Generally speaking, recruitment tech kind of sucks. With the notable exception of a few cool bits of kits out there, HRTech is often big, expensive and ugly to use. So it's really exciting to come across tools you can use as part of your people-hiring, team building suite that are fun, simple and useful.What's even more exciting is when these tools aren't specifically created for recruitment. You become one of the intrepid, creative types - finding clever ways to improve your process and wowing everyone with your thinking-outside-the-box skills.So to help you out, we've collated our top-four list of clever tools you should be (but probably haven't thought of) using in your hiring process. You'll notice a common theme running through these tools; they're all super easy to use, fast to set up and (mostly) free to start with:1: AskNice.lyPrice: Free for base plan (50 surveys per month)Time to set-up: 2minutesAsk Nicely is the most beautiful, easiest-to-use example of a Net Promoter Score tool we've ever come across, and it can be really easy retro-fitted to work as a Candidate Promoter Score tool. Super simple to set-up, this is a great way to assess your candidate experience.The survey consists of just two questions (in one email), and gives you insight into a) how much the candidate enjoyed the application process and feels positive about your employer brand, and b) what parts of the candidate experience they particularly liked or think you could improve. That data is like gold dust. And to top it off, the whole thing is beautiful to look at and people actually enjoy filling it out.
2. BufferPrice: Free basic packageTime to set-up: 5mins (incl linking social accounts)We all know about sourcing through social media channels. It's a great way to reach an engaged community that are already (hopefully) engaged with your brand. Remembering to post job ads at peak times can be hard though. And if you're recruiting globally for a role, waking up super early (or staying up super-late) to share jobs in different timezones is kind of a nightmare. Enter, Buffer. This is an awesome platform used by marketers all over the world to easily schedule social media posts with one click. Instead of clicking to share your jobs to Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn immediately, you can select the green Buffer button and schedule the post for anytime in the future. You can even stack these up - pre-loading four or five (or ten or a hundred!) messages to go out over the course of your campaign and letting Buffer do the hard work for you.
3. BiteablePrice: Free for a basic, animated video (Choose from frame-templates, customise text, colours and soundtrack)Time to set-up: 15-30mins depending on how decisive you can be!Ever wanted to make one of those snazzy recruitment videos the flash companies use but don't have the budget? Biteable makes it super, super easy to make something that looks polished and will help you stand out from the crowd. You can pick from a huge selection of templates - just like you do in a keynote or powerpoint theme - then customise with your own text, colours and soundtrack. The final video is emailed to your inbox and voilà! the Oscar goes to you.
4. TapeACallPrice: $7.99 p/yearTime to set-up: 1min to download from the app storeEver wanted to record your phone screening interviews? Audio files can be handy to attach to a candidate's profile in your ATS (or in Weirdly) and the rest of the team can then listen in and add their feedback to yours. TapeACall is an iPhone/Android app that makes it super easy - no silly headsets, weird delays or complicated dialling-in numbers, and it doesn't charge you by the minute. You click a button before you make your call, then afterwards you can download or email the recording as an mp4 audio file. Just make sure you tell the person on the other end of the line that you're recording because, you know, the law says you have to.
And of course, in a bonus dose of self-promotion, you should check out Weirdly. OK, it's a slight cheat because it is a dedicated recruitment tool, but if you're looking for a fun, easy and simple piece of tech to add to your hiring suite it doesn't get much better. Designed to give candidates an awesome taste of your employer brand, while automatically generating you a faster, better quality shortlist. Weirdly only takes 30seconds to setup - you choose a handful of characteristics you're looking for in your next team member, and we'll generate a customised screening quiz for you on the spot.
If you're keen to give Weirdly a look, jump in for a free trial now.
