Dive Brief:

• ERE Media reports that according to a new Aptitude Research study (Recruitment Marketing Index 2017), 70% of companies plan to invest in technology that helps manage recruitment better in the next 12 months. 
• The study sheds light on where recruitment marketing software is headed, via a list of the top 10 trends occurring in the industry including: increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the need for simplified systems, and solutions that are more cost sensitive. 
• 73% of talent acquisition leaders told Aptitude Research that improving the candidate experience was a number one priority when choosing recruitment software, followed by 65% putting an emphasis on pre-employment assessments and 62% wanting tools to support greater diversity in hiring. 

Dive Insight:

Studies like this one and a recent CareerBuilder survey highlight the growing importance of the candidate experience during recruitment. Applicant tracking systems are much more sophisticated today and recruiters can tap into these tools to encourage talent to complete applications and submit to screening and assessments to ensure high quality hires are brought on board.

Yet, one must not forget that with technology some element of the human touch gets lost. The challenge for talent acquisition professionals in the next few years is to harness the best features of software that enables them to focus more on connecting on a personal level with candidates. Systems that streamline and simplify processes are at an advantage. By doing this, recruiters can use their skills to match the right people to great career opportunities and retain them for longer periods of time for a promising return on investment. 

As tech tools take on a greater share of HR tasks, they must always be balanced by the "human" expertise professionals bring to the table. Just as benefits management can't be left entirely to gadgets and Big Data can't outweigh HR practitioners core competencies, recruitment can't be entirely conducted by a software platform. There are, however, critical ways in which recruitment marketing software could help recruiters accomplish their tasks more efficiently. Knowing exactly what challenges software will address will help target a recruiting strategy to make the best use of technology and other tools to ensure candidates have positive experiences.