• Integration with SubFinder-  General ASP is pleased to announce our new partnership with SubFinder, the leader in automated substitute management software.  Please consider attending our informational webinar on Tuesday, March 16th at  which will demonstrate how to seamlessly send new hire information from AppliTrack to SubFinder.  Click here to register:  https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/531192971
  
  
• Integration with MUNIS- It is now possible to seamlessly transfer new hire data from AppliTrack to the MUNIS financial management system.  Although this has always been an option for AppliTrack users, the new interface makes the process a breeze!
  
  
• Login As Applicant - It is now possible for SuperUsers, and any other user with the “Can Use Tools” permission, to log-in to an applicant’s online application directly from the Applicant Dashboard.  This functionality has always been accessible through the “Tools”->”Modify Files” screen; however,  this update makes it more convenient for those users acting as AppliTrack system administrators.
  
  

• Enhanced Filters (State, Job Type, and City are now clickable)

• More focused Job Categories

• A new tag line has been added to the logo

Monday, January 4, 2010
Happy New Year!  As you begin posting your vacancies for the 2010-11 school year, consider reviewing your Recruitment Effort report to see how your applicants are learning about your jobs.  Did you only get 3 applicants from that expensive newspaper ad last year?  Maybe you can save that money this year!

To view your applicants by Recruitment Effort, simply:

1.  Click Find Applications
2.  From the blue panel on the left, click By Recruitment Effort

To view your applicants by Recruitment Efforts AND by Vacancy, simply:

1.  Click Find Applications
2.  Click By Vacancy
3.  Choose a Job ID (Vacancy)
4.  From the blue panel on the left, click Referral Source

December 14, 2009
You may Inactivate applicants who have completed your online application over one year ago by using our Inactivate Applications process.  This will allow you to "hide" old applications from your searches, but, more importantly, allow past applicants to stay "Active" by updating their application with your District.

Read more about this process here:  http://www.generalasp.com/olauserdocs/_id.aspx?id=9

December 7, 2009

Are you printing application materials and sending them to your principals through inter-office mail?  In the name of all things efficient, send them electronically!

Try selecting four or five applicants and forwarding them to a principal using the "Forward to User" tool in the blue column on the left.  This user will receive an e-mail with a hyper link to each applicant's Applicant Dashboard in AppliTrack and any additional message that you'd like to send!

There is absolutley no change in the function of the filtering tool, so please continue to use it the same way as you have in the past!

• The Folders and Routings tab was renamed to My Account. All previous functions (My Folders, Shared Folders and Configure My Routings) continue to be accessible via the tab. In addition, the new My Interviews section which was released 12/1/2009 as part of the Interview Manager is located on this tab. We have also moved the “My Email Templates” and “My User Information” screens from Setup to the My Account tab. The My Account tab now consolidates all user configurable sections of AppliTrack.
• Among many post-release tweaks in the Interview Manager is a new user permission “Can Schedule Interviews.” Be default, all standard users are granted this permission. If you would like to prevent any user from scheduling their own interviews, simply edit the user and revoke the permission on the System Permissions tab.
• You can rest easy that you won’t accidentally delete a job posting. While it doesn’t happen often, mistakes do happen and we receive the occasional phone call asking us to restore a posting. We all know that it’s very bad practice to delete a posting with applicants (how would you tell who applied for what in the years to come?) so to reinforce good habits, you now need to deactivate a posting prior to deleting it. If you try to delete a posting that has applicants, you’ll be greeted by yet another warning telling you how many files you’ll affect if you continue. All in all, this little safety check literally and figuratively helps you “keep your job”.
• When you create a new user in AppliTrack you can now elect to have AppliTrack automatically send the user a brief email with their new account information. In addition, you can send this out to any user that forgets how to log in with just a click of a link. Just go to the Users tab and edit or create a new user to see!
• Some of you have noticed that the available columns when viewing a list of applicants has grown rather long. The columns have always been grouped by content area (education, experience, etc.) but now you can collapse the groups for a quick look at what’s available. Of course, we included “Expand and Collapse All” options at the top. Look up a list of applicants and click “Add/Remove Columns” to see it in action.
• At times, it’s necessary for an HR user to modify a job posting requisition’s approval chain in the middle of an approval. This may come up when the approval chain was built incorrectly or if someone in the process is re-assigned. Simply navigate to a requisition in process. You’ll see that you can modify upcoming steps (but not those that have already approved) and reinitiate the email out to each approver.

That's it for now. Please keep the great suggestions coming!

November 23, 2009
Register for the new Interview Manager webinar series at http://www.generalasp.com/home/support.aspx

November 16, 2009
ApplliTrack can now manage your Volunteer tracking and management process!  Considering adding a new job category titled "Volunteers" and collecting all of your volunteer information directly through AppliTrack.

A brief demonstration video can be viewed here.

November 9, 2009
We are excited to announce a new user resource called the "AppliTrack Tip of the Week"!  Each week, we will post a short video which will demonstrate some clever and interested ways to use AppliTrack.

This week, learn how to create powerful and attractive reports using AppliTrack data.

Click title below to view the video:

Generating Powerful and Attractive Reports using AppliTrack

Wednesday
Guided Setup of AppliTrack
AppliTrack and TalentFilter

Thursday
Routine Maintenance in AppliTrack
AppliTrack 201 for Principals and Hiring Managers
AppliTrack 101 for Principals and Hiring Managers

Friday
AppliTrack in 30 minutes...or less!

Register here:  http://www.generalasp.com/home/support.webinars.aspx

AppliTrack Version Now! means that you are always using the latest and greatest technologies, when you need them. More importantly, each upgrade and feature fits seamlessly with AppliTrack (even when you customize it) so you never need to learn a new “version” with each update.

In the world of web-based software, “versions” don’t exist. Think about Google, for example. Nobody knows what version of Google they use…it just works and gets better each day. AppliTrack is the same way! 

Remember, versions don’t exist in web-based software!

All New Features and Functionalities

1-Click Advertising
Broadcast your vacancies to the world through K12JobSpot.com and other leading national and regional job boards throughout the country.

eForm Manager
Distribute, collect, and review your electronic forms and reference surveys from the Applicant Dashboard.

Interview Scheduler (coming November 2009)
Automated interview scheduling, tracking, and management.

AppliTrack TotalSupport Team
Our team approach to support means that help is just a phone call or e-mail away for all of your users. Our response time averages less than 1 minute!

Applicant Watch List
Flag existing, past, or future applicant names with special codes to easily identify them in your applicant pools.

Audit Trails
Review all of the e-mails that your district has sent to your applicants through AppliTrack.  Also, access each application version submitted by your applicants.

Applicant Dashboard
View a summary of an applicant’s materials and utilize the NotePad and other tools from one, easy-to-read, screen.

uDesign Tool
Create custom application pages, pre- and post-hire forms, and reference surveys with ease!

Since our last upgrade notice on 7/7, AppliTrack has seen a couple of large, exciting updates- a completely revamped applicant experience, and the powerful new eForms functionality.  We have also made a number of smaller improvements which we’d like to share with you.

On the administrative side, we have made improvements to our recently introduced Download Applicant Data tool.  It will now be possible for districts to set up custom data sets to be downloaded- if there is a set of fields you need to export every time, these fields can now be pre-selected.  Any data on an applicant can be used in these exports, including applicant’s answers on custom pages, and notes left by administrators.

The NotePad has seen another significant improvement - it is now possible to print the NotePad for an applicant.  You’ll now see a “Print NotePad” link in the lower, right-hand corner.

We’ve also made a few improvements on the Users tab.  We’ve introduced new permissions- CanForwardApplications, which controls users’ ability to forward applications to other users, and CanMarkWithNotes, which determines a user’s ability to leave notes for an applicant.  By default, both of these permission are set to true for standard users- but by removing these permissions, you can prevent your users from accessing this functionality within the system.

Additionally, it is now possible to sort your list of users by their login count- and behind the scenes, we’re tracking a lot more information on user logins.  While this change isn’t visible to our users, it will assist with our security and support efforts.

For consortium users, there have been a few updates to the Job Posting Only accounts.  These are special accounts within consortia that allow for the posting of jobs, but do not allow for collecting and viewing applications.  These accounts have been quite successful in expanding and promoting the consortia, as well as allowing them to offer a more robust service.  We hope that this most recent round of updates will make the Job Posting Only accounts easier to use and more functional still.

The first two changes will be noticed by the Job Posting Only account users themselves.  If a consortium chooses to allow it, Job Posting Only users will now be able to create accounts and begin posting vacancies entirely on their own.  When Job Posting Only users log in, they will now see a Status Bar along the bottom of the screen.  This status bar will communicate consortium information to the user, and provide the user with a link to explore becoming a full consortium member.  On the back end, these Job Posting Only events are being logged and retained in our databases.  This will provide a valuable resource for the growth and support of the different consortia.

On the applicant side, there is an update that deserves mention.  After receiving feedback on the applicant side revamp, we have made a few adjustments to the confirmation page.  Now applicants will see a large submission status notification at the top of the page, and the Finish and Submit button at the bottom has been grayed out.

Lastly, on the subject of partner integrations- you’ve probably seen updates on this subject in the last couple of months, but AppliTrack now offers integrations with the AESOP sub placement system, the Haberman assessment tool, and Education Week’s TopSchoolJobs recruitment site.  We here at General ASP continue to develop new partnerships to make using AppliTrack as easy- and even enjoyable- as possible!

The partnership will simplify recruitment processes for more than one thousand school districts across the country that use AppliTrack by providing job posting delivery between AppliTrack and TopSchoolJobs.org.

Recruiters will easily post jobs via the AppliTrack interface directly to TopSchoolJobs.org and to Education Week's Recruitment Marketplace, gaining access to the gold standard audience for K-12 recruitment. Ultimately, K-12 talent acquisition will become easier and more cost-effective for AppliTrack clients. AppliTrack is the first web-based applicant tracking system to offer a seamless integration with TopSchoolJobs.org.

"It makes perfect sense for General ASP to partner with TopSchoolJobs.org as the recruitment goals of our respective and mutual customers are the same. This seamless integration will save our users time and money while providing incomparable exposure for their vacancies on a national level," said Abe Reese, President and Founder of General ASP.

"Our partnership with General ASP will advance our ongoing commitment to improving the quality and efficiency of education recruitment. This functionality will help school districts recruit top candidates--including superintendents, administrators, and teachers--from our readership of more than one million education professionals," said Virginia B. Edwards, Editor of Education Week and President of Editorial Projects in Education, the non-profit company that publishes TopSchoolJobs.org.

1. An entirely new section on the applicant dashboard just for managing eForms. This new feature makes it easy to attach an electronic form, send a form to an applicant, send a form to another user or send a form to any email address!
   ---Limitless possibilities exist.---
   Forms such as a New Hire Checklist, Telephone Reference Survey, Interview Questionnaire and Emergency Contact Information can all be sent and attached to any application.
   
2. A new references data collection form that captures much more data and allows an unlimited number of references to be entered.
   
3. Some new options on the edit position category dialog. Authorized users can specify if applicants to specified categories are required to supply email addresses for their references and if a reference survey should be automatically sent upon the application submission.
   
4. A few changes to the applicant dashboard to better display references. Reference surveys can be sent via email and their responses received through AppliTrack.
   
5. An improved edit forms screen that allows authorized users (typically HR) to create their own forms. In addition, a great new Edit Form Properties screen was added which gives authorized users access to all the great configuration options available with eForms.
   
6. Those customers who have not yet used reference surveys will find four professionally designed reference surveys installed. We also installed several post-hire and screening forms which can be used as is or tailored to meet your needs. And, remember, these are just the start. If you’ve ever added a Per Posting Question to a job, then you know how to create a new eForm! Just click Edit Forms to begin.

In this update, you'll find some nice changes to the Edit User screen. For those customers with a long list of vacancies, we've added the option to group Routings by Location (new) or by Category (the default). The new location groups make it a cinch to route multiple vacancies in the same building to a user. We've also added three new System Permissions:

1. Can Inactivate Applicants - Allow Standard users to inactivate applicants via the Notes screen. The default is "no".
2. Can View Action History - Allow Standard users to view the actions taken by others. The default is "no".
3. Can View Inactive Postings - Allow Standard users to view job posting that have been inactivated. The default is "yes".

We also overhauled two major features within AppliTrack. We expanded the "applicant emailer" so you can merge in any field in your applicant list. For example, if you wanted to include the last date an applicant submitted their application in a message, simply add that column to your list of applicants, start an email to an applicant(s) and select "Date Completed" from the new "Insert Merge Field" dropdown. The date a person completed their application will be merged into the outgoing messages.

We also rewrote the Job Posting screen so updates to your postings are synchronized with K12JobSpot.com automatically. To see the update, edit any posting and flip to the Advertise tab. You'll see a reduced set of options, which is a good thing, because AppliTrack and K12JobSpot.com now automatically figure out when and how your posting should be displayed based on the settings from the Job Posting's "Main" tab.

You'll see several new enhancements and format improvements in the applicant list:

1. We added the date someone was added to a folder, as well as the username that placed an applicant in the folder, to the "Action History".
2. We reformatted the Notes column to make it easier to read.
3. We added an Address column to the Watch List for easier identification of watched names.

You'll also see a few new options on other screens:

1. We added a new list, "Requisitions Approved By Me", for Requisition Approvers on the Job Postings tab
2. We added convenient search fields on the Search Form to make it easy to find applicants with scores from third party assessment systems such as Polaris, Gallup and Ventures for Excellence.
3. We added a new "Internal Catch All" field on the Edit Preferences screen for all of you that use the Internal Application.
4. We added a new option to expire (but not delete) notes after a certain number of days. If you'd like to use this, please email our support team as this is currently a preference that we must administer.

You'll also find AppliTrack generally faster and more stable thanks to the almost dozen small bug fixes that have gone in over the past several weeks. We hope you enjoy some of the added and updated functionality!

Links: AppliTrack's Online Manual, Advertise a Posting

We just came across a link to a nice "plug" from an education blogger:  http://instructify.com/2009/06/22/monday-by-the-numbers-53/

As of June 24, 2009, K12JobSpot.com:

*  Has been visited by over 300,000 job seekers.

*  Has a monthly average of 75,000 unique visitors

Moreover, school districts throughout the country are reporting a large number of applicants listing www.K12JobSpot.com as their referral source when applying for a position.

General ASP is thrilled that our national job board for education, which is exclusive to AppliTrack users like you, is getting noticed.  Our efforts to help recruit the best candidates for our users will continue.

Not only will Illinois jobs be exposed to visitors, but jobs in ALL of our districts will be seen.  Since the link was added on June 17, 2009, ISBE has sent 500 job seekers to K12JobSpot.com!

View the ISBE Education Vacancy page.

• Recruitment Efforts and the Job Fair Quick Form
• Designing Custom Pages in AppliTrack

Most noticeably, we’ve completely redesigned the “Edit User” screen. New tabs including “Application Permissions”, “System Permissions” and “Routings” make it easier to use and prettier to look at. The expanded user interface is great for our customers and our developers alike. Developers now have a platform to build all kinds of new security layers upon. Look for additional security options in the weeks to come.  

In this update, you’ll find options to control a user’s access to applicants by group (Pooled applicants and Vacancy applicants) as well as by Location. Consider using this to give your users access to most categories while restricting them to vacancies within their building. This can be a nice alternative for all of your Routings Only users out there.

You’ll also see noticeably faster load times. AppliTrack’s entire security layer was updated to load applicants up to 90% faster. During the update we discovered that most screen counts excluded applicants visible only through shared folders, routings and forwards. So, we updated everything to show, and count, all applicants your users have permission to view.

The JFI-T is a validated teacher assessment tool which helps you identify and hire the best teachers for your schools.

To enable the Job Fit Inventory for Teachers, following these easy steps:

1.  Log into AppliTrack
2.  Click the Setup Tab
3.  Click Edit Preferences
4.  Scroll down to Polaris Assessment
5.  Click the Enable Polaris Integration button

You will then have the opportunity to review Polaris Best Practices and the Terms of Service.

Testimonials
"Polaris provides the best combination of quality and price we've seen in the marketplace." 
Christine Barnet, Asst. Supt., HR, Bloomfield Hills (MI) Schools

"Polaris's emphasis on research and continuous improvement makes them a uniquely valuable resource for NTEC's assessment needs." 
Joe Kazielski, COO, National Teacher Education Center

In addition to our existing course offerings, new courses titled, "Guided Setup of AppliTrack" and "AppliTrack Orientation for Consortium Members" are now offered.

AppliTrack Learning Webinars are:

•  FREE

•   30-60 minutes in length

•   Targeted towards different audiences (office staff, Principals, Technology Directors, Superintendents)

•   Offered an convenient times

All Webinars are facilitated by:

Chris Hoehn, AppliTrack developer/Former school district Technology Coordinator
Dr. Sam Reese, AppliTrack trainer/ Retired Asst. Superintendent and Professor

To register for an upcoming webinar, click here.

• Your IT staff must install and configure a .NET webservice we developed.
• Your IT staff must allow AppliTrack access to this webservice.
• Your IT staff must install a valid SSL certificate on the server hosting the service.

• A Windows component that allows our developers to build next generation applications.
  • Eases the development of interactive and rich internet applications by providing built-in technologies and tools. 
  • Rapid and flexible database programming. 
• Future plans – this is part of the foundation for our planned upcoming applicant-side redesign.

Simply bring a laptop and direct each interested job seeker to complete the Job Fair Quick Form.  This will take them 30 seconds to complete.

Each candidate will then automatically be sent an e-mail from your District requesting that they finish their application and upload the requested materials into your District's AppliTrack system when they have time to do so.

Watch a video demonstration of the Job Fair Quick Form tool.

General ASP's primary mission is to provide a level of customer service second-to-none.  Therefore, when you purchase AppliTrack, you will be provided with the following:

1)  A Support Center that actually allows you to easily speak with a human!

When you call the Support Center, your call will be answered by an experienced member of our Support Team.  And, when you call our Support Center, you're not just speaking with someone we've trained, you're speaking with a member of the AppliTrack development team.  Imagine being able to call Bill Gates and his lead developers every time your computer crashed!  Well, everyone including General ASP President, Abe Reese, is here and capable of helping you!

2)  Our sales staff is dedicated to providing you with every piece of information and guidance that you'll need in order to make the best decision for your organization. 

We've walked-the-walk.  The people at General ASP have experience hiring personnel and will not only help you learn about the AppliTrack system, but also share first-hand experiences about using AppliTrack in the real world.

3)  Our full-time staff is ready to assist you with any other questions about your service that may develop.

From scheduling training to requesting information about your bill, our Client Services staff is here to help.

Interested in learning more?  We encourage you to call any of our nearly 900 AppliTrack users to ask about our Customer Service and Support Center.

We currently partner with many vendors and may have an existing integration.  If not, we will set up the integration for your new software package for free!  Just let us know who you choose!

HR Management Integrations
Infinite Visions HR Suite, MUNIS, APECS, Skyward, Digital Schools, SISFin, BudgetSense

Background Check Integrations
Safe Hiring Solutions, First Advantage

Pre-Screening Integrations
HUMANeX Ventures, Gallup Teacher and Principal Insight, Haberman Star Teacher PreScreener, Polaris, ASAP

National Job Board Integrations
K12JobSpot.com, REAP, KEEB, NJSchoolJobs.com