Best Recruiting Software In Canada For May 2024

Contributor,  Editor

Updated: May 1, 2024, 10:59am

Aaron Broverman
editor

Fact Checked

Editorial Note: Forbes Advisor may earn a commission on sales made from partner links on this page, but that doesn't affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.

Recruiting software can help to streamline the recruitment process, from sourcing and engagement to selection and hiring. Top solutions also make it easy to manage paperwork and produce reports, providing an end-to-end hiring solution. But finding the best solution for your unique needs can be difficult. We’ve broken down top recruiting software brands for May 2024 to help you make the right choice for your business.

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Best Recruiting Software in Canada For May 2024


Why You Can Trust Forbes Advisor Small Business

The Forbes Advisor Small Business team is committed to bringing you unbiased rankings and information with full editorial independence. We use product data, strategic methodologies and expert insights to inform all of our content to guide you in making the best decisions for your business journey.

We considered the leading providers and narrowed the list down to 15. We then scrutinized them across 13 metrics. Our ratings consider factors such as transparent pricing, employee self-sufficiency, compatibility with third-party integrations, access to customer support and ratings. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.


BEST FOR MEDIUM TO LARGE BUSINESSES

ZipRecruiter

ZipRecruiter
4.7
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Pricing

From $299 ($395.99 CAD)

per month

Free trial

Four days

Commitment

Monthly and pay-for-performance options

ZipRecruiter
Learn More

On ZipRecruiter's Website

Pricing

From $299 ($395.99 CAD)

per month

Free trial

Four days

Commitment

Monthly and pay-for-performance options

Why We Picked It

ZipRecruiter’s recruiting software uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help you find strong candidates for your open roles. All plans come with an intuitive dashboard and the ability to distribute your job postings to more than 100 job sites.

Premium and Pro plans come with access to ZipRecruiter’s database of more than 36 million résumés and quality scoring algorithm that assesses candidate résumés automatically based on how well they match your exact job requirements. Pro plans come with TrafficBoost, which gives your job posts greater exposure, which is particularly helpful when you need to hire someone quickly or have trouble finding qualified applicants for a role.

Pro and Enterprise plans integrate with your external applicant tracking system (ATS). Enterprise plans are available for organizations that have more than 5,000 employees.

You can post your first job on ZipRecruiter for free. If you want a larger reach, opt for a monthly or pay-for-performance plan, depending on your needs. ZipRecruiter will then customize a unique plan for you based on several factors, including the number of jobs you need to post, the number of résumé downloads you require and your industry and location.

Customer support is offered through the online Employer Help Centre. You can also receive support through phone, chat and online messaging tickets.

Who should use it:

ZipRecruiter is best for midsized to large companies that want their job postings to achieve maximum reach, which is particularly helpful if your organization is having trouble recruiting for hard-to-fill positions.

Learn more: Read our ZipRecruiter Review

Pros & Cons
  • Intuitive interface
  • Instantly post jobs to 100-plus job boards
  • Scales easily for growing businesses
  • Short free trial
  • Candidate filters could be improved
  • ATS not included

BEST FOR RECRUITING FOR PROFESSIONAL ROLES

LinkedIn

LinkedIn
4.6
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Pricing

$170 ($225 CAD)

per month

Free trial

30 days

Commitment

Monthly and annual plans plus pay-per-click (PPC) options

LinkedIn

Pricing

$170 ($225 CAD)

per month

Free trial

30 days

Commitment

Monthly and annual plans plus pay-per-click (PPC) options

Why We Picked It

LinkedIn has an active community of engaged members that’s 706 million strong. More than 25 million people apply for jobs on LinkedIn every week, making it an excellent platform for recruiting.

LinkedIn offers two robust recruiting plans for businesses: Recruiter Lite and Recruiter Corporate for large companies. A separate plan called Recruiter Professional Services is available for staffing firms. The cost to post jobs on LinkedIn will vary depending on the type of plan you choose.

Recruiter Lite is designed for low-volume hiring needs. The platform comes with LinkedIn network access to up to your third-degree connections, more than 20 search filters, up to 10 candidate search alerts, a single-user dashboard and up to 30 InMail messages per month. You’ll need to contact LinkedIn directly for a price quote for Recruiter Lite.

Recruiter Corporate is custom-priced and includes full access to the entire LinkedIn network, more than 40 search filters, including contract work and skills assessments filters. Corporate users also have access to LinkedIn Spotlights, which offers information about who is open to work, who is already engaged with the brand, past applicants and which prospects are most likely to respond to job outreach efforts.

Corporate users also get up to 50 candidate search alerts, the ability to add tags to candidates for filtering and categorization, 150 InMail messages, a multiuser dashboard and integrations with 28 applicant tracking systems (ATS).

If you want to post job openings on LinkedIn, but don’t have the budget or need for Recruiter Lite or Corporate, you can also go with LinkedIn’s pay-per-click option. Set either a daily or total budget for your job post and you only pay when someone clicks on your post. When your budget is exhausted, your job post will be paused until you either close it or add to the budget.

Customer service is offered through online support tickets and the online LinkedIn Recruiter Help Centre. Phone support is not offered.

Pros & Cons
  • Massive user database
  • Multiple pricing options
  • Effective candidate filters
  • Lacks pricing transparency for Corporate plan
  • Limited customer support

BEST FOR EMPLOYERS WITH FEWER THAN 500 EMPLOYEES

JazzHR

JazzHR
4.6
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Pricing

From $49 ($64.90 CAD)

per month, paid annually

Free trial

21 days

Commitment

Monthly and annual plans

JazzHR

Pricing

From $49 ($64.90 CAD)

per month, paid annually

Free trial

21 days

Commitment

Monthly and annual plans

Why We Picked It

One of the best features of the JazzHR recruiting software is its intuitive interface, which makes for a user-friendly experience. Other top features included in all plans include new candidate email alerts, automatic postings to free job boards, customizable job applications, résumé uploader and parser, searchable résumé database, email sync, roles and privileges management and LinkedIn Recruiter integration.

JazzHR offers month-to-month contracts but does not publicly post month-to-month plan prices. The budget-friendly Hero plan costs $49 ($64.90 CAD) per month when paid annually—the price is $99 per month for staffing companies. The Hero plan has limited features and lets users post up to three jobs per month while additional job postings cost $9 per job, per month.

The JazzHR Plus plan costs $239 ($316.85 CAD) per month while the Pro plan costs $359 ($475.94 CAD) per month when paid annually. These premium plans come with knockout questions, Workflow Helpers, auto-send emails, job description approval tools, background checks, interview guides, skills and coding test integrations and candidate evaluation templates. The Pro plan also includes hiring template management, enhanced user access features for stronger security, compliance reports and a custom reports builder.

Add-on features are available, including candidate texting starting at $39 per month, career page customization starting at $39 ($51.69 CAD) per month, digital offers and e-signatures for $59 ($78.20 CAD) per month and Zoom integration for $29 ($38.44 CAD) per month.

Customer support is available through an online ticket system. Phone and chat support is offered between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern time Monday through Friday. The JazzHR Help Center houses a Getting Started Guide, several deep-dive webinars and a wide variety of text tutorials on setting up and using JazzHR. You can get extra support by adding the dedicated account feature to your plan, which costs $119 ($157.74 CAD) per month.

Who should use it:

JazzHR is best suited for companies with fewer than 500 employees that have moderate recruiting needs, although the Hero plan is an affordable option for small companies with limited recruiting needs.

Pros & Cons
  • Intuitive interface
  • Affordable entry-level plan
  • Unlimited users with all plans
  • Top-tier plans and add-ons are pricey
  • Lacks advanced features large organizations require

BEST FOR FAST-GROWING COMPANIES

Breezy HR

Breezy HR
4.6
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Pricing

From $189 ($250 CAD)

per month

Free trial

14 days

Commitment

Monthly and annual plans

Breezy HR

Pricing

From $189 ($250 CAD)

per month

Free trial

14 days

Commitment

Monthly and annual plans

Why We Picked It

Breezy HR is a recruiting and ATS that’s known for its user-friendly interface. The software comes with essential recruiting features, including résumé parsing, background screening integrations, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)/Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) reporting, social publishing, posting on multiple job sites, résumé management, duplicate candidate prevention, email templates and robust recruiting reporting and analytics.

The Breezy HR software integrates with LinkedIn, Zapier, 1Password, Slack, Google Analytics, Facebook, Twitter, GoodHire, Microsoft 365 and Google Calendar.

Breezy HR’s free Bootstrap plan lets users post a single job opening to more than 50 job boards. There are three Breezy HR paid plans that range from $189 ($250 CAD) to $529 ($701.05 CAD) per month, if billed annually. Higher-tier plans include automated reference checking, customizable interview guides, employee referrals, e-signatures and external recruiter support. The top-tier Business plan also comes with candidate comparison, offer management, custom user roles and permissions, assessment integrations and candidate nurture campaigns.

Breezy HR users have access to a library of 800 human resources (HR) tools and templates, plus an online Help Centre featuring dozens of articles on how to use the Breezy HR platform and troubleshoot issues. Customer support is offered via email while phone support is not available.

Who should use it:

Breezy HR is an ideal recruiting software solution for fast-growing companies with ample recruiting budgets that are actively hiring for multiple roles.

Pros & Cons
  • User-friendly
  • Quickly post jobs to multiple boards
  • Strong team collaboration tools
  • Plans are pricey
  • No phone support

BEST FOR STAFFING AGENCIES

Zoho Recruit

Zoho Recruit
4.5
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Pricing

From $30 CAD

per month per recruiter

Free trial

15 days

Commitment

Monthly and annual plans

Zoho Recruit

Pricing

From $30 CAD

per month per recruiter

Free trial

15 days

Commitment

Monthly and annual plans

Why We Picked It

Zoho Recruit is a popular cloud-based recruiting and applicant tracking solution used by staffing and temp agencies and corporate HR departments. You can manage the hiring process from end to end with Zoho Recruit, which integrates seamlessly with Zoho apps, Google Workspace, Microsoft Outlook and Zapier.

Top features include background checks, prescreening assessments, social posting, résumé management tools, employee referral functionality, recruiting task automations, custom career pages, multiple job postings and built-in reports that help you manage the entire hiring process.

The free version of Zoho Recruit comes with limited functionality and lets you post one active job opening. Zoho Recruit Corporate HR solutions range from $25 to $50 per month, per recruiter, and permit 10 to 20 active job postings per recruiter.

Paid Corporate HR plans come with social posting, employee referral, candidate assessment and interview feedback forms. Enterprise plans include advanced analytics, custom reports and dashboards, assignment rules, workflow management features and candidate portals.

Pricing for agencies ranges from $30 CAD to $95 per recruiter, per month, if billed annually. The Standard plan allows you to post up to 100 active jobs while the Enterprise plan allows up to 750 active jobs and comes with custom dashboards and reports, auto-responders, semantic and ZIP code search and candidate portals.

Optional add-on features for Zoho Recruit include API Call, WebHooks, Workflow Alerts and Video Interviews. Pricing for these varies by add-on.

Zoho Recruit offers customer support through its extensive online Knowledge Base and community forums. Support is also available through ticket requests, email, chat, Twitter and phone.

Who should use it:

Zoho Recruit offers affordable and feature-rich plans that give staffing and temporary agencies the right tools required to run end-to-end recruiting and hiring processes. The Corporate HR solution is also a strong choice for organizations that use other Zoho apps.

Pros & Cons
  • Affordable
  • Highly customizable
  • Seamless integrations with other Zoho apps
  • Modest learning curve for set up and configuration
  • Reporting needs updating

BEST FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

HiringThing

HiringThing
4.2
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Pricing

From $69 ($91.42 CAD)

per month

Free trial

14 days

Commitment

Monthly and annual plans

HiringThing

Pricing

From $69 ($91.42 CAD)

per month

Free trial

14 days

Commitment

Monthly and annual plans

Why We Picked It

HiringThing is a cloud-based applicant tracking and recruitment solution that offers a host of features that help facilitate the hiring process. The platform includes candidate tracking, calendar sync and management, job board distribution, customized confirmation and rejection emails, application management functionality, reporting and analytics and social media integration. EEOC and OFCCP data collection and reference check and pre-hire assessment tools are also built into the software.

You can test the HiringThing software for 14 days for free. The free trial lets you create up to five active job posts that will be live for the duration of the trial.

HiringThing plans start at $62 ($82.15 CAD) per month, though the starter plan only includes three active job posts per month. Subscription prices vary by the number of jobs you post. For example, a subscription for posting 10 jobs costs $177 ($234.59 CAD) a month, while a subscription for posting 200 jobs costs $940 ($1,245.95 CAD) monthly. You can upgrade or downgrade your subscription anytime.

Enterprise plans are custom-priced. Private label plans for franchises, recruitment agencies and HR Systems plans are also available. You can schedule a demo directly with HiringThing to see how private plans work and speak directly with a sales representative to discuss pricing options.

Customer support is offered via an online ticket system and phone. HiringThing users can also access the solution’s extensive online knowledge base, which includes several helpful tools, such as the Getting Started Guide and Job Posting Checklist.

Pros & Cons
  • User-friendly
  • Unlimited users with all plans
  • Private label option available
  • Limited workflow customization
  • Lacks onboarding features

BEST FOR WORKDAY HCM USERS AND LARGE ORGANIZATIONS

Workday Recruiting

Workday Recruiting
4.1
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Pricing

Not disclosed

Free trial

No

Commitment

Not disclosed

Workday Recruiting

Pricing

Not disclosed

Free trial

No

Commitment

Not disclosed

Why We Picked It

Workday Recruiting is an end-to-end ATS within the Workday HCM (human capital management) software that simplifies the hiring process. The solution comes with various applicant management features, including a job requisition process, dynamic candidate workflow automation, configurable job applications, referral and endorsement functionality, social media integration and offer management.

As with other Workday solutions, Workday Recruiting offers an intuitive dashboard and getting up to speed on the software is straightforward. Workday Recruiting makes it easy to bring hiring managers and multiple interviewers together for applicant discussions. The hiring team can collaborate from web-based and mobile applications anytime and anywhere.

Pricing is not publicly disclosed, so you’ll need to contact Workday directly for a platform demo and cost quote. Customer support is offered 24/7 via online support and phone.

Who should use it:

Workday Recruiting is a powerful solution that’s ideal for organizations with 5,000 or more employees.

Pros & Cons
  • Part of a suite of strong HR solutions
  • Intuitive navigation
  • ATS
  • Lacks pricing transparency
  • Poor fit for small businesses

BEST COMMITMENT-FREE RECRUITING SOFTWARE

SimplyHired

SimplyHired
4.1
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Pricing

Pay-per-contact (varies)

you must enter your job title and location on their website to receive pricing

Free trial

$25 ($33.13 CAD) monthly credit for free

Commitment

No contracts

SimplyHired

Pricing

Pay-per-contact (varies)

you must enter your job title and location on their website to receive pricing

Free trial

$25 ($33.13 CAD) monthly credit for free

Commitment

No contracts

Why We Picked It

SimplyHired operates on a pay-per-contact model, which is unusual for recruiting software platforms. You can post an unlimited number of jobs with SimplyHired for free, and you only pay a fee when you want to contact a candidate.

You can create a SimplyHired account without committing to spending a dime. While SimplyHired doesn’t have a traditional free trial, account holders receive a free $25 ($33 CAD) monthly credit, so you can try out the platform fee-free as long as you don’t exceed $33 CAD.

Contact fees vary based on the job location and position title. For example, the fee for contacting a customer service representative candidate in Seattle, WA, ranges from $4.99 to $20.99 ($6.61 to $27.81 CAD). The fee for contacting a Certified Physician Assistant candidate in Atlanta, GA, ranges from $12.99 to $47.99 ($17.21 to $63.58 CAD).

The SimplyHired Applicant Cost Calculator (ACC) makes it easy to get an estimate of what you’ll pay. Unfortunately, the SimplyHired ACC often returns a relatively wide range of cost estimates, but before you contact anyone, you’ll receive an exact fee quote.

Who should use it:

If you need access to recruiting software, but don’t want to commit to a contract, SimplyHired might be the best recruiting software for you.

Pros & Cons
  • Post unlimited jobs for free
  • Only pay for candidates you want to contact
  • Job ads placed on over 100 job sites
  • Works well for seasonal hiring
  • Contact fees can get pricey
  • Wide range of fee estimates provided
  • No guarantee those you contact will respond

BEST FOR BUSY HR DEPARTMENTS

PCRecruiter

PCRecruiter
4.0
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Pricing

$85 ($112.66 CAD)

per month per user for basic two-year contract*

Free trial

No

Commitment

Not disclosed

PCRecruiter

Pricing

$85 ($112.66 CAD)

per month per user for basic two-year contract*

Free trial

No

Commitment

Not disclosed

Why We Picked It

PCRecruiter is a recruiting and applicant tracking software (ATS) that aims to simplify the entire recruitment process. The company—which launched in 1998—offers recruitment tools for organizations acquiring talent for permanent recruitment, the staffing industry and HR departments.

We particularly like PCRecruiter for busy HR departments that manage a high volume of recruiting activities. PCRecruiter offers advanced job placement, candidate screening, applicant management and onboarding features. The platform also offers compliance and reporting features to ensure you meet Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) regulations.

PCRecruiter integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.
The recruiting software also integrates with dozens of other third-party apps, including CareerBuilder, Indeed, QuickBooks, Monster, Paychex, Verified First and RingCentral.

Pricing is not available publicly. You’ll need to contact the company directly to receive a custom quote or request a software demo.

In online reviews, PCRecruiter receives largely favorable comments from customers and has a solid reputation for strong customer support.

Who should use it:

PCRecruiter is a powerful applicant tracking and recruiting software that offers high-end features that HR departments will appreciate.

*Setup and implementation averages $750 ($994 CAD). There are other undisclosed fees for data migration, conversion from previous providers and any other specialized services. You can only obtain pricing over the phone for your specific use case.

Pros & Cons
  • Applicant tracking system
  • Strong analytics tools
  • Flexible configuration
  • Excellent job posting tools
  • Includes CRM
  • Pricing is not transparent
  • Moderate learning curve
  • Fast internet connection required
  • Issue with duplicate records

Forbes Advisor Ratings


Company Forbes Advisor Rating Pricing Free trial Commitment LEARN MORE
ZipRecruiter 4.7 4.5-removebg-preview-1 From $299 ($395.99 CAD) per month 4 days Monthly and pay-for-performance options Learn More On ZipRecruiter’s Website
LinkedIn 4.6 4.5-removebg-preview-1 $170 ($225 CAD) per month 30 days Monthly and annual plans plus pay-per-click (PPC) options View More
JazzHR 4.6 4.5-removebg-preview-1 $49 ($64.90 CAD) per month, paid annually 21 days Monthly and annual plans View More
Breezy HR 4.6 4.5-removebg-preview-1 From $189 ($250 CAD) per month 14 days Monthly and annual plans View More
Zoho Recruit 4.5 4.5-removebg-preview-1 From $30 per month per recruiter 15 days Monthly and annual plans View More
HiringThing 4.2 4-removebg-preview-2 From $69 ($91.42 CAD) per month 14 days Monthly and annual plans View More
Workday Recruiting 4.1 4-removebg-preview-2 Not disclosed No Not disclosed View More
SimplyHired 4.1 4-removebg-preview-2 Pay-per-contact (varies); you must enter your job title and location on their website to receive pricing $25 ($33 CAD) monthly credit for free $25 ($33 CAD) monthly credit for free View More
PCRecruiter 4.0 4-removebg-preview-2 $112/month per user for basic two-year contract No Not disclosed View More

What Is Recruiting Software?

Recruitment software helps organizations manage the entire hiring process. The best recruiting software makes it easy to find, evaluate and select high-quality job applicants to interview.

Features you should expect in recruiting software include job posting on multiple career sites, résumé screening and candidate evaluation and tracking tools.

Recruiting software allows employers to streamline the often complicated and time-intensive recruitment process. The best recruiting software helps you improve hire quality, reduce administrative work and improve collaboration among multiple hiring decision-makers.


Types of Recruiting Software

There are several different activities involved in the recruiting and hiring process, so it’s not surprising that a variety of solutions are available to address those activities. Some recruiting software providers include multiple types of recruiting tools in their platforms. Other providers specialize in specific actions, such as job placement or candidate screening.

Here are some of the most popular types of recruiting software available today:

Job Placement Software

For best results, hiring managers need access to a large pool of qualified applicants. Job placement software automatically posts job advertisements on multiple recruiting sites and job boards. There are hundreds of recruiting sites, the most popular being Indeed, LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, Monster, SimplyHired, CareerBuilder and Google for Jobs.

Recruitment CRMs

In the business world, a CRM—customer relationship management tool—is software that helps businesses track interactions with customers and potential customers. Recruiting CRMs are similar but focus on the recruitment process.

Recruitment CRMs help recruiters build and organize their contact database so they can track interactions with potential job candidates. Recruitment CRMs are particularly useful for recruiting agencies, but large organizations might also find them helpful.

Video Interviewing Software

Nowadays, more hiring managers and recruiters are conducting job interviews via video. Video interviewing is sometimes a built-in feature in all-in-one recruiting software or can be accomplished through a third-party integration with Zoom or another video app. VidCruiter and Spark Hire are software providers that specialize in video interviewing.

Applicant Tracking Software

Applicant tracking software (ATS)—also referred to as an applicant tracking system—is a type of recruitment software with more extensive capabilities. An ATS helps recruiters and employers manage the entire recruitment process, from job posting to employee onboarding.

ATS platforms include hiring team collaboration tools, messaging and interview scheduling tools, résumé parsing, reference checks and pre-employment testing tools. Zoho Recruit and Breezy HR offer excellent ATS solutions.

Pre-Employment Testing Software

Employers use pre-employment testing software for various reasons, such as to assess a candidate’s skills or measure how well applicants might fit into the company culture. These standardized tests can evaluate candidates on several attributes, including technical knowledge, problem-solving skills, cognitive abilities, software competency, emotional intelligence and dominant personality traits.


How To Choose the Best Recruiting Software

You could be in the market for new recruiting software for several reasons. For example, you may be using a do-it-yourself method that your company has outgrown. Alternatively, you may be using software that does not meet your full needs. In this tighter job market, finding qualified candidates is getting more difficult, which is why you need to choose the most effective recruiting solution for your current and future business needs.

Quick Tips

Here are our top tips for choosing a recruiting software that’s best for you:

  • Test the software for overall functionality and user-friendliness before you commit to a purchase
  • Decide what your truly “must-have” features vs. nice-to-have features are
  • Establish essential features and select a solution that helps you find a strong pool of qualified candidates
  • Verify that the software assures an unbiased recruiting process and promotes diversity and inclusion
  • Consider software that can be customized to accommodate your organization’s specific needs
  • Choose recruiting software that integrates easily with other software and apps you use
  • Don’t overspend; keep to your budget, preferably finding a solution that can scale with you as your needs grow or shrink

Top Recruiting Software Features

The features you’ll need in your recruiting software will depend on your specific needs. Companies with modest hiring programs typically only require basic features. Organizations with more sophisticated recruitment management efforts, such as enterprise-level organizations and recruiting firms, need a wider variety of features to handle the recruitment process from job requisition through onboarding.

Here are popular features you can expect to see in the best recruiting software:

  • Job requisition management. In most organizations, you can only conduct a candidate search once the position is approved. That’s why it’s helpful if your recruiting software provides job requisition management, preferably as a customizable option, so you can adjust the software to align with your organization’s exact requisition process.
  • Job posting. Most recruiting software solutions let you choose where and how your jobs are posted online. Many, such as ZipRecruiter, allow you to post jobs on more than 100 job boards with just one click.
  • Automated sourcing. Do you expect your recruiting software to help you locate qualified candidates? If so, make certain the software offers sourcing tools, such as intelligent sourcing algorithms, employee referral programs and social media sourcing, especially LinkedIn.
  • Individual candidate tracking. Every interaction with each candidate needs to be stored for easy access and viewing. Keeping thorough records on your recruiting and hiring efforts offers employment law compliance protection for your organization.
  • Pre-employment testing. Some organizations require applicants to complete assessments or perform other pre-employment testing. If your organization does this, you may want to choose recruiting software that integrates with the tools you use.
  • Background screening. Does your organization conduct any applicant background screenings on your own or through a third-party provider? Findings from such screenings should be stored and many recruiting software options can do this for you either via a manual process or by integrating with a third-party screening app.
  • Reference check. Contact dates, names of people contacted and findings from reference checks should be documented, so it’s helpful to choose a software solution where you can place that documentation.
  • Electronic forms and signatures. If you plan to have candidates complete any form, such as nondisclosure agreements, noncompete agreements or job offer acceptance letters, it’s helpful if your software can handle this process electronically.
  • Onboarding tools. Do you want your recruiting software to help you get new hires off to a strong start? Then look for a solution with built-in, customizable onboarding features, such as welcome messaging, first-week goals, benefits information and role-related corporate videos.

Software Integrations

The best recruiting software can be even more effective through third-party software integrations. For example, you may want your recruiting software to integrate with your current email, calendar, video meetings or project management tools. When selecting recruiting software, be sure to double-check whether it integrates seamlessly with the software you already use.

Recruiting Software Cost

Recruiting software costs range from $33 to $952 CAD per month, though solutions that handle large recruiting volumes can easily cost thousands. The amount you’ll pay varies by the provider you choose, job posting volume, number of users and the length of time you want your jobs posted.

Most recruiting software providers offer month-to-month and annual pricing plans. You’ll typically save 10% or more by entering a yearly contract.

You don’t necessarily have to go with a monthly or yearly plan; a few other pricing models are available. For example, LinkedIn has a recruiting option based on a pay-per-click basis; you set a custom budget and only pay when someone clicks on your posts. SimplyHired charges on a pay-per-contact basis; post unlimited jobs for free and only pay a fee when you want to contact an applicant.

Before investing in a recruiting solution, take advantage of free trials so you fully understand what each software brings to the table. You may find lower-priced software fits your needs just as well or even better than higher-priced options.

The best way to keep costs down for recruiting software is to understand your options in light of your recruiting needs. There’s no need to commit to a long-term contract for short-term recruiting needs. It’s also unwise to go with a short-term contract if your recruiting needs are ongoing or growing. Most of all, choose a solution that’s in your budget and has the “must-have” features you require.

Business Size Considerations

The differences in recruiting needs for small and large businesses are considerable. Small organizations often only need help with job postings temporarily. Also, smaller organizations are typically equipped to manage the much lighter administrative burden of periodic recruitment independently or with simple software.

Larger organizations require far more robust recruiting software with features that help streamline the process of managing multiple job candidates for multiple positions that multiple hiring managers have requested. Large employers and large recruiting agencies will want to ensure the following features are included in the recruiting software they select:

  • Résumé parsing. If you’re managing a large number of job applicants, you’ll want recruiting software that comes with résumé parsing. Parsing is an automated process that quickly identifies and extracts relevant information from résumés and cover letters, such as job-related keywords, experience levels, work history and other indicators that suggest an applicant might be a strong candidate for an open position.
  • Candidate pool tracking. Recruiting software should track every candidate for each open role as well as their current status in the recruitment process. For example, it’s helpful when you can look at a dashboard and quickly see which applications have not been reviewed, reviewed but declined, invited to take an assessment or at another stage of the hiring process.
  • Role and access management. Not all information in the recruiting process should be shared with all parties involved in the recruiting effort. Therefore, recruiting software that offers user access control on a feature-by-feature basis is preferred by many organizations.
  • Document management. You need a central place where those involved in the recruiting process can view recruitment-related documents, such as job descriptions, applicant cover letters and résumés. Access to some of these documents, such as those with confidential personal details or salary information, may require user permission controls. Each recruiting software handles document management differently, so check if the solution you’re exploring will work for your needs.
  • Interview scheduling and management. Scheduling and managing interviews can get complicated, especially when multiple interviewers need to access candidates on different dates. Also, group interviewing is becoming more popular and is helpful when your recruiting software can help you with calendar coordination.

Methodology

To determine the best recruiting software for small businesses, we researched the leading providers in the space and narrowed our analysis to 15 companies. We reviewed them across five primary categories for a total of 13 different metrics. We then weighted those metrics to favor features that matter most to small businesses.

Here are the metrics we used to evaluate the top recruiting software.

Features and Functionality

We analyzed each of the top 15 providers, looking at features such as automatic candidate testing, applicant tracking tools and integrations, LinkedIn integrations and social media sharing capabilities. We weighed this category at 35% of our score.

Pricing

To consider the affordability of each provider, we analyzed pricing, plans, extra fees and the cost of add-ons. This accounted for 15% of our scoring weight.

Ease of Use

We looked at how easy the software is to set up and use. This metric considers how intuitive the interface is, whether or not there is a learning curve and how quickly businesses can post a comprehensive job listing and sort through incoming candidates. Together with special features, value for the money and popularity, this accounts for 35% of our total score.

Customer Support

Software users usually want access to customer support to ask questions and troubleshoot problems, so Forbes Advisor reviewed solutions based on support modalities offered and support quality. For example, we looked at which support channels are available (e.g., live chat, email and phone), as well as the times at which support is available and how responsive it is.


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the best recruitment software?

The best recruiting platform for your organization depends on your specific needs. For example, Forbes Advisor considers ZipRecruiter the best solution for medium to large businesses, HiringThing best for small businesses and Breezy HR best for fast-growing companies.

What is the best CRM for recruiting?

PCRecruiter offers both an excellent CRM and ATS, making it our favorite CRM for recruiting. Other popular recruiting CRMs include Recruit CRM and Bullhorn.

What's the best site for posting a job listing?

As with résumé databases, there is no “best” place to list a job. The best platform comes down to the one that fits your budget and has an ample supply of users who are looking for the job you want to place. However, there are a number of leading job boards, such as Indeed, LinkedIn and Google Jobs. Learn more about the best places to post a job listing.

Why should I use recruitment software?

The best recruiting software simplifies hiring by helping you find highly qualified candidates faster and more easily. For optimal results, choose software that offers automated job posting to multiple job boards and websites, candidate management and interview scheduling. Also, it’s helpful if the recruiting software you select integrates with your existing email, calendar and meeting software.

Is recruiting software secure?

As with most types of software, the best recruiting software programs offer many levels of security. When choosing this type of software, you want to look for security features such as documentation that shows frequent security updates and patches, intrusion detection, two-factor authentication (2FA) or multifactor authentication (MFA), data encryption, privacy protection and the monitoring of user activities.

How much does recruiting software cost?

Recruiting software costs typically range from $25 ($33 CAD) to $719 ($952 CAD) per month, but larger organizations with high-volume recruiting needs may pay into the thousands. While most recruiting software is priced monthly or annually, some providers offer per-job-posted pricing models.

How do I create a recruiting pipeline?

A recruiting pipeline ensures you have access to the talent you require for future hiring needs. To build your pipeline, you can actively seek candidates and evaluate them using recruiting software such as Breezy HR or JazzHR. Candidates who don’t qualify for the open jobs but still show potential can be added to your pipeline for future contact. You can add to your recruiting pipeline by using a CRM to track unsolicited job applications.


Information provided on Forbes Advisor is for educational purposes only. Your financial situation is unique and the products and services we review may not be right for your circumstances. We do not offer financial advice, advisory or brokerage services, nor do we recommend or advise individuals or to buy or sell particular stocks or securities. Performance information may have changed since the time of publication. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

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