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Vonq Launches EQO, a Team of Recruitment Agents

Cutting-edge tech (AI, data access, 5G) drives business success, growth, and innovation, attracting diverse markets and enhancing services for added value and customer satisfaction.

The talent acquisition environment is undergoing significant change as organizations try to balance rising expectations with reduced resources. Recruiters are facing growing administrative workloads, fluctuating hiring needs, and candidates who expect clarity and responsiveness throughout the process. At the same time, many talent acquisition leaders are reexamining the effectiveness of existing systems and questioning whether current tools truly support better decision making.

Our recent research explored these pressures in depth. It examined the most urgent challenges facing talent teams today and the areas where organizations expect the next wave of innovation to occur. Vonq’s newly announced agentic talent acquisition solution aligns closely with what leaders told us they need, and it reflects several of the highest demand areas identified in the research.

What the Research Revealed About Today’s TA Challenges

Across industries and company sizes, talent acquisition leaders consistently highlighted three concerns.

Growing workload with reduced capacity

More than seventy percent of recruiters reported that their work has become more challenging since before the pandemic. Many teams now operate with fewer recruiters than they had in previous years. Administrative tasks, manual communication, and disconnected workflows continue to consume time that could be spent evaluating talent or partnering with hiring managers.

Difficulty evaluating quality

Quality of hire has become a central priority for executives, yet many organizations still lack the structure and data needed to evaluate talent consistently. Traditional processes often do not reveal whether a candidate can actually perform the work or grow into a role. Leaders expressed a clear need for better interview consistency, more transparent decision support, and stronger alignment between recruiters and hiring managers.

Candidate expectations that outpace current systems

Candidates expect timely updates, clarity on next steps, and communication that feels relevant to them. However, many organizations continue to rely on outdated or fragmented processes that make it difficult to deliver an experience that matches what applicants expect.

These challenges are not isolated. They point to a broader need for systems that can coordinate information, reduce manual work, and provide more structure across the entire hiring process.

Why Agentic Intelligence Is Becoming a Priority

While automation has been part of talent acquisition for many years, organizations told us they are now looking for something more advanced. Interest in agentic systems is increasing as leaders search for ways to introduce adaptive intelligence into hiring.

In our study, a significant portion of organizations reported using or planning to use agents or copilots in the near future. Leaders see potential in systems that can take context into account, support reasoning, and help improve decision quality rather than simply speeding up existing tasks.

The concepts that generated the strongest interest included consistent communication with candidates, structured interviewing support, and more transparent evaluation methods. These use cases reflect the areas where teams feel the most pressure, and where intelligent assistance could provide the most value.

How Vonq’s Announcement Aligns With Market Demand

Vonq’s agentic model addresses the specific areas that leaders highlighted as priorities.

Candidate Engagement

The Candidate Journey Agent focuses on communication and clarity, two areas where candidates frequently express dissatisfaction. It reflects a growing need to guide candidates through the process in a consistent and structured way.

Interview Support

The Interview Agent addresses one of the key gaps identified in the research. Many organizations lack tools that provide structure, reduce variability, and bring more fairness and predictability to interviews.

Talent Evaluation

The Assessment Agent provides a more transparent and competency based view of talent. This aligns with the increased focus on quality of hire and with leaders’ desire for clearer, more defensible evaluation methods.

Across these use cases, the model reflects a broader shift toward intelligence that helps recruiters make better decisions, improves alignment with hiring managers, and strengthens the overall consistency of the process.

A Meaningful Step Toward the Future of Talent Acquisition

The findings from our research and Vonq’s announcement both point toward the same conclusion. Talent teams are looking for solutions that help them operate with more structure, more clarity, and more support at every stage of hiring. They want tools that reduce the burden of administrative work, improve the quality of decisions, and create a more reliable experience for candidates and hiring managers.

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Radancy’s Acquisition of myInterview: Expanding the Vision of AI-Driven Talent Acquisition

Radancy’s recent acquisition of myInterview reflects a bigger story about where talent acquisition is headed—and how technology providers are evolving to meet recruiter, hiring manager, and candidate expectations.

At Aptitude Research, we believe that CRM, scheduling, and interview technologies are no longer standalone categories. They are foundational to how recruiters and hiring managers work together and how organizations deliver an integrated candidate experience. Radancy’s move into asynchronous video interviewing makes complete sense when viewed through this lens.

Elevating Recruiter and Hiring Manager Experience

Recruiters today are being asked to do more with less. They balance relationship-building, marketing, data analysis, and technology orchestration in ways that would have been unimaginable a decade ago. Hiring managers, in turn, want a process that is fast, intuitive, and collaborative.

This acquisition puts Radancy in a strong position to improve both experiences:

  • For recruiters: Seamless scheduling, integrated CRM workflows, and AI-driven insights reduce administrative burdens and free them to focus on relationship-building. Scheduling has become a “make-or-break capability” within CRM platforms, and embedding it into campaign design and lead conversion workflows directly impacts recruiter productivity.
  • For hiring managers: Access to structured, on-demand candidate insights means faster decision-making and less time spent coordinating calendars. Integrating myInterview’s video capabilities with Radancy’s career sites and CRM infrastructure will help managers engage earlier and more meaningfully with candidates.

Radancy’s Expanding AI Vision

Radancy has positioned itself as an AI-first provider, focusing on scalability and orchestration through a single platform rather than siloed features. This acquisition deepens that strategy in three ways:

  1. Agentic AI + Interviewing: CRM is no longer just about emails and pipelines—it’s about intelligent systems that act on behalf of recruiters. By combining Agentic AI workflows with candidate video data, Radancy can deliver richer insights while maintaining transparency and explainability.
  2. Personalization at Scale: Hyper-personalization is no longer a differentiator, it’s a requirement. Adding video allows Radancy to bring more authenticity and context into personalized candidate journeys, from career sites to recruiter outreach.
  3. Responsible AI: Transparency matters. Half of companies say they won’t adopt AI if they can’t explain its recommendations. Integrating video with auditable, explainable AI models is a natural evolution for Radancy’s platform.

Why This Move Makes Complete Sense

The 2025 Aptitude Research CRM Index found that:

  • CRM cannot be viewed in isolation. It’s now the orchestration layer for ATS, sourcing, scheduling, and interviewing.
  • Scheduling and interview integration drive real ROI by collapsing time-to-interview, improving candidate conversion, and enabling hiring managers to engage sooner.
  • Adoption defines success. Only 14% of companies use more than half their CRM’s functionality. Tools like video interviewing, embedded within existing recruiter workflows, are far more likely to drive adoption than bolt-on solutions.

Radancy has long been recognized as a leader in recruitment technology and TA innovation—transforming the “front door” of the candidate journey into a dynamic, personalized experience. With myInterview, they extend that same vision deeper into the hiring funnel.

Looking Ahead

This acquisition signals where the market is headed: toward intelligent, integrated ecosystems where recruiters and hiring managers no longer juggle disjointed tools, but operate in a single flow of data, decisions, and experiences.

For Radancy, it’s not a pivot—it’s a continuation of their vision. For recruiters and hiring managers, it promises less friction and more impact. And for the broader market, it underscores a truth Aptitude Research has been highlighting: CRM, scheduling, and interview technology are not isolated investments—they are the connective tissue of modern talent acquisition.

For more information on Radancy and their acquisition of myInterview, you can visit the Radancy website here.

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The ATS Market: A Changing Landscape

The Applicant Tracking System (ATS) market has long been the cornerstone of recruitment technology. For companies with over 100 employees, having an ATS is almost a given. The market for the past 10 years has been uneventful. Companies buy an ATS, replace their ATS, and complain about their ATS.

This year, however, the landscape of ATS providers is rapidly evolving, driven by growing dissatisfaction among users and significant gaps in traditional systems. As new providers enter the market with innovative solutions, it’s an exciting time to be looking at the bread and butter of recruitment technology.

The State of the ATS Market

The ATS market is facing three undeniable truths:

  1. Widespread Dissatisfaction: Many companies are unhappy with their current ATS. Issues range from user-unfriendly interfaces to limited functionalities that fail to meet modern recruitment needs. We found that less than half of companies are happy with their ATS.
  2. High Replacement Rates: Aptitude Research found that 1 in 4 companies are looking to replace their ATS within the year. This statistic underscores a significant shift in how businesses are approaching their recruitment technology.
  3. Gaps in Functionality: Traditional ATS platforms often lack critical capabilities in candidate relationship management (CRM), frontline worker support, and effective candidate communication. These gaps are increasingly difficult to overlook in today’s competitive job market.

Historical Options: Best of Breed vs. HCM Suites

Historically, companies choosing an ATS had two main options:

  1. Best of Breed: These are specialized ATS providers focusing solely on recruitment technology. While they traditionally offered advanced features and superior user experiences, many have struggled to keep pace with evolving demands. Some have been acquired by private equity firms (iCIMS and Jobvite and Lever), which has often led to a shift in focus away from end-users.
  2. HCM Suites: Large enterprise software providers like Workday, UKG, Oracle and SAP fall into this category. These providers have been winning deals over many of the best of breed providers for integration, advancements in AI, and the ability to integrate ATS capabilities into broader HR functions.

Current Landscape and Emerging Trends

The dissatisfaction with current ATS options and the gaps in traditional systems have paved the way for new providers and innovative solutions to emerge. Key trends include:

  1. Recruiter Experience: Greenhouse stands out in the best of breed category by maintaining a strong focus on both the candidate and recruiter experience. And, one of the few best of breed ATS providers still committed to DEI initiatives with recent announcements that include resume anonymization and enhancements to its scorecard funcationality. While it primarily serves the lower enterprise and mid-market segments, its commitment to the recruiter sets it apart.
  2. Integrated CRM and Communication Tools: Modern ATS providers are increasingly incorporating CRM capabilities and enhanced communication tools to improve engagement with candidates throughout the hiring process. This shift addresses one of the major gaps in traditional systems. But for many of these providers, CRM is just a check the box and lacks meaningful functionality.
  3. Support for Frontline Workers: There is a growing recognition of the need to support frontline workers, who often have different recruitment needs compared to office-based roles. New ATS solutions are emerging that cater specifically to these requirements, offering more tailored functionalities. We found that 1 in 2 companies with frontline workers are reevaluating their ATS and now they have better options (hello Paradox!).

New Entrants and Latest Announcements

Several players have recently entered the ATS market, bringing fresh perspectives and innovative solutions. The categories are not clearly best of breed vs. HCM suite anymore. Companies have options that not only fill the gaps with traditional systems but offer advanced capabilities that range from skills to communication to AI.

These new announcements change the buying behavior around recruitment technology. It makes the ATS not the core component and shifts the value to areas of TA tech that can drive real transformation.

These include:

  • Paradox: Paradox launched an ATS for frontline workers and has been supporting companies like McDonald’s with end-to-end recruitment.
  • Gem: Gem added ATS to its suite of solutions that includes CRM and sourcing and analytics.
  • Eightfold: Eightfold announced the first AI-native and talent intelligence ATS system two weeks ago at its Cultivate event to expand its TA solutions.
  • Payroll Providers: Every SMB or mid-market payroll provider seems to be expanding its suite into broad HCM that includes ATS. These providers offer a simple option and integrated capabilities.

These are just a few of the ATS announcements this year and we expect to see more. This disruption is addressing longstanding issues and introducing advanced capabilities that cater to the modern recruitment landscape.

The ATS market is undergoing a significant transformation. With a clear trend towards improving user experience, integrating advanced communication tools, leveraging AI, and supporting diverse worker types, the future of ATS looks promising. As new providers continue to innovate, we can expect a more dynamic and effective recruitment technology landscape, better suited to the demands of today’s employers and job seekers.

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Recruitment and Retention: Two Sides of the Same Coin

Our latest report in partnership with Plum focuses on the link between recruitment and retention. I will be sharing these results on a webinar with my friend, Chad Sowash on November 28 at 11am EST.

Every trend that we have covered this year has impacted on both recruitment and retention. Yet only 41% of talent professionals consider retention during the recruitment process.

A well-executed recruitment process helps companies recruit talent who are not only qualified but also aligned with the company’s values and vision. This alignment increases the likelihood of retaining top talent, as employees are more likely to stay committed to an organization that reflects their personal and professional aspirations. Conversely, effective retention strategies make it easier to see a return on the investment made during recruitment, as it reduces turnover and improves productivity and engagement.

Companies need a holistic approach to talent—one that recognizes the interconnectedness of these functions. And…it starts with a conversation around data.

Sophisticated talent acquisition and HR leaders are actively reassessing their strategies, technology infrastructure, and performance metrics to better prepare for the future. It has become increasingly evident that the practices that brought success a few years ago are no longer sufficient for the challenges we face today. Companies must adopt a more strategic and nuanced approach, cultivating a deeper understanding of the data that drives success and performance.

Success in talent acquisition is no longer gauged solely by the speed and cost-effectiveness of filling positions; rather, it hinges on the ability to link recruitment and retention- making informed, equitable, and intelligent decisions using accurate data. Aptitude Research found that companies that align recruitment and retention goals see the following:

  • 2X improvement in retention
  • 2X improvement in quality of hire
  • 3X improvement in productivity

In this report, we look at the close relationship between recruitment and retention and highlight the role of data and technology in reshaping how companies prepare for their future talent needs. I hope you can join us on November 28 as we share these results and talk about the shifts in the role of the recruiter, data, and technology.

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New Research: Key Trends in Interviewing

For most companies, interviewing is still broken. According to our latest research report, one in three companies are not confident in their interview process today and one in two companies have lost quality hires due to a poor interview process this year. Companies face several challenges with interviews, including a lengthy process, too many interviews, inconsistency, lack of objective data, and bias. These challenges not only impact the efficiency of talent acquisition efforts but the overall candidate experience. As a result, only 24% of candidates are happy with the interview process. The challenges with interviewing are not new and the pandemic did not bring much change.

Here are some findings about what goes wrong and how technology can help.

Where Does the Interview Process Go Wrong?

Interview Process Is Too Long: The interview process can be frustrating for both employers and candidates. Companies that create lengthy interview processes do not necessarily collect data that can inform decision making. A longer interview process does not equate to more effective hiring. It puts a company at risk for losing talent. Forty percent (40%) of candidates stated that it was over two weeks since they heard anything from an employer after their first interview, and 52% of companies state that the interview process lasts four to six weeks.

Too Many Interviews: Over half of companies make candidates go through four or more interviews. For companies looking to reduce time to fill, too many interviews can impact efficiency as well as experience. Companies are at risk of losing quality talent when the interview process is delayed or too many interviewers are introduced.

Inconsistent Interviews: When companies lack a strategy for interviews, hiring managers and recruiters often go rogue and ask questions or conduct interviews with little guidance. Inconsistency in the interview process can create inequity and damage the employer brand.

Data-Driven Decisions: Organizations feel pressure to act quickly and may make decisions based on gut. Companies are not relying on data and insights to drive these decisions because they don’t have information beyond the resume, which only provides a limited, often biased view of a candidate.

Bias in the Interview: Companies must recognize and acknowledge bias in the hiring process. Only 30% of companies identified bias as a top challenge in talent acquisition, yet one in three candidates have experienced bias in the interview process. Relying only on human interviews creates inconsistent hiring standards and introduces bias. 

How Can Smart Technology and AI Help?

The right technology can help companies address the challenges they face with interviewing to:

  • Empower recruiters and hiring managers to make smarter decisions
  • Improve recruiter productivity
  • Improve hiring diversity by using blind smart interview technology from the start
  • Create consumer-grade candidate experiences through the convenience of a smart interviewer

The pandemic accelerated the investment in digital interview solutions. In February 2020, less than 60% of companies were using or planning to use video interview providers. One year later, over 80% of companies were using or planning to use a broader set of intelligent interview platforms. Video was the tool of choice at the beginning of the pandemic for asynchronous hiring. The problem was that many of these solutions merely replaced face-to-face interactions, with a less human way of interviewing. Many candidates do not feel comfortable with the format of a video interview, especially if they are timed. For many companies, abandonment rates are high on video.

Today, there are technology choices available that remove that cognitive load and deliver on candidate expectations. AI is fundamentally changing every aspect of HR and there is growing curiosity and appetite to understand it. According to Aptitude Research, 63% of companies are investing or planning to invest in AI solutions this year, compared to 42% in 2020. This study found that 39% of companies believe it brings positive benefits, and 32% of companies are starting to leverage AI in interviewing.

If you are interested in the full report (sponsored by Sapia), you can download it for free here.

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Blog Talent Acquisition Technology

Top TA Tech Trends in 2022

Conversational AI: Transforming Talent Acquisition
Conversational AI: Transforming Talent Acquisition

The talent acquisition technology landscape has shifted over the past few years. According to Aptitude Research, 72% of companies are investing in new technology in 2022, but only one in two companies measure the ROI of that investment. Traditional providers are reinventing themselves, startups are emerging overnight, and new categories are being created. Talent acquisition buyers have more opportunities, but they also face new pressures when considering remote work, candidate communication, and employer brand.

Talent acquisition success is measured by its ability to adjust to change. And talent acquisition leaders face pressure to adopt the latest technology innovations in a short time. Keeping up with the latest trends is no small task.

I am excited to share the latest research on TA tech from Aptitude tomorrow on a webinar with Appcast, a leading programmatic job advertising provider. A few of the trends we will discuss include:

  1. The ATS Is Not Enough: The modern talent acquisition system is more than a workflow or a traditional ATS. It includes recruitment marketing, CRM, onboarding, and internal mobility. Many providers have enhanced their interview management capabilities, have dabbled with AI-matching, and have made commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The modern talent acquisition system is an end-to-end platform that supports attracting, recruiting, and hiring talent.
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: DEI is a priority for companies investing in TA tech but not every provider is providing support beyond marketing messaging. We will discuss what tech can and cannot do to support DEI through leadership team, culture, product capabilities, and services.
  • AI Matching: It is difficult to talk about talent acquisition technology without including the impact of AI. Providers have focused on AI matching in a big way over the past year. Many providers are investing in both candidate-centric and employer-centric matching as part of their solution.
  • Internal Mobility: Companies are looking closely at their internal mobility as it relates to talent acquisition. Most providers offer basic capabilities in this area that include dedicated career sites and personalized communication to internal hires. Few providers go deeper with skills frameworks, succession planning, and career development.
  • Foundational Layer: This presentation looks more closely at the foundational layer of the TA tech stack and includes analysis and considerations for integration, data management, and automation. Companies that achieve the most success with their talent acquisition systems are paying close attention to this layer of technology.
  • Programmatic Job Advertising: : Unlike traditional job advertising models that are slow and time-consuming, a programmatic approach solves an immediate need for companies today – greater efficiency. Companies state that the key driver for technology decisions is reducing time to fill and improving overall efficiency. By streamlining advertising and targeting the right candidates, the process of attracting and recruiting talent improves significantly. Aptitude Research found that for companies using programmatic job advertising, 90% are either continuing to invest or will increase their spend this year.
  • Candidate Communication: Candidate communication is a critical part of improving the candidate experience, especially in a remote world. Communication is more than mobile apply and SMS texts. Our analysis of each provider included integration with messaging platforms, conversational AI, and collaboration platforms. 42% of companies are investing or planning to invest in conversational AI this year.

It will be an exciting year in TA tech! I hope you can join us!

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Blog Talent Acquisition Technology

2022 Talent Trends: Care and Humanity

If 2021 was the year of rethinking the approach to talent, 2022 is the year for rebuilding it. Companies are facing intense pressure to both recruit and retain talent today. The pandemic has changed the relationship between employer and employee, and many companies are looking for ways to engage their workforce better.

Over the past two years, the focus on care has helped to improve this relationship by providing more empathy and understanding to the employee and candidate experiences. But, unfortunately, care and humanity are not priorities for every company. According to Aptitude Research, only 22% of companies stated that humanity is part of their company culture, and only 10% of companies have a clear idea of what they need to do to bring more humanity and care into their work environment.

Companies in the process of evaluating their talent processes and technology must lead with care.

I am excited to discuss the future of care and humanity on a webinar with Misha Chakrabarti, Product Marketing Specialist at Avature, on January 20 at 11 am EST.

Below are a few themes that we will discuss:

  • Skills, AI and Automation: Many companies embrace AI to improve efficiency and save recruiters’ and managers’ time. But, AI and a skills-based approach to talent can also provide greater humanity. It allows companies to understand candidates and employees better, connect them with the right opportunities, and provide a fair and inclusive process. AI can lift the administrative burden placed on recruiters and managers and allow them to focus on relationship building.
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Over the past year, companies increased their investment in services and technology to support DEI initiatives. While technology can help to reduce bias in the talent acquisition and talent development processes, it is not a fix-all. Companies need to consider what changes they need to make to their culture and talent practices to provide a safe and inclusive work environment. Companies committed to care will start by looking internally before investing in technology.
  • Communication: Care is only possible through strong communication. Companies must consider the tone of their communication with candidates and employees and the communication methods. Communication must be frequent and meaningful, but companies must reach talent where they live and spend their time, including text, messaging, chat, and video.
  • Agility: Every company proved to be flexible and agile during the pandemic. Companies had to adapt in a short period of time. Agility helps companies respond to immediate needs but also prepare for the future.
  • Hybrid Work Model: Not every company is clear on their future workforce model, and 2022 will likely bring more change and uncertainty. Companies that listen to their employees, adjust to the unknown, and provide transparency will build better relationships with talent.

2022 is a year where these ideas and concepts of care will be tested. For companies committed to recruiting and retaining talent, a focus on care and humanity is the only way. I am excited to share some of our research on these topics. I hope you can join us!

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Blog Talent Acquisition Strategies

Conversational AI: Transforming Talent Acquisition

Conversational AI: Transforming Talent Acquisition
Conversational AI: Transforming Talent Acquisition

On Global TA Day, we want to highlight one of our favorite areas of TA tech today…conversational AI.

In 2020, Aptitude Research published a comprehensive study on conversational AI to understand key drivers, highlight differentiators, and outline the business impact of these solutions. One year later, the talent acquisition landscape has significantly changed. Companies are feeling intense pressure to improve efficiencies, identify quality hires, reduce bias, and humanize the overall experience for both recruiters and candidates. As companies look closely at talent acquisition technology to help lift the administrative burden of recruiting teams and engage with candidates in a more meaningful way, conversational AI checks every box.

Here are the top findings from our report.

Conversational AI Is Not a Point Solution: Companies are still learning the value that conversational AI brings to talent acquisition. Companies that have leveraged these solutions to improve the application or screening processes are already recognizing the impact it can have on areas such as interviewing, onboarding, and internal mobility. Conversational AI is shifting from a quick-fix, point solution to a critical component in an end-to-end talent acquisition strategy. Conversational AI, unlike chatbots, is not a point solution. The more companies adopt these solutions, the more they recognize the potential throughout talent acquisition, and see advancements in use cases.

Conversational AI Is an Intelligent Assistant: Companies often think that candidates do not want to engage with conversational AI. The reality is that individuals are very familiar with conversational AI in their consumer and personal lives. Siri, Alexa, and other assistants help individuals get answers and guidance, and have become a part of daily life. Similar assistance plays a critical role in talent acquisition, offering candidates a “support team” as they go through various stages of their journey.

The ATS and CRM Markets Can’t Compete: Despite several acquisitions and ongoing discussions about conversational AI in the ATS or CRM solutions, only 30% of companies are looking at their existing providers for conversational AI capabilities. Many ATS and CRM providers partner with conversational AI providers even when they have their own capabilities. Conversational AI      requires deep domain expertise and a commitment to continuing to innovate and enhance the capabilities and intelligence offered.

Conversational AI Is Still More Than a Chatbot: The 2020 Aptitude Research report outlined the differences between conversational AI and chatbots. But, the confusion around the two still persists today. Companies quickly understand the difference when they implement these solutions, but do not always see it during the evaluation phase. According to Aptitude Research, 84% of companies want more than a basic chatbot to support their talent acquisition efforts.  Companies are requiring conversational AI solutions that understand the context around recruiting processes versus basic UI changes from chatbot. They are looking for an intelligent assistant to help both their teams and candidates.

Conversational AI Is Completely Transforming High-Volume Recruiting: Conversational AI is becoming the standard in high-volume recruitment. Currently, 65% of companies have some high-volume recruitment needs that include hourly, gig, volume of hires, and number of applicants. Conversational AI gives these companies a competitive advantage, helping them to compete for talent, fill positions quickly, and improve quality of hire.  Companies are automating 90-95% of process, screening and scheduling in under three minutes, and hiring in two days.

Recruiters in Professional Hiring Also See Massive Benefits: Recruiters are bogged down every day with repetitive tasks that keep them from doing the work they enjoy and the work that impacts the business the most – finding and meeting with more talented people. Companies in centralized, professional recruiting organizations state that 72% of recruiters are more likely to stay at their current job with the use of conversational AI, largely because time spent on administrative tasks is reduced by 50%.

The Audience for Conversational AI Is Expanding to Employees: Most companies are familiar with the use of conversational AI to support sourcing, apply, and interview scheduling. But, the interest in this solution for onboarding and internal mobility has increased this year. Conversational AI is not only candidate-centric, it is people-centric. Nineteen percent (19%) of companies using conversational AI are leveraging these solutions in the new hire process and 12% in internal mobility. Remote recruiting is the primary driver for the increased demand in these areas. Most companies rely on their HRMS or ATS for onboarding capabilities, and while these solutions include workflows and forms compliance, they do little to enhance the new hire experience.

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Blog Talent Acquisition Strategies

Global TA Day: A Love Letter to Recruiters

Global TA Day: A Love Letter to Recruiters
Global TA Day: A Love Letter to Recruiters

It is Global TA Day and we are posting a series of blogs on all things TA. This blog focuses on the recruiter experience.

Talent acquisition is an amazing profession. The fundamental work of a recruiter is personal, meaningful, and purposeful. It enables companies to grow and expand into new markets and gives candidates new opportunities. Yet, companies do not always recognize the role of the recruiter or give TA teams the resources they need. According to Aptitude Research, only one in four companies are prioritizing recruiter turnover this year.

Companies looking to provide an exceptional employer experience to their recruiters should consider the following steps:

  • Recognize Recruiters: Companies must recognize the reality of recruiting today and the challenges recruiters face when identifying and attracting talent. Recruiters must juggle multiple roles today and companies must recognize the work they do and the impact it has on organizational performance.
  • Set Realistic Expectations: Companies must set realistic expectations of recruiting teams that can including hiring goals, diversity initiatives, and cost savings. To improve the recruiter experience, goals and expectations must be achievable.
  • Invest in Technology: Recruiting and hiring teams need the right solutions to be successful. Companies that invest in the right technology will improve efficiencies and create opportunities to engage with candidates in a more meaningful way, and at scale.

Talent acquisition professionals are under pressure to balance a heavy workload without support, and they must remain flexible. Aptitude Research found the following challenges impacting recruiting teams:

Req Workload: Thirty percent (30%) increase in requisition workload since 2020.

Doing More With Less: Limited resources on TA function with layoffs and limited budgets.

Administrative Tasks: Spending 16 hours per week scheduling and 10 hours per week finding candidates in the ATS.

The role of the recruiter has become incredibly complex, and according to Aptitude Research, 30% of recruiters are feeling burned out this year. Over the past few years, talent acquisition has been a priority for business leaders. TA has been given new responsibilities that include areas such as retention initiatives, branding, internal mobility, and contingent workforce. By adding new roles, new strategies, and new technology in a short period of time, talent acquisition at many companies has become unwieldy and difficult to manage. Talent acquisition professionals need more support in balancing multiple priorities. The recruiter experience is the most critical component of the candidate experience and companies need to recognize when recruiters feel overworked and make changes.

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Blog Talent Acquisition Strategies

SmartRecruiters: The Next TA Tech Unicorn

SmartRecruiters: The Next TA Tech Unicorn
SmartRecruiters: The Next TA Tech Unicorn

In 2008, Jerome Ternynck announced the launch of a new ATS, SmartRecruiters. He shared his vision for the next era of talent acquisition technology and best-of-breed ATS providers. And, people were interested (including me). Jerome’s last company, Mr. Ted, was a leading ATS acquired by Stepstone, and Jerome was a well-loved expert with a strong reputation in TA tech.

Thirteen years later, Jerome has remained committed to this vision. SmartRecruiters pivoted from an SMB provider to a global enterprise provider (no small task- ask any of its competitors) with over 4,000 customers and 33 languages. And, yesterday, SmartRecruiters announced $110M in Series E with a $1.5B valuation.

What a journey.

We profiled SmartRecruiters in our latest Talent Acquisition Index report and included this analysis:

SmartRecruiters is a product company with strong services and deep domain expertise across all areas of talent acquisition. It has remained steadfast in its vision and commitment to improve talent acquisition and define hiring success for companies even during times of uncertainty and change. It has experienced significant growth over the past year with over 200 new customers, 100 new employees, and 150      new product features launched. SmartRecruiters is a provider that competes comfortably in the enterprise and global enterprise markets today. APAC is becoming a growing market for SmartRecruiters.

Several differentiators for SmartRecruiters includes candidate communication, AI matching, and advertising. Its SmartMessage solution includes WhatsApp integration and a unified inbox, while SmartPal (through the Jobpal acquisition) includes conversational AI and integration with WhatsApp and WeChat. SmartRecruiters offers programmatic advertising through SmartJobs to help streamline advertising and reduce costs. It has gone deeper in internal mobility this year to include a better employee experience and redeployment capabilities.

SmartRecruiters is one of the few best-of-breed providers to hire a Chief Diversity Officer this year. It has made diversity a commitment in its leadership team, product capabilities and roadmap, and services. Its Diversity Hiring Toolkit includes a diversity and inclusion maturity model, success pillars, and diversity hiring assessment. SmartRecruiters is focused on customer partnership. It has responded and met 1800 user requests this year. It follows what its customers want and focuses on developing solutions for a more modern talent acquisition function. It is a company that is not afraid to take risks, but it still maintains a strong commitment to customer success and product development.

SmartRecruiters is an impressive company by any measure. Here are a few thoughts on this recent announcement.

  • Product: SmartRecruiters has been expanding its product suite over the past two years, including programmatic capabilities, conversational AI (through Jobpal acquisition), and matching. One area that SmartRecruiters is lacking is onboarding. This recent round will likely focus on filling some gaps that may include onboarding and sourcing. I expect we will see an acquisition or two as well.
  • Internal Mobility: SmartRecruiters has invested in internal mobility through product capabilities, research/content, and industry recognition through its awards. My guess is that SmartRecruiters will continue to strengthen its internal mobility capabilities focusing on employee experience.
  • Partnerships: This announcement presents new opportunities for partnerships and SmartRecruiters’ marketplace. I think we can expect to see more partnerships, integration, and a new approach to its ecosystem of providers.

Congrats to SmartRecruiters and Jerome. More to come as the investment in all things TA tech continues.