Although dismissed at one point as mere applicant tracking, recruiting software has evolved to include staffing agency tools, CV tracers, social networks like LinkedIn,  job boards like Monster, and all kinds of audio and video platforms for presenting candidates to hiring managers.

Recruiting software will continue to evolve in 2012 and beyond especially on mobile devices.  Mobile recruitment software will most certainly play an increasing role simply because the devices have become so powerful and their supporting platforms so robust. Imagine an Android app that uses the phone’s GPS to instantly show jobs available in the immediate vicinity or to show which clinic in the area is offering the best rate for an upcoming shift. Imagine a hiring manager approving a worker’s time on a tablet device as she walks the shop floor or the HR manager who posts jobs to multiple boards right from her phone.

Recruitment software will also evolve in embedded fashion, far away from the desktop or the phone. Imagine the manufacturing software system that automatically posts requirements out to temporary agencies based on the day’s projected volume. Imagine the hospital census system that self-determines the number of nurses required in the ICU and alerts available nurses accordingly.

One recruitment software company, Tempworks, allows recruiters to broadcast employment offers simultaneously via text and email. The system auto-captures worker acceptance or rejection to the offer and updates its database automatically, saving hours of time for everyone involved and assuring the end-client the best likelihood of getting the right amount of help on time.

One area of controversy for recruiting software is the debate over installed apps vs. web apps. Installed apps as the name implies are those that install on a device such as a desktop or a phone, whereas web apps are those that you access through the device’s browser.  

Document management has become a crucial aspect of recruiting software as candidates are likely to find the onboarding process dramatically easier if it can be done online.  Paperless staffing software makes the process easier for every one as well because documents can be retrieved at any point in the process.  Many a great candidate has been lost for lack of an efficient process.

For the moment, web apps seem to have the edge since software developers can develop a single browser app with modern jQuery and somewhat comfortable that the app will work properly from the Android to the tablet to the desktop.  Web apps also provide the user familiar tools like URL sharing that work similarly from device to device.

Nevertheless, others argue that installed recruitment apps will prevail because the speed of processing and improvements in storage continue to vastly outpace that of networks. The Apple iPad and Microsoft Windows8 touch devices offer huge improvements in what installed apps can do. Given all this change, the only thing that you can count on is that recruiting software will evolve every bit as quickly as the nature of work.

For both the applicant and the hiring staffing company, obtaining a position or hiring talented staff is a tricky game—roll the dice and see how far you get.
 
There’s always that awkward time between when the applicant applies and he or she interviews—which is usually followed by an even more uncomfortable period of time during which he or she waits. On a black and white game board, there seems to be a lot of gray areas. Shouldn’t it be as simple as a yes or a no? A “you’re hired” or “no thanks?”
 
In the recruiting process, an applicant tracking system can ensure that staffing companies do not pass up quality staff. The system will also ensure that they don’t play games—or that if they do the rules are changed.
 
The system allows staffing firms to post open jobs to a career page, screen applicants, share applicants with hiring managers and gather feedback from interview teams, among other time-saving features.
 
Applicant tracking software is designed to streamline the hiring process. Applicants upload their resume and by using keywords, firms can view which applicant best fit each job opening with the simple touch of a button.
 
Typically, interviewers select candidates that they think look good on paper, and they end up asking the same questions to every candidate and repeating the company’s bio like a broken record. The interviewer tells the interviewee what they need or want to know, without knowing if they will ever need to know it again. It’s a process.
 
Applicant tracking, however, means that the interviewers know that the interviewee is not only qualified for the position, but also know how well (usually by percentage) the applicant meet the qualifications. This means staffing companies no longer need to waste time on people who they would never hire and those people are not forced to be a game pawn.
 
Typically, the software numbers applicants from the most-qualified to the least qualified. This means that companies do not even need to look through applications of unqualified people. In this way, and others, it decreases time to hire and ensures that the right people are on the job faster.
 
It also allows staffing companies to showcase their best talent first and decreases turnover, both of which will likely result in repeat business for the company. Other advantages include decreased costs and bigger tax credits.
 
Respect time, customers, and applicants by using  applicant tracking software. It’s a game changer.