The Most Popular Hiring Tools Revealed - 2023

In our modern age, companies benefit from a wealth of hiring tools at their fingertips.

There are tools to speed up the hiring process, monitor an applicant’s progress, automate screening tests and assessments… the list goes on.

With so much choice, deciding on which hiring tools to use can be overwhelming. You may prefer to bury your head in the sand and carry on as you are.

The team here at Caroo implore you not to do that.

Instead, have a read of our most popular hiring tools, which we’ve summed up nicely below.

Hopefully they can help you move towards a more efficient, cost-effective and relaxed hiring process. Enjoy!

Applicant Tracking Systems

One of the most popular hiring tools out there is the Applicant Tracking System (also referred to as an ATS or recruitment CRM).

This is an end-to-end recruitment software that can be used to track candidates throughout the entire hiring process, making everything a lot easier to manage. Phew.

Applicant Tracking Systems can be integrated with your company website and many of the top job boards, which means you can publish a job ad and monitor applications as they come through.

Candidate details are automatically stored within the ATS’s database, along with any relevant files (such as CVs, completed assessments, etc.) and their progress in the hiring journey.

This is the really cool part. The ATS sorts through all of the CVs and applications you receive to pluck out the ones it deems best-matched to your requirements.

It does this by segmenting the application into categories and scanning it for relevant keywords, then deciding whether it should be passed on to the hiring team or not.

Applicant tracking systems are complex things and have too many functions to mention in one blog post...

But some of them include scheduling interviews, hosting online tests and video interviews, generating job offers, storing signed documentation, sending out onboarding materials and ensuring compliance throughout the recruitment process.

They really are a knight in shining armour for recruiters and employers everywhere!

Advantages of an Applicant Tracking System

The incredible capabilities of applicant tracking bring many advantages:

• ATS’s streamline the entire recruitment process, making it more efficient.
• They save time by automating manual processes and keeping everything in one place.
• The system removes irrelevant applications through advanced keyword detection.
• They match you with candidates who are a great fit for your culture.
• They cut recruitment costs thanks to speedy time-to-hire and improved retention rates.
• ATS’s also give teams visibility over the end-to-end hiring process.
• They enhance the candidate’s experience, e.g. with quicker screening stages and seamless communication.
• They provide insights and metrics into your hiring process, allowing you to improve certain steps and bottlenecks.
  
  

Job Boards

All of us have probably used a job site at some point in our careers, whether to hunt for a job or find new talent. For recruitment teams, they’re one of the most popular hiring platforms and can be a great way of reaching, attracting and engaging potential candidates all in one place.

There are a huge number of job sites out there, each one with various pros and cons depending on your hiring needs. If you’re wondering which one to use, we created a whole blog post listing the best job boards for employers. Lucky you!

Advantages of Job Boards

Using job boards as part of your hiring strategy has many benefits:

• You have a huge pool of talent at your fingertips, helping you discover candidates that you wouldn’t be able to find otherwise. 
• Many job boards have CV databases, where you can search thousands of uploaded CVs. Rather than waiting for applications to trickle in, you can proactively reach out to promising candidates.
• It’s usually a more cost-effective option than recruitment agencies, with some job sites offering a free tier or first-time customer deals.
• Candidates can apply directly on the site, reducing time to hire. There’s no middle man.
• On most job sites, you can add screening questions and prerequisite assessments to quickly eliminate unsuitable candidates.
• With many job boards, matching algorithms and advanced search makes it easier than ever for well-matched candidates to find you (or vice versa).

Interviewing Software

Since the pandemic, recruitment tools like video interviewing software have skyrocketed in popularity. people are suddenly realising that doing things remotely can actually be more efficient!

Interviewing software like Odro, Hirevue and Spark Hire lets you host one-way and two-way interviews with added flexibility, recording and sharing abilities, and more.

One-way interviews are an effective way of screening candidates in the first round of interviews. Many of the interviewing platforms already have a range of interview templates to use with industry- and role-specific questions, making your job even easier.

Just send the interview to your candidates - they can then use the platform to record themselves answering each question and submit it to you for review.

Video interviewing platforms also enable employers to easily schedule two-way online interviews with calendar integrations.

During the interview, you have the option to record it and later share with relevant decision makers to have their say on the candidate suitability.

Many platforms give you the ability to pull up interviews side-by-side in one window, which makes comparing potential employees’ responses a breeze. 

Advantages of Interviewing Software

Conducting interviews via an interviewing platform brings a range of advantages:

• Video interviewing platforms accelerate the hiring process, which is attractive for both candidates and hiring teams.
• Conducting one-way interviews helps you control the volume of candidates if you’re interviewing a lot of them. You’re able to interview more people in less time.
• You’re not limited by time or location as is the case with traditional onsite interviews. For one-way interviews, candidates can do it anytime, anywhere. Likewise, you can review the interviewee responses in your own time.
• You have the ability to create interview templates to be used again and again. This ensures consistency and fairness across all candidates, as well as saving you time.
• The platforms allow you to showcase your company and create a branded interview experience. For example, many video interviewing platforms allow you to brand your digital portal, and you can also create pre-recorded videos finished with your branding.
• The option to record two-way interviews and share with your colleagues provides extra flexibility. You don’t all need to be available at the same time, in the same place.
• Video interviewing platforms facilitate better screening of candidates. You can compare candidates side by side against certain factors, such as body language, skills, experience and general demeanour, to make a more informed decision about which ones go through to the next round.
  
  

Talent Assessment Software

Another popular hiring tool is talent assessment software. These conduct timed tests and assessments to determine a candidate’s skills, behaviour and personality traits.

It’s not about assessing someone’s technical skills - the software reviews things like cognitive abilities, working style, characteristics, how they respond to certain situations and more.

The software’s algorithm is usually able to return a candidate’s score soon after completion. Ultimately, they help hiring teams decide whether a candidate would be a good culture fit for the company and the role.

Depending on the type of assessment software, you’re likely to see features such as: multiple question types to choose from (multiple choice, text input, visual questions, etc.); anti-cheating measures; the ability to send out bulk invites to all of your candidates; integration with your Applicant Tracking System to keep track of individual results; customisable templates, and more.

This type of recruitment software is a lifesaver for employers, recruitment agencies and HR professionals; it allows them to quickly find out many different things about a person and eliminate those who don’t fit the bill. 

Advantages of Talent Assessment Software

• It reduces time to hire by removing irrelevant people before you proceed to the next interview stage.
• Talent assessment software also saves money by eliminating unsuitable candidates and preventing you from hiring someone who turns out to be a bad match for the team. Those who pass these prerequisite tests and assessments are likely to be retained in the long term.
• Most assessment platforms include reporting tools that sort, compare and analyse your candidates’ results for you, making it easy to see which ones should go through to the next stage.
• You can integrate talent assessment software with many ATS solutions to easily manage and keep track of results.
• The process is bias-free. Despite best efforts, biases will usually arise when reading through CVs. Because online assessments use objective metrics to measure skills and other traits, you remove bias and create more diverse teams.
• Recruitment assessment software is scalable. Whether you’re assessing five candidates or 500, you can send out assessments to everyone and determine who goes through to the next stage.
  
  

Social Media

Many employers and recruiters utilise the power of social media when it comes to recruiting new talent. It is a multifaceted hiring tool, which can be used to:

• build and showcase your employer brand
• create rapport with applicants
• demonstrate engagement with current employees
• view experience and skillsets of promising candidates
• post and share job vacancies
• … and much more.

Becoming a legendary social media recruiter isn't as hard as it's cut out to be. It's relatively more straightforward with the right strategy, equipment and recruitment tips.

Advantages of Social Media

• Social media networks are incomprehensibly large. When sharing a job listing, you benefit from increased reach through word of mouth, as well as recommendations and referrals.
• It’s free! Social media is an effective way of building an online reputation AND sharing job listings AND getting to know potential candidates… without costing you a penny.
• Social media sites also offer paid advertising options, which are usually more affordable than job boards or recruitment agencies. These extend your reach even further, placing your company in front of thousands of users.
• Social media allows jobseekers to see who you are as a company - your values, work culture, the way you treat your team, etc. If they like what they see, they’re more likely to apply to your job - and you’ll know they resonate with who you are as a company.
• If you can get your team to share, comment and react to your social media posts, it signals that your current employees value you enough to take time out of their day to engage with your content.
• Social networking sites like LinkedIn also offer immediate insight into an individual, including their qualifications, career history, niche skills, and even endorsements from former colleagues.
  
  

Caroo

Caroo is becoming an increasingly popular tool among hiring teams. Why? Because it provides all the convenience of a recruitment agency without the ridiculous fees.

Using an intelligent AI matching system, the app pairs employers with perfectly matched candidates based on skills, experience and other attributes - not just job title.

It also has features which allow the company to showcase their brand, post updates, easily reach out to potential candidates and more.

Advantages of Caroo

• Caroo is affordable and unrestricted. You get unlimited users, unlimited job adverts and unlimited hires, from as little as £38 per week for as long as you need.
• It’s a time-saver. Caroo does the CV searching for you, so you can focus on developing your business.
• Caroo’s matching algorithm only shows your vacancies to people with the skills and experience you need, so you can be sure you only see the best candidates for your job.
• You have the ability to speak directly to candidates within the platform, removing the additional hassle of emails.
• You can post culture-centred content and updates in a dedicated space, reflecting your brand and values.
• Caroo’s team of in-house recruiters provides a personalised service for those with urgent, niche or hard-to-fill job requirements. 
  
  With 9.5% fees compared to the typical 20% charged by recruiters, this is the most cost-effective way to find brilliant talent fast.