Employer branding is the method of promoting company culture and reputation to attract and retain high quality job applicants. In today’s job market, employers are in a constant battle with competitors to snag top talent that will remain with the company long term.  There is an increasing amount of evidence linking successful attraction and retention rates to businesses using employer branding strategies.  As a result, more companies are becoming aware and involved with branding recruitment, with 61% already implementing it while 25% are planning to in the near future.  What’s it all about?

• Improvements In Applicant Quality:  Businesses using proper branding strategies have seen a drastic improvement of incoming candidate quality for job positions.  Prospective and passive candidates who are familiar with your brand, or can become easily informed, are eager to apply for a company they deem an ideal place to work.  According to a 2015 survey,  respondents cited brand reputation as one of the top three factors when making career decisions.  That same survey also found that experienced candidates are more likely to approach recruiters based on branding perception.  Companies who provide transparency in its values, incentives, and relationships with employees will attract candidates with a clear understanding of how they’d fit within a culture and add value to its brand.

• Increase Of Passive Candidates: Companies with ongoing commitment to branding are able to source candidates who are knowingly or unknowingly passive.  CareerBuilder led a survey that analyzed 265,000 job postings concluding companies with active branding experienced 3.5% more applicants per job posting than any other company in their industry.  In addition, the Corporate Leadership Council surveyed 90 organizations with 28,000 new hires and tenured employees revealing organizations with a managed employer brand could source over 60% of the labor market compared to 40% of companies without it.   Strong brands can create a talent community base with a heightened sense of motivation to seek employment with their preferred employer.

• Lower Recruitment Costs & Quicker Time-To-Fill:  With job seekers more likely to apply for branded companies and more willing to contact recruiters, this can significantly cut down on recruitment costs and time-to-fill deadlines.   Recruiters will spend less time waiting for candidates to apply, less time focusing on posting job advertisements, and more time reviewing a likely large applicant pool with qualified candidates.  Not to mention, employer branding often involves social media, providing platforms for recruiters to post job opportunities that can reach a large audience while providing resources for prospects.  Plus, it’s free to use.  One study revealed that 30% of candidates said they used social media sites like Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn to learn more about companies and open job positions.

• Less Turnover: Turnover is the rate at which employees leave a company and are replaced.  According to CareerBuilder, 35% of workers cited that, in general, they voluntarily left a job because of company management. 67% said they would not, or are not sure, if they would recommend their employer to others while 34% valued their company as a, “poor” or “extremely poor” place to work. These are harsh indications of poor company culture and are typically unknown to a new employee at the time of hire.  Companies with branding are almost always guaranteed to live up to their promise, or risk sacrificing reputation.  Serious, qualified candidates know that highly reputable companies are the best places to work, and businesses who brag about their company normally provide evidence to back it up.  That is not to say that companies who are viewed as not-so-fun places to work can’t improve.  It’s important for management to be honest and willing to implement new changes that will improve company culture and perception. Employer branding research can be the starting point towards success.

In a competitive economy, businesses are looking to secure the best new hires by actively managing their image as a positive place to work.  Although investment in employer branding is an ongoing process, and new methods are needed to enhance reputation, it will solidify a company’s position within an industry and influence qualified talent to engage you for employment!

*Managing and organizing a large amount of incoming applications is not easy without an applicant tracking system.  Request a demo or visit our homepage to learn more about how our software can help streamline your hiring process, assist in your branding strategy, and help you proactively recruit for the best talent in your industry!

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By: Alex Goldfarb, Spencer Pereless & Nikki Holcombe

The new Pokemon Go augmented reality gaming app is a huge hit among millennials. Created by Nintendo, players traverse the physical world using a digital map on their smartphones to catch virtual Pokemon that “appear” at popular places in their area. Not only is Pokemon Go a craze, but it encompasses characteristics that are parallel to the world of HR and recruitment.

1. Proactive Pokemon Hunting

The best Pokemon are almost never going to be right in front of you when you open the app. The best characters are located in popular places around town, places that require you to get out and proactively look for them. In recruiting, it is often more effective to go out and find candidates rather than letting them find you. Sometimes, the best candidates are passive and unaware of your company, but if you use Candidate Relationship Management (CRM) provided from Applicant Tracking System (ATS), there is a good possibility that you will find the best candidate and Pokemon. Proactive recruiting and proactive Pokemon hunting are a must have tool and skill in these days in order to find the best candidates and pokemon out there.

2. Right Tools to “Catch Em All”

In Pokemon Go, people look through their smartphone cameras to find Pokémon. When an animated creature appears, they toss Pokéballs at it until it is subdued. There is often a desirable character right in front of a player, but if there were no Pokeballs left, it would be impossible to catch it. Similarly, there are often quality candidates somewhere in your talent pool, or passively existing on websites like LinkedIn, but if you do not possess the correct tools, like an ATS, CRM and a good hiring manager, these candidates will slip away and be snagged up by one of your competitors. A similar situation happens in Pokemon Go when a Pokemon is not caught in a quick amount of time–it is be picked up by someone else. With the correct tools, one can find and acquire the perfect candidate for a job position, and catch whatever Pokemon happen to cross their path.

3. Using a “Lure Module” incentive

When your friends, family members, or acquaintances tell you there is a large amount of Pokemon nearby, you are going actively search for them. Similarly, when someone you know posts about a job opportunity at a company they love, it can help “lure” people into applying for the position. Referral programs are social postings about openings within a company, and they are one of the key drivers for hiring success and increasing company’s brand through employee incentive referral programs. Similar to Pokemon Go tracking popular capture spots, an ATS can record traffic and sources on these referral posts just like the GPS on Pokemon Go tracks the popular capture spots. Players who go to Pokemon populated areas receive the reward of catching multiple characters at once, whereas employees who refer successful new hires receive rewards in the form of monetary bonus.

4. Location, Location, Location

In order to find the pokemon that you want, you need know where to look.  For instance, to catch characters like Horsea or Magikarp, you need to be near water since they belong in aquatic environments.  This is the same concept for recruiting. You need to be able to post to the right job boards in order to find the best fit for your company. With the Sourcing Analytics provided from your Applicant Tracking System (ATS), you can direct your resource to maximize your ROI, and find the best candidates.

5. Patience for Pikachu

In the beginning of Pokemon Go the player is given the option to choose either Charmander, Squirtle, or Bulbasaur. Rather than picking one of these three Pokemon to start your Pokemon Go journey, some users walk away and explore new options. When exploring new options users are greeted by a Pikachu as their starter pokemon. Likewise, many companies, when they have a vital employee resign, rush to hire the first decent candidate that comes along. Instead, hiring managers should wait and conduct many interviews in order to ensure that they are getting the “Pikachu” or the best option possible. With an ATS, it is easier to preface many options about a candidate, and with the schedule feature, it is easy to fit and organize many interviews into a single day for countless new hire options.

Request a demo today to see how Pereless Systems Solution can transform your recruiting to catch em all!

Pokémon Go, Pokémon, Gotta catch em all, and Pokémon character names are trademarks of Nintendo and respective Companies.

FREMONT, CA—Jun 20, 2016— Pereless Systems, a leading provider of Recruitment Management solutions, has been listed as one of the 20 Most Promising HR Technology Solution Providers 2016 by CIOReview.

“We are pleased to recognize Pereless Systems as one among the 20 Most Promising HR Technology Solution Providers 2016,” said Jeevan George, Managing Editor of CIOReview. “Pereless Systems’ proven track record of successful client deployments in HR arena demonstrates its prowess by offering recruitment management solutions that helps to meet large companies’ recruitment processes.”  

Pereless Systems is specialized in providing products and services like Applicant Tracking System, Recruitment Management Software, On-boarding Software, Pre-Employment Services, HR Software, ATS Software, and Cloud Based Recruiting. It provides a top tier Applicant Tracking System with first-class customer support and innovative new features. Its Applicant Tracking System (ATS) helps organizations in finding talent and stay competitive while keeping up with federal requirements and regulations. It develops products to meet the growing demands of HR Recruiters to take their recruiting process paperless while retaining valuable candidate records for reporting.

About CIOReview

Published from Fremont, California, CIOReview is a print magazine that explores and understands the plethora of ways adopted by firms to execute the smooth functioning of their businesses. A distinguished panel comprising of CEOs, CIOs, IT VPs including CIOReview editorial board finalized the “20 Most Promising HR Technology Solution Providers 2016” in the U.S. and shortlisted the best vendors and consultants. For more info visit: http://www.cioreview.com

About Pereless Systems

Pereless Systems is a software company founded in 2000 with its headquarters in Red Bank, New Jersey. Its main business objective is to develop an innovative, web-based ATS solution that could help businesses perform essential recruiting and employment duties more efficiently. For more information visit: http://www.pereless.com/

Written By: Alex Goldfarb

Successful internships are a win-win endeavor for both a driven student and a company.  The student is gaining valuable insight into the working world, their major or area of expertise, and a possible future job, where a company is getting to see first-hand how a potential candidate performs and integrates to the workplace culture—hopefully keeping them on the radar for future employment.  There are many horror stories about internships going wrong, but with a few helpful hints for the intern and the employer, your summer internship is a sure success!

For the intern:

• Dress for success: Even if the company is casual, it’s better to come a bit over dressed rather than sloppy on your first day. Try nice pants and a blouse or button up for a safe choice.
• Be aware of company goals and culture: What does the company sell? Who is the owner? Who is the CEO? Even if your position is temporary, and you never come into contact with the owners, it helps to have done your research on the organization you’re working with.
• Be outgoing: By no means should you discuss your wicked hangover with coworkers, however learning a bit about their family and social lives will break the ice and impress coworkers—making the job space enjoyable and allowing you to build future personal connections.
• Ask questions and take guidance: If a boss or coworker gives you advice, TAKE IT! They are definitely giving it for a reason. Also, if you don’t understand something, asking is the best way to learn and get better at your job.
• Challenge yourself: You want to show that you can accept and complete a challenge. Your first internship should be an opportunity to step out of your comfort zone to discover your strengths and weaknesses.

For the employer:

• Make a list of things to be done: Your interns often have no idea what to expect. Having a checklist or some sort of structure will enable them to create goals and monitor their progress during the internship period.
• Provide feedback and give opportunity for questions: Make your interns feel comfortable and able to ask questions if they are having trouble. It is clear that you are in power, but making the temporary employee feel at home ensures a better chance that they will want to return in the future.
• Prepare your other employees: Especially if your interns are volunteering their time, a mentor is top priority in order to create successful internships. Before interns start, discuss goals and expectations with the current employees that will guide them in the right direction.
• Understand what the intern wants: Does your intern intend to someday work for your company full time, or merely want another bullet point on their resume? Are they in it for the money or the experience, or both?  Knowing these things beforehand ensures that you and your interns are on the same page before the season begins.

By considering these simple tips, companies and students will greatly benefit from internships.  Go out there this intern season prepared and ready to act with dignity and step out a bit of your comfort zone.  Best of luck to all interns this summer!

Written By: Nolan Pereless

A potential employee steps into the hiring manager’s office and feels confident in their chances to earn the position they had applied for. They have been practicing the interview process and developing potential questions in which they will be able to answer to feel self- assured. However, the first thing that the applicant meets in the office is the hiring manager with his computer screen portraying their Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account. The potential employee realizes that he had forgot one step in the process, which is depicting their personal life in a respective manner. For many companies this could be considered the make it or break it for obtaining a job with them, however many people still don’t understand why it is such a big deal.

Through the hiring process, with the use of an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) the company is able to see the candidates information. They can access their education, previous jobs and any accomplishments or skills that they believe will help enhance the company. However, the candidate is never asked or required to post their social media accounts, and applicants undermine a thorough check of their accounts as well. Let’s just say that a couple nights ago, this person was out drinking and some pictures were taken of the night and tagged to their Facebook account. Some of these pictures that were taken could be considered difficult or unpleasant for other users. The same goes for the company as well. A picture that could be totally harmless to the people in the company, could harmfully affect their business in the long run. Not only does the candidate’s reputation diminish, but so does the company’s. So make an effort to check your account before the interview process, defeating any chances of being questioned about the events you have had in the past.

Besides the fact that it could potentially destroy the company, there are many positives to researching your candidate before extracting them. The first is developing a sense of where they are in the recruiting process. If they had been called in for the initial interview and are awaiting further instructions, a search through the candidate’s social media profile will determine whether or not to they are qualified. The second positive aspect to this is singling out future problems. Someone may fill out an application, provide credentials and upload a resume, but a background check of a candidate’s social media account will develop whether or not the company should continue the hiring process. Next, it is a good first way of getting to know their future employees. By searching through their social media accounts, they will come across similar interests and experiences that will help set the mood for the interview making the candidate more comfortable and open. Finally, social media is a good way to keep up with existing employees. Similar to the hiring process a company’s reputation could be hurt through the personal lives of current employees. Not only will they have the chance to talk to their employees about specific posts, but will help make it easier to fire anyone who could be a potential threat as well.

To get this straight, LinkedIn does not define itself as social media. It is a social networking site that is designed for the working community. In someone’s LinkedIn profile, they will hold their resume compiled full of their past experiences and accomplishments, along with a short biography defining the person they believe themselves to be. The hiring manager may take a look at your LinkedIn and approve of it, however that is not the only thing they are checking. Other social media sites with an applicant’s name on it will show the real person they are and will determine whether or not they are cut out for a position in the company. People need to stop worrying about whether or not their LinkedIn accounts are up to date and start worrying about the past that they have created through their social media accounts.

Social Media is an amazing way to begin the hiring process and an easier way of identifying the true nature behind some of these applicants. We see it most useful when deciding where to place each applicant while going through the hiring process. This includes whether or not they are suitable to be given the job, set up for an interview, or being considered unqualified. It also will determine whether or not they should be given the initial interview in the first place. Do not let your social media become your life. There is no need to post every minute on your Facebook and Twitter, or every picture that you take to Instagram. Instead, post pictures that depict you as a hard worker. Someone who is willing to go out of their way to help the world and make it a better place. Always make sure to keep a respectful and well kept account because you never know who is looking.

Most of our days are spent being reactive. Whether it’s our phone ringing, our email pinging, or a glass falling and shattering to the floor, we immediately react and respond once it happens. When it comes to candidates applying for our open job positions, we do the same: react and vet their qualifications. While we cannot predict when we’ll receive a phone call or an email, we can become proactive when it comes to sourcing candidates for open jobs.

In today’s job market, the process of seeking new employees is primarily the same for all companies: A new job opportunity is posted on social media, job boards, or a company’s website while a Human Resource professional watches and waits for new candidate resumes to flow through their Applicant Tracking System or their email inbox. They wait to react to this influx of data to read through and dissect it searching for the perfect candidate for their open positions. Basically once the job is posted everything else that follows suit is reactive until hiring takes place.

In comes our superpower, “seeing into the future!” While we cannot literally determine the future, we can provide the tools that allow us all of the “superpower” ability to be proactive with our recruiting efforts. Meet Pro-Link by Pereless Systems. Perhaps there’s an upcoming project on the horizon that will require hiring new employees, or your company goes through seasonal attrition and you need to fill some positions, or there’s a top priority of building a pool of qualified candidates for future recruitment–whatever the case may be–Pro-Link is the key to being proactive. This tool will aide in actively seeking out and building a database of qualified passive candidates that are a perfect fit for your company’s open positions. Some of these candidates might be employed at companies just like yours, (we can discover this from viewing their public social media profiles). With Pro-Link, you can now capture and store their information, start conversations with them, and attract them to your organization’s future job opportunities–all while tracking your activity and efforts.

If I could choose, I wouldn’t drop a glass on the floor, get into a car accident, or fall down the stairs, but unfortunately I can’t see into the future to know these things will happen. When it comes to recruiting, I do choose to put my superpower to use, and become proactive with my processes. Even if I am not hiring someone today, I know that soon I might need to, so I can become proactive in my efforts by building my own talent pool of qualified candidates to seek out when the time comes. It’s that simple, and with Pro-Link I am a superhero!

So…… what’s your superpower?

Use your Proactive superpower with CRM from Pereless Today!

Finding the Right Person

To have a successful company, you need to have successful people. Recruiting successful people can be very difficult, however we can simplify this task. The process should be short, sweet and right to the point. If the hiring manager tackles it the right way, then finding your future employees shouldn’t be so difficult. There are multiple different fields you can tackle to make sure the recruiting process is run efficiently.

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