In late August, Google announced it was sunsetting its hiring platform, Hire by Google. The company stated, “We’ve made the difficult decision to sunset Hire by Google on September 1, 2020. While Hire has been successful, we’re focusing our resources on other products in the Google Cloud portfolio.” Google promised to support its Hire customers for the next year and give them the option to extend their contracts until Sept. 1, 2020, at no additional charge.

When Hire was launched in November 2018, it promised to effectively manage the recruiting process for small- to mid-sized companies by integrating with G Suite to help populate and track candidate information. So, if you’ve been relying on Hire to recruit and track applicants, now what? Go back to doing things the old way? Not likely. It’s time to find a new applicant tracking system (ATS).

Why You Can’t Go Without an ATS

Hire’s main objective was to streamline hiring by automating the processes HR recruiters spend so much of their time doing. It is a much-needed solution for busy HR departments and Hire wasn’t the only or first solution. Do a quick Google search and 10 companies will pop up that provide the same tech and for good reason; a good ATS is absolutely invaluable for any HR department.

A digital ATS can automate and simplify the hiring process by,

  • giving applicants a quick, easy way to apply for open positions, without logins or creating profiles
  • being able to quickly populate candidate information from uploaded resumes so a recruiter never has to type it in
  • automatically sending emails to candidates informing them their applications were received and other status updates
  • storing candidate information so HR recruiters can reach out to past candidates when new positions open up

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Why You Need More From Your ATS

One thought surrounding Google’s early retirement of Hire is the tech giant had overextended itself with its never-ending launching of new products. Many of these new products, including Google Hangouts, Google Jump, Google Cloud Messaging, Google+ and more, have met an early demise, lending way to the joke about a “Google Graveyard.” Google might have realized it would have to invest much more in new HR technology to compete. The Greek philosopher Plato said, “Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.”

While Hire was a functional ATS, there is much more an ATS should do. For example, an ATS should be able to:

  • Reduce risk by staying compliant with updated OFCCP regulations
  • Feature VEVRAA, AAP and candidate flow reporting in preparation of an audit
  • Populate EEO language in all recruitment materials
  • Reach top talent with integrated job distribution to hundreds of job boards and social media
  • Automatically screen candidates and schedule interviews using an AI assistant
  • Communicate with your team about open positions and employee referral programs

Move Your Data to a Better ATS

It’s time to move your data. Google is offering a free Hire data export to all its current contract customers. JSON, the standard export format, is supported by most popular applicant tracking systems, including the BirdDogHR Applicant Tracking System. Paired with Recruiting AI and Texting, our ATS allows companies to not only drastically improve the candidate experience but stay compliant and reduce risk. If you’re scrambling for another ATS solution, now that Hire is retiring, see how our solutions can help. Schedule a demo today.