Let's talk about productivity; it's something everyone is trying to boost, no matter your job, niche, or industry. However, it does look like, regardless of how we spend our days, we never seem to have enough hours in the day.
Unfortunately, we don't have any tools or apps that give you more hours, but we do have recommendations on means to utilize the time that you do have.
We've made our tool suggestions specific to recruiters as a productive tool for a graphic designer, might not be productive for you.
Basically, we've used our time to make sure you can use all your time productively, without filtering through irrelevant search results. Enjoy.
Personalization tools
One of the most time-consuming parts of being a recruiter is researching the candidates, and it’s natural that recruiters are in dire need of personalization tools that will increase the efficiency of their work. Personalization tools will allow you to calibrate and adjust your approach to recruiting, and ultimately improve your results.
The most popular tools in this class are Crystal, Clearbit, and Gender Decoder, the latter being focused on increasing the gender diversity in the company.
Clearbit gives you fresh and accurate data, turning any email into a full profile for you. The “reveal tool” is probably the most useful for you. This function will immediately identify who's on your site, allowing you to send much more targeted content/find out which roles would be better suited to them.
Plus, Clearbit also has a 'Connect' option. This purpose is like an advanced social media search tool. Again, super useful for recruiters as you can find the best contact by job title or role - learning everything from the location, social profile and email address.
Crystal, previously branded as “Crystal Knowns” is a convenient tool to reach candidates much quicker. The reason why Crystal is such a success is that when it comes to recruiting, research suggests that personalization is key.
The extension uses a novel technology that identifies the peculiarities of a candidate’s personality, which in effect, will provide you with a lot of insight into how to better approach and communicate with a said candidate, in order to achieve the best results. This tool will significantly increase any recruiter’s response rate.
Recruitment software
Choosing the right recruitment software can be a complicated process. As recruiters, we all have different approaches and tactics, and often handing out the keys to a machine can be stressful and unsettling. To eliminate this anxiety, it’s essential to choose a recruitment software that provides you with a holistic approach and a rich interface.
So what should we look for in recruiting software specifically? The essential components are sourcing, recruitment marketing, candidate tracking, and candidate relationship management features. We find TalentLyft to be a great candidate that matches all of the requirements above.
The great feature about TalentLyft is its clear and intuitive interface, which is easy to navigate for anyone, even first timers.
Due to the fact that the system is so simple to use, it skyrockets your productivity, and moreover, the company updates the software on a regular basis, which brings tweaks and improvements to the overall workflow.
Furthermore, customer reviews suggest that they have amazing sales and customer support teams, which implies that if you’re going to need assistance with the software — you’ll most certainly get it.
Project management tools
Multitasking is a tiring process, but it is an essential part of recruiting. Moreover, it’s only multitasking done right that brings significant improvements to your productivity, so not just any software will do the trick. A great project management tool needs to provide recruiters with a broad spectrum of essential functions. In our book, the best tools are Basecamp, Trello, and Asana.
Asana is particularly useful when used as a team. Recruiters benefit significantly from working together, and even better when everybody is organized and productive.
It’s a work management platform, that can help you stay focused on daily tasks, and long-term goals. Effectively, helping to grow the business, and get more recruits.
One of the most useful functions of Asana is its ability to set deadlines. This little hack prevents you from procrastinating or spending too much time on one task.
You can also set priorities; this is particularly useful for when you're planning your day. "Eat the frog" type of mindset often works well in recruitment.
Project management isn't an easy thing to keep on top of, and this software definitely does the trick. It’s one of our favorite project management tools at the moment, courtesy to its impeccable design, and its ingenious additions.
Time management tools
It’s very often the case that the reason why we’re unproductive is poor time management. With numerous obligations to deal with not a lot of time on your hands, you can start to feel the pressure. This is why time management tools are such an invaluable asset to a productive professional life. We think that the best time management tools for recruiters are Pomodoro, RescueTime, Toggl, and TrackingTime.
Well, with recruiting, specific tasks overlap, they blend and leave you feeling overwhelmed and like you're not moving forward. It can honestly feel like you've wasted your entire day on one task.
This is where tools like Toggl come in to save the day. Toggl allows you to track how you're spending your time — measuring what tasks you're wasting your time on, and which ones you're not paying that much time on. It can shake up how you work.
Think of it like a remarkably high-tech timesheet — one which offers insights and analytics.
Toggl offers various plans, all with different prices. The starter package at $9 treats you with time tracking and reporting. Alternatively, the premium package is $18 a month and gives you time tracking, profitability charts, and tracking reminders. You can even choose a custom package, to focus on your specific needs.
RescueTime also has multiple benefits. It gives you personal insight into your productivity, allowing you to recognize just how productive you are, and also where you can improve/cut time. It might just surprise you.
The analytics can also be provided to your boss or supervisor, showing how efficient you are, or areas where you find confusing. It's all a learning curve, and being aware of these things is essential. From this, you'll be able to set yourself realistic goals.
Social media management tools
Recruiting the best personnel is interdependent with an effective social media presence. Social media management tools will help you save time and manage all your social media in one place. With their help, you’ll be able to schedule and track the performance of your posts on different social media networks. Our favorite tools are Hootsuite, Buffer, and Sprout Social.
Hootsuite is most definitely the oldest and most reputable of the bunch. It allows users to efficiently manage a wide range of social media platforms from Facebook and LinkedIn, to Instagram and LinkedIn.
Among the best features of this particular software is its dashboard, which is very neatly organized and is really malleable to your individual taste. It comes in a series of columns, and ease platform can be managed within a single column.
Buffer provides a lesser number of features, but it focuses on a very specific set of tasks.
It’s safe to say that Buffer doesn’t intend to replicate Hootsuite as such, but their intention is rather to create the best app that focuses on scheduling posts and sharing. It’s intelligent and powerful, even without analytics or any adjacent features. Similarly, with Buffer, you have access to Pablo, a tool that is made for image and graphic design, which you can use for your social media posts.
Sprout Social is another essential player on social media management scene.
It has many vital functions that are designed to collect as much meaningful data on your presence online as you would find in the “Messages” tab.
Compared to Hootsuite, this software doesn’t come with a multiple-column interface. Instead, it neatly blends all social media together, to give you a better understanding of the “big picture."
Honorable mentions
Sortd is a fantastic little tool that transforms your chaotic email inbox into a beautiful, organized set of lists.
As a recruiter, making sense of your email address can take hours of your day. Chances are, you have to dedicate some time every day just to making sense out of your inbox.
Sortd was super useful before, but when they decided to create a version of their software that is designed respectively for recruitment.
This new design allows you to track, shortlist and recruit candidates, allowing you to hire candidates faster.
The tool allows you to sort your inbox into lists such as "Resume," "Interview" and "Hired," instead of having to search through every email every single time.
You can also keep notes on every single candidate. For instance, you can track what stage one of your candidates is at, their target salary, and when they opened your emails.
We all know how important it is not to misrepresent what the positions are about when looking for personnel of any seniority.
Forest is the tool for all the recruiters that are easily distracted. The modern world is full of distractions, especially when you predominately spend your day on your computer and phone, for work.
It's happened to all of us - a notification pops up from Facebook, and somehow you spend the next hour scrolling through your phone. Before you know it, you know every single meme in existence, but you've not made it through your emails.
Yes, social media is excellent for many reasons, but it can also be the most significant obstruction to productivity.
Forest helps you focus on the tasks which you need to focus on.
You start Forest as a seedling, and if you leave the site or visit blacklisted websites, your tree dies. The goal is to have a forest, and not kill your trees. Think of it as a game. You can download this on both iOS and Chrome.
Conclusion
In the current business ecosystem, competition is, and recruiters are no exception. The great part is that the efficiency of our work can be considerably improved by the software that is being developed continuously, in order to make our lives easier and work more productive. By implementing these apps into your workflow, you’ll quickly achieve more significant results in a matter of days.
Good luck!
About the author: Daniela McVicker is a career coach and an editor at Topwritersreview. She’s also a business communication coach, helping future job applicants to write business emails to help them achieve success on their career paths.
Disclaimer: The tools presented in this article are based on the author's research from online sources and personal connections aimed at recruiters "with any background and budget on mind." The RPOA does not endorse or has any affiliation with the companies presented in this article.
