Best Talent Acquisition Software Shortlist
Here’s the shortlist of the best talent acquisition software that I’ll cover in this article, with detailed tool summaries below:
- ClearCompany
Best talent acquisition software for onboarding hired candidates
- Zoho Recruit
Best talent acquisition software for candidate sourcing
- Freshteam
Best talent acquisition software for career site creation
- Workable
Best talent acquisition software for AI matching
- SmartRecruiters
Best talent acquisition software for conversational recruiting
- SeekOut
Best talent acquisition software for AI-driven candidate matching
- Yello
Best talent acquisition software for diversity recruiting
- Workday
Best talent acquisition software for collaborative hiring workflows
- LeverTRM
Best talent acquisition software for referral tracking
- Fetcher
Best talent acquisition software for automated outreach sequences
Talent acquisition software helps you identify the right candidates for each position without wasting time.
Modern businesses, especially those that have hybrid or remote working environments, receive dozens if not hundreds of applications for each open position. Talent acquisition tools enable you to automate your hiring procedures so your HR team doesn’t have to spend hours sifting through the applications in order to find the right people.
Read my review to discover the best talent acquisition software you can use today. My review includes short descriptions and screenshots of the solutions that made the list, as well as a comparison chart so you can quickly identify the right tool for your organization.
Selection Criteria
Wondering what criteria I used to select the best talent acquisition software for this list? Here’s a summary of my evaluation criteria:
- User Interface (UI): Talent acquisition solutions can help your team perform a lot of tasks. I look for tools with clean layouts so your team members can quickly find the right functionality for anything they want to achieve.
- Usability: Hiring managers have a lot on their plates, so they shouldn’t have to waste time learning how to use a new tool. I selected software that’s easy to use so your team doesn’t have to go through a complex onboarding process.
- Integrations: Talent acquisition software works best when paired with other solutions, such as your HR software, human resources information system (HRIS), customer relationship management (CRM), or human capital management (HCM) apps. I chose tools that offer multiple native integrations or can connect to other apps via third-party integration providers.
- Value for $: The best talent management tools help you simplify and speed up your recruitment process. I selected solutions that enable your team members to achieve multiple tasks so you get a nice return on your investment.
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Overviews of the 10 Best Talent Acquisition Software
Here’s a brief description of each talent acquisition software to showcase each tool’s best use case, their noteworthy features, and some pros and cons. I’ve also included screenshots to give you a snapshot of their user interface too.
ClearCompany
Best talent acquisition software for onboarding hired candidates
ClearCompany is a talent acquisition software that provides recruiters with an all-in-one solution for finding and managing the best talent available, while centralizing their entire recruitment process.
ClearCompany offers a full suite of products designed to make recruiting easier and more efficient. Its applicant tracking system (ATS) allows employers to post jobs on their website or other job boards and track applicants through the hiring process. You can create job descriptions and postings, manage incoming applications, conduct interviews, and onboard new hires.
Recruiters can easily search for candidates based on criteria such as experience level, skillset, or location. It also has automated workflow tools that allow them to quickly identify qualified candidates from the applicant pool, saving hours of manual work on their part.
ClearCompany provides recruiters with data-driven insights into their performance and how it compares to industry standards. This allows employers to get an objective view of how effective their recruiting efforts are and adjust accordingly, if necessary.
The software provides guidance on best practices when it comes to talent acquisition strategies. For instance, the platform offers advice on how to create more attractive job postings that will draw in more qualified applicants and tips on how to conduct better interviews that focus on assessing soft skills rather than just technical knowledge.
The software also includes an automated onboarding system that makes the process of bringing new employees into an organization simpler and faster. The system creates personalized onboarding plans for each employee based on their role in the company and provides tools such as checklists, reminders, documents, and approvals needed throughout the process. This helps reduce paperwork and administrative time while ensuring accurate data is collected from each new hire before they start work.
ClearCompany Standout Features and Integrations
Features include an applicant tracking system, branded career sites, job postings & job board management tools, video interviewing, text recruiting tools, background-checking workflows, interview scheduling automation, rich candidate profiles, and detailed reports & analytics covering all aspects of your recruiting funnel, including time-to-hire metrics.
Integrations are available natively with 100+ popular HR software solutions, including payroll providers, time-tracking apps, and performance management solutions. Key integrations include Absorb LMS, ADP, BambooHR, eSkill, Glassdoor, Gmail, Indeed, LinkedIn, Microsoft Office 365, Okta, OneLogin, ScreeningOne, SimpliVerified, Sterling, and many others.
ClearCompany Plans and Pricing
Pricing details for ClearCompany are available upon request. You can also request a free demo through their website.
Pros
- Integrated e-signature capability saves time and removes hassles
- User-friendly virtual onboarding process works well for remote staff
- Well-rounded talent management features cover the whole employee lifecycle
Cons
- No free trial available
- Pricing details are not transparent
Zoho Recruit
Best talent acquisition software for candidate sourcing
Zoho Recruit is a recruitment management solution that helps in-house talent acquisition specialists and staffing agencies source great candidates.
The solution integrates with dozens of free and premium job boards and with your social media channels, so you can maximize your reach and increase your chances of finding top talent. Hiring specialists can map skill sets to job descriptions, allowing the software’s artificial intelligence to match candidates automatically.
Zoho Recruit makes candidate sourcing easy, so it’s ideal for freelance recruiters, staffing agencies, and the HR departments of medium to large organizations.
Zoho Recruit Standout Features and Integrations
Features include social recruiting, reference checking, onboarding tools, AI matching, and career site creation.
Integrations are natively available with dozens of solutions, including all Zoho products, Checkr, DocuSign, LinkedIn, Mailchimp, Microsoft Outlook, and Slack.
Zoho Recruit Plans and Pricing
Plans begin at $30 per user, per month. They also offer a 15-day free trial and a free-forever version for one active job.
Pros
- Customizable workflows
- Free plan available
- Customizable career page
Cons
- Tool may seem overwhelming at first
- Career page can sometimes look bad on mobile devices
Freshteam
Best talent acquisition software for career site creation
Freshteam is a HR software that enables businesses to create customizable career sites without writing code.
Thanks to its drag-and-drop website editor and the variety of templates it offers, Freshteam makes it easy to create a branded career site to attract job seekers. The software also integrates with free and premium job boards, so organizations can attract leads from multiple channels.
Freshteam is an ideal recruiting tool for startups and small businesses because it offers a free-forever plan for organizations with up to 50 employees. Businesses can use the software to find the right candidates as they scale and upgrade their plans whenever necessary.
Freshteam Standout Features and Integrations
Features include applicant tracking system, talent pool management, interview scorecards, offer management, onboarding and offboarding, and recruitment reporting.
Integrations are available natively with multiple tools, including Indeed, Jooble, LinkedIn, Instahyre, Microsoft Office 365, and ZipRecruiter.
Freshteam Plans and Pricing
Plans begin at $71 per month plus $1.20 per employee, per month. They also offer a 21-day free trial and a free-forever plan for up to 50 employees.
Pros
- Free plan for startups and small businesses
- Good automation features
- Comprehensive learning guides and tutorials
Cons
- Automatic triggers can be difficult to set up
- User interface could be improved
Workable
Best talent acquisition software for AI matching
Workable is a recruitment and applicant tracking software that uses AI to connect acquisition teams with qualified candidates.
The solution maintains a database of over 160 million job seekers and automatically provides you with a list of 50 candidates every time you post a job. This helps you speed up your hiring process and enables you to build a contact list of qualified people.
Workable’s passive candidate search functionality crawls social media platforms and creates detailed candidate profiles that include email addresses and social links, so you can contact highly skilled individuals directly. The platform also enables you to share your job on 200+ job sites, so you can increase your reach. Workable’s automation features make it ideal for businesses that are looking for candidates with specific skill sets, such as those operating in tech or SaaS.
Workable Standout Features and Integrations
Features include job advertising, onboarding, candidate assessments, AI-powered matching, video interviews, background checks, offer letters, and e-signatures.
Integrations are natively available with dozens of apps, including BambooHR, Factorial, Gmail, HR Cloud, Microsoft Outlook, Namely, Sapling, ZipRecruiter and Zoom.
Workable Plans and Pricing
Plans begin at $129 per job posting, per month. They also offer a 15-day free trial.
Pros
- Offers a variety of templates
- Workflows are easy to set up
- Good onboarding
Cons
- Search filters could be better
- Some email templates need more customization options
SmartRecruiters
Best talent acquisition software for conversational recruiting
SmartRecruiters is a talent acquisition suite that enables businesses to attract top talent and build candidate relationships through efficient communication.
The solution enables acquisition specialists to engage candidates via email, text, social media, or chatbots, so they can expand their talent pool. HR professionals can sort job seekers using tags and resume data, so they can identify the right candidate profiles for each job opening.
SmartRecruiters helps businesses of all sizes attract and retrain candidates without difficulty. The software allows HR teams to review, rate, and share candidate profiles so they can create collaborative talent sourcing processes.
SmartRecruiters Standout Features and Integrations
Features include job advertising, applicant tracking, CRM, AI recruiting, chatbot recruiting, and text recruiting.
Integrations are available natively with dozens of tools, including ConveyIQ, Gem, HackerRank, Honeit, SourceWhale, and Trustcruit.
SmartRecruiters Plans and Pricing
SmartRecruiters offers custom pricing upon request, as well as a free demo.
Pros
- Automated screening assessments
- Great mobile app
- Multiple internal and external communication options
Cons
- Resume parsing can be buggy at times
- Can be challenging to integrate it with some solutions
SeekOut
Best talent acquisition software for AI-driven candidate matching
SeekOut is a talent intelligence platform that helps recruiters attract and retain job seekers with AI.
SeekOut allows you to expand your talent pool with AI-driven candidate matching. The tool can automatically identify candidates based on your job description, and you can trim your results using software’s advanced search capabilities with a combination of keywords and filters.
SeekOut is a talent sourcing tool that helps businesses connect with the right candidates. Thanks to the software’s ability to access platforms like GitHub to source candidates, it’s ideal for organizations that are looking for tech talent.
SeekOut Standout Features and Integrations
Features include AI matching, ATS rediscovery, candidate engagement, diversity hiring, and talent analytics.
Integrations are available natively with multiple apps, including Ascendify, Greenhouse, iCIMS, Lever, SAP SuccessFactors, and Workday.
SeekOut Plans and Pricing
SeekOut offers custom pricing upon request, as well as a free demo.
Pros
- Great for advanced, niched searches
- No outreach limits
- Sources talent from rarely used social platforms
Cons
- Candidate social profiles could be updated more frequently
- The large number of features can seem overwhelming at first
Yello
Best talent acquisition software for diversity recruiting
Yello is a talent acquisition software that enables recruiters to connect with top diverse talent from 7,000+ campuses across the US.
The software allows businesses to access a database of over 6 million candidates in WayUp and use their self-reported data to create engaging job opportunities. The data is Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) compliant, and recruiters can segment candidates based on their major, gender, location, ethnicity, and more.
Yello allows recruiting teams to speed up their hiring process. The software can automatically identify qualified candidates with its built-in screening feature and can knock out unqualified individuals based on custom criteria. The tool sends an automatic response to all candidates within 24 hours, improving their application experience.
Yello Standout Features and Integrations
Features include campus recruiting, events management, built-in screening, and automated messages.
Integrations are available natively with several tools, including iCIMS, Lever, Pymetrics, SAP SuccessFactors, Taleo, WayUp, and Workday.
Yello Plans and Pricing
Yello offers custom pricing upon request, as well as a free demo.
Pros
- Event management tools
- Mobile-friendly career site
- Branded job boards
Cons
- Not many native integrations
- Pipeline progression reports could be more detailed
Workday
Best talent acquisition software for collaborative hiring workflows
Workday is an HCM that allows hiring specialists to work together in order to attract and retain top talent.
The solution enables hiring teams to exchange interview feedback and collaborate to create job requisitions, so they can accelerate their candidate pipeline and fill their open positions faster. Workday’s built-in team collaboration features and its third-party integrations help recruiting teams go through a lot of applications in a short amount of time, so they can identify potential new hires based on candidate experience.
Workday’s dashboards and real-time analytics help recruiters keep an eye on their key metrics and make data-driven decisions to reach their business goals. Talent acquisition specialists can use a combination of custom notifications and checklists to resolve outstanding action items in good time, which makes the tool great for staffing agencies or large organizations.
Workday Standout Features and Integrations
Features include an HCM database, hiring team collaboration, interview management, onboarding for new hires, candidate experience assessments, and custom notifications.
Integrations are natively available with hundreds of tools, including all Workday solutions, BetterUp, First Advantage, Humanity, LinkedIn, Salesforce, SeekOut, Slack, and Workhuman.
Workday Plans and Pricing
Workday offers custom pricing upon request, as well as a free demo.
Pros
- Creates a central location for candidate data
- Helpful ready-made dashboards
- Helps you create a transparent hiring process
Cons
- Platform has a learning curve
- Candidate UI could be improved
LeverTRM
Best talent acquisition software for referral tracking
LeverTRM is an end-to-end recruiting CRM that helps talent acquisition specialists track their referrals across multiple brands.
The software creates a transparent recruiting process, allowing HR professionals to find the right candidates, screen them, and recommend them to hiring managers. Talent acquisition specialists can see who the interviewer is for each referral, so they can reach out to them for feedback.
LeverTRM creates a visual representation of your candidate pipeline, so you can see how many candidates are at each step of your pipeline and identify potential roadblocks. Thanks to its powerful referral tracking system, the software is ideal for recruitment agencies or human resources departments in large organizations.
LeverTRM Standout Features and Integrations
Features include a CRM, diversity hiring, candidate nurturing, applicant tracking, analytics, and candidate feedback.
Integrations are available natively with hundreds of apps, including ADP Workforce, BambooHR, Ceridian Dayforce, Checkr, Indeed, LinkedIn Recruiter, and Microsoft Outlook.
LeverTRM Plans and Pricing
LeverTRM offers custom pricing upon request, as well as a free demo.
Pros
- Solid tracking and reporting features
- Simple but powerful dashboards
- Comprehensive training materials
Cons
- Some integrations can act up at times
- Tagging coworkers in notes can be complicated
Fetcher
Best talent acquisition software for automated outreach sequences
Fetcher is a full-service recruiting platform that helps businesses attract, engage, and retain stellar candidates with automated outreach sequences.
The software enables talent acquisition specialists to plan step-by-step outreach campaigns to engage candidates that fit the employer’s brand. Every step of the process is customizable, and recruiters can use automated triggers to deliver the sequence at the right time, allowing them to secure candidate interviews.
Fetcher’s candidate database helps HR teams save time when looking for new hires. Recruiters can identify potential fits based on keywords and descriptors, so they can skip over LinkedIn searches and contact the candidate via email directly from the app. Thanks to its automation features and the candidate database, Fetcher is a top recruiting software for small and medium businesses or staffing agencies that want to amplify the power of their talent acquisition team.
Fetcher Standout Features and Integrations
Features include diversity hiring, automation, applicant tracking, analytics, a candidate sourcing tool, and interview scheduling.
Integrations are natively available with multiple solutions, including Google Suite, Greenhouse, Microsoft Outlook, Recruitee, SAP SuccessFactors, Slack, and Teamtailor.
Fetcher Plans and Pricing
Fetcher offers custom pricing upon request, as well as a free demo.
Pros
- Great candidate search filters
- Automated outreach
- Candidate curation feature
Cons
- Reporting could be more granular
- Cannot edit contact cards after you add them to searches
10 Best Talent Acquisition Software Comparison Chart
Here’s a comparison chart that summarizes basic details about each of my top talent acquisition software selections. You can view pricing details and the availability of free trials or demos side-by-side to help you find the best software that works for your budget.
Tool | Free Option | Price | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ClearCompany Best talent acquisition software for onboarding hired candidates | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
2 | Zoho Recruit Best talent acquisition software for candidate sourcing | 15-day free trial | From $30/user/month (100 active job postings) | Visit Website |
3 | Freshteam Best talent acquisition software for career site creation | 21-day free trial | From $1.20/user/month + $71/month base fee | Visit Website |
4 | Workable Best talent acquisition software for AI matching | 15-day free trial + free demo | From $129/job posting/month | Visit Website |
5 | SmartRecruiters Best talent acquisition software for conversational recruiting | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
6 | SeekOut Best talent acquisition software for AI-driven candidate matching | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
7 | Yello Best talent acquisition software for diversity recruiting | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
8 | Workday Best talent acquisition software for collaborative hiring workflows | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
9 | LeverTRM Best talent acquisition software for referral tracking | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
10 | Fetcher Best talent acquisition software for automated outreach sequences | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
Other Options
Here are a few more options that didn’t make the best talent acquisition software list:
- iCIMS Talent Cloud
Best talent acquisition software for customizable workflows
- Eightfold.ai
Best talent acquisition software for unbiased candidate selection
- Evolve Talent Acquisition Suite (by Jobvite)
Best talent acquisition software for applicant tracking
- hireEZ
Best talent acquisition software for technical hires
- JazzHR
Best talent acquisition software for data-driven hiring processes
- Recruiterflow
Best talent acquisition software for automated job posting
- Ideal
Best talent acquisition software for objective candidate selection
- ADP
Best talent acquisition software for talent communities sourcing
- Brazen
Best talent acquisition software for virtual hiring events
- Ascendify
Best talent acquisition software for reduced job advertising spending
Talent Acquisition Software: Frequently Asked Questions
What is talent acquisition software and what does it do?
What are the main features you should look for when evaluating talent acquisition software?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using talent acquisition software?
What’s the difference between talent acquisition and recruitment?
Other Resources
Talent acquisition strategies can help your business scale. As Marc Benioff, co-CEO of Salesforce, said:
"Acquiring the right talent is the most important key to growth. Hiring was — and still is — the most important thing we do."
Read our article on Why And How To Create A Proper Talent Management Strategy if you want to discover how to build a long-term strategy that makes your business attractive to top performers.
Our article on How To Attract And Retain Top Talent Through The Employee Life Cycle explains how to improve the way you’re perceived as an employer. And our article – Talent Management Versus Learning And Development – helps you understand how to promote a culture of self-development in your organization.
If you want to receive actionable advice on how to improve your talent acquisition efforts in order to increase your organization’s performance directly in your inbox, subscribe to the People Managing People newsletter.