Recruiting top talent has become especially challenging in 2022. The Society for Human Resource Management reported tat, “The Great Resignation may taper off later this year, but turnover is expected to remain elevated, providing talent acquisition professionals with a stellar opportunity to attract talent to the organization and to play a more critical part in retaining that talent.”

The job market appears to be recovering from the losses experienced during the pandemic, but there is still intense competition for quality, available talent. Inflationary pressures also mean that job candidates closely compare job openings and compensation packages. Once new hires come in, the onboarding process may require a further significant investment by the company.

For these reasons, smart recruiters are turning to highly advanced recruitment tools to streamline recurring tasks and help them find the best candidates for the job. This article looks at some of the top recruitment software tools available today, reviews their functionality, and highlights their key pros and cons to help find new team members from the available talent pool.

Types of recruitment tools

Hiring the wrong employee can drain resources for the company. When new hires quickly turnover because they don’t have the necessary qualifications or are not a quality match, the process must begin all over again. This leaves a hole in the organization's ability to plan and complete critical projects on time.

Hiring better employees and improving the onboarding experience can lead to strengthened long-term retention because the employer and the candidate are both well-informed. Top recruitment tools are time-efficient, cost-effective, and useful in attracting top candidates.

Different types of recruitment tools can assist in locating, interviewing, and hiring candidates: from straightforward job boards, job ads, and LinkedIn job postings to highly advanced artificial intelligence recruitment solutions. Recruiters have a wide variety of support mechanisms at their disposal to help in some of the more labor-intensive aspects of finding qualified job seekers. Here's a quick breakdown of a few of the major tool categories and what each one addresses.

• Job aggregators: These tools are essentially a type of search engine, but they are designed specifically to display ads for jobs. These search sites do the work of combing through online job postings and job boards to create an easily searchable database. Qualified candidates can easily use job description or keyword searches to find potential job listings that match their experience. An example of this would be Google's job search function.
• Candidate testing and assessment tools: To help narrow down the potential talent pool, recruiters can use candidate testing and assessment tools to help them cost-effectively identify potential candidates who would be a good fit for their open position. The tools match the candidate's experience and qualifications to the job description for the available position. Tools in this category might include work samples, tests for critical thinking, or tests that measure specific job knowledge.
• Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation tools: According to data collected by Predictive Hire in 2020, nearly 55% of companies are investing in recruitment automation. They believe it will enhance their efficiency and increase their ability to make data-driven judgments. 

Artificial intelligence, or AI, uses technology to automate certain aspects of the hiring process, such as screening and predicting the likelihood of success in the position. Machine learning builds an assessment approach by setting measurement metrics, storing them in the system, and tracking them against potential candidates. Automation tools establish workflows for what would otherwise be manual recruitment activities, helping streamline sourcing, scheduling, communication, and assessment for job seekers.

• Applicant Tracking System (ATS): An Applicant Tracking System, or ATS, is an all-in-one human resource software. Its purpose is to keep track of candidates throughout the entire recruiting, hiring, and onboarding process. The system might help to track and facilitate faster interview scheduling. It might also include resources to assist in job advertising and reference checks.
• Recruiting marketing platforms: These platforms have many features designed to help market your open positions and attract candidates, such as social recruiting tools. Beyond attracting candidates, these tools also help engage with them, nurture their interest in your open roles, and encourage them to apply. Many recruitment marketing platforms are used within internal HR departments to help hiring teams build and connect with talent pipelines.
• Video interviewing tools: These are tools used to help interview potential candidates for employment, and are particularly helpful in today’s environment where in-person interviews can be difficult to schedule due to many hiring teams working from home. Rather than wasting time going back and forth to coordinate an in-person interview, video interviewing tools expedite the process and make virtual interviewing much more seamless. Video interviews allow hiring managers to conduct a candidate assessment in real time, and provide benefits that telephone interviews cannot: tone, body language, facial expressions, etc.    
• Candidate Relationship Management (CRM): A recruitment CRM software system works alongside other tracking software to develop ongoing interactions with potential job candidates. While an applicant might not have been right for one position, another opportunity may open up in the company at a future time that would be a better match for their specific skills. The CRM keeps track of past applications and looks through them for possible matches to current job openings.

The 8 best recruitment tools

The outlook for the job market seems to be tight for the foreseeable future. To attract the best candidates in today’s challenging recruitment market, recruiters need to use the best recruitment tools. 

Perhaps the most important feature of a recruitment tool is its ability to find the best candidates for open positions quickly. However, there are dozens of these tools on the market: How can you know which ones are better than others? Below, we'll break down eight top tools that smart recruiters use based on characteristics like features and functionality, ease of use, scalability, costs and fees, and customer support.

1) Emi

Emi is a recruitment automation platform designed to help recruiters quickly fill high-volume frontline roles. The recruitment software automatically screens thousands of applications, streamlines the job interview process, personalizes candidate interactions, supports messaging, and upholds the employer brand. Emi works with major global companies such as Walmart, Burger King, and Heineken to leverage automated hiring tools and revamp their HR processes for hiring team members. 

Key features

• Trackable social media links
• QR codes and text-to-apply for in-store recruitment
• Interview scheduling
• Chat-based skills tests
• Recruiting automation
• Conversational AI platform
• Custom candidates databases

Pros

• Designed for high-volume frontline talent recruitment
• Unlocks new channels to recruit more candidates
• Includes the ability to screen candidates automatically with machine learning algorithms

Cons

• Not ideal for C-suite or executive recruitment
• Not ideal for individual or low-volume recruiting needs

Best for

Automating a high-volume hiring process. Emi is best used by recruiting teams or hiring managers focused on frontline recruitment.

Pricing model

Pricing available via quote only.

2) JobScore

JobScore is an applicant tracking system and online recruiting software. Its intuitive ATS helps to find, attract, and assess job candidates.

Key features

• Easily post to over 50 jobs boards
• Customizable recruitment forms
• Scores candidate resumes on desirable qualities

Pros

• One-stop shop for all applicants
• Contains filters that screen for expertise and job selection
• Loaded with features and functionality

Cons

• Can be difficult to discern differences between pricing levels
• System may use job applications from other job sites without the applicant’s knowledge
• Reported to have a slow customer service response time

Best for

Adaptable to companies from two to 2,000 employees.

Pricing model

JobScore has three pricing levels based on company size. The "Start" pricing level is $99/month for five open jobs; "Scale" is $299/month for 10 open jobs; "Enterprise" for unlimited jobs is available on a quoted basis. They also have a free plan for one active job.

3) ADP Recruiting Management

Part of the ADP Talent Acquisition suite, this solution equips recruiters to optimize the candidate experience while empowering them to find and hire top candidates with greater speed and accuracy.

Key features

• Applicant Tracking System
• Recruiter dashboard, which includes job posting tools, custom workflows, and onboarding templates
• Embedded analytics and hiring workflows
• Built-in social media and mobile communication tools

Pros

• Integrates with a variety of HR systems and apps
• Differentiates the employer brand
• Talent Communities help passive candidates stay connected until the right opportunity comes along
• Dashboard of critical metrics and a view of trends over time

Cons

• No free trial available
• Can only access video interviews and collaboration tools via third-party integrations

Best for

Companies that want to integrate recruitment with other ADP Talent Management solutions.

Pricing model

Pricing available via quote only.

4) Recruitee

Easy-to-use collaborative hiring software that enables scaling businesses to use its recruitment management and Applicant Tracking System to find, interview, and hire the best talent. A cloud-based ATS and recruitment management system, the software helps recruitment teams manage the hiring process from start to finish.

Key features

• Assessment Management
• Automated actions and email templates
• Interview scheduling, management, and video interview tools
• Background screening
• Candidate tracking

Pros

• Easy to apply for offers
• Nice communication tools
• Tracks all candidate interviews and interactions

Cons

• Problems with data collection, retention, and pipeline tracking
• Lack of warning on changes to pricing plans

Best for

Small businesses and the financial services industry.

Pricing model

Free trial available. Launch plan at $185/month; Scale plan at $333/month; Lead plan with custom pricing. 

5) Breezy HR

This recruiting and Applicant Tracking Software has become one of the most popular recruiting solutions on the market. Hiring decisions are made easier as it allows users to quickly advertise open positions to multiple job boards, assists in analyzing resumes, helps to automate the interview process, and then provides robust analytics. Advanced Boolean search and job-specific recommendations are included to help screen active candidates and proactively connect with passive candidates.

Key features

• CRM
• Web-based, end-to-end recruitment process and Applicant Tracking System
• Interview practice sessions, interview scheduling, and video interviews
• Recruitment marketing and recruitment platforms

Pros

• Popular software integrations include LinkedIn, Google Analytics, Twitter, Microsoft 365, and Google Calendar
• Customizable candidate management tools
• User-friendly, simple drag and drop interface
• Quickly posts jobs to 50 job boards

Cons

• No phone support
• Dedicated account managers are only available with the premium plan
• More expensive than other recruitment software solutions

Best for

Teams with anywhere from 10 to 10,000 members looking for an end-to-end collaborative recruiting and hiring solution. 

Pricing model

Free 14-day trial for paid plans; Free Bootstrap plan for one position or pool; Startup plan for $143/month; Growth plan for $249/month; Business plan for $399/month for the ultimate in hiring control and flexibility. 

6) Workday Recruiting

Workday is a leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for HR, finance, and business planning. The application can manage the entire recruitment process so users can find, engage, and select the best candidates for their organization. 

Workday streamlines hiring decisions by enabling the HR team to manage the recruiting lifecycle for new hires in one system, including sourcing, workforce planning, and advanced talent analytics. 

Key features

• Cloud-based HR software
• Social media integration
• Internal and external sourcing
• Configurable job applications
• Dynamic candidate workflow
• Proactive candidate management
• Collaborative interview management
• Full talent lifecycle reporting and metrics

Pros

• Ease of use and intuitive user interface
• Customizable options
• Adequate integration with other third-party apps
• Customer support via phone and online
• Referral leaderboard

Cons

• Lacks transparent pricing
• No free version; have to request free trials

Best for

Recommended for mid- to large-sized companies with high-volume hiring and data-driven hiring decisions.

Pricing model

Pricing available quote only.

7) Lever

Lever is a talent acquisition suite that makes it easy for recruitment teams to connect with top talent for new hires, screen candidates, and achieve their hiring goals. Lever provides complete ATS and robust CRM capabilities in one product, LeverTRM. Lever Analytics provides customized reports with data visualization.

Key features

• Applicant Tracking System
• Candidate management and tracking
• CRM
• Interview scheduling and management
• Job posting
• Performance and recruitment management
• Resume search and skills assessment
• Self-service portal

Pros

• Comment tracking
• Easy workflow for a simple hire
• Hiring and acquisition all in one place

Cons

• Can create confusion when multiple managers are recruiting for their teams in similar departments
• Some difficulty with tracking feedback, conducting the interviewing process, and overall hiring approvals
• Not sufficiently intuitive

Best for

Companies that want to combine an Applicant Tracking System and a Candidate Relationship Management platform in a single recruitment solution.

Pricing model

Pricing available via quote only. 

8) Jobvite

Jobvite is a Software recruitment platform that includes applicant tracking, sourcing, social media recruiting, employee referral, and recruiting analytics for new hires. This platform covers the entire recruitment lifecycle for recruiting new employees, from employer branding and recruitment marketing through applicant management, onboarding, and employee referrals.

Key features

• Background screening
• Candidate tracking and CRM
• Electronic forms and signature
• Interview management and scheduling
• Job posting
• Onboarding and orientation workflow management

Pros

• Great feedback from job candidates
• Job postings shared on other job boards to improve coverage and candidate outreach
• Usefulness extends throughout the hiring and onboarding process

Cons

• Seemingly large number of emails for relatively insignificant status changes
• Difficult to have a candidate-focused perspective
• No access to “knock-out form” templates and no option to customize basic templates

Best for

Best for emerging, mid-market, and enterprise companies that want to find new employees and hire top talent easily, efficiently, and effectively.

Pricing model

Pricing available via quote only.

Automate your recruitment process with Emi Labs

Emi’s mission is to increase frontline workers’ access to professional opportunities. Our recruitment automation platform makes it easier for candidates to apply where they are, without having to go through an ATS, and includes screening powered by machine-learning to build meaningful conversations. 

Increase your hired-per-interviewed ratio while providing opportunities for candidates that traditionally would have been rejected. Build relationships, and hire better candidates faster, without all the manual, repetitive recruiting tasks. Schedule your demo today to get on track toward hiring better candidates—faster.

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