Davidson County Board of Commissioners approved funding for a new system for recruiting, hiring and retaining employees at its regular November meeting. Kathy Cashion, human resources director for the county, spoke with commissioners during the meeting about the need to update its hiring practices.
“One thing that I have noticed is that the complaints that come into HR, practically on a daily basis … is that the applicants feel that the system we currently have is just not user-friendly,” Cashion said. “Most people want to use their cell phone to apply for a position. This system that we have in-house is not user-friendly for using a cell phone. It’s just not possible.
“We have lots of applicants that get to a point they can’t get their application uploaded, they can’t get their resume uploaded, and they just stop in their tracks.”
Cashion said her fear is that the county is losing quality applicants who grow exasperated and give up on applying. Several commissioners asked questions about pricing and which systems Cashion had researched.
After hearing from her on her findings, the commissioners approved a joint package, Civic HR ATS and onboarding, at a cost of $18,250.
“After looking at this system, looking at the possibility of rejuvenating what we have now,” Cashion said, “we came to the conclusion that probably the best thing to do that would give us the biggest bang for our buck and be the most affordable project, would be to go with what CivicPlus HR could offer us.”
With the approval, the county will now purchase software to enhance recruiting and onboarding, overhauling the outdated recruiting system. CivicPlus already provides web management for the county, helping usher in the new website recently.
Ongoing costs for the cloud service, which includes system maintenance, support and updates, will run $9,750 annually. The hope for county officials, however, is that the cost will be justified as more qualified applicants are hired for key positions countywide.
“That should make HR more efficient, because you don’t have to do as much work,” Commissioner Zak Crotts said.
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