Recruiting software manages your hiring process and organizes your hiring data. But not all applicant tracking systems manage and organize your own personal hiring tasks too. Choose the wrong ATS and you could spend more time updating ‘the system’ and complying with workflows, than you will do actioning tasks and talking with candidates and colleagues.
The recruiting process is basically a conversation between a hiring team and its future members. Resumes, application forms, interviews and evaluations are just ways that were invented to structure this conversation. Hiring software should be designed around conversations not process. It shouldn’t take process and discipline to answer simple questions like: “Do we have enough candidates?” or “Who do I need to respond to?”. But somewhere along the line too many people mistook the means for the purpose. And that wrong thinking has crept into the way some recruiting tools are designed.
From our task-focused Inbox to our candidate-centric mobile app, Workable’s hiring software replaces the rigid recruitment process flow of the past with something that more closely resembles conversation. At a glance, you’ll know who you need to talk to, what you need to do, and when. And you can take action there and then. Having a personalized recruitment to-do list at your fingertips, wherever you are, means you can spend time “doing” rather than working out what needs to be done.
The Workable “Inbox”
Most companies start the hiring process using email because it’s the default tool for conversations online. It’s no wonder, then, that the email inbox has also become the everyday to-do list.
Workable’s hiring software is built to be intuitive, inspired by observing the way people interact with the world around them. So we’ve taken the familiarity of the traditional email inbox and designed a task-focused tool around it, to rethink how you manage your entire recruiting process flow.
Your conversations, collaboration and personal to-do list rolled into one
Workable’s Inbox has a similar user experience to the email inbox you’re used to. But behind that familiarity lies fresh functionality designed with the hiring process in mind. More than just a hub for your emails, your Workable Inbox is your conversations, your collaboration, and your personal to-do list rolled into one. All the benefits of applicant tracking are wired beneath the surface:
- Everything about a candidate is collected in one place, from their resume to team feedback, interview schedules and more.
- The right people have visibility.
- The recruiting pipeline is tracked.
Workable provides a structured applicant tracking system, without having to sacrifice the conversational fluidity you’ve come to expect from the most effective business software.
The Inbox in action
At the top of your screen, located in the main menu, you’ll find your Inbox icon. From that icon you can access all of your notifications and see at a glance the number of hiring tasks that need your direct attention.
By centralizing your hiring tasks, you can take action on any notifications you receive directly from your Inbox:
Email, @mentions and comments – read and reply to emails, conversations and comments.
Calendar invites – accept, decline and find out more about events.
Snooze – get in touch with a candidate whose Snooze period is ending.
Referrals – access a colleague’s referral or make your own.
Evaluations and scorecards – review evaluation comments and completed scorecards.
Complete your tasks in just a few clicks then archive what’s done. Simple.
Workable mobile: Hiring on the go
In a competitive hiring market, being able to act quickly is key to sourcing and securing top talent. No surprise then that more and more recruiters are choosing mobile over desktop to manage their hiring.
The ethos behind our mobile ATS app is similar to that of our Inbox; it’s an accessible, task and team-focused tool, optimized for communication and built for speed. Rather than replicating the functionality in your desktop ATS, our mobile-first app has a its own unique set of traits which provide a more defined focus. Designed to make the most of potential dead-time, it’s centred around routine aspects of day-to-day recruiting, on tasks that are important but quick to action on a smaller screen. From disqualifying candidates to reviewing resumes, sharing feedback to scheduling events, it’s a personalized to-do list you can action wherever you are; in between meetings, waiting for a flight, during a break, on the commute.
Four different features – all accessed through the main dashboard – give flexibility to the way you can manage your mobile workflow…
The Inbox view works in the same way as your desktop. Get a clear idea of your urgent hiring tasks and take action. Anything you do on your smartphone will synch up with the Inbox on your computer so you’ll always have the latest view, whatever device you use.
A secure database of all your candidates and jobs, with the Search feature you’ve got a rich data pool at your fingertips whenever you need it. Quickly find what you’re after from a neatly segmented set of results and take action from there.
Rushing to an interview and need to check some details on your candidate’s resume? Running late for a meeting and need to get hold of your hiring team? Use the Agenda option to view all of your events scheduled through Workable and get access to the relevant tools and information. From full candidate profiles to event details and contact options, take fast action wherever you are.
At the top of your mobile dashboard you’ll find a link to your Candidate view. We’ve listed it first in the app because your main focus, if you’re out of the office and using your phone, is likely to be sourcing, nurturing and securing talent…
Because hiring is personal
People are at the heart of hiring. Our mobile app is candidate-centric and designed to ensure you don’t lose a great hire by being slow to respond. With all the information and tools to hand wherever you are, you can act quickly to secure talent.
The account overview screen for mobile presents a series of personal to-do lists segmented by type:
Unread candidates: Review resumes and application forms and then take immediate action.
Unrated candidates: Leave feedback on candidates who have taken part in an event (a phone screening or interview) scheduled via Workable.
Recently viewed: Access a list of up to 60 candidates you’ve personally viewed in the last seven days.
Waiting response: Reply to candidates who still need to hear back from you.
The account overview also presents a series of timely alerts to pre-empt potential hiring problems:
New candidates: Are you getting enough applications? If not, consider improving your job ad, or advertising on a niche or specialist job board.
Unscheduled: Are candidates progressing fast enough? Give your hiring teams a nudge to make sure you meet the two-day rule of recruiting and keep pace with your time-to-hire metric.
Slipping away: Are you about to lose a great candidate for the job? Use the Workable mobile app to take action fast on applications that haven’t been considered for more than a week.
Popular: Are you engaged in the right conversations? Catch up with comments about your best candidates and make sure their applications are being progressed.
Pending: Is it time to send a personal follow-up email? Track and take action on candidates who haven’t yet accepted your offer of employment.
Act fast to boost your employer brand
Taking too long to respond to a candidate can be the beginning of a poor candidate experience. Workable’s mobile app means you can provide a smooth, fast and responsive candidate experience wherever you are. By doing so, not only will you keep the best talent in your pipeline, but you’ll boost your employer brand and your chances of attracting more top quality hires in the future.
Got a great candidate? Call, Skype, email or SMS them in one quick click from your phone to demonstrate immediate interest. Then schedule an interview and share comments with your hiring team, all within minutes and from the same screen on your smartphone.
If you haven’t done it already
If you’ve got a Workable account but haven’t downloaded either the iOS or Android app, visit the Apple Store or Google Play and start hiring on-the-go.
If you’re not a Workable customer, why not sign up for a free, 15-day trial? It only takes a few minutes to set up an account and to start using both our desktop ATS and dedicated recruiting app.
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