Recruitment is a time-consuming process. But with the right recruitment tech at your disposal, you can streamline your workflow and improve your chances of finding top talent.

Are you wondering if your recruitment tech is still up to the challenge? Or whether there’s a new software player out there ready to revolutionize your hiring process?

We’ve pulled together some key info about recruitment tech, along with the latest software trends and tips, to help you start 2022 on the right foot.  

What are the different types of recruitment tech?

Let’s start by breaking down the different types of recruitment tech that are currently out there. You’re probably already using most of these in one form or another.

Job aggregators

Job aggregators are essentially search engines for job vacancies. They take job ads from multiple job boards and present them all together.Some popular job aggregators include LinkedIn, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter. And they’re good at what they do. Every minute, four people are hired through LinkedIn.

ATS (Applicant tracking systems)

An ATS or applicant tracking system streamlines the recruitment process by automatically collecting and sorting applications. There are lots of ATS options out there. Depending on which you use, you can expect:  

• An intuitive applicant interface. This makes life easy for your applicants and ensures more of them actually complete the application process.
  
• Access for multiple hiring team members — so your teams can work collaboratively.
  
• Great candidate communication tools. You need easy (and sometimes automated) tools to keep in touch with candidates throughout the recruitment process.
  
• Insightful analytics and an easy-to-use dashboard. This helps you track hiring team performance and find areas for improvement.
  
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion insights. Your ATS should provide customizable application questions that help you establish and track your DEI performance.
  
• Great candidate search functions — so you can easily find past applicants saved in your database.

• Customization and integrations. From the look of your brand’s career website to recruitment workflow, your ATS should work hand in hand with your existing systems.

Wondering if your ATS has fallen behind the times? Find out how to tell if your ATS is outdated.  

CRMs (Candidate relationship managers)

In the world of recruitment tech, the difference between a CRM and an ATS has long been debated.

An ATS traditionally focuses on the practical task of storing candidate information, while a CRM provides a way for recruiters to manage their candidate relationships.

However, with today’s modern ATS tech, there’s a lot of overlap between the two systems.

A recruitment CRM can help you:

• Develop an extensive, searchable talent database
• Find, attract, and manage candidates throughout the whole recruitment process
• Cultivate your employer brand
• Implement advanced hiring workflows with interview, email, screening, and job offer tools
• Analyze your recruitment practice and performance with advanced reporting features

Popular CRMs on the market include Yello, Beamery, and Avature.

Video interviewing tools

Video interviewing tools — like HireVue, VidCruiter, and interviewstream — allow you to conduct virtual interviews with ease. Some CRM and ATS systems provide video interviewing tools as standard.

When looking for video interview recruitment tech, you’ll need:

• A great user interface and easy download capabilities — so it’s just as easy for candidates to use as it is for you.
• Integrations with your ATS and any other recruitment and workflow tools you use

Depending on your requirements, you could also keep an eye out for software that offers real-time assessment, one-way interview, and shareable recording tools.

Testing and assessment tools

Pre-employment assessment software makes it easy for you to manage candidate testing as part of your recruitment process.

There are lots of assessment tools to choose from — all offering a different range of tests. Whether you’re looking to assess a candidate’s judgment, cognitive ability, job knowledge, or even language skills, there’s a testing tool to suit.  

Here are a few examples:

• Capfinity (who integrate with Headstart) offers strength based assessment and development. 

• Criteria Corp offers aptitude, personality, and skills tests.

• Berke Assessment offers customizable tests to assess personality and intelligence.

• Traitify uses visual tests to assess personality.

Which recruitment tech is a hit — and which is a miss?

So heading into 2022, which recruitment tech tools and features are still worth the investment? Take a look at our recruitment tech tips — the software hits and the misses for the year ahead.

✅ Recruitment tech hits

✱ A modern ATS that’s flexible enough to meet your needs

A modern ATS covers the vast majority of bases in your recruitment process.

The best of the bunch will combine candidate engagement, talent search, screening, and interview tools — as well as team collaboration capabilities.

They’ll also be looking to innovate further — with in-built AI, remote recruitment, and advanced DEI tools on the horizon, or the ability to integrate with these types of tools here and now.

✱ Video interviewing tools

Back in 2019, this recruitment tech would be nowhere near the top of your list. Fast forward to 2022, and there’s no getting away from it — the pandemic has dramatically changed the world of work.

A Gartner HR survey found that 86% of organizations conducted virtual interviews during the COVID-19 pandemic. And the move towards remote working and distributed teams looks set to stick around. So investing in solid video interviewing tech is a wise move.

In the short term, it can help you navigate the endless twists and turns of the pandemic. And in the long-term, it could help you build a remote workforce of the very best global talent.

✱ Features that enhance the candidate experience

54% of global businesses are reporting a talent shortage. Companies are in competition for the very best new employees.So how do you maintain the edge over other organizations? You make your candidate experience as easy and as positive as possible. Look for recruitment tech that helps you to implement:

• An application portal that keeps candidates informed about the status of their application
• An easy-to-use interface that works on both mobile and desktop devices
• A smooth and speedy screening process, so candidates aren’t left waiting for weeks
• A clear and well-branded company career page
• Easy and automated tools for sending follow-up emails and messages
• The option to send candidate experience surveys so you can locate areas for improvement

❌ Recruitment tech misses

✱ Old, clunky systems

Recruitment tech is supposed to make the recruitment process easier and more effective. Signs it’s time to look for a new solution?

• Your hiring team don’t like using your recruitment tech
• Team productivity is poor
• A high proportion of candidates drop out of your pipeline
• You can’t integrate your current systems with new recruitment tech tools
• There’s a ton of things you wish your tech could do — but it just doesn’t 

Any tech that no longer serves your needs, has bad customer support, or has an outdated user interface is not worth your time or money. Shop around for a better option — or for add-ons that give you the functionality you need.

✱ Tech that fails to incorporate or measure progress towards your DEI goals

The benefits of a solid DEI strategy are wide-ranging — for both companies and candidates. But recruiting a diverse workforce is easier said than done. It takes time and effort to address unconscious bias and outdated recruitment practices.  

DEI recruitment tech helps to simplify and speed up the process by eliminating unconscious bias from the hiring process. If the recruitment tech you’re currently using doesn’t help you realize your DEI goals or doesn’t let you track how you’re progressing towards them, it’s time to change things up.