairly unique. Very few are dedicated to education, and therefore it is important to align your specific needs to that of your desired ATS as you could find yourself paying more for tools you’ll never need.
Another consideration to make is between “off the shelf” systems vs. custom developed ones. The former enables you to begin recruitment almost immediately with little to no start-up costs and time. However, the latter, while being far more relevant to your particular situation, could end up being incredibly expensive due to the bespoke development and take far longer to deploy. Your costs won’t stop there either. Depending on the level of bespoke features, it may cost more to simply keep things up to date and upgrades that are usually included for free in “off the shelf” systems will end up costing each time they are released.
Whichever option you choose, an effective applicant tracking system can be a great enhancement to both your candidate experience and your internal team productivity. Equip your school with an ATS and experience the following benefits:
1. The gift of time
With almost limitless online resources for promoting vacancies, many administrators find themselves copying and pasting adverts across various mediums, navigating each similar yet awkwardly different job board/social media posting process. A good applicant tracking system will enable the user to broadcast their jobs from one place, saving hours of tedious admin. Candidates will return to your ATS when they apply, and therefore there is also no need to then revisit several sites to download each application.
Efficiency is a major benefit of using an ATS. Being able to instantly begin processing applicants, send bulk communications and easily collaborate between departments or even schools can make the difference when it comes to the race for talent.
2. Don’t just attract, engage
Education job seekers are in the driving seat. There are far more jobs than candidates and therefore, schools need to stand out and market not just their available jobs, but their employer brand. An ATS should provide a form of shop window, often called a career site and the more advanced systems allow customers to edit and customise these pages to convey exactly why a candidate should apply to work there. The more information you can provide a candidate at this point, the more engaged they will be, and studies held by Eteach have shown that retention has improved when candidates are more informed about a school’s culture, personality and in particular, opportunities for career development.
3. Provide a better candidate experience
The lighter work you make of the recruitment process, the easier it is for candidates to apply for a job and the better the candidate experience is likely to be.
The first thing your ATS should be capable of is allowing for mobile applications, enabling candidates to fully apply from the comfort of their smartphone. Over 70% of traffic to Eteach is via mobile now and the success of your adverts depends on whether you provide an easy route to apply. Many schools still insist on downloadable forms which create an immediate barrier for job seekers.
Speed of response and communication are also crucial factors for success. Your employer brand is affected by the effectiveness of communication and how well structured/organised your recruitment process is. Being able to build and provide clear workflows that your internal team can follow should be available in your chosen ATS.
Finally, ensure your ATS provides candidates with a way to express an interest in working at your school in case you aren’t actively recruiting for their subject at the time. If you have followed the instructions above and have developed an engaging career site, candidates will be more enthusiastic to work at your school and therefore having a user-friendly way to submit a CV or simply store candidate details for the next recruitment cycle will help immensely.
Those who have a positive experience are more likely to accept your job offer, reapply in the future, or refer others to your school.
4. Learn from your successful hires
The most efficient recruitment teams can reflect on their successful hires, working out what they did right and where improvement can be made – with a view of replicating their successes.
A good ATS will show where your candidates come from, and which channels give the best return on your investment. It’s as much about optimising your spending as knowing where to go to find the best school staff.
Without automated analytics, being this laser-focused with your recruitment is almost impossible.
If your head has been turned by the benefits of an ATS, look no further than the Eteach Group’s School Recruiter software, specifically designed for the education sector with best practice templates and processes built in. Created to alleviate the stress and time-consuming role of a school recruitment team, it’s the only tool that will give your school the edge in the current recruitment marketplace.
Become the school of choice for candidates. Request a free demo of School Recruiter today.
