Posted by What is recruiting software?
Recruiting software is a category of human resources management (HRM) that handles the process of posting jobs and attracting top talent for vacant positions within a company. From posting jobs to reviewing resumes and interviewing candidates, recruiting software streamlines the entire candidate search and hiring process, automating when possible to lessen workloads. By eliminating paperwork and offering powerful resume and candidate search functions, the software makes it easier for organizations to find and hire employees.
Nearly every HR software vendor offers recruiting features, so choosing the best recruiting system can be a daunting task. To simplify the buying process, this guide lists the best recruiting software vendors, recruiting software trends and features, and what to look for in enterprise recruitment tools.
Recruiting software features
Recruiting software is the linchpin to any company’s talent acquisition strategy. It provides a central location and database for all recruitment efforts. At the enterprise level, recruiting tools are often offered as a module of an enterprise resource management (ERP) system, HR suite, financial management solution, or human capital management (HCM) system, rather than standalone software. These systems provide centralized databases for employee and customer data and improved analysis capabilities. Recruiting modules expand upon these features.
For smaller businesses, a recruiting tool can be included in larger HR or ERP systems or purchased as a standalone, best of breed system. Best of breed recruiting tools often communicate with other business software via direct integration or API.
Regardless of how a recruitment tool is packaged, having a database for recruiting makes it easier to narrow the number of applicants by searching applications for specific candidate criteria. Hiring managers can save information, customize workflows, apply search filters, and ensure they comply with federal employment and anti-discrimination laws all in a single software.
Functionality for most recruiting software is built around the following pillars:
- Workforce Planning: creating pools of internal and external candidates
- Sourcing: job posting management, advertising, social media promotion
- Candidate Acquisition: referrals, screening, assessments, selection
- Applicant Tracking: interviewing, background checks, candidate communication
- Onboarding: meetings, orientation, training
- Analytics: reporting and metrics embedded throughout the system
HR teams should look for a collaborative system that aligns with their internal hiring process and gives candidates a positive experience. Streamlining these functions increases efficiency by screening out unqualified applicants early in the process, reducing administrative burden across all functions, and providing analytics about the entire process.
With so many vendors to choose from, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. The following trends—and the features in our comparison charts—will help you differentiate vendors and choose the right provider for your business.
Cloud and SaaS solutions
Most HR software vendors are moving away from on-premise solutions. Companies are choosing to use cloud-based systems, rather than buying a one-time license and housing the software onsite. The software-as-a-service (SaaS) model means you pay a subscription fee per month or per year to use the software.
Not only is SaaS licensing typically cheaper than hosting software on-premise, but it also frees up server space for the data companies can’t or don’t want to put in the cloud. Smaller companies might not even have on-premise servers, so cloud-based software keeps them from having to purchase expensive hardware and hire staff to maintain it.
AI and automation
Many recruiting software systems add artificial intelligence and automation features to assist HR professionals with repetitive tasks. Recruiting tools use automation to parse resumes for job-related keywords that the HR team has designated. The software then builds pools of candidates based on shared skills and experience levels, quickly removing unqualified candidates. Because these tools scan databases for candidates, previously disqualified candidates can remain in the system for a job they’ll be better qualified for. This feature is most helpful during reverse recruiting efforts where HR contacts previous applicants to match them with new job openings.
Integrations and suites
As the HR tech stack continues to grow, you must consider how your next recruiting software will integrate with your existing technology. If your company has existing HR systems, such as payroll software or a learning management system (LMS), any solution you choose should integrate with them.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for an all-in-one system that handles other HR processes in addition to recruiting functionality, then you’ll need a vendor that offers a full HR suite like an HRIS or HCM system. We can help you figure out which system is best for you and take hours off your research process. Fill out the form at the top of the page to get fast, free recommendations.
Top enterprise recruiting software vendors
HR or ERP systems that integrate with recruiting software provide critical functionality for large organizations. In-house recruiters need strong collaboration features that facilitate sharing applicant data and receiving feedback from hiring managers. Enterprises may also prefer a solution that offers a branded careers page, application portal, and internal job board. These features facilitate internal hiring and employee referral programs. We’ve compared several of the top enterprise recruiting platforms based on automation, analytics, recruitment marketing, and candidate assessment feature.
The heavy-duty needs of enterprise recruitment call for a heavy-duty recruiting system. Enterprise systems should integrate with your existing HR system, use continuous candidate engagement (CCE) and offer features for employee referrals, detailed filtering and reporting, and resume parsing.
iCIMS –Â icims enterprise recruiting platform.
ICims offers a suite of recruiting tools, from an applicant tracking system (ATS) to candidate relationship management to employee onboarding, to name a few. Enterprises can create and share job listings to their website and job sites, advertise openings, optimize listing SEO, receive applications via text message, and more. Artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing give a boost to the candidate engagement feature, and the platform as a service (PaaS) offering allows recruiters to add apps and customize their experience. ICims integrates with Namely, Peoplesoft, and ADP Workforce Now for HR.
Oracle Recruiting Cloud
The Oracle Recruiting Cloud module helps recruiters find the best talent and onboard them efficiently by using adaptive intelligence and a mobile-first user interface. Recruiters can easily build branded career pages run targeted customer relationship management (CRM) campaigns, and track hiring metrics.
Oracle Recruiting Cloud shares similar features as the Talent Acquisition Cloud module. However, there are a few differences, such as a mobile-responsive user interface and the use of chatbots to communicate with candidates.
Benefits of Oracle Recruiting Cloud includes:
- Improved candidate experience during hiring process
- Improved insights into recruiting needs to drive better hiring decisions
- Hiring process is streamlined with automation tools
- A variety of sourcing options that help expand job postings’ reach
- Improved compliance to hiring and regulatory laws (e.g., Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)
Oracle Recruiting Cloud provides pre-built integrations to its partner network for job distribution, assessments, video interviewing, background checks and other applications. It also integrates with other modules within the Oracle HCM Cloud framework, so users can easily access data throughout the suite. For example, new hire self-service activities, such as onboarding and training, are accessible from the same platform.
Talentcloud.ai – AI Powered Recruitment Software
Talentcloud.ai is a Malaysia based Human Capital Management Software that includes features that help companies attract and retain talent, such as recruiting, learning, performance management and more.Â
Talentcloud Recruiting will help your organisation to achieve true visibility across the entire talent-acquisition process and acquire the best talent. This enables greater visibility, configurable workflows, a positive candidate experience and better collaboration tools between team members to accelerate the hiring process.
Features – Example –Â mameecareers.com
Employer-branded candidate experience – Recruiters can build career branded pages without help from IT. Talentcloud.ai provides template-based pages, so recruiters can add job descriptions, multi-media files and other content. The page can also include a search bar for finding job postings and geolocation awareness for the job candidate. As job seekers are applying for jobs and communicating with jobs via their smartphones, Talentcloud.ai Recruiting Software has a mobile-first user interface.
Multichannel sourcing – Talentcloud.ai provides multichannel sourcing so recruiters can build an ongoing talent pipeline, such as job boards, targeted CRM campaigns, and social media. Recruiters can measure sourcing success with the advanced sourcing analytics feature.
Online Job Distribution – Talentcloud.ai provides job distribution service to multiple job boards, so recruiters can reduce their hiring cost up to 100%. This feature is currently only offer by Talentcloud.ai. Example.
Other recruiting functionality – Talentcloud.ai Recruiting Software offers comprehensive features, such as job requisitions, approval workflows, candidate selections and electronic offer distributions.
Onboarding – New hires participate in pre-hire onboarding (such as completing new hire paperwork or engaging in role-based training) directly online from the onboarding portal.
Choosing the best recruiting software
The first step to finding the right provider is to identify your goals and the must-have features that will support them. Pinpointing the reasons you’re seeking recruitment software will help you define your business goals and better navigate the market. Have a list of your must-have and “nice-to-have” features. If you come across two comparable vendors that meet the mandatory criteria, this gives you a secondary elimination method. If you come across a software package missing one of your must-haves, then it’s an automatic deal-breaker.
Next, you should examine vendor track records to find accreditations, case studies, and testimonials for customer service. These could be the determining factor between two similar vendors.
Then test each contender using a demo or a free trial before you choose a solution. You’ll want to experience the software in action to make sure it suits your needs and isn’t masking subpar functionality behind great interfaces and a well-made website.
To cut down some on your research time, use our Product Selection Tool by clicking on the banner at the top of this page. After answering a few questions, you’ll get a short, unbiased list of software that will meet your company’s needs.