August 19, 2021
Image credit: Human Vectors by Vecteezy
As today’s hiring landscape becomes more and more competitive, recruiters need to ensure they are equipped with the tools that will empower them to build an amazing candidate experience. That means cutting down on manual, repetitive tasks like candidate sourcing and verifying email addresses.
With that in mind, it’s time to review the time-saving tools that are essential to every recruiter’s success!
Investing in sourcing tools will be key to finding candidates for your open roles, even if you have a team dedicated to sourcing. There are two types of sourcing tools for recruiters: job aggregators and job boards, and tools that let you actively source candidates, like Fetcher. You might use a combination of the two, but let’s break down the purpose of each.
Job aggregators & job boards: Job aggregators crawl the web for job postings and bring them to one place. They are often a one-stop-shop for job seekers because they don’t have to scour multiple sites to see what jobs are available in their field or location. However, candidates may find themselves overwhelmed by the options whereas job boards primarily cater to a more niche audience (like marketers or NYC-based startups).
Active sourcing tools: Other sourcing tools, like Fetcher, allow you to actively source candidates. This includes automated sourcing tools that do all the searching and gathering for you based on criteria you input, and manual sourcing tools like browser extensions. These options let you discover candidates who may not be looking for a job, but who would be a great fit for your open role.
Keeping track of candidates and candidates profiles from the various avenues (applications sent through job boards, sourced candidates, referrals, etc.) can quickly become overwhelming. An ATS lets you collect and organize all candidate data. Features and functions can vary depending on the ATS you are using, but generally through an ATS you can also:
If you’re already using an ATS like Greenhouse or Lever, you’ll want to make sure to complement it with a powerful sourcing tool. The most popular ATS systems will integrate with sourcing platforms so that you don’t have to manually add sourced candidate data.
Sourcing candidates is a little bit like detective work. You may think you have an up-to-date email address in your database, but if they haven’t been contacted for a while, it’s worth double-checking to ensure you actually reach them!
Tools like Apollo and Hunter will help you find or confirm business email addresses and phone numbers for anyone you are interested in reaching out to. Most offer free trials, and then have packages based on the number of contacts or credits per month you’ll need. Some also include web extensions to allow you to pull contact info directly from your LinkedIn account or Gmail inbox.
Creating a great candidate experience starts with effective, consistent communication. Once you’ve found someone that could be your next superstar, you don’t want to waste time crafting an email to them and tracking whether they’ve responded.
Outreach tools allow you to set automated email sequences and create follow-up templates so you stay on top of mind with talent. You’ll also want to develop timed campaigns to keep silver medalist candidates engaged. It will help quicken the hiring process for your next open role!
TIP: Check out on our blog post on email vs InMail to understand when to use one over the other for outreach.
When looking for an outreach tool, make sure it’s one that syncs with common email providers like Gmail and Outlook. That way, you or whoever the sender is can respond directly from their inbox.
Look into the analytics provided – are you able to track open and responses rates? This information will be helpful for you to understand what’s working vs what’s not when it comes to candidate engagement. Your ATS may already have some outreach capabilities built into the platform, but if not, you may need to look for a separate CRM solution.
The last thing a busy recruiting team wants is to spend a lot of time going back and forth with candidates about availability for interviews. When making multiple hires, it can also become a pain to keep your calendar updated manually.
Take the pressure off by using a scheduling platform to allow candidates to book interview time when it’s convenient for them and you. Plus, you won’t have to worry that you’ve double-booked yourself!
Calendly and Acuity are popular options with a ton of features to help you streamline the scheduling process, like automated reminders, easy rescheduling options, and the ability to add other team members so you can bring hiring managers into the loop. Regardless of which calendar tool you choose, make sure it also integrates with your ATS so that you can keep track of candidates’ status in the pipeline.
Especially if you are a newer recruiter, learning and managing all of these top-of-funnel platforms can be time-consuming. Technology is a powerful tool that can save recruiters time, stress, and even money — but only if each one is being used to its full potential.
If you already have a top-of-funnel tech stack, it’s worth auditing which of the tools you actually use frequently in the recruitment process. You may discover that there are one or two that aren’t worth the cost. You can also dive into new features offered by your current platforms; are there functions you aren’t taking advantage of that could help you downsize your lineup of tools? Your leadership will appreciate your stewardship if you’re able to remove a line item or two from the budget.
If you don’t currently have a full top-of-funnel recruiting stack, spend some time researching platforms now before the busy fall hiring season. The end goal isn’t to use as many platforms as possible; it’s to find the right recruiter tools to help save you time and create a great candidate experience.
In fact, Fetcher’s full-service recruiting automation software actually eliminates the need for separate sourcing, email verification, scheduling, and outreach tools. From one place, recruiters can:
When it comes to recruiting automation, Fetcher has you covered. From sourcing to candidate nurturing, it’s all in one place. That means one platform to learn and invest in! To see how Fetcher can help you streamline your top-of-funnel recruiting tasks, schedule a call with our team.
Check out our other blog posts for more talent acquisition tips and insights into recruiting trends.
At Fetcher, our mission is to introduce companies to the people who will help them change the world. Our full-service, recruiting automation platform automates those repetitive, top-of-funnel tasks, so you can focus more on candidate engagement & team collaboration. Simplify Sourcing. Optimize Outreach. Hire Top Talent. Learn more at fetcher.ai.
Candidate Outreach, Recruiting Strategies, Workplace Trends
