A hiring platform is really any solution you use to source and recruit candidates for an open role. However, when most people hear this phrase they probably think of online job board sites like LinkedIn and Indeed. There are a lot more features you could be tapping into beyond the simple listings and outdated matching algorithms these types of systems provide.
Here is a breakdown of the kinds of hiring platforms on the market today and how to choose the one that best fits your needs:
Why – and When – You Should Use a Hiring Platform
Recruitment solutions are designed to fulfill a simple demand – the challenge is getting them to scale with your goals and budget. The most immediate benefit is the access to a wider range of candidates than you would be able to source from your own internal networks, though exactly how many depends on their total database size. There will also be other performance factors to consider, such as the type and quality of candidate they are able to connect you with.
Simply put, a hiring platform is most useful for expanding your recruiting search reach and sourcing candidates at higher volumes than you would be able to on your own. The deciding factor, however, should be how much the solution contributes to your ROI. Not all recruiting tools are created equal – most come with their own pros and cons that will greatly impact your net value return.
Examples of Top Hiring Platforms for Tech
Online recruitment used to be dominated by a handful of recognizable brands (i.e., LinkedIn); however, as the market has matured it has brought forward new competitors. Many of these improve upon the old formula, while others add more value for industry- and role-specific searches (for example, websites devoted mainly to tech job postings or different marketing roles).
Here are a few examples of top hiring platforms for sourcing candidates for the technology sector:
Betts Connect
Betts Connect is our proprietary recruiting system built to help SaaS companies and venture-backed startups source candidates for go-to-market (GTM) positions – sales, marketing, customer success and other revenue-generating roles. It features a database of over 250,000 pre-vetted candidates discoverable in-system through dozens of other filters organized by KPI (key performance indicator), including Typical Deal Size and Industries Sold To. Users also receive access to Just In Time (JIT) sourcing with AI tools, Surge Recruiters for more on-demand hiring, a dedicated CSM team and our RecruitCoin cryptocurrency.
LinkedIn is probably the most popular job board in the market today due in large part to pioneering a social media approach to the hiring platform. It offers several different plans, such as LinkedIn Recruiter, which provides a recruitment-focused solution for users. However, its strengths are often its weakness – it takes a broader, more mass-market appeal that makes sourcing candidates with specific skills feel something like using a catering menu to order takeout. The more specific plans like Recruiter are also very ‘pay-to-play’ and can be cost-prohibitive to use at the scale most startups need.
Indeed
Indeed is more of a traditional job board website, yet is still widely popular for delivering basic hiring platform needs in a simple package. It allows employers and job seekers to connect with each other through listings and posted resumes, respectively, while the former also gains access to limited analytics on applicant trends. However, the functionality doesn’t extend far past those surface-level requirements. Indeed acts primarily as a job listing network, and while it does that fairly well, it doesn’t do much beyond it.
Glassdoor
Recruiting is technically a secondary function of Glassdoor, but many users do have the option to post and apply for jobs on its website (or app). Its primary purpose serves it well in this regard, since it is designed to aggregate data on companies – their culture, benefits, how much they pay per role, etc. This creates transparency by enabling candidates to better research employers and uncover competitive compensation rates. The downside is that this data is not always the most accurate, and with limited functionality as a hiring platform it is not a great choice in that regard when used by itself.
A Mix of Hiring Tools
The problem with hiring platforms – besides how often they’re mixed up with applicant tracking systems (ATS) – is that they are usually not a scalable solution on their own. What this means is that while they help solve immediate issues of candidate reach and volume, companies will still run into challenges in finding the right fit for the job from these sources. You may have to sign up for a mix of different job boards, integrate other hiring tools (including an ATS) to automate the process, and bring on internal recruiters or outsource to an agency to handle the time-consuming sourcing processes.
You can dive deeper into the scalability – and cost – issues associated with different tools by reading Part 5 of our Scale Series here.
Choose the Hiring Platform Where Your Candidates Are
One strategy for overcoming the shortfalls of the generic hiring platforms is to migrate to a network that actually has the candidates you need. For tech in particular, alternatives such as Betts Connect have proven to be disruptors to the old school job listings model and have helped businesses scale more efficiently than they ever could with LinkedIn. While those older websites are focused almost exclusively on volume, Connect ensures that you are able to source the type of candidates you actually need, when you need them.
See Why Betts Connect is the Best Platform for Tech Startups
Betts Connect is designed specifically to serve SaaS companies and tech startups that need to expand their sales, marketing and customer success teams at any point in their lifecycle. Rather than waste time scouring a job board site, candidates are able to personalize their profiles and match their skills with what employers are actually seeking in a GTM role. Automation and an experienced CSM team help users connect quickly without the hassle of cold calls and In-Mails.
To learn more about Betts Connect and see its value firsthand, sign up for a demo here.