Personnel recruiters work to find, interview, and screen applicants capable of filling existing and anticipated job openings within their company. They also are responsible for promoting career opportunities within the organization.

There are a number of ways a personnel recruiter might find potential candidates, but one of the most popular and efficient ways is by using a company ATS, which allows job seekers to apply for specific jobs and provide information the company wants to know.

On a typical day, a personnel recruiter will interview applicants to find out various information about their qualifications, and will then refer the applicants he or she likes to the company’s hiring manager. The personnel recruiter is then responsible for contacting candidates to inform them of their application status.

Personnel recruiters are often responsible for conducting a background check (Click here) on job seekers to make sure information on their resume and statements made during interviews are accurate. They also inform employees of the company’s staffing policies and procedures.

When looking at the job description template (Click here) of a personnel recruiter, candidates for the positions must have certain knowledge, including:

• Principles and procedures for recruiting, selection, and training
• The English language
• Providing customer and personal services
• Business and management principles
• Media production and communication techniques
• The legal aspects of hiring new employees
• Technology related to ATS
• Administrative and clerical procedures
• How to design a training curriculum for new employees
• How to promote and sell products or services

Candidates for a personnel recruiter position also must have certain skills, including the ability to: listen to, read, write, and understand information; communicate information and ideas to others; and identify and understand how other people communicate.

The Jobvite Social Recruiting Survey 2010 found that the majority of companies are using social media as their primary recruiting tool. The report was based on an online survey of 600 participants between May and June.

The majority of companies have learned how to use social networking sites effectively, as 58 percent of survey respondents said they have successfully hired employees by using some form of social media.

Of the employers who are actively hiring this year, 92 percent said they currently use social networks for recruiting new employees or plan to do so in the near future. At the same time, the majority of companies have decreased or left unchanged the amount of money spent on more traditional tools.

LinkedIn remains the favored site of recruiters, used by 78 percent of respondents, followed by Facebook at 55 percent. Twitter saw the most growth, as it’s currently used by 45 percent of employers, which is a huge increase from the zero recruiters who used the site during 2008.

And a note to job seekers - 38 percent of employers said they always search for an applicant’s social networking profiles during the background check process, while 32 percent of companies said they do so sometimes.

Most recruiting software applications allow candidates to quickly input their information and either create a new resume or upload an existing document. Sometimes the process appears to be so easy that job seekers forget to go back and double check exactly what it is they’re submitting to their potential employer.

Simply typing in a bunch of nonsensical information or uploading an old, out-of-date resume can easily get you thrown out of the candidate pool.

“Making errors on your resume just screams, ‘I’m careless, I don’t care to double-check my work or have a friend look it over, and that’s exactly the same sloppy, lazy effort I’ll give you as my employer,’” Tony Katsulos, head of Jetstream Public Relations, told Yahoo! HotJobs.

Here are some of the worst resume mistakes made by real job seekers:
Careless Errors

• “Speak, read, and wright English/Spanish.”
• The first name “Barabara” instead of “Barbara.”
• The resume objective of a job seeker applying for a position as a security manager stated she wanted a job as a nurse.
• A candidate called a company by a competitor’s name.
• “I’m very detale oriented.”
• A potential candidate wrote “psychology professor” as “pschyo. professor” and “analytic philosophy” as “anal. philosophy.”

Too Much Information

• “GPA: 2.0″
• One job seeker noted he could not interview immediately because he was serving time for embezzlement.
• “I was fired.”
• Social Security numbers on a resume.

Bad Judgment

• A job seeker included a glamor photo and picture of himself at the gym with his resume for an administrative position with a financial services provider.
• E-mail addresses such as Bostoncutiee22@example.com
• Using a free return-address sticker on a resume instead of typing out the information.
• Reducing a three-page resume and cover letter onto one page.

To avoid making mistakes like these, try using JResume to create a custom resume that you can link to while applying for jobs.

Since all, you’d detest for any suited employees nearby to go off to work for your challengers, wouldn’t your business? HR software can serve to ensure that you are cognizant about the desirable methods to fulfil a department opening. Although, with so countless options out at hand, how should you uncover the accurate platform?

First, appraise your business to specify its necessities and however you fancy to manage your recruitment. That which can be of use at a big corporation can represent exceedingly much for a smaller business. Regard where you envision your company heading in the near years in order to make certainly that you could not rapidly outgrow the recruitment package selection you determine to move on. package providers prevail that cater to employers in a kind of career industries with all assorted workforce sizes.

Face in to the it reenforcement choices of the program in uncertainty. Could your business reach somebody 24 hours a day of the week? Is there a variety of methods to remain in reach with someone that possibly could help? There might come a daytime whilst your business will want those persons and should choose an alternative that will most likely correspond proper with how your department works.

Ultimate Software recently announced that it will host a complimentary Interactive HR Workshop on June 17 at The Plaza Hotel in New York, N.Y. The workshop will offer step-by-step solutions that other companies have developed in order to solve their toughest organization problems.

“Have you ever wondered how other HR executives are dealing with the business challenges you face every day?” Ultimate Software notes. “What are their secrets for aligning HR concepts with the business strategy, developing a workplace environment that encourages employee collaboration, and maneuvering through a maze of thorny legal compliance issues?”

High-level HR executives from well-known companies in various industries, as well as a labor attorney from a prestigious law firm, will be on hand to discuss innovative tools and procedures they have used to prove HR’s value to company leadership, get the resources you need to become more effective, and avoid the consequences of mis-classifying workers and independent contractors.

Speakers scheduled to attend the workshop include: Laurie Bassi, CEO of McBassi & Company; Regan Waters, HR director for the New York Jets; Howard S. Lavin, partner with Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP; and Steve Williams, director of e-media innovations and business development for SHRM.

The workshop is best suited for leaders in human resources, talent management, recruitment, compliance, training, and retention who want to interact with their peers in an intimate setting, identify both short- and long-term business drivers, share proven ideas, and learn from their peers.

The workshop is most appropriate for companies with at least 200 employees. It also has been pre-approved for 3.5 re-certification credits from the HR Certification Institute and 5.5 re-certification credits from the American Payroll Association.

The majority of companies can reduce their software costs by up to 20 percent without changing vendors, according to an article by Personnel Today. This can mainly be done by only paying for what you need and working with what you already have.

“We’re spending more than ever on technology, but we’re not paying attention to where that money goes,” Andy Kyte, a research fellow with Gartner Group, said.

Here are 10 things to consider before implementing your new staffing software, all of which may help you save money in the long run:

1. Price - Ask your vendor if the price you agreed to pay is fixed and how you will be charged when you want to make changes or upgrades to the software. These things can become rather expensive if you plan to roll out a large payroll software system that will consistently change over time.

2. License - Ask if the license to use the software is one-sided - meaning it limits the customer’s usage - and if the terms of the licensing are spelled out in the contract. Keep in mind that many American companies rely on tough contracts.

3. Implementation - Who is responsible for implementing your new software, you or the vendor? Make sure that whoever is installing it has a good amount of experience with the type of company you run.

4. Project management - Make sure you’re aware of the methods that will be used for to manage, develop and test your new software, and that those methods fit with your overall business.

5. Sales support - Does the vendor supplying your software have its own sales support team, and if so, can they guarantee that any bugs you encounter will be fixed in a timely and professional manner?

6. Escalation - What does the vendor plan to do if it can’t resolve your problems quickly and easily?

7. Ongoing charges - Are there any recurring fees you’ll have to pay for renewing contracts or seeking technical support?

8. Upgrades - Can the vendor tell you right now how much it will cost to upgrade your software in the future? Also, how much support is included in the up-front price of the software package?

9. Guarantees - What kind of guarantees or warranties does the vendor offer? This is important to know in case the software company doesn’t deliver on time.

10. Termination - What will you have to do in order to terminate your software contract? Find out if you have to give a certain amount of notice, because too short or too long requirements can cause problems for your company and the vendor.

Every employer wants to find the perfect candidate on the first try, but because there are so many talented job seekers out there, it’s tough to rely on just one source and expect to reach that end result. Therefore, companies that are already using recruitment software to target potential candidates can do the same through social networking sites.

Here are six tips on using social media for recruiting, as compiled by Mashable:
1. Create an online presence that reflects who you are - Just as you would create a career center and application portal that’s easily recognizable by job seekers, you want to create a social media profile that will clearly show who you are make people want to contact you.

2. Make the most of your time - Unlike recruiting software, which does much of the work on its own, you’re going to need to invest a little more time in social media. For the most part, others will base your social media success on how well you interact with and respond to your network, all of which takes time.

3. Individualize your approach - This is where the social aspect of social media comes in. You’ll have better luck finding potential candidates you didn’t even know existed if you go outside your comfort zone and contact people you don’t know. By connecting with others who have an interest or experience in your industry, you might find some great leads.

4. Be authentic - As with all business dealings, you have to be honest in your approach to social networking, just as you want your candidates to be honest with you. Instead of worrying about all the little details, worry about being you and showing job seekers who you are, and in doing so you’ll find candidates that will mesh well with your organization.

5. Share interesting stuff - Sharing news, articles and other information that you find interesting will help speak to your authenticity. Really interesting things may even start an in-depth conversation on your profile, which could help you uncover some great-thinking potential candidates.

6. Focus on substance - Just as a good recruiting software will work to find the important details in a job seeker’s resume, use social media to delve deeper into a candidate’s potential. Instead of solely focusing on their resume and obvious information, look at how they’re connected in and contributing to the social world, and take into account how that might help your company.

Business of all sizes are always looking for new and different ways to save money, but small businesses have a more vested interest in doing so, because they typically have less money to spend. Fortunately, according to an article by Mashable, there are some technology-related steps small businesses can take to save time and money.

“By its very nature, technology is intended to make complicated things simple and expensive things affordable,” the article notes. “Think about sending a bill to a customer; back in the day, it took paper, correction fluid, a stamp and a trip to the mailbox to accomplish this task. These days, it can be as quick and cheap as sending an e-mail.”

Here are five things small business can do to save money and time by using technology:

1. Go paperless - Using paper and old-style filing systems for invoicing, accounting, human resources and other business processes just makes things more complicated than necessary. And the more paper you use, the more time someone has to spend sorting through that paper to find information. By going paperless, you can keep better track of your records and more easily save and organize your data. Using a paper-free system can help you be more green, save time, and save money on office supplies.

2. Go distributed - There are various technologies available to help you work from remote locations, such as instant messaging, VOIP calls, video chats, project management software, and cloud document storage. These can save money, allow employees to work from home, and easily put you in touch with co-workers during urgent situations when you’re away from the office.

3. Go open source - Free and open-source software is less expensive to buy and maintain. At the same time, the programs are similar to the expensive industry standards, but your clients will never know the difference and you’ll end up saving a ton of money.

4. Go beta - Beta software is often still in the development stage, but usually works well and can have fewer problems than major software programs. Another plus - many companies let you try beta software for free.

5. Go social - Creating a page for your company on free social media resources, such as Facebook and Twitter, is a great way to promote your business to an up-and-coming audience at no cost. Aside from reaching potential tech-savvy employees and consumers of your product, you may also be able to connect with more industry experts than in a traditional setting.

“Talent Acquisition Systems in 2010: The Game Has Changed, have You?” - a one-of-a-kind free Webinar for HR executives and other technology decision makers - will take place from 2 to 3 p.m. May 19th via GoToWebinar.

The Webinar will discuss how, despite the recent economic downturn, the ATS market is experiencing growth and innovation. At the same time, however, many new ATS providers have cropped up, making it harder for companies to decide what software they should use.

Both enterprise and mid-market level organizations have recognized the short-term and long-term value of an ATS investment and are demanding more from their existing providers. They also are taking advantage of such new tools as social networking, video, job-matching and search engine optimization.

The Webinar will cover:

• Important trends and the demand for innovation in the ATS market.
• Leading providers and the key differentiators they bring to the table.
• Best practices in selecting the right system to meet your company’s unique hiring needs.
• Challenges that may arise with the implementation and integration of ATS.

The Webinar will be presented by ERE Media, Inc., Madeline Laurano, principal analyst for Bersin and Associates, and is sponsored by iCIMS. You can register here.

The session will be particularly useful to HR executives, technology decision-makers, staffing directors and vice presidents, recruitment managers, corporate recruiters, CEOs and top HR executives in talent-driven industries, and other HR professionals who evaluate and select ATS.

The Webinar has been approved for up to one re-certification credit hour toward PHR and SPHR re-certification through the Human Resource Certification Institute.

There is a lot of advice out there as to what type of ATS you should buy, and all the options can make it quite a daunting process. A recent article from Onrec provides some great advice from business professionals as to how you should go about selecting and implementing an ATS.

Most experts agree that you should first consider what size and scale of a system your business really needs, so that you don’t end up paying for features and solutions you’re not even going to use. In that same respect, the hiring needs of a small business will differ from those of a large company, so each may benefit from using different ATS.

“When choosing an ATS provider the first thing you should think about is what exactly you want it to do,” Paul Clark, director of GTI Recruiting Solutions, said. “For example, do you want to better manage the applications once they come in? Are you inundated with CVs and want to switch to online application forms? Or maybe your business wants to keep CVs as well as a short application form. What reports do you need the ATS to produce? Do you want to reduce the processing time of applications – if so, which areas of the recruitment process are currently running slow? Do you need the ATS to send information to your HR system?

“Once you have a list of requirements you can use this to assess the suitability of potential ATS suppliers and also compare like-for-like,” he continues. “Getting the initial specification right can save you so much time when it comes to choosing a provider. Also, consider your potential budget; this will determine if you go for a bespoke solution or an ‘off the shelf’ solution.”

Second, you should look at your ATS system as a new employee.

“Choosing the right ATS for you is no different to hiring a new member of staff to work for you,” Phill Gillespie, sales and marketing manager at PeopleBank, said. “That’s ultimately what a good ATS should be; a very productive administrator and a key member of your team - who never goes on holiday or off sick!”

Third, the ATS should be adaptable, so you can modify the system and its features when your business needs change. Fourth, you should decide whether it’s more beneficial to spend the bulk of your money on an integrated ATS or a new career Web site with recruitment videos and other tools to increase candidate traffic.

Fifth, have a list of questions you may want to ask the company providing the ATS. Some questions to consider include:

• What happens if something goes wrong?
• How secure is the data?
• Is the data hosted on a server owned by the vendor and in a secure environment?
• Is the server replicated elsewhere?
• Will the system cope with high volumes of candidates?
• How will the implementation be managed and by whom?
• How long will it take?
• Who will be trained and what will be involved?
• How is ongoing training managed and is this included in the license fee?
• Who will be supported after the system is live? (e.g. core HR users, candidates, agencies, line managers etc).
• When is support available and on what basis? (e.g. online, e-mail and phone)
• Can you put me in touch with current customers that use your ATS?
• Will the vendor be around in a year?
• If the server my business is on went up in a puff of smoke, how long would it take to get my business back on line?
• If I want to leave your service, will you charge me? And how much?
• What are the likely extras I may pay for?

Finally, take note of how much time and money the ATS will ultimately save your company.

“An effective applicant tracking system will help grow your talent pool, enabling you to identify potential candidates as soon as the vacancy opens up,” Chris Phillips, vice president of international marketing at Taleo, said. “This saves significant sums by reducing both the need to advertise and the costs of sourcing candidates from agencies.

“Finally, because an ATS can be configured to provide a standard framework from which to identify the most suitable candidates, it provides greater accuracy and objectivity than would otherwise be possible when making hires,” he added. “For employers, this means a decrease in staff attrition, saving you the cost of having to re-recruit and onboard new employees.”