Free Applicant Tracking System Shakes Up Recruiting Software Market

by TMT Newswire

Easy and affordable recruiting for small businesses was the mission of MrTed Ltd., a recognized leader in talent acquisition solutions, when, in October 2008, it launched SmartRecruiters, a 100% free applicant tracking system (ATS). Today, nearly three months later, SmartRecruiters is the fastest-growing ATS on the market.

SmartRecruiters combines elements of the Open Source and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) concepts. Like Open Source products, SmartRecruiters' is free and features are determined according to the 'wisdom of the community.' And, as with other Web 2.0 solutions, SmartRecruiters is offered via the SaaS model, so users never pay for application hosting, maintenance or upgrades.

Applicant tracking systems are important bread--and-butter applications for corporate HR managers and recruiters. However, they're typically out of reach for small to mid-sized companies, said Madeline Laurano, analyst for Bersin & Associates, a research and advisory firm focused on enterprise learning and talent management. MrTed is taking a bold and innovative approach by providing small companies with a zero-cost solution from a reliable solution provider.

Rapid Adoption

Intent on disrupting the stagnant ATS market, MrTed unveiled SmartRecruiters at the ERE Fall Expo in Hollywood, Florida. Relying solely on viral marketing tactics to promote the product, and targeting a small business market desperate for recruiting software that was both innovative and inexpensive, SmartRecruiters' success in this short time has been nothing short of remarkable. Already, more than 350 small businesses have signed-up to use SmartRecruiters, which is nearly twice as much as the largest vendors in the industry have managed for the same period.

We looked at dozens of web-based applicant tracking systems and found the ease-of-use and features in SmartRecruiters comparable to other recruiting systems costing hundreds of dollars per month, said David Blankenship, Chief Operating Officer at Infoswell Media. We were ready to start recruiting with SmartRecruiters in under one hour and now we post all our jobs using this innovative system. The available jobs page is accessed directly from our company web site and each of my hiring managers can review and rate the qualifications of every candidate applying for one of our posted positions.

SmartRecruiters is the only fully functional, 100% free SaaS ATS to connect users with complementary recruiting services, such as job postings and background checks. Since launching in October, SmartRecruiters has enabled access to a network of free worldwide job-search sites through its partnership with eQuest, including SimplyHired, Indeed, GoogleBase, CampusAve, Resumes2Work, Kijiji and Recruit.net.

After finding SmartRecruiters, I'm not sure why any business would pay to use an ATS, said Stepheny Booker, staffing coordinator at Pennsylvania MENTOR, a trusted provider of life-enhancing services to hundreds of individuals and their families across the state of Pennsylvania. I used another ATS system prior to implementing SmartRecruiters, but when I compared the systems, I found SmartRecruiters could easily handle our large volume of job openings and resumes. Of course the fact that SmartRecruiters is 100% free made the decision to replace the previous ATS that much easier.

Why SmartRecruiters

Still in beta, SmartRecruiters is designed specifically for small business recruiters and hiring managers who, until now, have been forced to use expensive enterprise systems that are complicated and difficult to implement. By contrast, SmartRecruiters is easy to use, deploys in minutes, and is 100% free. As such, MrTed is eliminating a five-figure annual recruiting software expense for small businesses---and putting paid-for ATS vendors on-notice.

Likewise, SmartRecruiters works instantly, so users avoid lengthy and expensive implementation cycles typically associated with enterprise ATS deployments. And on-demand access to complementary recruiting services through SmartRecruiters saves time and streamlines hiring processes. In general, small businesses can expect to reduce recruiting costs by anywhere from $10,000 - $50,000 annually by using SmartRecruiters versus a competitive system.

We are humbled by the response to SmartRecruiters and overjoyed to be helping more than 350 small businesses transform their recruiting processes, said Jerome Ternynck, CEO at MrTed. That SmartRecruiters has become the fastest-growing ATS in only three months is testament to the great need in the market for something new. We will continue to improve the application through input from the community and the addition of new services, and we are optimistic that SmartRecruiters will be the number one ATS in the industry by the end of the year.î