Exempla was formed in 1998, bringing together Saint Joseph Hospital Lutheran Medical Center, and the Exempla Physician Network to provide responsive healthcare services to the community. According to Bob Morrison, Director of Recruitment for Exempla, the facilities anticipate adding 500 new staff to the existing 6,000-strong employee base within the next three months. In prior HR positions, Morrison used applicant-tracking systems, and decided to replace Exempla's manual processes with an automated solution.

"There is a massive shortage of clinical people, particularly registered nurses. Aging boomers are increasing the demand for healthcare," says Morrison. "We have to do everything we can to fill open clinical positions. For every RN we find, we have to be responsive and act quickly."

At the same time, Exempla discovered that it was receiving an abundance of resumes for its non-clinical positions due to the weak economy. "We needed help managing the pool of resumes," says Morrison. "I have used applicant tracking systems and knew the value they can bring to the recruiting process."

After a thorough search, Morrison chose First Advantage HMS, the flagship offering of First Advantage Hiring Management Systems, a Portland, ME-based provider of applicant tracking and talent management solutions. In addition to better managing its applicant pool, Morrison used First Advantage HMS to adopt a paperless application process and incorporate a behavioral assessment system, all of which have yielded positive results. Because First Advantage HMS is an ASP solution that is accessed via a web browser, implementation was easy and fast, with virtually no integration issues.

First Advantage HMS's online capabilities offer benefits to candidates and Exempla management alike. "Resumes aren't getting lost, and candidates can apply 24 x 7 via the web," says Morrison. "It is an easy-to-use system, even for candidates who have never used an online system, because it walks them through the process." From a management perspective, Morrison finds First Advantage HMS helps Exempla better gauge ROI. "We can track where people come from, and understand which advertising is working for us," says Morrison. "We can monitor and track our turnaround time."

The changes have meant that Exempla has been able to double its hiring, particularly in the hard-to-fill clinical positions. "First Advantage HMS has been a big factor," says Morrison. "It is our backbone in recruiting."

Incorporating the behavioral assessment tools within the First Advantage HMS solution also has helped Exempla discover the best candidates from its pool of applicants. It has developed a behavioral assessment process within First Advantage HMS based on multiple-choice questionnaires for each family of open positions that applicants complete online. Results gauge how well matched a candidate is for each position. "It gives us one more tool to let the cream rise to the top," says Morrison.

For Morrison, First Advantage Hiring Management Systems contributes to Exempla's recruiting success due to the company's partnership approach and flexibility. He cites the company's willingness to implement new processes and develop new reports, often as a part of a standard release rather than as a high-cost customization. "We had high expectations and lofty goals, and they have met that expectation."

In the future, Morrison plans to continue to partner with First Advantage Hiring Management Systems to further develop management tools and to continue to integrate new recruiting processes. "We are a progressive company, and try to be on the leading edge for recruiting," says Morrison. "Recruiting is a competitive advantage, and First Advantage Hiring Management Systems wants to help us."