Recruitment processes are getting automated globally regardless of where they are executed- in-house, staffing agency, placement, and consultancy firm or any outsourced recruitment agency.
The e-market is flooded with recruitment software, and the technology is being upgraded at a swift pace. The companies are left with no choice but to implement the software they might otherwise lose on their competitors. Finding good recruitment software is the need of the hour.
Around 80% of companies across the world hire staffing firms to get their employees on board. Hiring through ATS or staffing software helps the staffing firm to provide best-fit, talented, and qualified candidates to the client company.
In this article, we will discuss:
- What is a staffing agency
- What is a typical lifecycle of recruitment in a staffing agency
- Top 10 reasons why staffing agencies need recruitment software
- Features to consider when choosing the best recruitment software for agencies
- And finally, best ATS for Staffing Agencies
What is a Staffing Agency?
A staffing agency is a recruitment organization that finds and matches candidates to clients’ job requirements.
For a staffing agency to grow and thrive, it needs clients and candidates. Clients and candidates are the two important actors in the staffing agency recruitment lifecycle.
Without clients, there cannot be job orders, which can lead to placements. Without matching candidates for a job, there cannot be placements. Successful placements are what generate revenue for a staffing agency.
What is a Typical Lifecycle of Recruitment in a Staffing Agency?
Here are the steps in a recruitment lifecycle of a staffing agency:
- Job Order – The first step is receiving the job order from a client.
- Gathering Additional Details – Once the job order is received, the next step is to review the order carefully and get clarifications from the hiring manager. This is a crucial step to find and match the ideal candidate for the job.
- Posting Job Advertisement – After a job order is received, the job is usually advertised on various job portals and social media channels so that qualified applicants can review the job and apply for it.
- Reviewing Applications – Once the applications start coming in, you should carefully review each application to see if the candidate has the required skills, education, and experience. During the review, candidates who do not match are rejected, and the promising ones are shortlisted for the next step of the process.
- Preliminary Phone Screen – This is another critical step to getting additional information regarding the application and resume details from the candidate and asking pertinent questions to understand their strengths and experience. During this step, the recruiter will also get the salary and rate requirements from the candidate.
There can be additional optional steps in the hiring process, like conducting aptitude tests, skill tests, or culture fit tests.
Top 10 reasons why staffing agencies need recruitment software
Here are the top reasons why staffing agencies should consider recruitment software as part of their process:
- Acquiring Contracts, Nurturing and Tracking Clients made easy for Staffing Agencies
- Streamlines Candidate Search Process
- Saves cost
- Scrutinizing Work for the Staffing Agency
- Work from Anywhere, Anytime
- Tracking Passive Candidates
- Fulfilling the KRAs
- Formatting Resumes
- Fully Secure and 100% Authentic
- No Infrastructure needed
Let’s go over each one of these more in-depth!
1. Acquiring Contracts, Nurturing and Tracking Clients made easy for Staffing Agencies
There is a lot of difference in the working of in-house ATS and recruitment software for staffing agencies.
A recruitment software exclusively designed for recruiting firms has to deal with client acquisition, repeat business for the same client, contacts, contracts, and resume sorting and formatting.
The software has much to do in acquiring contracts, tracking, and nurturing clients, just like what a CRM does for the company.
2. Streamlines Candidate Search Process
Unlike in an in-house organization, the main focus of the staffing agency is to offer seamless coordination for recruitment.
Here, HR aims to devise the right interviewing methods to evaluate which candidate fits best with the company’s culture. But things are entirely different for staffing firms. Their prime focus is to search for the best candidates who may turn into prospective employees of the company.
A recruitment software does exactly what is required, such as maintaining the candidate database, maintaining good relationships with candidates, quicker and more diverse search options that are delivered quickly to the clients.
Ideal recruitment software helps to:
- Reach out to more candidates through various sources
- Handle more volume of candidate data
- Shortlist great candidates and make perfect matches in just a blink of an eye
3. Saves cost
Most of the staffing agencies are small to midsize, and it becomes an expensive affair to have a full-time recruiter(s) as the firm has to offer the employee salary and all other benefits.
A staffing agency software needs an initial investment, but the benefits are worth the expenditure and are instant and long-lasting. As most of the work gets automated, the firm can work on other areas such as building relationships with clients and candidates, pitching more customers, etc.
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4. Scrutinizing Work for the Staffing Agency
The staffing agency software automatically uploads the resumes received from various platforms such as websites, social media, or job boards. After resume collection, everything starting from resume formatting to resume sifting is done by the software.
It is capable of handling hundreds of resumes in just a second. The notifications are sent to the selected candidates automatically. The only work left for the staffing firms is to interview and finalize the candidates.
5. Work from Anywhere, Anytime
The modern-day staffing agency software is cloud-based or what you call SAAS-based. As everything is online, the agency members can easily work from any remote location, and all that is required is the internet and a mobile device.
Now the staffing firms can also schedule a preliminary test online with the help of recruiting software, which will help save a lot of paper and hassles.
6. Tracking Passive Candidates
For running a successful staffing firm, the members of the staffing firm should know how and from where to get the candidates. The gig economy’s growth has posed several challenges for the staffing firms as most of the specialized professionals are becoming freelancers.
So, tracking the availability of the candidates is something very crucial for a quality result.
The staffing firm doesn’t need to take the pain of creating and maintaining a candidate pool, as the recruiting software does that free of cost.
7. Fulfilling the KRAs
The Key Responsibilities Areas or the KRAs are different for a staffing agency and an in-house organization.
On the one hand, if an in-house organization gauges the quality and speed of hire, there is a lot more to do in a staffing firm.
The staffing agency owner has to gauge metrics such as growth over the previous year, margin per recruiter, client satisfaction, etc. Here the ATS or the recruiting software helps the owner to achieve their KRAs and track growth.
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8. Formatting Resumes
Apart from parsing the resumes, the inbuilt resume formatting does wonders. Now all resumes can be aligned in one pre-defined template. The staffing software comes with pre-defined templates, which can be customized as per the needs and requirements of the client company.
The resumes are automatically parsed, formatted, and appended to the candidate database instantly. Formatting the resumes such as text, borders, font, borders, etc., all are done within seconds.
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9. Fully Secure and 100% Authentic
Staffing agencies hold sensitive data for both clients and candidates. Therefore, they need ultra-strong software that secures their database and portal access and other transactional keys.
10. No Infrastructure needed
Having cloud-based staffing agency software eliminates the need to purchase any additional server or infrastructure required by the firm. Most of the software in the market follows a subscription model or pay-as-you-go model, which means that you need to pay only for the services used.
Apart from that, the firms no longer have to take the pain of calling the professional and getting their software updated. All the upgrades or patch fixing are done automatically when the system is idle. This offers a seamless and uninterrupted environment for recruiting firms to help them stand above the crowd.
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Hiring great people has nothing to do with the company size. In fact, you can pitch some great employees for the big companies. All that you need is the right direction, the right equipment, and the right recruiting software.
Features to consider when choosing the best recruitment software for agencies
Now that you know the essential aspects of a staffing business, you can see it will be immensely helpful to use software to manage all staffing aspects. Staffing agency software can help manage a staffing agency recruiter’s complete recruitment lifecycle.
Here are the features of a staffing agency software that helps a recruiter:
- Job Publishing – Once the recruiter has all the details of a job order, the next step is to post and publish a job advertisement on job boards and social media channels. Recruitment agency software will allow you to do this with one click. One-click publish saves a lot of time since you do not have to maintain different accounts on the various job boards and post and publish on each of them.
- Customizable Application Forms/Screener Questions – This is an essential feature of modern staffing agency software. By adding a custom application form, you can quickly shortlist qualified applicants and also reject non-qualified applicants.
- Customizable Workflows – Once your custom workflow is set up in the staffing agency software for your agency, it becomes effortless to manage numerous applications and allows the recruitment team to work together effectively.
- CRM – Staffing agency software is also called recruitment CRM (Customer Relationship Management). It helps you manage all your clients, hiring manager, and candidate information in one place. With the CRM features, all team members have access to the consolidated data of all notes, tasks, communications, and history.
- Resume Database – As you are receiving applications, your resume database will grow. A modern recruitment agency software will allow you to organize your candidate data through workflows and tags easily. A good candidate database makes it easier to place qualified candidates quickly.
- Communications – Communication is a crucial aspect of the recruitment business. A recruiter needs to maintain proper communication with clients, hiring managers, and candidates to make more placements. Staffing agency software can help immensely by allowing you to create customizable email templates.
- Job Portal Management – A modern staffing agency software also acts as a job portal management system. It allows you to quickly create branded career portals and manage the active jobs on your career page through a job widget.
Best ATS For Staffing Agencies #1: Recruiteze
Finally, let’s discuss some of the best recruitment software for staffing agencies we have in 2021.
Yes, this is our software, but hear us out. We will let our benefits and features tell why Recruiteze is a great recruiting software for staffing agencies.
Here’s a list of features that Recruiteze offer:
- Customizable Forms – Customize forms for different jobs so that they match the company and job role.
- Career Pages – Let visitors know what job openings you have with straightforward career page widgets that automatically stay up to date.
- Bulk Emails – Need to send dozens or even hundreds of emails at once? No problem, with Recruiteze, you can send personalized emails to multiple candidates at once.
- Tags and filters – Our advanced tagging system allows you to sort candidates and resumes in a systematic way that will allow you to filter them later on with ease.
- Email Address Integration – send and receive emails through the platform from your own account and stay updated.
- CRM – We know that managing candidates, clients, and vendors can be a handful task. Our CRM makes this process easy and straightforward. Keep all your communications and notes in one place and share them with your teammates.
- Job Broadcasting – Share jobs on multiple platforms at once, including ZipRecruiter, GlassDoor, Indeed, and many more.
- Resume Formatting with iReformat – Parse resumes, add them to the candidate database, and reformat the information however you like. You can create however many templates you need.
- Customizable workflows, reports, and many more.
Recruiteze is an excellent choice for staffing agencies that want to have all of their recruitment efforts handled by one software.
Another pro is that you can test out all of our features entirely for free during the 15 days free trial without giving your credit card information. At the end of the free trial, you won’t have to worry about being billed, and if you want, you can subscribe to whichever plan fits your needs the best.
We offer three different packages, including a custom plan, so that you can get everything you need at an affordable price.
Keep in mind that if you ever get stuck at something, we offer 24-hour email support to help you solve all the obstacles and answer your questions.
Our other tool iReformat, comes separately from ATS and has its own pricing:
You can see how iReformat works during a free demo.
iReformat also comes with four different pricing plans to suit the needs of different business types.
You can try Recruiteze and iReformat out for free right now. Hiring was never easier.
Best ATS For Staffing Agencies #2: RecruiterFlow
Recruiterflow is a modern applicant tracking system (ATS) and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform designed for recruitment agencies and teams.
Advantages of Recruiterflow:
- Automated Workflow: Recruiterflow automates a number of tasks such as scheduling interviews and follow-ups, allowing recruiters to save time and focus on engaging with candidates.
- Sourcing Tools: Recruiterflow provides features like one-click sourcing from LinkedIn and other job boards, making it easy for recruiters to build their talent pipeline.
- Candidate Engagement: The platform offers personalized email sequences and templates to help recruiters maintain regular, meaningful communication with candidates throughout the hiring process.
- Collaborative Hiring: Team members can share feedback and make collaborative decisions with shared notes and @mentions. This promotes a more inclusive and comprehensive evaluation process.
Disadvantages of Recruiterflow:
- Limited Integrations: As of 2021, Recruiterflow may not have as many integrations as some other ATS and HR software. This could limit its interoperability with other tools that your business might be using.
- Advanced Reporting: While Recruiterflow does offer reporting capabilities, users have suggested that these could be more robust or customizable to better meet their specific needs.
Recruiterflow pricing
Best ATS For Staffing Agencies #3: JobAdder
JobAdder is suitable for recruitment agencies and in-house recruitment teams that have to manage a high volume of job postings across various platforms.
Its extensive integrations make it a good fit for businesses that already use or plan to use other HR tools, and its global reach can be a major benefit for businesses with international recruitment needs.
Advantages of JobAdder:
- Global Reach: JobAdder’s platform is available in over 200 countries, making it a solid choice for businesses with global hiring needs.
- Versatile Job Posting: JobAdder allows users to post job ads to a multitude of job boards, social media platforms, and websites from a single platform. This can greatly streamline the job posting process.
- Extensive Integrations: JobAdder offers integration with a wide variety of tools and platforms, including HRIS, payroll, background checks, video interviewing, and more. This can simplify the recruitment workflow by bringing multiple tools together.
- Mobile Functionality: JobAdder offers mobile apps for both iOS and Android. This allows recruiters to access the platform wherever they are, which can be especially beneficial for businesses with remote or on-the-go recruitment teams.
Disadvantages of JobAdder:
- Interface Navigation: Some users have reported that navigating the JobAdder interface can be less intuitive compared to other platforms, which could potentially increase the learning curve for new users.
- Customization Limitations: While JobAdder offers many features, some users have noted limitations in the customization of certain features, such as reports and email templates.
JobAdder pricing
Best ATS For Staffing Agencies #4: Trakstar
Trakstar is suitable for organizations of all sizes looking to streamline their performance appraisal process, promote a feedback culture, and align individual and team goals with organizational objectives. Its succession planning features make it particularly beneficial for businesses with a focus on long-term growth and employee development.
Advantages of Trakstar:
- 360-Degree Feedback: Trakstar allows for comprehensive feedback collection from multiple sources, including peers, subordinates, and supervisors, leading to a well-rounded view of an employee’s performance.
- Goal Management: The software enables businesses to track and manage individual and team goals, aligning them with the organization’s objectives.
- Succession Planning: Trakstar has a feature that helps identify potential future leaders within the organization, which is useful for succession planning and professional development.
- Real-Time Feedback: Trakstar promotes a culture of continuous feedback with real-time updates, which can help employees improve consistently and feel more engaged.
Disadvantages of Trakstar:
- User Interface: Some users have reported that the interface can be somewhat complex and unintuitive, which may increase the time needed for users to become comfortable with the software.
- Customization Limitations: While Trakstar offers a range of features, there might be limitations in customizing certain aspects of the platform to fit specific business needs.
Trakstar pricing
Best ATS For Staffing Agencies #5: RecruitCRM
Recruit CRM is suitable for recruitment agencies that manage a high volume of candidates and clients and require a comprehensive overview of their recruitment pipeline.
Its automation and collaboration features can be particularly beneficial for teams looking to streamline their workflow and improve coordination.
Advantages of Recruit CRM:
- Full Recruitment Cycle Management: Recruit CRM facilitates management of the entire recruitment cycle, from sourcing and interviewing to placement and invoicing.
- Candidate and Client Management: The platform allows users to manage both candidates and clients within the same interface, providing a comprehensive overview of all recruitment-related relationships and engagements.
- Automation Features: Recruit CRM offers automation for a range of tasks, such as email follow-ups and job posting, helping to save time and reduce manual workload.
- Collaboration Tools: The software facilitates team collaboration with features like shared notes and task assignments.
Disadvantages of Recruit CRM:
- Learning Curve: Some users have reported that the software can be somewhat complex to navigate at first, which may increase the time needed for users to become comfortable with the platform.
- Customization Limitations: While Recruit CRM provides a wide range of features, there could be limitations in the customization of certain functionalities according to specific business needs.
RecruitCRM pricing
Conclusion
Selecting the right ATS for your staffing agency can significantly streamline your hiring processes, improve productivity, and ultimately, enhance your success in securing the right talent for your clients.
With each system offering unique features and capabilities, it’s essential to consider your agency’s specific needs and workflow when making a choice.
Recruiteze has robust features, user-friendly interface, and competitive pricing, making it an ideal choice for staffing agencies of all sizes. From automating job postings to managing candidate databases, Recruitze can handle it all, ensuring your team stays focused on what truly matters – finding the best talent for your clients.
To see how Recruitze can transform your staffing agency’s recruitment process, schedule a demo.
Experience firsthand how Recruitze can elevate your recruitment game in 2023 and beyond.
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