Best Recruiting Software for Small Businesses (7 Tools)

Between smaller budgets, competition from major companies, and the sheer amount of time it takes to find the right candidates, it’s difficult for small businesses to recruit.

This is backed up by data. A survey conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce found that 49% of small businesses report that it’s difficult to find candidates.

There’s good news, though—recruiting software can make the process easier. From applicant tracking systems (ATS) to candidate screening tools like Willo, recruiting solutions provide tools to streamline your hiring process.

Let’s take a look at seven of the best recruiting software for small businesses.

What Is Recruiting Software?

Recruiting software is a category of digital solutions that help companies optimize their hiring process. They can have varying responsibilities including searching for candidates, screening resumes, conducting video interviews, and performing automated talent assessments.

Essentially, recruiting software is often categorized into four main categories: 

1. Sourcing software: Help recruiters search for candidates who may be a great fit for open positions.
2. Candidate engagement software: Help manage communication between recruiters and candidates to set up screenings and assessments.
3. Screening software: Help screen multiple candidates to accelerate shortlisting.
4. Hiring software: Help transition new hires from the recruitment process to company onboarding. 

Benefits of Using Recruiting Software for Small Businesses

Reduced time to hire

According to SHRM research, it can take small businesses up to 36 days to hire. This can be because of the time it takes to manually screen resumes, schedule interviews, and compare hiring team notes from screening. Recruiting software streamlines this process by automating time-consuming aspects of the hiring process. 

For example, Willo’s asynchronous video interviewing software helped airBaltic screen over 100 qualified candidates in just a week. The company managed to save over 45 minutes per candidate screened so that they could fill urgent positions.

Enhanced candidate experience

When there are too many candidates to screen, recruiters won’t be able to provide each candidate with the attention and fairness they deserve. An application tracking system (ATS) can automate key messages about the hiring process, a candidate relationship manager (CRM) can update applicants as they submit their applications, and video interview tools can accommodate remote candidates at scale. 

Efficient postings

As small businesses often struggle with competing against larger businesses on job boards, it can be difficult to stand out to highly qualified candidates. By using a recruiting tool, you have the opportunity to create a unique, branded hiring website to attract the applicants you want. 

Easier collaboration

Collaboration is essential for small businesses to decide on suitable hires because each department is highly dependent on the other. Recruitment software simplifies the collaboration process by providing a central dashboard for important stakeholders to access. 

Criteria to Consider When Choosing Recruiting Software for a Small Business

Automation

Make sure to check how much of your tedious, manual tasks can be automated by the recruiting tool you choose. The efficiency of a tool’s automation should be able to match your specific needs. 

Customizability

It’s best to select a recruitment tool that offers enough flexibility and customization to help your company stand out. This can include adding your branding to assessments, modifying recruitment stages to your needs, and selecting key information to emphasize in your candidate profiles. 

Ease of use

As a small business, you essentially have limited time to hire, so it’s best to pick a tool that doesn’t take time to implement. 

7 Best Recruiting Software for Small Businesses

1. Willo: Best for asynchronous interviewing.
2. Manatal: Best for AI-powered recruiting.
3. Homerun: Best for ease-of-use hiring.
4. BambooHR: Best for payroll management.
5. TalentReef: Best for recruiting hourly employees.
6. Workable: Best for advanced application tracking systems.
7. Teamtailor: Best for end-to-end recruitment management.

1. Willo

Willo is a candidate screening platform that helps companies save time and make more confident hiring decisions.

Willo uses a simple, four-step process to help employers quickly review candidates. Start by creating interviews using a range of question types and sharing invite links with candidates at scale. When candidates record an interview, your hiring team is notified so that they can review the interview, create shortlists, and collect feedback from stakeholders.

Willo is also GDPR-compliant and automates the tedious process of performing identity, right-to-work, and criminal background (DBS) checks for potential employees.

Relevant features

• Asynchronous video interviewing: Willo offers robust async video interviewing capabilities that include mass invites, file uploads, language localization, question generation, and more.
• Collaboration tools: Willo lets you create shortlists and share interviews with any internal stakeholder securely using the Showcase™ feature or by assessing candidates with a Scorecard. You can easily collect the feedback you need and use it to make smarter hiring decisions.
• Multiple ATS integrations: Willo comes with over 5,000 integrations, including multiple major ATS platforms. Integrating Willo with your ATS means easy data transfer, added async interview functionality, and an improved hiring process.

Pricing

Willo has a free-forever plan designed for freelancers or very small businesses with limited hiring needs. This plan is limited to one job and 10 responses per month. 

All paid monthly plans allow for unlimited responses each month, so you can easily scale up your hiring.

Pros & cons

Pros

• Easy setup and integration
• Improves efficiency in the hiring process
• Customizable to your company’s branding
• Supports effective collaboration with your team
• Interview more candidates at a fraction of the cost
• Safe, secure, and fully GDPR-compliant

Cons

• No live interviewing through the Willo platform

2. Manatal

Manatal is an AI-based recruitment software that helps small businesses source and hire candidates quickly.

Affordable pricing and a wide range of features make Manatal ideal for small businesses who don’t want to invest too much time or money in a recruiting solution.

Relevant features

• Intuitive interface: A drag-and-drop interface allows users to easily customize recruitment pipelines. Kanban boards are available to give you a unified overview of the recruitment process.
• Manage job postings: Manatal allows you to automate job postings to up to 2,500 job channels. You’ll also be able to manage all sponsored job campaigns from a single platform.
• Candidate suggestions: Manatal’s AI engine suggests the most suitable candidates for each job role by scoring their profiles based on your set job requirements. 

Pricing 

Manatal offers a 14-day free trial. There are also three paid pricing plans starting at $15 per user per month.

Pros & cons

Pros

• Relevant candidate recommendations
• Candidate quick search
• Responsive support team
• Affordable pricing

Cons (based on TrustRadius reviews)

• Could use more customization options for the career page

3. Homerun

Homerun is a hiring tool that’s tailored specifically for small businesses with its easy-to-use features. 

Users can create job sites and listings, build application forms (a great way to improve your interview process), and track applicants from a central dashboard.

Relevant features

• Career site building: Homerun offers a no-code builder to help you create a unique career page and job posts tailored to your brand. 
• Application forms: Create customizable application forms to recruit candidates, instead of relying on overwhelming resume emailing. 
• Collaboration: Store notes about individual candidates to share feedback with your team. The tool also allows you to set to-dos, reminders, roles, and permissions to ensure the right team members get the information they need. 

Pricing 

Homerun provides a free plan that’s limited to one job slot, 50 emails/week, 10 candidates, and three users. There are also four paid pricing plans starting at €29/month (approx. $31/month). 

Pros & cons

Pros

• Attractive job description templates
• Customizable application forms
• Keep track of all your job openings from one dashboard
• User interface is easy to navigate

Cons (based on Capterra reviews)

• You can’t restrict resume uploads to PDF only
• Difficult to compare qualified candidates

4. BambooHR

BambooHR is a cloud-based HR solution that’s designed for small to mid-sized businesses to streamline the management of HR data. It offers integrated features like applicant tracking, payroll processing, and electronic signatures. 

Relevant features

• Hiring and onboarding capabilities: BambooHR helps you automate job postings, track applicants, streamline candidate communications, and provides customizable pre-boarding packets, so you can hire great candidates faster.
• Integrations: All HR tasks automatically integrate into the payroll system, eliminating the need for manual data entry.
• Reliable support: BambooHR offers a dedicated human support team.

Pricing 

BambooHR offers a free 7-day trial. Pricing is available on request.

Pros & cons

Pros

• Stable functionality
• Fast and easy to implement
• Mobile application available for on-the-go access

Cons (based on Capterra reviews)

• Some users say the reporting feature isn't user-friendly

5. TalentReef

TalentReef is a talent management platform that offers a comprehensive suite of recruitment tools and ongoing employee engagement tools. 

Relevant features

• Quick application process: TalentReef offers text recruiting tools with a 90-second visual assessment to quickly screen applicants. Submitted applications are automatically ranked and displayed on your dashboard.
• Interview scheduling: Automated interview scheduling to meet the needs of both candidates and recruiters. 
• Virtual training: Customizable post-hire tools allow you to assign training and perform performance reviews for new hires. 

Pricing 

Contact sales for a quote.

Pros & cons

Pros

• All-in-one recruiting and employee management solution
• Support available for easy set up
• High-quality while still being affordable
• Easy to post to multiple job boards

Cons (based on Capterra reviews)

• Can be confusing to learn at first
• Difficult to automate mass messaging to rejected candidates

6. Workable

Workable is a feature-rich applicant tracking solution that helps small to large businesses recruit the talent they need. 

Workable integrates with Willo to add async video and audio interviewing to the ATS’s long list of features.

Relevant features

• AI Recruiter: This feature automatically runs a search for suitable passive and existing candidates to provide a top 50 list for you to choose from.   
• Boolean search: Get access to a full Boolean search of over 400 professionals. There is also a Chrome extension built into the ATS. 
• Referrals: Workable’s referrals feature allows you to upload referred candidates for specific job roles. 

Pricing 

Workable offers three paid pricing plans, starting at $149/month. Prices for plans scale based on the number of employees you have.

Pros & cons

Pros

• People Function helps you source passive candidates directly from the ATS
• Easy to set up
• Analytics dashboard
• User-friendly mobile app

Cons (based on GetApp reviews)

• No feature to consolidate candidates who apply to more than one job position
• Customer service could be improved

7. Teamtailor

Teamtailor is an all-in-one recruitment platform. It offers integration of its applicant tracking system, a customizable career page builder, and a tool for social media outreach. 

It’s important to note that Willo integrates with Teamtailor for a seamless, end-to-end hiring process. With this integration, you’ll be able to conduct asynchronous video interviews, schedule follow-ups, and share feedback with your team without leaving the Teamtailor platform. 

Relevant features

• Applicant Tracking System (ATS): Manage and monitor every stage of the recruitment process from one personalized dashboard. 
• Interview kits: This feature helps you standardize your interviews and make sure they stay consistent across candidates.
• Smart triggers: Automate repetitive manual tasks like booking interviews, sending messages, and setting actions when candidates pass a certain stage.

Pricing 

Teamtailor offers a free 14-day trial. Additional pricing is available upon request. 

Pros & cons

Pros

• AI assistance
• Set up custom stages and triggers
• Personalized dashboards
• Message templates

Cons (based on Capterra reviews)

• Some customers report a lack of customer support
• It can be difficult to recommend a candidate to other relevant positions

Streamline Your Recruiting Process With Willo

While a wide variety of recruiting software has emerged to cater to small businesses, it’s important to know what your needs and goals are to make the right decision. Ultimately, features like ease of use, customization, and seamless automation stand out for any small business looking to gain the talent they need. 

At Willo, we specialize in arming HR teams of any size with a simple but powerful set of async candidate screening and identity verification tools that streamline operations and lead to better hires in less time. 

Want to see it for yourself? Explore Willo with a live demo today!

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