Why Use Recruitment Software in the Public Sector? The Benefits of ATS Software

The French public sector has been experiencing a lack of attractiveness for several years, struggling more and more to recruit. This is explained by the fact that recruitment methods in this sector are often outdated: lack of digitalization, long recruitment processes, candidates' preferences for the private sector, etc.

To address these modernization challenges, recruitment software, or ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems), appear as the ideal tool for public service, offering a complete digital solution to simplify and optimize the recruitment process. But how can recruitment software solve the current attractiveness and recruitment problems of the public service? JobAffinity explains how ATS software perfectly responds to the varied issues of public service and how to implement it in your institution:

Using Recruitment Software in the Public Sector in Summary

• Using recruitment software in the public sector helps solve challenges related to attractiveness and recruitment management;
• **Recruitment software is aimed at public administrations, local authorities, and public institutions, allowing them to better manage their job offers and attract talent in a sector struggling to be attractive;
• Recruitment software modernizes recruitment processes, making them faster and more efficient, by automating certain repetitive tasks without much added value (such as resume sorting);
• Thanks to features and data analysis tools, ATS software also optimizes recruitment campaigns in real-time and improves candidate experience to attract more talent.

Why Does the Public Sector Struggle to Recruit?

The public service has long been perceived as stable and secure employment, attracting candidates seeking not only to serve the public but also looking for job security. Today, this image has evolved and tends to disappear, with jobs becoming less and less attractive for part of young active workers.

This lack of attractiveness of the public service can be explained by several factors:

• Salaries are often less competitive than the private sector: the public service often has fixed salary scales while the private sector generally offers more advantageous compensation.
• The public sector environment is perceived as rigid and unstimulating: job security is no longer as important a criterion as before and missions in the public sector are often seen as time-consuming and unappealing.
• Recruitment processes are perceived as too long and too complex: even though digital is slowly settling within public sector human resources, the organization of recruitment processes is still very complex and often very long. This is notably due to the fact that there are many departments that are not necessarily equipped with adequate digital tools to communicate with each other, or that there are strict rules for distributing job offers specific to the public service. For example, all public service administrations (state, territorial, and hospital) must publish their job offers on the Public Employment Portal (PEP) to guarantee transparency and equal access to public positions. This process, while guaranteeing fairness and transparency, contributes to the complexity and length of recruitment processes.

To solve these recruitment difficulties and this public sector attractiveness crisis, using recruitment software, such as our JobAffinity recruitment software****, becomes essential.

Why Use Recruitment Software to Improve Public Service Attractiveness?

Recruitment software, or ATS software, are tools that allow digitizing recruitment processes and bringing public service institutions into the modern era. This tool not only automates certain time-consuming administrative tasks and simplifies recruitment management by HR teams but also improves candidate experience.

Recruitment Process Optimization

One of the main advantages of recruitment software for public service is the ability to optimize and modernize the recruitment process. ATS software allows centralizing and automatically sorting applications, filtering those that don't meet predefined criteria and the needs of the local authority.

In the public sector, where recruitment can sometimes involve hundreds of applications for the same position, this automation represents a very significant time saving for HR teams.

By automating these tasks, recruitment software thus allows public recruiters to focus on the most important aspects of recruitment, such as evaluating candidates' skills and conducting interviews.

This process automation also helps reduce recruitment delays, a very important criterion for attracting talent. Indeed, processes that are too long in the public service often tend to discourage potential candidates, especially the youngest, who then turn to the private sector with smoother processes.

Improving Candidate Experience

Attracting talent is one of the main challenges of the public sector. Recruitment software, thanks to easy-to-use interfaces, online application management, and the ability to track application status in real-time, allows instantly improving candidate experience.

For example, a candidate can receive automatic notifications informing them of their file's progress, which strengthens their engagement and interest in the position.

In a context where it's difficult for public institutions to attract and retain talent, especially for very specific positions in territorial public service, ensuring a positive candidate experience can make all the difference.

Which Public Sector Institutions Does Recruitment Software Address?

Recruitment software for the public service can serve a wide variety of public organizations:

• Central public administrations,
• Local authorities,
• Public institutions.

Central Public Administrations

Ministries, prefectures, and other state organizations face regular recruitment needs, often for specialized or high-responsibility positions. Recruitment software allows managing the recruitment process more efficiently while ensuring compliance with rigorous administrative procedures.

Local Authorities

Town halls, regional councils, and departments also face recruitment difficulties. These local authorities must often recruit varied profiles, ranging from technical agents to senior executives, while respecting strict budgetary constraints.

Recruitment software for the public sector can help them manage these recruitments more efficiently, notably by simplifying application management and facilitating job offer distribution.

Public Institutions

Hospitals, universities, and other public organizations also have specific recruitment needs. For example, hospitals must regularly recruit healthcare personnel and an ATS tool can manage recruitment campaigns while improving candidates' experience.

What Are the Best Features of Recruitment Software for the Public Sector?

Recruitment software offers many features crucial to the digitalization and modernization of public sector recruitment processes. And better recruiting in the public sector means knowing how to use these features that help make recruitment much smoother and more efficient. Among the best features, we find:

• Automated application management: this primary feature of recruitment software allows automatically sorting applications**. For example, an ATS can filter applications for a public service position based on required qualifications, years of experience, or other criteria specific to the sought position. This allows considerable time savings in the recruitment process.**
• Multi-channel job offer distribution: recruitment software allows easily publishing job offers on several platforms at once, and notably on job boards dedicated specifically to the public service such as France Travail, Emploi-territorial or Emploipublic**. This distribution allows reaching a wider but also more targeted and qualified audience with one click, ensuring all potential talent is reached, which wouldn't have been the case with manual posting.
• Using a collaborative tool: in the public sector, there are often many actors and many departments involved in recruitment processes and it's not always easy to circulate information correctly. As a collaborative tool**, recruitment software addresses communication problems between actors and departments, offering specific access to department heads, limiting other users' access (such as salary for offered positions). Possibilities for collaborative recruitment management then become much easier and more efficient.
• Data analysis and indicators: recruitment software also offers analysis tools allowing recruiters to track recruitment campaign performance and reduce hiring delays. For example, a recruiter can analyze how many applications were received for a given offer, what the conversion rate of applications to interviews is, and which distribution channels are most effective. These analyses allow adjusting recruitment strategies in real-time**, to maximize success chances.

How to Implement Recruitment Software in the Public Sector

Implementing recruitment software in the public sector depends on the structure's real needs, a town hall not having the same needs as a hospital or a ministry. It's therefore essential to choose software adapted to the organization's specificities, whether it's the number of recruitments to manage, types of positions to fill, or regulatory requirements of each public administration.

On the other hand, digitizing recruitment processes requires adequate HR team training. Teams must be trained in using the software, but also in the new recruitment practices this implies. Everyone must be informed of changes so the transition happens efficiently.

Integrating recruitment software in the public sector offers a solution adapted to current recruitment challenges. These tools not only allow modernizing recruitment processes but also making the public service more attractive to talent. By optimizing processes and improving candidate experience, ATS contribute to solving the attractiveness crisis currently affecting the public sector.