A strong talent management system is not just about hiring the right people for the right position. It is about simplifying the hiring process and streamlining things for your business. It is about solving problems you have in attracting and retaining top talent. How can talent management systems accomplish all this? Consider the following common problems that a talent management system can solve. Problem Number One: Lack of Time Here is a fact: Hiring managers are busy people. Here is another fact: Top candidates are busy people too. Having a protracted hiring process that sucks time away from busy people will net you only those candidates with insufficient initiative to be busy people. These candidates are not the cream of the proverbial crop. TalentCulture’s “5 Ways to Simplify Your Hiring Process” gives this advice: “Look for bottlenecks where you can take time out of the process. Candidates have other opportunities, too, and you don’t want to get to selection time only to find the person you want has a better offer. Be honest and upfront, letting candidates know about how long it will take from start to finish.” A strong talent management system speeds up the process, especially in the initial hiring stages. Enabling collaboration between recruiters, hiring managers, and all those parties involved in the process, talent management systems slash the time it takes to move from inquiry to hire. Problem Number Two: Poor Applicant Tracking Failure to use available technologies for applicant tracking puts your organization at a competitive disadvantage in generating a diverse applicant pool. A strong talent management system includes state-of-the-art applicant tracking, enabling you to streamline the process of building an effective talent pipeline. Problem Number Three: Improper Screening Processes Improper screening slows the hiring process considerably, costing your organization time, money, and quick access to well qualified candidates. Accuracy, timeliness, and effectiveness are all factors of a good screening process. A strong talent management system allows you to customize assessment rating criteria for your organization and prioritize candidates quickly. A system with resume and LinkedIn profile parsing also facilitates the screening process and streamlines hiring considerably, especially in cases where high volume applicant tracking is required. Problem Number Four: Failure to Network Effectively Lou Adler, known as one of the best recruiters in the world and founder of the Adler Group, notes in the LinkedIn article ” The best people network to get their jobs; they don’t push the apply button. Since 85 percent of the total talent market — including 50 percent of active candidates — found their last job via a referral, you need to spend 85 percent of your time finding these people.” A talent management system allows you to coordinate communication with candidates via a variety of social media platforms. It enables you to use your networking skills to keep candidates “warm” with steady communication throughout the hiring process and beyond. Remember that there are few things candidates hate more than total silence. Touch base regularly and freely, offering additional information where necessary and following through consistently. This builds your employer brand and helps you maintain a healthy talent pool. eBook: Using Social Media for Executive Search – Download our eBook and learn how to leverage social media in your executive search process more effectively. Finding a Talent Management System that Works for You The purpose of using a strong talent management system is to simplify the process of finding, attracting, hiring, and retaining top talent in your field. A well-chosen talent management system can help you overcome the issues of lack of time, poor applicant tracking, improper screening processes, and a faulty networking strategy. Is your system meeting these challenges successfully? To see a robust talent management system that delivers on its promise of streamlining recruiting and retention processes, contact us today to schedule a demo.