Many successful entrepreneurs also spend time in an industry where they see untapped potential. They notice the things that aren’t working as well as they could. Whether it’s the user experience, productivity, engagement, or another attribute, entrepreneurs often spend time uncovering and then thinking about how to improve something.
That’s where inspiration happens. My inspiration came from my 15 years working in recruiting and HR and launching a recruiting business, it led me to create a new recruiting and engagement platform, Bear Claw ATS.
Finding a Better Way
During my years in the recruiting industry, I frequently used applicant tracking system (ATS) technologies. These platforms had several things in common: steep learning curves, clunky user interfaces, manual redundant tasks, and limited functionality.
I spent a considerable amount of time reviewing these various flaws and I also listened to the feedback and complaints from other users and began noticing trends in these discussions. We saw that current ATS platforms kept track of candidates and enabled communication, but their functionalities weren’t geared towards proactively engaging and cultivating candidates.
With many industries like recruiting there becomes entrenched acceptance of the way tools and technology work. That’s where I saw an opportunity to alleviate pain points while also adding new feature sets that made recruiting more effective and enjoyable. This led to the creation of Bear Claw ATS.
There are multiple lessons for entrepreneurs within this part of my journey. My journey is especially relevant when someone confronts an industry with accepted frustrations or inefficiencies. Many successful entrepreneurs encounter “that’s just the way it’s always been done” scenarios, which gets their gears turning to break convention and find a better way.
The Bear Claw ATS Advantage
My frustrations with ATS platforms and overworked recruiters led myself and my team to start our own company. Our platform is different because it blends a powerful applicant tracking platform with passive candidate headhunting. It enables recruiters to develop strong talent rosters that they can tap at a moment’s notice.
We have worked for my other executive search agency, Next Level Recruiting, for 7 years and through that, we know how long it takes to recruit top performers. In competitive markets where people are working from home and leaving poor work situations, it’s imperative for brands to act and hire the right people.
With Bear Claw, recruiters can have all the functions of an ATS and enjoy greater efficiency and productivity. It’s a talent engagement and management tool that allows you to automate static work for talent searches in various scenarios. You add leads and contacts into the workflow and the platform manages them based on your workflow sequence.
I saw most other ATS systems still required recruiters to perform manual back-office tasks that were ripe for automation. Other platforms were not built by recruiters, so they missed the opportunities for automation and various feature nuances that are invaluable for busy recruiters managing dozens of searches.
Our platform reduces manual data entry, syncs calendars, enables bi-directional email, and offers other benefits for a more connected and efficient workflow. These features are a key driver of our positive word-of-mouth and success. It’s a fundamental goal for entrepreneurs, to find ways to make their customers’ actions easier and more fruitful.
Offering a Timely Product or Service
Successful entrepreneurship requires good timing, not just a well-designed service or product. Founders need to understand the market dynamics and customer expectations at any given moment and have confidence their venture fits into both. Our timing matches with the ongoing “Great Resignation” which continues to shake up companies around the world.
People are leaving their employers in droves because they want to make more money, to work from home, or to move to a new location. It’s a wakeup call for employers who have not adapted to modern times with flexible work schedules and inclusivity. This upheaval pressures recruiters to find top talent and to develop an interested pool of candidates and prospects who they might need to engage with at a moment’s notice. Our design elements and features reflect the changing world of work and provide recruiters with a proactive tool to stay ahead.
We’re also an ideal platform for global workforces and recruiting teams that need to gather, organize, and engage talent from multiple countries. Both dynamics happen at tremendous speed and keeping up requires a platform like Bear Claw ATS that’s versatile and efficient. We’ve also built the platform to align with the customers’ expectations for a smooth UI. This simplicity even extends to our all-in-one pricing that avoids the add-ons and hidden fees presented by competitors’ ATS platforms.
When you’re a service provider you always need to streamline and simplify your offering. That’s our continual goal, to avoid complacency and refine the platform every day, based on user feedback and our own understanding of the market. We want our customers to enjoy a wonderful experience and for the product to do the talking. If we hit both of those marks, then we’ve created a viable brand that’s quickly moving from a startup to market leader.