Today the majority of modern recruiting and talent acquisition teams are using multiple tools like applicant tracking systems (ATS), candidate relationship management (CRM) software, and chatbots to find, attract and engage talent. Just with all the recruitment marketing technologies available, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of technology. Each of these tools is designed to reduce the workload a recruiting team bears but if the data from these systems aren’t well integrated it’s easy to end up with a data overload that you’ll need to manually compile.
However, there’s one piece of technology that’s making huge headway in connecting data within recruitment marketing: application programming interface (API). An API allows teams to stitch together multiple applications to create unique solutions that function as an end-to-end system. With the use of an API, savvy HR pros can select from a plethora of technology solutions to meet their key business directives even if they don’t all come in the same packaging.
What is an API?
API, it’s one of those acronyms that bounce around in the HR world, but few people understand it. The reality is most of us use APIs every day without realizing it. When you request the weather from your phone, an API handles the request to provide you with data from any point in the world. People in the recruiting sector have an almost 100% chance of daily API usage since most job boards like LinkedIn use their own APIs.
There are plenty of technical descriptions for what an API is, according to Wikipedia,” An API is a set of standard routines, which are accessible and documented, whose purpose it is to help the programmer build software applications.” Not very enlightening, so let’s simplify. An API allows your different HR programs to interact with one another. Now let’s apply this to the hiring processes.
APIs For Recruiting
A lot of steps go into the process of acquiring talent. From creating job descriptions to sourcing, recruiting, screening, interviewing, offering and onboarding each candidate represents a significant investment in time.
There are countless pieces of software that can help automate each step of the hiring process, but each system will have its own rules, compatibility limitations, and reporting options. Now, imagine finding a way to creatively connect all of that data together. From partnering with job boards and applicant tracking systems to social media and recruitment marketing, an API allows you to select the best-in-class solutions for each function and then easily link them. At Work4, we use APIs to perform a number of actions such as getting applicants into your ATS or candidate nurturing. Best of all, our API tools are scalable and allow for seamless integration.
In Conclusion …
As we wrap up, the important thing to remember about APIs is that they serve as a go-between for applications and servers to communicate and, the usability spans nearly every recruiting service offered throughout the internet. With an API you can streamline recruiting management processes, including recruitment marketing, applicant source tracking, reporting and more. With an investment in technology and a few minutes with your IT team, you’ll be able to leverage APIs to take your recruitment strategy to next level.
With Work4, our API can help you simplify the recruiting process by capturing leads that your tech team can easily tap into and retrieve. To find out how our recruitment marketing systems work with APIs, and ATS integration, contact us today!
