Recruitment software is essential for managing a successful recruitment process. This blog covers the top 10 benefits of recruitment software and how you can get your hands on FREE recruitment software.
Below is a breakdown of everything covered so you can skip to the parts you need to read.
So let’s get started!
Before exploring the benefits of recruitment software, it feels like it would make sense to start at the top by covering:
‘What is recruitment software?’
Most of you will have some idea of what recruitment software is and how recruitment software benefits your chances of growing a successful recruitment company.
Recruitment software, also known as an applicant tracking system (ATS) or candidate relationship management (CRM) software, is a technology designed to streamline and automate the hiring process for freelance recruiters, recruitment agencies and internal talent professionals.
Having the right software to manage your business can be the make or break between success and failure.
In the past recruitment software has been expensive but in the current market, there are lots of options popping up that are very well-priced & even some great free options.
“You should definitely check out Giig Hire’s free platform if you’re on the lookout for Free Recruitment Software.“
This means you don’t have to break the bank to get the right software for your business.
Read to the end of this blog if you are interested in finding out more about a Free Forever platform that’s perfect for Freelance Recruiters and small recruitment businesses.
We’ve quickly covered what recruitment software is but it’s just as important for us to talk about why you should use it.
Failing to use a CRM when you’re starting up a business is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.
I’ve made this very mistake myself!
When I first started on my entrepreneurial journey, I decided not to invest in a CRM to track the clients I was supporting.
My logic was simple.
“I don’t have the money to spend on a CRM, so I will keep track of things manually”.
This is okay to start with but it becomes very messy, very quickly.
You soon lose track of the tasks you should be following up on and as a result, end up missing out on opportunities.
This makes investing in a CRM a no-brainer.
If you want to grow your business a CRM will make sure that you’re keeping on top of everything.
This is the number 1 reason you should use one.
Investing in a good CRM will bring you a return by increasing your efficiency and allowing you to get more done.
However, as I have mentioned, there are even some free options for Recruitment ATS & CRM systems that you can now get your hands on.
So you can get all the benefits of recruitment software without breaking the bank.
This is a simple one!
Recruitment software is for everyone involved in hiring.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a recruitment consultant, internal recruiter, freelance recruiter or CEO. Everyone can get benefits from using recruitment software.
If you are working as part of a team it’s pivotal that you have a system you can all use to track recruitment activities.
It’s nearly impossible for a team to work together if they are unable to collaborate.
So to answer this question, I guess we should start from the top and define the difference between a recruitment ATS & CRM.
What is a recruitment ATS?
Recruitment ATS stands for: Applicant Tracking System. An ATS is built to streamline and organise the recruitment workflow from start to finish. It focuses on organising the actual hiring process.
It focuses on managing the workflow from candidate application through to a candidate being hired.
What is a recruitment CRM?
Recruitment CRM stands for: candidate relationship management software. This software tool is used to build and nurture relationships with candidates by creating a Talent Pool of people to choose from.
The recruitment CRM is not to be confused with a sales CRM, which stands for Customer Relationship Management.
In my opinion recruitment ATS & CRM Systems are very interchangeable. Most of the tools you can get your hands on have a degree of overlap with the features that they offer.
The important thing when picking an ATS/CRM is to make sure that it includes features that allow you to nurture talent and build relationships with candidates.
As a recruiter, you will spend a lot of your time speaking with candidates and often the candidates that you chat with will not be looking to immediately change roles. This is why you need to keep in touch with people.
The first point of contact with a candidate is only the start of building a trusting relationship. Having a good software tool that allows you to have several touchpoints with candidates will give you the best chance of placing them in a new position when they are ready to change.
Having an organised talent pipeline will help you to build trust with candidates and make sure that you provide your candidates with a good experience.
Now we have covered what recruitment software is and why you should use it, let’s take a deeper dive into 10 of the benefits of recruitment software.
1. Organisation
Staying organised is arguably one of the biggest benefits of recruitment software. If you’re a small business or a Freelance Recruiter, you need to make sure that you are organised.
Mainly because you have limited resources.
With such a small team, it’s pivotal that you make the most of every day/week/month and being organised will help you achieve this.
Having a database that is quickly accessible and stored in the same place will put you in the best position for success.
Similarly, it goes without saying that if you’re part of a large recruitment agency or internal recruitment team you will also need a way to make sure that the team are organised and that everyone is singing off the same song sheet.
2. Tracking & Monitoring
The big benefit of tracking & monitoring is that it allows you to manage a larger number of roles.
If you’re trying to hire for one position, it’s fairly easy to keep on top of the candidate management and keep track of everything in your head!
However, when you start to manage 10, 20 or 30 roles you will find that things become harder to track.
You will soon start to struggle and lose track of where candidates are in the interview process. By using a recruitment ATS that comes with a good candidate pipelining tool you will find that your ability to manage a large number of jobs will increase rapidly.
3. Relationship Building
Relationship building is the key to working in a recruitment role if you’re going to be successful.
To help someone find the right next position in their career you’re going to need to understand their needs and wants. This will help you to help them locate the best opportunity.
Put simply…
You need to have a strong relationship with the candidates that you’re supporting to make sure you can help them in the best way possible.
The other factor at play here is timing.
When you first speak with a candidate you might find that they are not looking to move into a new position for a while. A lot of recruiters will immediately move on when they find out that a candidate is not immediately open to work.
Which is a short-term play.
Recruiters that are successful over the long term, make sure that they build relationships with candidates that are not actively looking to change roles. So that when the candidate is ready for a change they reach back out to the recruiter they have a pre-existing relationship with.
By using a good CRM you will be able to set tasks and reminders to follow up with candidates to make sure that you have constant touch points with them.
Using a CRM makes relationship-building possible. It’s one of the biggest benefits of recruitment software. Trying to build relationships without using recruitment software, is almost impossible.
4. Candidate Experience
Candidate experience is another fundamental part of recruitment.
Changing jobs is one of the biggest life decisions for anyone.
Whether you’re an internal recruiter, recruitment consultant or freelance recruiter, you’re going to want to make sure that you provide the best candidate experience possible.
Recruitment Software can help you to do this in a couple of ways:
Firstly, it can help increase the efficiency and speed of your recruitment process. Nobody wants to be dragged through a six-month recruitment process.
Keeping track of things using a recruitment ATS will help make sure you keep the process moving.
Secondly, it allows you to keep the communication levels as high as possible. By tracking your recruitment process using a recruitment ATS you will be able to see when you were last in contact with a candidate and make sure that you don’t let time drift past.
Finally, it helps with personalisation.
Everybody wants to feel special and unique. The last thing they want is to feel like they are another cog in a cookie-cutter recruitment process. One of the benefits of recruitment software is that you can make notes and keep track of each candidate on a personal level.
By paying attention to the little details and making things personal you will not only provide a better candidate experience but also build better relationships.
5. Increase In Revenue
This is one of the exciting benefits of recruitment software that will have the biggest impact on Freelance Recruiters and Recruitment Consultants.
Consultants and freelancers receive financial rewards based on the number of hires that they make.
Having the right recruitment software in place will improve your organisation, tracking/management and reduce your time to hire. All of which will help you to make more placements and increase your revenue.
6. Automation
Automation is becoming a staple of every good Recruitment ATS & CRM. I would guess this is one of the first benefits of recruitment software that people look for when deciding which tool to use.
Having the ability to automate repetitive tasks frees you up to spend more time on the human element of recruitment and make more placements.
However, you have to be careful!
When using automation you can run the risk of becoming lazy and sloppy. Blasting out 1000s of generic emails to candidates will do more damage than good to your recruitment process and your business.
So, make sure that you smartly use automation to help you achieve more, rather than kill your chances.
7. Business Longevity
Another one of the benefits of recruitment software is that it can keep your business alive!
Having the right software in place can be the make or break of your success as a Freelance Recruiter or Small Agency owner.
As I’ve already mentioned, you have limited resources as a Freelancer, so if you’re going to survive, you need to make sure that you get as much done as possible and don’t lose track of any of the jobs you working on.
By increasing your organisation and improving your hiring process using recruitment software, you will give yourself the best chance of survival.
Around 60% of businesses will go bust in their first 3 years of operation and you want to do everything you can to avoid being in that 60%. Read more here.
8. Reduced Time To Hire
Things move fast in the modern world!
In the world of recruitment, candidates have job opportunities presented to them daily.
Their inbox will be full of Internal Recruiters, Recruitment Consultants and Freelance Recruiters all trying to catch their attention with new job opportunities.
Which means:
When a candidate does decide they are going to change roles, you will have to move quickly. If you want to reduce the risk of losing them.
Having the right recruitment software in place will give you the best chance of moving your recruitment process as quickly as possible. Keeping you at the front of the pack.
9. Faster Delivery
When working with a client as a Freelance Recruiter you will often be competing with other freelancers and recruitment agencies when you are working to support them.
This is why you must be able to quickly deliver relevant candidates in the quickest time possible. To stand the best chance of filling the position.
Having a recruitment database that is organised will allow you to quickly connect with relevant candidates for a new role. This ability to quickly source relevant candidates could impact your chances of survival as a Freelance Recruiter
Again, this ties in nicely with the other benefits of recruitment software mentioned.
10. Increased Value Add To Clients
Your aim as a Recruitment Consultant or Freelance Recruiter is to add as much value as you can to the clients and the candidates that you work with.
One of the best ways to achieve this is by focusing on the detail you provide to your clients when you present a candidate.
If you’ve spoken with a candidate on several occasions and have built up a good understanding of their background, you will be able to deliver an in-depth introduction to your client.
Which is an increased value add compared to simply finding a CV on a job board and emailing it over.
If you make sure you pay attention to the details and are disciplined with the notes you keep on your recruitment CRM you will be able to provide an added layer of value to your clients which will hopefully help you to build a long-term relationship.
Now that we’ve wrapped up the top 10 benefits of recruitment software, let’s talk about how you can get your hands on some free stuff!!
If you’re still reading I will assume that you are convinced about the power of how an Applicant Tracking System can transform your business.
So here’s another piece of value for you.
We previously put together a blog which runs through 7 of the best FREE applicant tracking systems that will give you all the benefits of recruitment software without the large price tag.
Blog — Best Free Applicant Tracking Systems — The Top 7
If you’re still looking for more, you will be pleased to hear that we’ve got your back again!
With a similar blog that runs you through the Top 7 Free CRM platforms for small businesses and Freelance Recruiters.
Blog — Best Recruitment CRM Software — The Top 7
As the final piece of value from this blog, I thought I would share with you a FREE all-in-one tool that has been specifically built for Freelance Recruiters and Small Businesses.
The Giig Hire platform is an all-one-tool that gives you access to a free:
The idea behind the Giig Hire product is that you can access all the tools you need in one platform.
So that you don’t have to waste time and money juggling multiple systems.
Giig has a Free Forever version that you can sign up for without using a credit card and has no trial period.
It gives you all the benefits of recruitment software rolled into one platform so that you have the best chance of success as a Freelance Recruiter.
