Recruitment is getting tougher as the competition for more diverse talent heats up. The combination of a historically low national unemployment percentage with rampant skill shortages is forcing recruiters to look for ways to streamline the process. The latest in recruitment technology, from Artificial Intelligence to Video Interviewing, is making it possible to improve recruitment results and the candidate experience overall. What’s trending in terms of recruitment technology now? And how should recruiters best take advantage of it?

Before we jump in, where are companies focusing their recruitment tech investments this year? The 2018 Entelo Recruiting Trends report revealed corporate budgets are shifting towards more automation, with 62% of companies planning on spending on AI recruitment platforms, and 86% specifically investing in intelligent sourcing software. This makes sense given that recruiters spend the most amount of time searching for suitable candidates and then screening them.

What are some of the best new tools online for sourcing, candidate selection, or hiring?

Here is a rundown of some of the highest rated recruitment tools for recruiters. Obviously, this is just a sampling of what’s available out there, but it gives a hint as to the direction modern day recruitment is taking.

Talent relationship marketing is a crucial aspect of the recruitment process, as it sets the tone for every candidate’s experience. This is where PhenomPeople excels. Supporting some well-known brands as General Motors, Microsoft, L’Oreal, and Hersheys, the software uses AI to deliver a “hyper-personalized experience” with candidates. A powerful job board and career website connects job seekers on social media, and provides deep analytics for recruiters.

Pro Tip: See what 500 professionals have to say about Talent Management in the 2018 McQuaig Global Talent Report

ConveyIQ calls itself a “communication studio for candidates”. By offering a full suite of communication tools, such as text messaging, emails, and even video interviews, this platform is mobile friendly and captures the majority of the candidate market who spends their time searching for work on mobile devices. A cool time-saving feature is the ability to schedule digital interviews (like screeners) right on the application.

There is nothing worse than a badly written job description. To make life easier on time-pressed recruiters, Textio offers “augmented writing” to help humans write better job advertisements that get results. Each job description is fueled by massive amounts of data, and supported by a predictive engine that uncovers meaningful patterns in language. This can help to appeal to the right candidates (including passive talent) without introducing bias.

For the traveling recruiter who frequents recruitment events, job fairs, visits colleges, and more, a popular recruitment app called Rakuna is taking the lead. Manage events and participants with ease, track candidate information, collaborate with peers, speed up post-event follow-ups, and even rate candidates from this single app. It offers a free trial so there’s nothing to lose. Be sure to check out their (paid) directory of 2018 job fairs and other resources for recruiters.

Recruiters looking for an all-in-one solution can do so at Workable, which provides a sourcing solution, applicant tracking, talent CRM, and team collaboration platform in the cloud. With a growing list of international companies and nonprofits like Cognizant, Goodwill, Wyndham Hotel Group, and more choosing Workable, it’s no wonder it’s one of the fastest growing recruitment tools around. The main benefits include a free 14 day trial, a mobile app, great support, and everything streamlined in the recruitment process from start to finish.

How can recruiters make the most of their technology investment?

It’s impossible to determine exactly what every recruitment professional needs in terms of technology, as each individual may handle different aspects of the process. However, it’s important to choose wisely before investing in any recruitment tools. Recruiters can make the most of technology budgets by evaluating processes that are most time-consuming and costly to the department.

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Recruitment technology can save time when it comes to sourcing and screening candidates, which takes up the bulk of tasks performed. Job post software can help write and distribute leads so they have a larger reach. Candidate data from multiple sources can help match up the right people with the right job types. Automated email invitations can go out to targeted candidates, with subsequent applications or resumes being scanned for more details. If there is a good fit with an open position, AI-enabled chatbots can have a brief “conversation” with candidates to further narrow down their suitability.

Assessments can also be sent at this time to validate the candidates’ mentioned skills. According to the 2018 McQuaig Global Talent Report, 92% of the high performing companies surveyed use psychometric assessments and are 1.5 times more likely than low performers to use cognitive assessments in the hiring process. All of this helps to shortlist candidates faster and without bias.

Consider the man-hours that the above tasks take. Most recruiters report that the front-end tasks take up around two-thirds of their time. It can be far more productive to have more time working with people and conducting interviews than sourcing — and this is where the investment pays off. What tech tools are you using in your own recruitment practices? Let us know if we’ve missed any of your favorites.