We work closely with our clients in developing new features. During brainstorms we introduced the possibility to connect OTYS with Teams in a new and innovative way. This Microsoft-OTYS integration will make it possible to display candidate data from your OTYS database directly in a new OTYS window inside your Teams screen.

This idea was one of the most well-received ideas during conversations with customers, so I’m pleased to announce that this integration will be available in Q4 of this year.

This new integration makes it possible during the video interview to view the candidates CV, write a note, plan the next workflow step, or use OTYS interaction forms for following a structured interview method like DIGS, STAR or one of its many derivatives. You can do all this without leaving the MS Teams screen, so you can keep eye-contact with your candidate without needing to look at a paper or a second screen.

This feature will be available for free across all editions of OTYS Go! 
If you're still using an older version of OTYS, please contact OTYS Customer Success to explore the possibilities of acquiring the new version.

BTW ‘We will update the Zoom integration with these options later this year. Google Meet sadly does not allow this type of integrations. If Google changes its policy at a later stage, we will also add this feature for our Google users. OTYS customers could use the Indeed Interview Integration if Teams or Zoom are not an option’.

OTYS introduced Kanban screens in 2013. The current Kanban screen is nice to use but was rather difficult to configure and only available in the vacancy module in OTYS.

The new Kanban screen will be available from the start in vacancies and also in candidate module. The screen can be displayed as a tab. It is also possible to show related info in the Kanban. For instance, for candidates in procedure step Interview by phone it is possible to show a related calendar item and if you like a more simple screen without a lot of information the Kanban screen can look more like the current one.

The new Kanban screens are configured automatically and will be introduced over time in many more screens in OTYS Go! such as OTYS tasks and OTYS Sales tracker to quickly followup on deals & leads by our sales and business development oriented users.

The new Kanban boards for candidates and vacancies will be available in all editions of OTYS Go! as per September of this year.

If you're still using an older version of OTYS, please contact OTYS Customer Success to explore the possibilities of acquiring a new version.

During conversations with our users, we've noticed that most candidate interviews take place using tools such as Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, or Indeed Interview. Many of our customer’s beautifully decorated meeting rooms are now either unused or repurposed as spacious Video Interview rooms.

At OTYS, we're addressing this by introducing new and improved tools for scheduling and conducting video interviews.

Over the next few months, we will be introducing several new tools to make this easier and faster. Interview planning will become easier and will be seamlessly integrated with your Outlook or Google calendar, a significant improvement over the current available integrations.

This feature will be available for free across all editions of new OTYS Go! 

If you're still using an older version of OTYS, please contact OTYS Customer Success to explore the possibilities of acquiring a new version.

BTW ‘The new planner will only work with the scheduling features of M365 or Google calendars and sadly not with the OTYS native calendar. Connecting the native OTYS calendar with your Outlook or Google calendar is easy and the connectors are free to use. Check the FAQ in your OTYS account on how to setup the connection’.

The use of ChatGPT within recruitment is widespread. Many of OTYS’ competitors have added integrations with ChatGPT and offer an AI assisted vacancy editor. In OTYS this feature has been available for a few months now via partners such as Cortexter and Textmetrics.

Of course we have been busy integrating AI tools ourselves, but we have decided to do this in full compliance with GDPR.

So, we did not integrate ChatGPT, but we have integrated OTYS with GPT. We have our own GPT server located in Amsterdam. This also means that all your data remains in our care and that it stays within the EU as well. There is no possibility that data shared via OTYS-GPT will be shared openly, as might be the case when you use ChatGPT.

 We have also chosen not to only build the 'next' vacancy writer feature, but we have integrated OTYS-GPT in each screen of new version of OTYS Go!

You’ll find the assistant in your vacancy modules as well as in the email, in the candidate screens, CRM, placements etc. For instance, if you want to propose a CV to your client OTYS-GPT can help in writing an introduction for your candidate from the screen you are using now as well.

In each text editor widget or screen in new OTYS Go! you’ll see the OpenAI logo, indicating OTYS-GPT is available for you. We have made options available for summarizing, translating and beautifying texts. And next to the prompts OTYS engineers have created you can also use your own prompts if you want.

The OTYS-GPT screen will be rolled out in the following months and available in all editions of OTYS Go!  If you're still using an older version of OTYS, please contact OTYS Customer Success to explore the possibilities of acquiring the new version.

A typical day for a recruiter doesn't always go as planned. People can be unpredictable, and job applicants are no exception. This means recruiters working in an ATS such as OTYS Go! often must switch between various screens. OTYS Go! has had a Quick Search function for many years. But as things go the old Quick Search was really getting ‘old’ or maybe becoming a bit ‘obsolete’, depending on which customer we asked.

Improving the Quick Search function in OTYS ranked very high on the wish-list of many recruiters using OTYS Go! Therefore, I am delighted to announce that a completely revamped Quick Search is live as of last week in the new version of OTYS Go!

The new Quick Search will allow you to start a search from every screen and find the right candidate, contact person, or job vacancy by just typing a few characters in the search bar. 

Once you have selected the correct candidate, contact, vacancy or customer file you can use the new Quick Actions menu to create a note, reminder, task, etc. without actually leaving the screen where you were working when you started the search.

This feature is available for free across all editions of new OTYS Go!

If you're still using an older version of OTYS, please contact OTYS Customer Success to explore the possibilities of acquiring a new version.

BTW ‘The Quick Action menu introduced in the Quick Search will be added in many new or improved functions in new OTYS Go!

Many of you will probably recognize that working as a recruiter means getting ‘disturbed’ during work continuously. At least, that is often the nature of the game. Recruiters are dealing with people, and people are fickle. This means Recruiters must switch between files while unfinished tasks linger in their memory.

OTYS is introducing the new functionality OTYS history. This feature automatically keeps track of the screens and functions you have used throughout the day, allowing easy navigation back to the relevant vacancies, candidates, customers, and more.

This brand-new daily history feature goes even further and tracks also what you have been working on. Maybe you were working on creating a note or a CV for a candidate. Or perhaps you're taking a call from a customer and need to access the file of that customer. All these actions are recorded by your personal OTYS memory. When you deal with a customer request you can quickly go back from the customer’s file to that specific note in the candidate’s file. At the end of the day your personal OTYS memory is wiped so you can start with a clean slate the next morning.

When we introduced the daily history to a small group of customers for testing, we quickly learned that recruiters access many many files per day. Adding a search option was the main feedback from the recruiters that have used it. And that is what we have done, the daily history function can be found in every screen in the new version of OTYS Go!

This feature is available for free across all editions of new OTYS Go!. 
If you're still using an older version of OTYS, please contact OTYS Customer Success to explore the possibilities of acquiring a new version. 

One more tip. In OTYS Go! it is possible to open multiple screens and thus keep track of what you are working on. Although this is a great feature of OTYS Go!, it can however slow down your laptop when you keep many many screens active for the whole day. The history function reduces the need to have multiple screens open, on average 3 to 4 screens seems to be enough based on user feedback. Therefore using the daily history will not only allows you to navigate easier and faster but it will also ensure that your PC itself stays fast during your working day!

We are proud to announce that we will roll out a new version of OTYS Go! with a new UX design, color scheme and improved quick access menu.

The new version of OTYS Go! is more modern and prepared for a dark mode that will be introduced at a later stage as well.

There are many small and large improvements. This new version allows us to introduce new functionalities such as the Quick Search, Instant Match and Daily History functions but also makes the application easier to navigate due to the use of a consistent color scheme.

Although the current OTYS Go! does have a lot of color, it did not have specific colors for each module separately. This can cause confusion, especially for new users. In the new version, each module will have a specific color that will be used in the menu, dashboard, list screen and detail screens. This way it is easy to see where you are at any time.

The new version of OTYS Go! has been thoroughly tested by more than 1500 users during the last 6 months. Starting September 1st it will be available for every user. If you want to use it earlier, please let us know. To make the transition smoothly users can switch back and forth between the current ‘old’ version and the new version of OTYS Go!. When everybody is used to this new version the old version will be switched off for good.

The new version will be available for free across all editions of OTYS Go! 

If you're still using an older version of OTYS, please contact OTYS Customer Success to explore the possibilities of acquiring the newest version

Recruiting the right staff has rarely been so challenging before. And in such a tight labor market, it is important to stand out with your vacancy. These days, there are as many as four times more vacancies than jobseekers. How do you achieve more success in recruitment? By knowing where your candidates are and on which channels you have the highest chance of success. To help you achieve your objectives, assembling the right mix, supporting you in making the right choices, OTYS analyses the performance of its clients' main recruitment sources every year.

What are the most valuable channels for recruiting new employees?  

Below is a summary of the key results. We do not have the full Source of Hire report in English yet, but we are sure that these insights of the Dutch market offer some great take-aways nonetheless! 

The Source of Hire report examines sourcing channels used to recruit new employees. In this we look at the following three key metrics:

  • Attracting (new) talent through maximum visibility of the job posting
  • Converting talent through optimal allure of the job posting
  • Hiring talent through correctly placed vacancies among your target group

And, what can we see? For each stage and for achieving each key metric, a different channel is better suited. A search engine like Google is best for generating website traffic to your vacancies. Social media channels are better for recruiting candidates. But, Indeed remains the most important Source of Hire for OTYS clients overall.

The trend through the years 

Hiring new employees is the end goal. Indeed has been supplying the majority of all hires to OTYS clients since 2018. Three years in a row, the job board accounts for at least 50% of all candidates hired. As a search engine, Google still stands out. Although it has lost share in recent years, it still accounts for 14% of all hires. Linkedin and Facebook are the leading social media channels, and Nationale Vacaturebank closes the top 5 this year.

Investing in connections proves to be fruitful 

The intensive collaboration that OTYS and Indeed have is paying off. In recent years we have only been improving this connection between OTYS and the job board. As the first Dutch supplier of recruitment software, we were the Star Partner of Indeed (now changed to Official Silver Partner). For instance, OTYS Remote Apply makes it possible to apply directly to Indeed. According to Indeed, this results in 30% more clicks on vacancies by candidates. The vacancies and candidates are also automatically synchronized between OTYS and Indeed, so you are always provided with the most up-to-date information and candidates.

The final result? 

An increase in the number of high-quality candidates in OTYS. Without OTYS Remote Apply enabled, the share of candidates through Indeed is 28%. However, when we include applications directly on the external job board, the share rises to an overwhelming 47%.

Make conversion rate your top priority 

Determining the effectiveness of a recruitment source is essential for successful candidate recruitment. One of the key metrics to measure this effectiveness is the conversion rate.

From job application to placement 

When we look at conversion rates, we can actually see that the sources that generate relatively low traffic do show the highest conversion rates. And, they are often cheaper than the big ones. All the more reason to focus on the more specialized recruitment sites, such as technical vacancies or temporary assignments.

Looking at the conversion rate from application to placement, joof.nl in particular has been extremely successful in 2022. Some other sources with a high percentage of high-quality candidates: freelance.nl, adzuna.nl, marktplaats.nl and roc.nl.

Keep experimenting with your optimal mix 

Ultimately, your optimal mix depends entirely on your industry, your goals and even your specific vacancy. Hopefully, these insights can serve as a helping hand. 

Feel free to contact us to spar with one of customer success managers on how to get the most out or our software. Like when for example you don't have OTYS Remote Apply enabled yet. Or when you want to know more about our multipost network. 

We wish you the best of luck!

ChatGPT and Textmetrics: mix the two for the best results!

Brand new and ready to use; Textmetrics has undergone a total makeover. Not only that, are you ready for the future of recruitment? Get ready!

Surely you’ve heard of ChatGPT. A tool used for easy, quick content to make your e-mail just a tad funnier, or completely unburdens you when making your shopping list for dinner with your friends. Super convenient, of course!

But how does AI help you write your job postings?

Very simple: by mixing ChatGPT with Textmetrics' smart algorithms!

Step 1. Kindly ask ChatGPT to write an ironclad job description for you.

-> It feels a bit generic, don't you think? Indeed, it is! Something mega important is missing, which is: Your organization's employer branding and tone of voice!

Step 2. So you copy the text into Textmetrics and it gives you instant feedback and suggestions for improvement. Yes, wow! All on-brand, gender-inclusive and readable for your target audience.

Step 3. It's almost impossible to imagine, but we're going to make it even easier for you. We are currently working intensely to integrate ChatGPT into Textmetrics so you can do all your writing in one place!

Relax, the AI of the future does the thinking for you.

Want to learn more about Textmetrics and how it can help you and your business? Visit our website here.

ATS software supports every stage of the recruitment process. It helps to achieve a faster, more efficient and often more effective process. In this blog we tell you more about successfully using an ATS in the recruitment process. To get a grip on the complete process, we have broken down the different recruitment phases.

ATS for sourcing candidates

Finding suitable candidates is one of a recruiter's most important tasks. By using an ATS for sourcing candidates, recruiters can find potential candidates faster and more efficiently to add them to their talent pool. It can also help organize and evaluate these candidates for recruitment in the future.

The system is integrated with various job sites, job boards and social media used by candidates. This allows recruiters to (re)post jobs online quickly and easily. When candidates apply, their data is automatically processed in the ATS system.

Might also be interesting: OTYS Multiposter 

ATS for candidate management

When a candidate has responded to one of your jobs, a profile is automatically created. This profile contains all the information entered by the candidate. Any information supplied at a later stage of the process is also automatically incorporated into the profile. During the candidate's recruitment process, information and tags are added to the profile, clearly indicating the candidate's status and qualifications. Even if the candidates prove unsuitable now, they remain in the ATS database, so they can still be placed in the future. The (almost) automatic creation of this talent pool is invaluable to any recruiter. 

ATS for candidate selection

After the candidate's profile is created, the system automatically checks all information to determine if the candidate matches certain sets of requirements. The system can easily scan for manually specified skills by the recruiter such as experience, education, certifications.

Based on this information you can then determine whether the candidate may proceed to the screening phase. This example is one of the main reasons why an ATS system removes so much workload and makes recruitment so much more efficient.

Might also be interesting: OTYS Hunt & Select

ATS for managing hiring

Once the desired candidate is chosen, the ATS can easily initiate the next steps. For example, the system can immediately generate templates where the recruiter only needs to check the terms and conditions and press the send button. When the candidate accepts the proposal, this too is automatically processed in the candidate's file. 

ATS for onboarding

Once a candidate is hired, the ATS can be used to assign and track the progress of onboarding activities. This can apply to company-wide onboarding or role-specific onboarding activities. Specific tasks and deadlines can be tracked within the ATS to ensure the new employee stays on track.

Studies show that candidates who receive proper onboarding are 69% more likely to stay with a company for three years or more. The ATS supports management of administrative operations. 

ATS for optimizing processes

Most ATS offer reporting capabilities that allows recruiters to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies in their process and workflow. This way you are always shown where there is room for improvement. ATS give recruiters access to a wealth of data to drive (and improve) their hiring decisions and processes.

Today more and more companies are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) during the recruitment process. While AI offers many benefits, applicants may as a result also find themselves in an anonymous process. This can lead to a lack of engagement and decrease of interest in the job posting. Therefore it is crucial to maintain the personal aspect of the recruitment process, even when AI is used. In this blog we will discuss 5 ways to keep the recruitment process feeling personal, even when using AI.

Keep the communication personal

Make sure e-mails, messages and other forms of communication to candidates feel personal and you do not use standard templates. For example, use personalized communication by using the applicant's name in e-mails or by referring to specific details from their application. AI can also be an extremely useful supporting tool for adding those details in the communication. In addition, offering a personal interview with a recruiter or HR manager can help increase applicant engagement.

Combine human and bot

Another way to keep the process personal is to combine the use of AI with human evaluation and feedback. You can for example let AI technology do the initial screening, but integrate human evaluation into the recruitment process, by having recruiters themselves then evaluate candidates based on their personal experiences and soft skills. Something humans often do better if not differently than AI.

Make smart use of video interviews

AI can be used to conduct automated interviews with candidates, such as through video interviews. Speech and facial recognition technology can be used to analyze and assess candidate responses. But make sure the candidate feels comfortable and add personal touch points, such as a welcome message or a personal introduction to the company.

Utilize smart chatbots

Chatbots can be used to greet candidates and answer questions during the recruitment process. By using chatbots, candidates can feel more personally treated and the process can still be largely automated this way.

You may also find this interesting: Smart writing for Recruitment Chatbots is done like this 

Let candidates know that they are important

Send candidates regular updates on the recruitment process and the status of their application. Make sure candidates know that their applications are taken seriously and that they are valued as potential employees. This can be automated with the right software (such as OTYS) to further reduce the time it takes to keep candidates updated. Take, for example, the track-and-trace page for candidates developed by OTYS and Joboti for Strictly People.

In short…

The use of AI can improve efficiency, reduce recruiters' workload and improve candidate quality. However, it is important to remember that AI is not the only solution. It is important to have a balanced approach that combines AI with human interaction and evaluation to achieve the best results with candidates.

By using AI combined with OTYS Recruiting Technology, recruiters can make their recruitment process more efficient while also maintaining the human side of the process. Contact us to discuss the possibilities or send an email directly to customersales@otys.nl.

In today's tense job market, simply posting a vacancy on Facebook is seldom enough. Attracting new staff depends on a successful employer branding strategy. Perhaps the most visible part of this? Your vacancy website.

Is your corporate recruitment site attractive (and clear) enough to convince a candidate to apply for a job with you? Does it sufficiently display your organization's identity? Or is it just a listing place for your vacancies? A good vacancy website contributes to strengthening your employer brand. Therefore I have tried to figure out what exactly makes a good employment website.

Texts that actually have something to say

Although today's candidate is more visually oriented than before, you (of course) cannot escape having texts on your website. How else are you supposed to get your message across? But, texts can be more than a boring enumeration of soft and hard skills you are looking for in an employee. Good texts contribute positively to radiating your corporate culture and propagating the core values you stand for.

Possible the leader in this field? Coolblue. With their mission "anything for a smile" they have been conquering the e-commerce market since 1999, but also secretly my heart when it comes to labor market communication. Like their mission, the texts on the website do everything to put a smile on the faces of the reader. They achieve this very effectively with phrases like “Code museum. Bits and pieces.” or "Get your black belt in pleasing candidates."

Keep in mind that humor on a vacancy website can be either a smash hit or a complete miss. Awareness of the kind of organization that you are and the kind of employee that goes with it is key. So humor is not a requirement for a strong (corporate) story. The Dutch De Belastingdienst (Tax and Customs administration of the Netherlands) demonstrates this nicely on their vacancy website. Less informal than Coolblue, but full of to the point text that immediately makes it clear to you what kind of organization you are dealing with, without it ever feeling boring or stuffy.

An organization with personality

If you've ever googled "tips for a good vacancy website", you're bound to have come across the following advice: make it personal. But how do you make a vacancy website personal? One way is to give your employees a platform to keep your story as personal and authentic as possible. Show what the colleagues within your organization really look like. Coolblue for instance shows employees through photos and their shared company outings.

One company whose entire recruitment site strategy is built around the people behind the organization, and which in my opinion does a fantastic job, is Deloitte. On the homepage, they put their people at the center and you are immediately triggered to read the personal stories of the employees. The portraits of these employees really take center stage. In an article by Werf-en, Sjoerd Kuipers of Stuurlui writes "be diverse" as one of the 10 commandments for corporate recruitment websites, but disingenuous diversity is something a candidate can spot from a mile away. It’s better to actually show who really works for you.

Deloitte is not the only successful worksite focused on showcasing your potentially future colleagues. A.S.R. also approaches their vacancy website from this strategy. On their website you can scroll through employee testimonials and stories as if you were looking for a job post, that's how many there are. This really gives you as a job seeker a good idea of the kind of workplace you will end up in. The people at A.S.R. are really their focal point, and this becomes quite clear when you see all their communication.

But, it can also be a little more low-key. At a company like vanHaren you won't see a photo on their vacancy site without an employee on it, and they (clearly) also put their employees in the foreground. They really want to show and convey what kind of people work at vanHaren. Not only in the stores, but also at headquarters and within logistics.

Pictures say more than a thousand words

With good friends you usually need but half a word. With good vacancy websites, the same is also true. And, some companies lend themselves perfectly for a visual rather than a primarily textual story. The Department of Defense undertands that all too well. The hero banner, this is the first image and typically the eye-catcher of a  recruitment website, shows us a visual story that immediately triggers a feeling. It conjures up an emotion, it makes you want to be part of that story.

Organizations like the Department of Defense are great for building a and sometimes also building upon an existing image. The Dutch Police force, for example, also achieves this quite successfully with a video reel in their hero banner. But De Belastingdienst, with a significantly stuffier image as an organization, also perfectly knows how to use video to set an atmosphere and convey a feeling. Take a moment to click through their expertise pages and you can’t deny also being a little bit impressed by the story, right?

On the other hand, developing video's (or having them developed) is not a cheap job. But even with stills you can effectively portray a company's image, as KLM proves on their website. Picnic in turn does this by deploying region-specific recruitment pages, such as one at Utrecht. Perhaps as a Utrechtian myself I am somewhat biased, but I think the personal touch works well.

Design does not undercut usability

You may dress up the website and the employer very nicely, however if a website does not adhere to the minimum conditions of a good vacancy website, the site will never work for them. So, you will have to think about the image, about your employer branding strategy, about your personality as an organization, but you will also have to ask yourself the following questions: as a candidate, am I able to apply easily? Do I have the possibility to set up a job alert? Are there filters for the open jobs to make searching easier? Is there a clear menu navigation?

In other words, did you adhere to the best practices for a vacancy website. Lastly, as well-scoring website, we will take NS as an example for the following "best practices" checklist.

  • Logo can be found at the top left and is visible on each individual page.
  • There is a clear navigation of the website.
  • The corporate identity of the vacancy website is in line with the corporate identity of the organization. Preferably with recurring recognizable style elements.
  • There is a search bar on the homepage that makes it easy to search for jobs. A positive aspect of NS is that this is designed like the route planner on their regular website.
  • Good use is made of (moving) images.  
  • A Job Alert is present. Extra pluspoints for showcasing the job alert on the homepage and throughout several points in the customer journey.
  • The extensive employee content.
  • There is a (visual) representation of what the application process will look like.

A vacancy site that works

But in the end, what do all these examples have in common? What makes a good vacancy website? The fact that they all tell a clear and unambiguous story. The personality of the organization shines through in both text and image.

In addition, it then helps if it also has a unique identity. You'll get even more points if the website is also user-friendly and easy to navigate.

Have you already evaluated your website, maybe compared it to the checklist above and aren’t you scoring to good? Are you and your organization running into employer branding issue, or don’t you have any idea where to start? Please don't hesitate to contact us. We have spent years specializing in recruitment websites that work. We also have several professional and knowledgeable partners, with whom we connect, who would love to be your sparring partner.

Just to name a few OTYS partners: Stuurlui, Rankdata, GetNoticed or Booston. Ready for a new step? Take a look at all our web solutions.