10 Ways to Create an Employee-Friendly Environment

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Understanding Biometrics

Bio what? Biometrics. Biometrics is a science focused on using physical human measurements to identify individuals. Typical measurements include characteristics of a person’s fingers, hands, eyes or face. These features are generally quite unique to any given person, making them reliable measures of identity. Because these features are largely unalterable on a person, time measurement and attendance scanners can take an initial impression to use over time (be it an image of someone’s retina or fingerprint records) and have it on file as a comparison to verify the person’s identity each time they clock in and out.

Biometric time and attendance systems function by means of an electronic device with a touch sensor to place one’s finger or hand on to record an impression in a database or smartcard. The program will measure the shape of the ridges in a person’s finger or even the pattern of veins in their hand. Based on the identifying feature that is measured for each person (most commonly the fingerprint), individuals can maintain an accurate record of their time spent in the workplace.

Benefits of Biometrics

Biometric scanning is used in a variety of settings, from hospitals to manufacturing facilities to everyday office spaces. The biometric system has several benefits, some of which extend beyond simple time and attendance measures. Some of these perks include:

• Eliminating Buddy Punching – Unfortunately, it has become common for coworkers to say to one another, “Hey, I have to leave early. Can you clock me out?” Or, “Running late today; mind punching me in?” Using an ID-matching system ensures that the individual clocking in an out is in fact the person in question; coworkers cannot help each other cheat or defraud the company of money.
• Maintaining Access Control – In offices where security is crucial to business functioning or even when an office is located in a less-desirable neighborhood and safety is a concern, biometric systems are beneficial. Utilizing fingerprint technology, businesses can restrict access to a building as a whole or to a specified area (room, floor, lab, etc.). Only with a verified print will an individual be permitted access to the space.
• Saving Time and Reducing Errors – Human resources and payroll specialists have extensive duties as it is. Making good use of technologically-advanced fingerprint time and attendance systems frees these professionals up to provide assistance to employees and maintain overall business functioning. HR and payroll no longer have to worry about processing attendance records or miscalculating each employee’s total hours (and earned pay) when there is a digital record of each available.

Biometric systems have allowed companies to maintain a closer eye on employee movements. These tracking systems are advanced, using fingerprints and other markers to establish to identities of individuals, making it nearly impossible for employees to cheat the system. Extended lunches are things of the past, so is clocking your best friend in each morning. Productivity is key, and maintaining accurate attendance and access is a means of achieving it!

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Ease and Convenience

Some companies still live in the Stone Age when it comes to employee time tracking. They use the old-fashioned time clock for workers to punch in and out on, create paper documents that require workers to record their in and out times on with a pen, or require employees to maintain a simple spreadsheet document on their computers breaking down time in and out as well as total hours. Let’s be honest: all of these methods are tedious. Web-based time tracking software is both convenient and easy because workers just log in (in the morning) and out (in the evening) to create records of in-office time. Additionally, the company needn’t worry about the time and energy it would take human resources personnel to double-check and add up written or printed timesheets.

 Affordability

The internet has made life easy in so many ways. The benefit of any online service and particularly online time management is that it is affordable. Think about the popularity of online shopping, for instance. E-commerce didn’t grow simply because we’re all lazy; it grew because customers can get the same products for less money and less time than it would take to buy that little black dress in the department store (think about what you spend on shipping versus gas, for example, or the time and frustration saved by shopping online and avoiding malls and crowds). The same is true of time management tracking, only instead of saving on shipping, you save time, labor and money that would otherwise be spent to pay HR or payroll people to sit and calculate employee hours and wages. There are more beneficial ways for your staff to spend their time.

 Productivity and Billing

Aside from the mundane task of time and attendance tracking, online time management serves the purpose of both assessing company productivity and allowing for accurate billing of clients. Functions within time management software allow employees to note what projects they worked on, how long they worked on each project and which clients the work was done for. This allows everyone to see how much headway is being made in various parts of the organization and also bills hourly clients accurately.

Using time and attendance tracking software aids in the efficiency of employee and task monitoring. Your organization can be a dinosaur or it can be an innovator in running the business. Ease of use, affordability and additional benefits of online time management make good business sense! It’s your choice!

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What is SaaS?

Software as a Service (SaaS) is a way to give users access to software programs in a remote way. When using SaaS services, individuals or organizations can access necessary software from a provider which grants access completely over the internet. For example, Amazon Web Services, Google Apps and HubSpot all fall under the Saas umbrella because all are hosted entirely online.

SaaS Features

SaaS applications often have a number of features that make them appealing to not only human resources but also those in other industries and individual users. The easy-to-use nature of SaaS programs is definitely a perk, and so are these:

• SaaS applications are hosted online by the provider, which means that they make program updates and changes, not you. This reduces the technical burden on a company.
• The application provider has access to your information and data. When there’s an issue, trained professionals can troubleshoot the problem, redesign part of the program or implement changes.
• SaaS providers can track user behavior, a plus because it allows them to see what needs improvement.

Benefits of SaaS

In addition to the above features, SaaS applications have several financial and technical benefits:

• Application pricing and charges are implemented by charging either a monthly or annual fee.
• Given that the provider handles the technical aspects of the program by hosting it elsewhere and maintaining it, your company does not have to install or perform maintenance on anything.

Software as a Service is accessible to anyone for just about anything, be it casual email and document creation or software for human resources. Online applications are easier to use than ever before and they’re affordable, making them attractive to companies and individuals. Why not trust your company’s software needs to a SaaS provider? After all, diverting time, effort and energy that would otherwise be spent on navigating software applications will give the human resources department more time to meet employee needs!

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Employees Feel Invisible and/or Isolated

Often, though usually unintentional, workers in office environments feel disconnected. It may be that their managers exclusively use digital communications or that human resources discourages intra-office collaboration and socialization. Whatever the case, such situations contribute to the unhappiness of a workforce. Luckily, there are a few quick fixes for either case.

For the supervisor who relies entirely on digital communication via email or chat systems, a change in communication style is in order. Emailing is most certainly convenient when people are busy and cannot devote time to a lengthy conversation, however, workers benefit from face time with superiors. The ability to approach a supervisor in person allows employees to feel heard and encourages a sense of bonding.

Some offices promote a culture of workers who sit in their cubicles and type all day. This is productive in a sense because it ensures that necessary duties are being fulfilled. However, people are, well, people…and they need to interact with one another. The anti-collaboration, anti-socialization office model may be improved by permitting the opposite. While maintaining a disciplined working environment, colleagues who are able to bounce project ideas off one another contribute to overall office productivity by developing and implementing projects. Likewise, those who are permitted a minute or two to say “Hello” or tell a joke at the water cooler become more comfortable with one another and develop greater trust.

Employees Feel Stuck

Too common nowadays is the tendency for our workforce to fall into a rut. This is definitely made worse by a flailing economy and a shortage of more challenging positions. Countless individuals spend their 9 – 5 doing simple tasks like data entry, typing memos and the like without being challenged. While it’s true that better opportunities can be hard to come by, businesses should consider making the best use out of their workers.

As employees, we want to do things, we want to learn. To get us “unstuck,” managers should strive to provide additional education opportunities, mentoring programs and other professional development initiatives. Consistent feedback from supervisors and regular performance appraisals also allow an employee to identify weaknesses and learn new ways to improve.

Employees Feel Underappreciated

Probably the most universally-felt workplace struggle is a lack of appreciation. At any stage of their professional lives, workers may feel as though employers do not value their contributions. This can be as a result of poor communication within the organization, rarely hearing “Thank you” upon completing a vital task, etc. The resulting impression is that each employee is “just another number.”

Managers and HR professionals seeking to foster a dedicated, happy workforce should consciously show appreciation. No matter what the expectations of the job or employee are, thanking them for turning in a report early or praising a job well done on a project goes a long way. If some greater success has been gained by an employee, consider even announcing it at the weekly meeting. We’re not children, who need to constantly be patted on the back for doing the right thing, but we are people, and we become more motivated to keep working hard when an occasional kind word is extended. Never underestimate the power of words.

Each and every one of us hits a snag at some point in our professional lives. To get past it, managers and human resources personnel can be instrumental in improving the work experience. From improving communication practices to acknowledging individual contributions, those in supervisory roles have the power to inspire employee confidence, increase engagement and ultimately increase productivity. Value your workforce!

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Third Party Recruiters

For every position that is posted on Monster, Craigslist or any other job board, there are potentially up to hundreds of applicants. Companies are often busy with day-to-day activities, making it exceedingly difficult to sift through a growing mound of resumes. One way to overcome this is to reach out to a third party recruiting firm. It becomes the recruiter’s duty to post the job details online or in the paper, evaluate resumes and then conduct preliminary phone interviews. The recruiter will narrow that list of hundreds of applicants to perhaps a list of ten, leaving the hiring company free to concentrate on business productivity. To gain a better feel for who really is the candidate; however, the hiring company should conduct onsite interviews themselves.

Job-Specific Applications and Surveys

In addition to, or perhaps in lieu of recruiting services, any employer would benefit from good use of specialized job applications. No matter the nature of the position, be it for a grocery store stock clerk or an agency account executive, tailoring application questions to the job is helpful. Information included is also likely to be found in a candidate’s resume, though with limited explanation. Things like “Rank your skill level in customer service from 1 to 10” and “Do you have any substantial employment gaps? If so, please explain.” give a more accurate representation of someone than the words “customer service” or a huge unemployment period in the body of their resume. Specialized web-based applications also provide the benefit of accurately tracking the number of applicants.

Comprehensive Background Checks

Background checks may be used as either pre-employment screening tools or post-interview tools. They are unfortunate necessities these days, as job applicants may frequently prove not to be who they say they are. It’s not that someone is lying about their name, for example, but stretching the truth on why they lost a previous job or about criminal convictions does happen. Companies not only want qualified workers, but they want good people too. Yet another way to get to know potential new employees, background checks provide accurate personal histories. These checkups are not necessarily something to be feared by jobseekers; however, as small infractions like stealing a pack of gum at the age of 12 are unlikely to matter much.

Human resources is made easy with the right tools to hire standout employees. Any or all of these pre-employment screening services may be used to find the right fit for an organization, as well as help companies learn more about their candidates. Get to know applicants to make the best choice!

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The Plus Side to Online Payroll

Probably the biggest turn on for those implementing and using an online payroll system is the freedom of convenience. Online payment is appealing because…

• For employers and HR professionals, the hard work is done behind the scenes. Upon entering essential information like hours and pay rate for each worker, HR needs only to wait for aspects such as tax filing to be added into the equation to generate accurate pay records, rather than using valuable business time to do it.
• These same professionals have the ability to review prior to submission or later access individual employee records and view gross and net pay information by individual or the entire company on easy-to-use menu-based online payroll software.
• Employees have the ability to access their payroll information no matter what. Unlike the traditional model of being paid and receiving only an accompanying paper statement, employees have anytime access to payments. With necessary login information, workers can check the status of a payment from their computers, tablets or mobile devices. And if Joe Employee wants to rent an apartment and is required to present a paystub; he no longer has to go home to get the paperwork!
• An additional benefit for employees is that if an issue is discovered, quick access to online payroll services make it easier to spot and quicker to bring to the attention of human resources.

The Desirableness of Direct Deposit

Online payroll’s close cousin is the direct deposit payment distribution method. Most companies offer this option now, allowing employee paychecks to be deposited digitally right into their bank accounts. For both the company and employees alike, this system comes with a number of benefits…

• Companies using direct deposit reduce the risk of lost or stolen checks, which could happen if paper checks were to be handed out or mailed.
• Companies save both manpower and money by using an electronic payment method, as checks don’t need to be written and sent by anyone, and transaction fees from the company bank and payroll servicer are lower.
• Companies reduce their environmental footprint by paying digitally, as paper is not wasted in the printing of checks.
• Companies can use online HR and direct deposit software to schedule employee payments for specific days, in advance, to unlimited bank accounts.

• Companies have enhanced control over payment issues, as discrepancies can be viewed easier online and reconciled by reviewing account records.

• For employees, the need to make time for visiting the bank to deposit checks is eliminated.
• With the scheduled nature of direct deposit, employees know without worry when funds are deposited.
• Employees often have the option to split each pay between several bank accounts, for example depositing into both checking and savings accounts.
• Employees needn’t wait until after a major holiday to get paid like they would with a paper check, as pays are often scheduled to occur early.

Both online payroll and direct deposit have revolutionized and simplified the way we think of paychecks and payroll processing. Gone are the days of spending countless hours toiling away at complex calculations and inconvenient bank trips. Here are the days of improved pay distribution and access!

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However, finding ways to boost employee productivity can be difficult. Every manager’s situation is different, so it can be hard to pinpoint problems and lay out options for a solution. Nevertheless, here are some tips that may help you.

Leadership
It’s important to be an effective leader. You need your employees to look up to your role of management. If you can inspire and influence them, they will be much more likely to help you meet your goals. Their job will suddenly become more than just a job. You can be an effective leader in many ways.

• Encourage your employees to be better
• Ask them how they are doing on a frequent basis
• Develop a personal relationship with each employee
• Ask them how you can be a better manager
• Ask for their feedback on the company (what they like and don’t like, policies, etc.)

More importantly, you should never expect your employees to do something that you wouldn’t do yourself. Just because you have a higher position doesn’t mean you are more important than them. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty with your employees.

Stay Accountable

Another thing you can do to improve employee productivity is employ methods to help keep accountability. For example, attendance software can help you keep track of clock-in and clock-out times. Voice your expectations. Your employees should know that they need to be on time for work, and when they are clocked-in, it is time to put their personal life on hold and help the company progress.

On the subject of clocking in and out, when it is their break time, allow them to take full advantage of that time. They should not expect to still have to work on their lunch break. Sure, there are always exceptions, but if you really don’t need their help, let them go on break and enjoy it.

Continue Employee Education

You should always strive to provide continued education. Companies continually grow and change, so your employees should be willing to change and adapt as well. Continued education will help reinforce certain skills and character traits that are necessary for a productive employee. Try to create an organized learning environment to help keep track of training and ensure that your employees are being trained to standard.

Hopefully, these tips will help you boost employee productivity in your company. Remember, everything rises and falls on leadership, so make sure what you do, counts.

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Social Networking Can Work to HR’s Advantage

Popular social networking sites such as Facebook have proven beneficial to HR personnel for a number of reasons. First of all, the are able to quickly communicate with potential employees as well as discover unique talents possessed by job candidates. At the same time, red flags can also become evident, and hiring a poor fit for the job can be avoided.

Overhead Saved Through E-learning

Colleges have implemented it, even some middle and high schools are considering offering classes online. In the business world, this can save thousands of dollars on overhead expenses. By providing new employees access to training material online, they can study company policies and procedures in the comfort of their own home without having to use up company overhead.

Computerized Performance Monitoring

New human resources technology and software programs have made it easier than ever to monitor individual employees. This can save hours of time for large businesses. Best of all, the software can be accessed by various managers within the company. When combined, a quick snapshot of the overall value of an employee can be immediately gathered. Furthermore, such detailed documentation can help make the lives of HR managers easier as disgruntled employees can be more easily dealt with when this information is available.

Employee Self-Service
Anyone who has worked in HR for any length of time understands the disadvantages of having to personally provide various records and information to employees. Often, employees need forms such as proof of income to apply for loans, assistance and other things. Instead of having to act as a personal secretary for employees, those implementing the use of employee selfservice are able to direct employees to all of the information they could need online. From check stubs and vacation time to training materials and more, this can prove to be a very beneficial tool.

Bridge the Gap

While technological advances in the workplace such as virtual organization have made it possible for employees to work from home, these employees lack the benefits of physical contact with coworkers. It is often up to the HR professional to bridge the gap between home-based employees and the physical company.
While human resources technology is expected to continue to grow, professionals must not forget the importance of face-to-face contact, and they should be able to link home-based employees with the rest of the staff.

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2013 Session Dates:

Friday, February 15th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 2:30 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 11:30 PM Pacific)
Friday, May 17th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 2:30 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 11:30 PM Pacific)
Friday, August 16th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 2:30 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 11:30 PM Pacific)
Friday, November 15th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 2:30 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 11:30 PM Pacific)

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2013 Upcoming Session Dates:

Friday, January 25th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Friday, February 22nd – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Friday, March 15th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Friday, April 26th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Friday, May 24th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Friday, June 14th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Friday, July 26th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Friday, August 23rd – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Friday, September 13th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Friday, October 25th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific
Friday, November 22nd – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific
Friday, December 13th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific

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2013 Upcoming Session Dates:

Thursday, January 24th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Thursday, February 21st – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Thursday, March 14th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Thursday, April 25th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Thursday, May 23rd – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Thursday, June 13th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Thursday, July 25th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Thursday, August 22nd – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Thursday, September 12th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Thursday, October 24th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific
Thursday, November 21st – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific
Thursday, December 12th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific

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2013 Upcoming Session Dates:

Friday, January 18th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Friday, February 8th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Friday, March 8th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Friday, April 19th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Friday, May 10th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Friday, June 7th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Friday, July 19th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Friday, August 9th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Friday, September 6th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Friday, October 18th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific
Friday, November 8th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific
Friday, December 6th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific

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2013 Session Dates:

Thursday, January 17th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Thursday, February 7th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Thursday, March 7th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Thursday, April 18th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Thursday, May 9th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Thursday, June 6th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Thursday, July 18th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Thursday, August 8th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Thursday, September 5th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific)
Thursday, October 17th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific
Thursday, November 7th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific
Thursday, December 5th – From 1:00 PM Eastern to 3:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific to 12:00 PM Pacific

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Question
First ask yourself what the project is meant to accomplish. There is an issue that occurs in many large companies that a project is handed out without much regard for what it is meant to do. The truth of the matter is that if you want to make sure that a project goes well, you need to know what the end goal is meant to be. This can help prevent you from doing redundant or unnecessary work and it can also help you direct your resources more effectively.

Set a Schedule
When you want to look into simplifying projects and streamlining workflow, you are going to need to think about setting a schedule. This does not mean that you need to set a completion date for every small task that goes into the project. Instead, all it means is that you need to know what should be done when. This allows you to keep the project moving forward, and it also prevents things like procrastination. It will also let you know weeks before the due date if you are going to be early or if you need an extension.

Don’t Micromanage
When you are someone who is in charge of a project, there is often a temptation to check in with the people who are working for you. While checking in is fine, micromanaging is not. There is a very fine line between being an excellent manager and being one that gets in the way. Make sure that you do not hound people for progress reports. If you do ask for project reports, make sure that you ask for them in a way that does not create more work for the people in question.

Be Honest
When you are working on a project, it is always important to be honest with yourself and the people around you. There are simply too many people out there who fib and outright lie when it comes to progress reports and budgets. Do not be one of those people; your workers can sense it, and if they are worried and irritated, they will not be giving you their best work.

If you are invested in making sure that your projects go well, consider the tips above before finalizing your project plan.

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What Recruiters Can Do For You
Recruiters can drastically reduce the time and workload associated with hiring a skilled professional. You can provide a recruiter with a detailed job description for the position you are trying to fill. The recruiter can develop the job listing on your behalf and can post it in locations that range from local newspapers to various online job search sites. All resumes will be submitted to the recruiter, and the recruiter will work to screen applicants based on a review of the resume, a phone interview and even a preliminary, face-to-face interview. Only those applicants that pass through this initial process will be submitted to you. Through these steps, you can be ensured that you spend your time considering only the most qualified candidates.

The Drawbacks Associated With Using Recruiting Services
There are, however, drawbacks associated with using recruiting services. First, these services can be expensive and the more reliant a company becomes on a recruiter the more expensive the hiring process. In addition, there are certain instances when the best candidate does not quite fit the defined parameters that were provided to the recruiter. A recruiter may filter out a candidate who may lack certain educational or work experience requirements but who may otherwise be perfect for the job or who may have other compensating factors.

While some companies will decide to put the services of a recruiter to use, others want to retain greater control over the hiring process. If you fall into the latter group, you may consider implementing the use of personnel recruiting software to improve the management of your recruiting efforts. Personnel recruiting software provides you with the ability to filter candidates through features like resume parsing and candidate ranking. All resumes may be stored in your office and you will have complete control to define the parameters of your search. If you do not find the ideal candidate with an initial search, you can adjust the parameters with ease to filter resumes and look for candidates who may fall slightly outside the original parameters of your search.

Sources: http://www.akken.com/solutions/personnel-recruiting-software/

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