How to Use Small Business Technology for Hiring

The topic of technology tends to be wrought with fear, confusion, or avoidance for many small business owners. The seemingly never-ending, new-and-improved number of options for everything from selling online to communicating with customers may leave you wondering how to start your search for the best hiring tech tool.

Taking a step back from all the bells and whistles to focus on the business basics will help you avoid feeling overwhelmed, while empowering your organization with the tools you need to succeed.

When choosing small business technology (including talent acquisition and management technology) for your company, the first and most important steps are to:

1. Define the specific functional business areas the technology will support (hiring and human resources, marketing and sales, customer service, finance, etc.).
2. Document, in detail, the processes that the technology will support.
3. Determine measurable results for implementing the small business technology (i.e., decrease time to hire and onboard new employees, higher ROI for marketing efforts, shorter time for processing invoices).

We’ll discuss these steps in greater detail to help you implement the right technology for your small business needs.

Step 1: Define the Specific Functional Business Area the Technology Will Support

It may be tempting to purchase a small business tech tool that “does it all,” but that’s likely not the best way to meet your goals. Marketing, sales, finance, production, customer service, and hiring all have vital roles in your business. And, they all likely have distinct processes. That’s why you must be clear about which of these areas your business software will support.

For example, if your goal is to quickly ramp-up for a spike in new clients or to meet seasonal hiring demands, opt for recruiting tools that allow you to track applications, manage interviews, and facilitate onboarding. One of the great things about today’s cloud software is that they’re subscription based. That means you can save money by using as much or as little functionality as you need to meet your hiring requirements.

Step 2: Document, in Detail, the Processes That the Technology Will Support

Don’t let an inefficient process get in the way of gaining the full benefits of the small business technology available to you. Instead, carve out some time to map the ideal way you’d like to manage the particular business process. This can be as simple as pulling up an empty page in Word (or a pen and piece of paper) and listing steps or using a more formal business process mapping guide to document it.

Once you have visibility and clarity into how you want to run your hiring and onboarding process, it’s much easier to compare the list of features and benefits that each hiring software delivers. From there, make an informed decision as to whether it will provide the solution you need.

Step 3: Determine Measurable Results for Implementing the Technology

Any worthwhile business project or purchase requires measuring data to determine success. Software implementation, like any other project, should include Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to help you strategically meet your business goals. Before you press the “Buy Now” button on your new small business technology tool, be sure you know what will make this a successful purchase.

For example, if you’re purchasing customer service software, a success metric could be to decrease monthly customer service calls by 15 percent. From there, you can use a simple software ROI formula to ensure that you’re getting the most for your business technology budget.

What to Look for in Hiring Software

Now that you understand the steps for purchasing technology for your business, you can tackle the specifics of finding the right hiring software. No product will meet all your needs, so be sure to rank your list of requirements so that you choose software that fulfills what’s most important.

Most small business owners like a one-stop-shop for more complex business functions. This makes talent acquisition solutions that cover multiple steps from sourcing to communicating with talent in one place an ideal choice.

For owners and hiring managers looking to home in one part of the hiring process, like application screening or interview scheduling, a more robust list of recruiting technology options and comparisons is a great starting point. Also, be sure to ask other small business owners what software they use to manage their hiring process.

Keep Learning About the Best Ways to Recruit and Onboard Top Talent

Small business technology changes so fast that it’s easy to be intimidated by it. That doesn’t mean your business should suffer from lack of understanding best practices when it comes to making technology work for you. Stay ahead of the curve—whether it’s new technology or other recruiting trends—by signing up for Monster’s expert insights, delivered free to your inbox.