ATS Helps Schools Hire

With the abundance of job applicants and declining number of job openings the current economy has created, nearly every company in every industry can benefit from implementing an ATS (Click here), including schools and other organizations within the education industry.

While most larger school districts have sophisticated software systems to automate human resources management, smaller school districts have often relied on paper-based systems or spreadsheets. However, as two districts in Missouri have found, even smaller school districts can now access great applicant tracking systems.

Lebanon R-III School District in Lebanon, Mo., and Smithville R-II School District in Smithville, Mo., both recently implemented an applicant tracking system tailored specifically to schools to help attract more qualified candidates and decrease the amount of time and money spent during the hiring process.

School systems, state education agencies, technical schools and colleges have lost about 125,000 jobs since fall 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"There are fewer positions open but more people applying," Todd Schuetz, assistant superintendent for academic services at Smithville, said. "As a result, there is a higher concentration of quality applicants for each position."

Smithville, which is located north of Kansas City, Mo., is planning to launch its applicant tracking system this spring. The district currently has an enrollment of about 2,380 students throughout four schools. Before moving to Smithville, Schuetz served as assistant superintendent for personnel and school improvement at Lebanon.

Lebanon, which has an enrollment of about 4,700 students throughout eight schools, implemented its applicant tracking system during 2007. Prior to that year, the district used a paper-based process for recruiting and candidate management.

"The paper really slowed us down," Schuetz said. "We had no idea how many applications were on file. To sort through qualifications, we had to go through piles of paper resumes and applications, which was tedious. I am certain there were quality candidates that slipped through our fingers because they got lost in the paper shuffle.

"The speed of the hiring process was also slow, which made it harder for us to recruit and compete for candidates with bigger school districts that did have resources such as an electronic applicant tracking system," he continued.

Since implementing an applicant tracking system, however, Lebanon has been able to shift from a paper-based process to a paperless process, saving countless hours of staff time and improving job applicants' perceptions about the hiring process.

"There is no job more important than hiring your next teacher," Schuetz added. "It's every school's next best opportunity to get better."