Applicant Branding System
Your ATS is a brand-building machine, according to Jeremy Shapiro
Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are about managing candidate flow, right? Most people assume you invest in an ATS to build a talent pipeline, boost a recruiter's effectiveness, and lower cost-per-hire.
But according to Jeremy Shapiro, senior director, Hodes iQ, at Bernard Hodes Group, an ATS can have a major impact on your employer brand, as well as on the relationship you're trying to build with active and passive candidates.
In Shapiro's mind, how an ATS is designed and integrated into your candidate-care program can be the difference between a talent pipeline bursting with potential--or one that's dripping a slow death.
We spoke with Shapiro at an industry trade event in San Diego.
Q. We think of an ATS for applicant flow. What is the role of an ATS in brand building?
A. An ATS can standardize, enhance and promote messaging, which has a cumulative effect on the brand. It's also a customer channel, so a well-designed system can make the applicant feel good about his or her early interactions with a company.
Let me give you an example of messaging. One company I consult with had a job posting that read “must be able to project manage, create strong relationships, and deal with ornery clients.” Ornery. Totally off brand and quite a destructive phrase. Without a tool to help HR standardize and broadcast their message, they were defaulting to homemade solutions.
Q. Do your clients recognize an ATS as a brand tool when they call?
A. Almost never when they're shopping for one. But as soon as we draw attention to the issue, or they're using the system and see the implications in action, they recognize the value immediately.
Q. What, if any, are their light-bulb moments?
A. One moment is when candidates say they like their careers site. Translated, that means a candidate liked the experience. And that experience is the beginning of a relationship. That's a powerful idea when you think about brand touch points and passive candidates.
The other moment is when HR realizes how much control they have over their message. The ATS gives them the ability to define, refine and control their message across a distributed recruiting team. These capabilities, in turn, have an impact on management.
Q. Does the design of the ATS have an impact on the branding process?
A. Absolutely. How the ATS is integrated into the client's website, and its usability, have a huge impact on applicants.
Integration is a big deal. When candidates visit your site, it's the start of a relationship. The relationship should feel good and have nothing to do with technology. Candidates aren't visiting you for technology. They want to know about you and apply for your jobs.
Usability is also important--from an intuitive interface, to simple forms, to using plain and familiar language. The sum of these actions makes the experience enjoyable, sometimes even fun.
People are trained to be wary of thoughtlessness. They'll quickly draw a conclusion about your company based on simple things like how easy it is to apply, the language you use during the process, and whether you send them an e-mail after they apply. They can instantly reject you when they spot insincerity.
Q. Many themes you describe about the ATS are similar to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools. In fact, it's too bad we call it an Applicant Tracking System. It's such a mechanical term and belies the fact that we're talking about “customers” and our brand.
A. Right. I think an ATS, whether you want it to or not, has an emotional impact on candidates. After all, this tool is at the intersection of a job hunt, an activity that is emotionally charged and represents one of the most important decisions a person makes in his or her life.
As much as buyers study the design and technology of software, they should also inspect it for emotional intelligence--the thoughtfulness of the process that's been wired into the package. Because just the way we shape our tools, our tools shape us. And if you've installed a thoughtless tool in your process, your process will be thoughtless.
Q. That begs the question: As a maker of an ATS solution, how do you make sure your product has emotional intelligence? How do you make sure it helps build positive brand impressions?
A. Well, one thing is having the right people on board. We have great people here who know recruiting and recognize the implications of their designs.
But really? It's from the experiments and mistakes. You know when I said that simple forms were important? Well, I learned that from one health care client who insisted that every applicant fill out this massive, four-page form. It seemed like common sense to them--we need this information, let's ask for it. But two days after it was pushed live, the nurse recruiter called to say applications were down to zero.
That mistake reminds me that the only thing that counts is what counts to the applicant.
Q. So, I gather it's not just buy the ATS and plug it in the wall?
A. No. Each company and its talent market have a different set of values and transactions. You need to understand their process and goals before applying any technology solution.
Q. By talent market, I assume you include the internal audience? Won't the ATS affect their perception of the brand?
A. Yes. In a couple ways. First, it has an impact on the perceptions of the hiring managers. Remember--HR has a brand, too. And it must be maintained to keep credibility. For instance, what kind of impression do I make on a hiring manager if he or she gives me a job and it takes a week to post it up to my job site? Or, when I send them unqualified resumes? In contrast, what's the impression when I send resumes that are pre-screened? Or, if I recommend media strategies? Perception is reality.
The other way is on the employees themselves. When they use the ATS for a referral campaign or internal mobility, they become HR customers--just like the hiring managers and external candidates. Again, those tools have to be simple, intuitive and thoughtful.
You cannot not communicate. Everything is branding.
Jeremy Shapiro is a senior director at Bernard Hodes Group, where he oversees the development and management of Hodes iQ, an award-winning e-recruiting tool. Before joining Hodes, Shapiro worked for Agency.com and HarperCollins. A Rutgers University graduate, he is currently completing a Masters of Science from NYU.
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