Recruiting talent for your business can be a time-intensive process. Hiring solutions powered by technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning promise to change that. Recruiting technology solutions can speed up hiring and allow recruiters to focus on tasks that require human qualities like empathy and creative thinking.

Here’s a rundown on the latest trends in recruiting technology. After that, you’ll find strategies for identifying providers that can deliver the best tools for your needs.

Recruitment marketing software

The recruitment process starts with the job posting, of course. You need to make sure you craft a job description that accurately defined the duties to be performed as well as the credentials and qualities a candidate should possess to perform well in the position.

The next question is, how do you get the right people to see your job posting? In a candidate-driven market like the current one, applicants can be choosy about the jobs they go for and may never run across positions that aren’t well-marketed.

That’s where recruiting technology comes in. These tools and solutions can help you to:

  • Manage the start of the recruiting process by automating the distribution of job postings and optimizing them for different platforms, from job boards to social media.
  • Improve the candidate experience by targeting candidates most likely to be interested in your position, reducing the risk that you annoy them by wasting their time.
  • Measure the effectiveness of your various channels by providing you with data so you can fine-tune your recruitment marketing strategies and spend your budget more wisely.

Following is a look at some leading types of recruiting technology software and systems.

Applicant tracking systems (ATS)

Once your job posting goes live and applications start flowing in, ATS software can help you manage the application process by automating many of the workflow steps, such as resume selection, background checks and interview scheduling. Additional features can include AI-powered chatbots to answer applicant queries and pre-screen candidates.

The main benefit of using an ATS system is clear: It saves you and your team from spending valuable time on routine tasks in the recruiting process. Instead, you can focus on the aspects of hiring where the human element is still critical, from assessing a candidate’s communication skills to judging whether they would thrive in your organizational culture.

Other upsides of this recruiting technology include:

A shorter recruiting cycle

Speed to hire is critical. In a recent Robert Half survey, 39% of employers said that ghosting by candidates has increased over the past two years. In many cases, candidate ghosting can be tied to a poorly managed or overly long hiring process.

See this post for tips on what to do if a job candidate ghosts you.

Avoiding unconscious bias

Recruiters may be influenced, albeit unwittingly, by a candidate’s picture, name or other attributes. A data-driven approach, using algorithms to filter applications, can help make the screening process as objective as possible.

Recruitment CRM systems

Every recruiter knows the feeling. You’re struggling to fill an important role and suddenly remember a previous applicant who would have been a standout hire. But what was their full name? And where did you store their resume?

Think of a candidate relationship management (CRM) system — aka a recruitment CRM platform — as a repository of talented people who may be interested in working for your company in the future. A CRM system can house information about past applicants who impressed you, but you were unable to hire at the time. You might also have details on file about passive candidates who may be tempted by the right opportunity.

In short, a recruitment CRM platform is a talent database that can help you:

  • Create a pipeline of candidates that you can proactively source from
  • Keep alive relationships with potential hires
  • Share candidate data and leads within your talent acquisition team

4 tips for selecting new recruiting technology

Now that you know why your business might need to invest in recruiting technology, how do you find the right platform for your organization?

1. Tidy up your existing recruiting processes

As a first step, conduct a good spring cleaning of your existing workflows, throwing out redundant or ineffective processes. Doing so will allow you to identify your system requirements and approach software vendors with a good understanding of how their solutions could support your needs.

2. Ask if you can check out a demo account

Well-marketed software always sounds good in advertising. In the real world, though, it could disappoint you or fail to meet your needs, which is why you should try before you buy.

Also, consider questions such as: Does the recruitment software have the capabilities to report on simple metrics like time-to-hire? How about automated features like candidate screening? You also need to know whether the new system will integrate with your current software, and if so, how complex that integration process is likely to be.

3. Think ahead to scalability

Perhaps your organization is planning an expansion over the next three to five years. It’s worth asking potential vendors of recruiting technology how their solution will scale with your expected growth. How does the recruitment software handle increased usage? Will it support more complex workflows as you expand?

4. Make sure you have after-sales support

We’ve all been there — you buy a product on the back of a fantastic sales pitch, only to find that there’s no one to answer your questions once the deal is done. Before you appoint a vendor to provide your firm with recruiting technology, find out who will be your point person for customer support and success arrange a meeting with them. This will allow you to evaluate their product knowledge and communication skills, and ensure you have a reliable contact who will be there when needed to help you and your team get the most from your recruitment tools.

Recruiting technology is changing the way companies find and hire talent. Adapting to digital workflows may take some getting used to, but the long-term payoffs — in increased efficiency, time saved and a great candidate experience — should more than compensate for any pain points in the short term.