In 2017, there is a tool for nearly every need, whether you are a busy hiring manager who is looking to carve out some extra time to perform the more human elements of your recruiting or you’re a jobseeker who is hoping to put their best foot forward in a competitive job market. Some of the tools on our list are brand new, while others are new and improved. All are worth investigating. Whether it’s help with scheduling, interview practice, help with identifying the most qualified candidates, or figuring out ways to network, BOLD’s list of technology to watch in 2017 has got you covered.
Best tech tools for recruiters:
Best for scheduling:
Amy, the AI-driven virtual assistant is making her mark this year. Created by x.ai, Amy can take the laborious scheduling out of the interview process by scheduling meetings for you. X.ai founder Dennis R. Mortensen says that he developed Amy after a year in which he manually scheduled 1019 meetings, of which more than 670 had updates or were rescheduled at least once. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention, and Amy is proof of that. Here’s how it works: When someone emails you requesting a meeting, you reply with a suggested time, cc’ing Amy in your response. Amy will then take over, engaging in an email dialogue with the other party. Amy will reach out to your guests to suggest the best date, time, and place to meet based on your availability and the personal preferences you have set. If there’s no response, Amy will follow up – just like a real personal assistant would. If there is no response after numerous attempts, Amy will inform you of the situation and wait for further instruction. If someone Amy doesn’t recognize tries to set up a meeting with you, Amy will push the email request back to you so that you can confirm whether you would accept the meeting or not first.
Best for fair hiring:
Blendoor, a blind recruiting app that hides candidate names, photos, and even ages to mitigate bias in the hiring process, was born in direct response to Stephanie Lampkin’s own experience interviewing with a well-known Silicon Valley company. Lampkin, who has an engineering degree from Stanford and an MBA from MIT, recalls making it through several rounds of interviews only to be told her background wasn’t “analytical enough.” In response, Lampkin founded Blendoor in 2015. Specifically, the app works during the sourcing process, or what Lampkin calls the “top of the funnel.” How does it work? Companies who use the platform are given an applicant’s profile and date. Blendoor then develops a “fit score,” which compares each candidate’s qualifications to the job description. Skills, degrees, and past work experience are visible, while names, photos, dates and other information that might indicate age or gender are not.
Best for hiring via AI/machine learning:
With some experts suggesting that up to 75 percent of applicants aren’t qualified for the role they apply for, sifting through irrelevant resumes can be incredibly time-consuming for recruiters and hiring managers who want to do their due diligence. MightyRecruiter has stepped up with a vector space matching algorithm that can reclaim that time by bringing the most relevant applicants to the top of the candidate list. Rather than listing applicants according to submission date, the technology sorts applicants according to their suitability so that the best matches for a role rise to the top of the list. The feature automatically sorts candidates based on their relevance to your job description by analyzing applicants’ resumes and drawing key inferences, like how experienced a candidate may be or how proficient they are with certain software. The technology will do this for every piece of information in a resume – and then draw a conclusion about how well it matches the job description requirements, narrowing down the candidate pool as it goes. The feature, which is free with a MightyRecruiter subscription, utilizes machine learning algorithms, natural language processing, and deep learning algorithms, so it becomes better and smarter the more you use it.
Best for wellness & communication:
LifeWorks’ goal is clear: They want their more than 15 million registered users to have better lives. The solution combines high-tech functionality with a high-touch wellness and engagement platform to offer a sort of hybrid EAP (employee assistance program), which includes social communications, recognition, perks and discounts. More than a typical EAP – a work-based intervention program for employees who need help in resolving personal problems that may be adversely affecting their performance – LifeWorks integrates wellness into the workplace in a brand new way. Instead of only engaging employees who are in crisis, LifeWorks’ goal is to work with employees regularly to help them identify health risks and to make changes through assessments, health coaching, online workshops, trackers and challenges. The platform also offers support to employees who are going through challenges such a divorce, legal, or financial troubles, all of which can impact overall wellness. The built-in private social network allows for employees to send birthday wishes, condolences, or kudos to one another to encourage connections between employees
Best for college recruiting:
Once again it was personal necessity that helped create Handshake, our pick for the best college recruiting app of 2017. In 2014, Garrett Lord, Scott Ringwelski, and Ben Christensen found themselves incredibly frustrated by the fact that attending Michigan Tech, an engineering school in the far reaches of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, left them out of the internship loop. They wanted to get a foot in the door at top tech companies, but – surrounded by more than 200 inches of annual snowfall and an 8-hour drive from Chicago or Detroit – Michigan Tech wasn’t a regular recruiting stop for Silicon Valley. After hustling incredibly hard to get an internship at a tech company, Garrett realized that he wasn’t the only one struggling to get recruited, so he decided to do something about it. He started brokering intros for his Michigan Tech classmates at Bay Area companies, earning more than $60k in referral bonuses in less than a year. An idea was born: Handshake. Handshake works to transform university recruiting for jobs and internships for the 3.5 million registered higher education students across the country. The app’s goal is to ensure that every student has access to every job, no matter where they go to school. One hundred and seventy universities and more than 120,000 employers are signed up with the app, making Handshake a simple way of leveling the playing field for students in remote locations.
Best tech tools for jobseekers:
Best for job search management:
Trying to keep your job search organized? Ditch the spreadsheets and download Rake, a tool that allows you to corral all of your job search data into one location. Using your iPhone or web browser, use Rake to organize which jobs you applied to and on which job boards, and set reminders for when to follow up or submit applications so you never miss a critical deadline. Here’s how it works: On your iPhone, download the app and when you see an interesting job posting, just tap the iOS share icon and save the job to Rake with one click. Don’t have an iPhone? Use Rake through your web browser by installing the Rake Google Chrome Plug-in. Rake also allows you to add opportunities manually so that you can track unadvertised jobs as well. And, if you are a jobseeker who tends to email job ads to yourself only to have them get lost in the shuffle, just email the links to your Rake account and they will be added to your “Saved Jobs” list.
Best for networking:
Networking is still one of the best ways to find a job, but some people simply don’t feel comfortable reaching out. The LetsLunch app is a great tool for people who need to network but who don’t have a personal assistant to manage all of their appointments. It’s perfect for jobseekers, career development professionals, entrepreneurs, or those who may be exploring a career change. The app is designed for anyone who is seeking to meet other professionals for conversation and consultation over lunch, coffee or drinks. The app includes a dashboard that houses all of your in-person meetings in one place. Quickly glance at your list of meetings and their status [accepted/canceled/rescheduled] without having to go to multiple places – Facebook, LinkedIn, or emails – to check all your meeting requests. Plus, if you find yourself unexpectedly free because of a layover or canceled appointment –LetsLunch has instant meetings that allow you to arrange last minute appointments to make every minute productive.
Best for resume creation:
My Perfect Resume is a resume builder and step-by-step wizard that guides users through an easy process to create a professional resume section-by-section. Jobseekers can use expert text samples, tips, and pre-written content to make their own unique resume shine. What separates this tool from its competitors is the personalized experience for the user. Those looking for that next great position can choose a customized resume design based on not only the job they’re looking for, but also their experience and education. What’s more, the tool provides jobseekers with a list of personalized keywords that recruiters will expect to see in a resume.
Best for interview assistance:
Available on Google Play and via the iTunes Store, Resume Now Boost is an essential app for jobseekers entering the job search and interviewing process. By helping users answer the, “Who am I” question as it pertains to the world of work, the tool prepares those on the job hunt to tell their professional story at every phase of the job search, particularly in upcoming job interviews. The app includes top interview questions and how to answer them, as well as the secrets to responding to behavioral questions and ways to stand out from the competition to get the job. Users also benefit from sample answers to the toughest interview questions, and they are guided through building their own unique responses. The app also tracks progress so that jobseekers know when they’re 100% prepared before the interview.