The Growing Reliance on Applicant Tracking Systems

THE GROWING RELIANCE ON APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEMS The results of Bullhorn's 2015 North American Staffing and Recruiting Trends Survey serve to reinforce that an effective ATS can enhance recruiting firms' sourcing efficiency, improve placement volume, and help recruiters to win more business. Applicant tracking systems will certainly continue to be a technological force for recruiters seeking a competitive edge in 2015 and beyond. RECRUITERS OVERWHELMINGLY RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A POWERFUL ATS 77% SAID THEY NEEDED AN ATS OR CRM TO DO THEIR JOBS EFFECTIVELY Recruiters, especially those with 75+ employees, are depending on their ATS to drive placement growth, hit key recruiting metrics, and ultimately grow revenue. TEMP AND CONTRACT FIRMS CONTRACT HAVE HIGH RELIANCE ON ATS ATS TEMP High volume, short lead firms that primarily specialize in temp and contract placement are more likely to have a particularly high reliance on their applicant tracking systems. IMPROVING PLACEMENT VOLUME WITH YOUR ATS TOTAL NUMBER OF PLACEMENTS: MOST IMPORTANT REVENUE DRIVER #1 For the third straight year, total number of placements remains the most important revenue-driving recruiting metric - 59% of all respondents considered it the single most important revenue driver. 77% SAID TOTAL PLACEMENT GREW IN 2014 This represents a significant improvement over 2013's 71%. WELCOME! 48% OF TOTAL PLACEMENTS USE CANDIDATES FROM ATS Applicant tracking systems played a big role in sourcing candidates and making placements in 2014, accounting for 48% of total placements. TEMP FIRMS MAKE HIGHEST % OF PLACEMENTS FROM EXISTING ATS CANDIDATES TEMP Temporary firms made the highest percentage of placements using existing ATS candidates (53%), a slight increase from 2013's 51%. This undoubtedly underscores the critical importance of speed in temp placements, especially when run through a VMS. 57% OF PLACED CANDIDATES SUBMITTED WITHIN FIRST 24 HOURS However, on the journey from point A (orders) to point B (placements), firms face serious roadblocks that can slow them down. Fortunately, modern applicant tracking systems are providing an optimized workflow to reduce the impact of these roadblocks. WIN MORE BUSINESS WITH ATS INTEGRATION 27% VMS 27% OF TOTAL JOB ORDERS TO BE DRIVEN THROUGH VMS IN 2015 As a requisite to increasing placement volume, new business needs to be coming through the door. Recruiting firms are planning on driving 27% of their total job orders through VMS (up 17% year over year). This data demonstrates the overwhelming need for an ATS that is capable of integrating with customer vendor management systems. Integration will allow recruiters to know when new requisitions are available to fill, which will ultimately increase the number of placements made. ATS IS CRITICAL FOR CANDIDATE SOURCING ATS SOURCING CANDIDATES FROM ATS: BEST CANDIDATE SOURCING STRATEGY New requisitions can only be filled when candidates are available. Sourcing candidates from applicant tracking systems was considered the best candidate sourcing strategy for the second straight year. Want to learn more? Download the 2015 North American Staffing and Recruiting Trends report for free to receive even more insights into how your firm can take advantage of the shifting trends of the recruiting market. BULLHORN' -48%