Deploying Skilled Talent in the Field – What You Need in an ATS

For today’s job sites, talent makes a huge difference. Construction companies rely on people to deliver quality, timely service. Without skilled and certified craft, projects halts, stakeholders suffer and the bottom line diminishes.

However, this is easier said than done – hiring is time-consuming, talent is scarce and commitment can often be short-term.

Investing in a personalized and integrated Applicant Tracking System (ATS) that is tailor-made to the construction industry helps HR teams recruit the top skilled craft for the job and quickly and safely integrate them into the field.

So, what should you look for when searching for an Applicant Tracking System for the construction industry? Here are five of our best ATS tools and tips to keep in mind when shopping for an ATS software:

1. Brings job postings directly to skill craft: You want a digital ATS software that brings new openings and opportunities to spaces where confidential, certified, craft and SG&A employees are already navigating. Find a system that utilizes modern day-recruiting tools and automatically integrates with job boards and social networking sites to get you the top talent. Social media also makes it easy for employee referrals so you can use your current talent to vouch for your company and its brand.
2. Easily communicates with future contractors and sub-contractors: Communication can make or break the employees’ experience. Utilize a digital ATS system that is accessible from a mobile device, and sends texts and e-mail alerts and reminders that confirm receipt of application or notifies applicants of pending tasks. By providing direct communication to an applicant, you can also save candidate information for a future job or reach out directly to them for an opportunity that best aligns with their skills and experience.
3. Screens candidates based on construction-specific skills: Screening through unqualified or unskilled candidates is time-consuming and inefficient. Find an applicant tracking system that screens new talent based on skills or experience and can integrate to responsive, capable, and scalable Learning Management System (LMS) for qualification courses and task-based testing. Whatever type of employee you are looking for, an efficient ATS system should bring the talent you want to the top.
4. Simple and easy for skilled craft to navigate: There is no need to have talented hires use convoluted systems that don’t match up to the systems they will use on the field. Rather, use an ATS system that uses simple and user-friendly navigation to make the experience one that positively reflects your brand. Simple applicant tracking tools such as resume parsing, easy scheduling, application tracking and alerts and notifications can make the candidate experience that much more pleasant.
5. Drives the process all the way to the field: If a candidate’s record stops with a resume screening, it leaves room for error from manual entry and work duplication. Also, who really wants to enter the same information twice (whether it’s an employee completing onboarding paperwork or HR entering an employee record)? Find an ATS system that integrates with your employee management software so you can source applicants from your recruitment system all the way into your scheduling, time capture and project management systems.

About CEM Business Solutions: Based in Montvale, NJ, CEM Business Solutions is a Microsoft Gold Partner with nearly 20 years of experience offering integrated, high performance solutions to enhance business objectives. Since 2003, our dedicated consulting team has rolled out more than 350 implementations across 20 countries and 3 continents.