7 tips for choosing the best CRM for recruiters

Without a CRM for recruiters, discovering the rare talent to join your team can prove to be quite tricky. Among the many aspects that can slow down the recruitment process: the number of CVs received, the multitude of platforms through which candidates contact you, the highly specific definitions of some positions and the management of interview appointments. On average, it takes nearly five weeks to find the right candidate. Luckily, a CRM for recruiters makes this lengthy, tedious and costly process easier.

Just like a classic CRM, with the best CRM for recruiters, you can store in one location and organize all the information on candidates for current job opportunities at your business. You’re surely already familiar with CRMs for Customer Relationship Management. Now, think of a CRM for recruiters as a Candidate Relationship Management tool. Imagine searching for the ideal candidate with tools that are similar to those you use to search for your potential clients.

Tip #1: Identify your needs for the recruitment process to choose the best CRM for recruiters

Before choosing a CRM for recruiters, you’ll need to properly determine your needs. The following are just some of the questions that can help you pinpoint the issues that you’ll encounter with every hiring process:

• How do you advertise your job offers?
• What are your selection processes?
• Which social media do you usually use to search for candidates?
• What will your interview periods be? Who will be present?
• Do you have candidates take assessments or tests?
• Which tasks seem to take the most time?
• What’s the information for which you lose track of data?

If you have already gone through several hiring processes, you’ll be able to answer these questions quickly and, subsequently, determine your needs.

Tip #2: Choose a modern platform (CRM) instead of a traditional platform (ATS)

There are currently two types of platforms that can assist you in your recruitment strategy: an ATS or a CRM.

ATS, for Applicant Tacking System, is traditionally the platform of choice for recruiters. It allows them to track a candidate’s progress, from the moment they submit their CV right up until their interview. However, the ATS comes with some limitations. This tool requires adding many other applications. Furthermore, many recruiters have noted filtering errors when using the ATS that produced false positive results.

As we mentioned earlier, you can think of a CRM for recruiters as a Candidate Relationship Management tool. It will allow you to keep in touch with candidates. Like relationship marketing, with the best CRM for recruiters, you can keep track of communication threads with a candidate, the communication channel used, interview and assessment notes, the decision made and the next steps of the staffing process.

Tip #3: Choose a hosting solution for your CRM for recruiters

Have you chosen your CRM? If so, now you’ll need to decide on where it will be hosted. You have two choices:

–      Install the CRM on your servers:

You can choose to install the CRM for recruiters on your internal servers. As a new application, the CRM will then become part of your system. As storing possibly sensitive candidate information is of utmost importance (need we remind you that an application must remain confidential?), hosting on your servers will involve maintenance….and additional security.

–      Opt for a cloud-based solution:

Most people who use a CRM for recruiters opt for a cloud-based solution. We’ll discuss other benefits of using the cloud below, but, most importantly, the Cloud doesn’t require any additional maintenance and will not weigh down the information stored on your servers. This is the best option for lowering your IT support costs while also guaranteeing permanent storage and data security.

Tip #4: Create a list of essential functionalities to choose the best CRM for recruiters for you

Above all, a CRM for recruiters must offer functionalities that are essential for your staffing process. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of essential functionalities for finding your ideal candidate.

• Search for quality candidates based on your needs:

The recruitment process aims to find and retain THE best candidate. The ideal candidate becomes, and remains, one of the keys to your business’ success.

• CV management:

This is THE main issue when recruiting staff. CVs arrive by the dozen, in a variety of formats—in short, many recruiters struggle with managing CVs. A CRM for recruiters will extract data from CVs and standardize them in a table, making it easier to evaluate applications.

• Candidate tracking:

Just like with your clients, you need to maintain a good relationship with your candidates. Thanks to tables generated by the CRM for recruiters, you can track where you’re at in your decision-making process.

• Collaborative recruitment:

This is the ultimate tool for keeping in contact with your candidate just as you would with a client. You can see the different conversations that you have had with the candidate and keep track of assessments to make an informed decision.

• Automation:

Automation will save you valuable time during your hiring process. Automate application alerts, notifications and default replies.

Tip #5: Make sure your CRM works with the browser used by your business

When selecting the CRM for recruiters that’s best for your business, make sure that the software is compatible with the internet browser that you use. If it isn’t, you could end up losing information between your chosen recruitment site and your decision support tool. Most of the time, you can get a trial period to ensure that your tool is compatible with the work methods of your human resources team.

Tip #6: Choose a CRM for recruiters that’s easily accessible

Data accessibility is no longer optional these days. For this reason, cloud hosting is strongly recommended. Your CRM for recruiters must be accessible from a cellphone, tablet or desktop computer. Make sure you can review CVs, communicate with your candidates, etc.

Accessibility also refers to how easy your software is to set up. Your CRM for recruiters must actually be used if you want it to make your life easier. Therefore, it should be intuitive to use, without requiring you to spend hours and hours learning how it works.

Tip #7: Calculate the cost of your recruitment software before making your choice

Depending on the size of your business and your recruitment needs, there are two general pricing models of CRM for recruiters. You can choose per-user, per-month pricing, or a model that allows an unlimited number of users.

If you have a small business and there are a limited number of individuals with decision‑making power involved in the recruitment process, you should have no issues with per‑user, per‑month pricing.

You may want to go with the unlimited number of users model if you’re part of a large business or if your business has experienced a significant increase in workforce numbers. With this option, all executives and recruitment managers can access the tool without increasing the budget allocated to the software.

Just like the recruitment process, choosing a good CRM for recruiters can take time. That said, remember that for the time you’ll spend choosing the right tool to meet your staffing needs, you’ll be saving more than triple the amount of time that you normally spend selecting candidates. Our CRM and ERP consultants are available to provide further assistance in choosing the right CRM for recruiters for you and your business