The Latest Tech Trends Transforming Recruitment in 2023

Technology and automation are the most significant opportunities for recruiters in 2023, according to an industry survey of more than 400 staffing professionals by Staffing Hub.

If we consider the daily routine of a recruiter, it’s not hard to see why. Endless phone calls and sending emails, scheduling interviews, posting on and checking job boards, updating information on systems (CRM and ATS), managing spreadsheets and timesheets, and creating reports are just some of the many responsibilities recruiters must manage. The task list goes on. It’s no wonder many recruiters feel there aren’t enough hours in the day!

Now, the latest tech innovations are automating many tedious processes and giving time back to recruiters.

This blog looks at the latest exciting tech trends transforming recruitment in 2023. 

Applicant Tracking Systems Are Upping the Recruitment Game

The current tech top-of-the-pops in recruitment goes to a new wave of advanced Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Before you let out a groan that this is old news, of course, ATSs aren’t new, but hear us out. 

We have now reached the critical tipping point where old-school tech solutions are causing a drag on recruitment operations. Most recruiters have an ATS, right? But how many are 100 per cent happy with the solution they have? 

An older ATS may have fitted the bill when it was first implemented, but we bet your bottom dollar that frustrating workarounds have become ingrained as the norm for many recruiters. And how many recruiters’ ATSs are integrated with their CRM? We bet it’s not many, which means there’s a lot of data entry duplication and dual system management going on.

In a tight job market, even the smallest inefficiencies can mean talent is slipping through your fingers and getting snapped up by other recruiters with a sharper focus provided by better ATS tools.

From our experience and speaking to our new clients, working with outdated tech and deciding when to upgrade is now topping the agenda for most recruitment leaders. According to the Staffing Hub survey, fast-growth staffing agencies are adding to their tech stack and, compared to slow-growth agencies, are:

• 13% more likely to use a chatbot
• 50% more likely to use automated referral management
• 225% more likely to use a talent management platform

There has never been a more pressing time to take the plunge regarding updating tech. The tight job market isn’t going away. A report by Forbes states the war for talent is the new normal. 

The recruitment landscape is ever more complex, marked by the Great Resignation (now being redefined as the Great Reshuffle), market meltdowns, and slowed economic growth. Forbes reports, “Business leaders are realizing that success in the new normal means building the best teams most effectively.”

Talent is a hot currency but has become surprisingly hard to nail.

Bizarrely, recruiters (especially slow-growth agencies) still delay implementing new tech solutions for fear of the disruption it will cause. But in today’s competitive talent climate, dithering will almost certainly put you on the back foot chasing the heels of the crowd.

Staffing Hub’s survey also quizzed staffing professionals on the challenges of technology. ‘Selecting the right tools for the digital transformation,’ ‘Selecting the right sourcing tools,’ and ‘Integrating staffing technology’ were found to be the top technology-related challenges staffing agencies are facing right now.

Revolutionizing applicant tracking and integrating systems may feel like a scary step (brave pants may be required) but implementing new software doesn’t have to be disruptive if you work with the right provider. 

Excuse us for blowing our trumpets, but implementation is something we’re really very good at. Our solution (ATS and CRM) was developed by recruiters for recruiters. We understand how important it is to have the whole team working confidently with new integrated software from day one. That’s why we dedicate an implementation team to every new client. Don’t just take our word for it. Get a sense of how we work in this recent case study which details a client’s experience of transitioning to a new ATS with Tracker.

AI and Automation

The development of AI and automation is moving ridiculously fast. According to Staffing Hub, most staffing agencies are working to automate their processes. “Seven in 10 respondents said their company has at least one automation in place, while nearly one-quarter (23%) have automated six or more processes.” 

The speed at which tech is evolving can make it confusing for recruiters to stop and pick a solution, especially as some days we seem just a step away from a dystopian future where the jobless roam wastelands and robots rule the world!

Currently wooing US audiences on Netflix, the UK’s dystopian TV anthology, Black Mirror, explores the dangers of technology. It is a dark and troubling series that considers the ethics of tech. But let’s not forget it is fictional!

Of course, there are many ethical considerations to address as AI evolves. Still, AI also offers immense potential and is already used by businesses to improve operations and deliver better services. 

So, how are AI and automation revolutionizing recruitment?

Firstly, it’s important to recognize that recruitment leaders take AI seriously. Finding the best people can be a frustrating and prolonged process. Now, with competition for talent fiercer than ever, recruitment leaders are focused on equipping their teams with the best tools and automating processes, so they can speak to more potential candidates and secure the best hires. 

For now, AI isn’t about replacing people with machines. Most recruitment leaders are clear – AI will prove most successful when combined with recruitment professionals’ expertise, experience, and intuition. The personal touch is still important; candidates perceive this as a key element of a positive hiring experience.

However, AI can give recruiters more time to get to know candidates better. Some ways AI and automation are already helping recruiters include:

• Video interviewing
• Resume parsing
• Job board trawling
• Job board posting
• Overcoming bias
• Assessing soft skills

Time-consuming processes can all be automated, reducing the time to hire from months to a matter of weeks! With recruitment automation, recruiters can easily track candidates and monitor applications over multiple touchpoints. 

The combination of tech and more focus on building human relationships is powerful and prevents talent from dropping out of the hiring pipeline.

We can’t hammer this home enough – AI has a scary amount of potential, and it feels like we are only just scratching the surface. For example, advanced machine learning could see facial expressions analyzed to match candidates to a company’s culture. It sounds a tad ‘Brave New World’ (the dystopian novel by Aldous Huxley), but Facial Emotion Recognition (FER) is already in the early stages of development. Facial expressions are one of the most important elements of non-verbal human expression. There is no reason why in the sphere of recruitment, FER couldn’t be used in the future to detect emotional abilities. 

For example, algorithms could be developed to sort candidates by word choices, facial movements and expressions, and voice intonation. This would evolve the practice of matching candidate experience and skills with job roles to also pairing personalities with a company’s culture.

It is also interesting to note what is happening with AI and automation outside of recruitment. Moonpreneur reports the 10 latest developments in AI as:

• Computer vision – where computers analyze digital images and classify objects, individuals, and actions.
• AI in Healthcare – personalized medicine, designing a patient’s treatment based on their health history and genetics.
• AI in Education – personalized learning, intelligent tutoring, language instruction, automated grading and content creation.
• Reinforcement learning – a training method that uses rewards or punishments to teach AI agents.
• Explainable AI – creating AI systems that are both precise and understandable.
• Transfer learning – the utilization of knowledge gained from one domain to solve related problems in another field.
• AI-assisted creativity – mimicking artistic styles, composing music and even co-authoring scientific papers.
• Virtual agent – the further evolution of chatbots to more refined and intelligent agents.
• Biometrics – the measurement of biological or behavioral features used for identifying individuals.
• AI-optimized hardware – specialized hardware built and optimized to accelerate AI and machine learning (ML) applications.

A Whistle-Stop Tour of Tracker’s Cool ATS Features

At Tracker, we love to evolve to keep recruiters ahead of the crowd. We are keeping a watchful eye on AI. We have already added ChatGPT to our features, enabling recruiters to use the AI content tool to write job adverts and emails. We’re proud of the fact that we’re not a software provider that stands still.

Here’s a quick round-up of our cool features.

• Integrated ATS with CRM – source candidates, nurture and match applicants, and make more placements.
• Sales & CRM – build better client relationships, generate and qualify better leads.
• Automation – cut out busy work, boost activity and enhance productivity.
• Marketing – run branded email and text campaigns directly from Tracker. 
• Job Boards Integration – in-app sourcing, matching, and automated external job board distribution and posting.
• Collaboration – Tracker’s built-in video interviewing tool, big screens, and internal Chat feature enables team collaboration.

Tracker provides recruiters with the tools they need to navigate today’s tough recruiting landscape, where new challenges are mounting in the post-pandemic era of work. 

Tracker’s recruitment automation makes matching candidates much easier and helps to keep talent engaged throughout the hiring pipeline. Please get in touch; we’d love to help you!