How Nottingham Trent University simplified recruitment with a system built for universities

“The system should be secondary” – how Nottingham Trent University put recruiters back at the centre

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) realised that their recruitment process and ATS setup weren’t helping the team do their best work – and it could do better. For a university of NTU’s scale, improving university recruitment processes meant removing clunky steps and processes, reducing manual work and giving recruiters confidence in the tools they use.

Working with their Jobtrain Account Manager, Holly, Sarah Alexander led a shift in how the team worked, what they focused on and how recruitment was perceived across the university. At the centre of that change was a strong partnership, a focus on simplification and a recruitment system for universities configured to quietly take care of the admin so people can focus on people.

Letting the ATS handle the admin

One of the most powerful outcomes of the changes at NTU wasn’t just smoother processes. It was what the team now gets to focus on. Automations and integrations removed large chunks of manual handling. Sarah explained:

“It’s reduced our email traffic, improved efficiencies for the team, stopped us having to take things offline or having to just manually process things. We need to have a four-stage approval process – that was tricky before, but Jobtrain makes it simple.”

Integrations into other core systems made a difference too.

“The API feature, using it to integrate into our payroll system, that’s a huge benefit. It’s a massive thing for us to be able to all of that with the click of a button.”

The real impact was in the shift in where resource allocation, time and energy go.

“The ATS means the teams can actually focus on the bits that a computer can’t do. We now have members of the team with specialties separate from the ATS, from campaign managers to team members exploring marketing initiatives.”

With Jobtrain reliably taking care of the administrative process steps, the team has more space to advise hiring managers, shape recruitment campaigns and contribute to wider university projects.

As Sarah put it, “Recruitment is our bread and butter now and we just do it as the norm. Jobtrain takes care of the admin so we can focus on the special bits.”

A team transformation, not just a system upgrade

The change in the makeup and ambition of the team means they’re now more proactive, more confident and more future-focused. Sarah sees this as a direct result of the system doing what it should. When the mechanics run smoothly in the background, the team can stretch. They’re able to look at projects beyond day-to-day recruitment, contribute to cultural and process discussions and build their own professional capability focused.

Day to day, the platform feels reliable and predictable:
“The team’s relationship with the system and their ability to use it is brilliant. We rarely have issues and when we do, they’re resolved efficiently.”

A real partnership, not just a supplier

For Sarah, the biggest change was the relationship behind the system.
“Our relationship has probably helped the most… that’s the biggest single driver of anything that we’ve done,” she said.

Working closely with Holly meant honest conversations, clear expectations and realistic advice. There was clarity around what could be done now, what was coming and where workarounds made sense.
“The relationship that we have, I’ve never experienced anything like it with a supplier. You have that dialogue where it’s very real, it’s very honest.”

Collaboration was key. “It’s a conversation, it’s a real relationship rather than it just being; ‘computer says no.’. We’re treated like people and I value that massively.”

That trust meant Sarah could advocate internally: “I am personally very protective of Jobtrain now.”

We take great pride in our connections and relationships with clients and driving their confidence in our ATS, whether that’s through one-to-one sessions that share best practice, detailed product user guides, webinars and more.

Holly’s praised Sarah’s drive and vision, so that ‘partnership’ doesn’t feel like a ‘mentorship’:

“Working with NTU is genuinely a pleasure! The relationship is built on openness, trust and a shared commitment to making things better. Their team collaborates honestly and proactively, and we’re all comfortable in having those transparent conversations about what’s working and what could work even better, which creates the kind of partnership where real progress happens. To echo Sarah’s comments, working in this way has made this relationship constructive, forward‑facing and above all, a positive experience!”

Doing more with less in a real-world environment

Like many universities, NTU operates in a climate of tight budgets, scrutiny and complex governance. The aim was never to create a flashy recruitment set-up – it was practical support for university recruitment.

“You don’t necessarily need your recruitment process to be shiny. Just give hiring managers the basics and the building blocks to be able to do it themselves.”

Simplicity became a strength. “The ATS has plenty of bells and whistles, but the most important thing is it’s easy-to-use.”

Having Jobtrain fully optimised for NTU’s processes has also resulted in making things far more intuitive for wider stakeholders too. As Sarah noted, despite multiple approval stages, “the easiest part of our recruitment process is the ATS.”

The system now handles the bulk of the admin, so the team can run an efficient recruitment service without constant increases in headcount. Time is spent on candidate conversations, screening and support instead of chasing paperwork or manual updates.

An ATS that does what it should

Today, Sarah’s view is simple:
“It’s fit for purpose. It does the job that we need it to do.”

With stabilised processes, NTU has unlocked stronger reporting and better insight into recruitment performance:
“There’s reports that we’ve got that we didn’t even know we needed!”

The ATS is no longer the story – it’s the quiet enabler behind NTU’s recruitment service.

Streamlining onboarding and compliance too

Before implementing the Jobtrain Onboarding features, NTU’s onboarding process was manual and time heavy. Contracts were PDFs, compliance checks were offline and the experience felt disjointed for candidates and staff.

Now onboarding is centralised and smooth. Templates, pre‑filled information and automated steps cut contract processing from around 20 minutes to under 5.

Sarah explained: “Onboarding is probably the bit that you can get the most wrong and lose the most candidates through if it’s not done right… it’s just worked so much better for us.”

Sarah’s summary captures the value NTU now gets: “An ATS should be secondary to everything else. Jobtrain is reliable and easy-to-use, so it lets my team focus on the parts that matter.”