Case Study: City of Tucson

Objective: Web-Based Applicant Tracking

The City of Tucson liked the features of Sigma 5 Applicant Management System Professional Edition's (AMS 5 PE) automated applicant tracking system, but wanted to reduce the amount of time employees were spending on manual data entry. The city also wanted to be able to post and track job openings online.

Solution

The City of Tucson upgraded to Sigma AMS 5 PE, a flexible and powerful automated applicant tracking system, in 2003. Used by civil service agencies throughout the U.S., the system allows government agencies like the City of Tucson to quickly create and administer employment exams and to use industry test performance analysis to continuously improve the quality of their exams. While city officials were satisfied with Sigma AMS 5 PE’s applicant tracking capabilities, human resource officials were looking for ways to use the convenience and efficiency of the web to reduce paperwork for both human resources personnel and job applicants.

Sigma recommended the city convert its software to Sigma Applicant Management System Enterprise Edition (AMS 5 EE), a version of Sigma AMS 5 that offers a vast array of advanced features that speed the work of government personnel departments. AMS 5 EE is a more sophisticated product containing easy-to-use web software that allows candidates to apply for jobs online. Although Sigma’s AMS 5 EE ability to handle online applications is a relatively new feature of the company’s flagship product, additional functionality such as online requisitions to allow supervisors to track top eligible candidates are scheduled to be rolled out later this year.

With Sigma AMS 5 EE software, Tucson city officials especially enjoyed the ability to custom-tailor their job announcements, so that postings by the Fire Department could have a different format from postings by the Police Department. Sigma AMS 5 software retains that flexibility while also giving users the ability to post those announcements online. The upgraded software also has the capability of allowing users to design and implement additional candidate questionnaires as an agency’s needs develop and change.

Results

Thanks to the flexibility of Sigma software systems, the City of Tucson easily upgraded its software to Sigma AMS 5 EE so that city personnel could continue to enjoy all of their favorite features of their familiar software program while gaining the ability to post and track job listings online.

With more and more candidates applying for jobs online, city employees have far less applicant paperwork to manage. And the online application process will soon allow supervisors a convenient method of tracking and comparing top candidates, and speed up the hiring process.

Sigma prides itself on the flexibility of its software and the ease with which applications can be customized to meet a customer’s needs. Sigma AMS 5 EE provided the City of Tucson with the tools it needed to easily incorporate online applications into its automated applicant tracking system. Best of all, because the software is so user-friendly, Tucson personnel can continue to design and customize their postings and candidate questionnaires as the need arises.