Voted By Pros

The 11 best hiring tools for small businesses

February 21, 2024

Recruiting software products for small businesses are designed to post your job listing and attract a pool of qualified applicants. Here are the top options to consider.

Your new venture’s vision board is working, and the orders are starting to pile up. You decide to hire staff, and the resumes are also piling up. That means it’s time to look into hiring tools for small businesses. Have no fear if you can no longer get through your to-do list without some extra help. We rated the must-have recruiting software for small businesses so you can find the help you need in time to add even bigger dreams to your board.

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Recruiting software products for small businesses are designed to post your job listing and attract a pool of qualified applicants. Here are the top options to consider.

 

 

1. Best for consistent recruiting: ZipRecruiter

ZipRecruiter is one of the most popular job boards, with more than 10 million applicants checking in for new listings every week. If your small business experiences high turnover or consistently needs to recruit part-time or seasonal employees, this is your spot. Select a subscription plan for precisely what you need and enjoy access to an AI recruiter who scouts qualified applicants on your behalf.

Pros:

  • AI learns your preferences and contacts candidates automatically
  • Widest network of potential hires

Cons:

  • No free plan and complex pricing structure
  • Limited applicant evaluation and tracking tools

Customer review:

“I like the ability to have your applicants on hand at the click of a button. Having the most qualified applicants put directly on top of the list is awesome.”1

Rating: 4.5/5

 

 

2. Best for occasional job postings: Indeed

Sometimes you just need to find that one perfect match. Indeed is the ideal spot to post occasional job listings. This platform receives visits from more than 3 million job seekers every month and has more than 250 million resumes on file for you to browse. Post your job for free and reach out directly to candidates whose resumes impress. You can even purchase daily ads to make your company stand out from the crowd and secure the best talent.

Pros:

  • Free to post a job listing
  • Search over 250 million applicant resumes

Cons:

  • No job posting templates
  • Does not auto-post to other job boards

Customer review:

“I have been using it for years, and it helps me close many positions like a technician, restaurant manager, retail/service positions, etc. It has a good amount of applicants and every possible filter to source a suitable applicant.”2

Rating: 4/5

 

 

3. Best for professional networking: LinkedIn

Don’t underestimate the power of networking to find your perfect new hire. LinkedIn blends elements of a job board and a social network to deliver the best of both worlds. Share your open position to a network of more than 770 million professionals, engage in comment threads and meet potential hires organically before the interview process. You can pay to send automated inbox messages or promote your listing with a sponsored ad if you’re short on time.

Pros:

  • Free to post a job listing
  • Network and connect with industry professionals

Cons:

  • Limited applicant tracking tools
  • Sponsored inbox ads can look spammy

Customer review:

“It has a friendly search engine with a good platform for networking opportunities. The layout is easy to read both on the phone and the web.”3

Rating: 4.5/5

 

 

4. Best for mass reach: Betterteam

Posting to multiple job boards can take up your entire week. Cast the widest net possible (while saving crucial time) with Betterteam. Betterteam creates listings on 100-plus job board sites, including Indeed, Facebook, ZipRecruiter, Google, Monster, LinkedIn and more. Nothing beats this efficiency when it comes to the best hiring tools for small businesses.

Pros:

  • Save time and money with an all-in-one subscription
  • Cast a wide recruiting net

Cons:

  • Requires a monthly subscription
  • No applicant management systems

Customer review:

“We received many candidates for the jobs listed. Very easy and stress-free way to find the right candidate for our company.”4

Rating: 4/5

 

 

5. Best for job seekers: Monster

As an employer, you want to provide your employees with everything they need to succeed. Show them what kind of leader you are before they even apply. Monster offers extra tools for educating and preparing job seekers to learn more about your company and ace the interview. That’s why it’s a favorite among 12 million applicants. Get quality candidates with the help of thousands of available job listing templates and set your future team up for success.

Pros:

  • Easy for hiring managers to use
  • Includes tools to help applicants prepare

Cons:

  • Expensive pricing plans
  • Doesn’t include applicant onboarding tools

Customer review:

“Monster has one of the most comprehensive job search databases out there. Easy to drill down into areas of specialty, useful email alerts. I’ve used it a few times, getting my next employment through them.”5

Rating: 4.5/5

You may be familiar with customer relationship management (CRM) tools that enable your business to stay updated with clients and manage their requests. Applicant tracking system (ATS) recruiting software for small businesses works the same way, providing a framework for you to keep track of emails, interview questions and onboarding. Here are our favorites.

 

 

6. Best for overall organization: Zoho Recruit

Zoho Recruit helps employers organize their hiring system, from posting a job listing to welcoming a new hire on their first day. Share to more than 300 job boards in a single click and enjoy the ease of AI tools that automate resume management, candidate tracking, background checks and file storage. With a tool like this, HR could stand for Happy Recruiter.

Pros:

  • Free plans available
  • All-in-one posting, tracking and hiring system

Cons:

  • Onboarding tools are available for an additional fee
  • Features can be challenging to learn

Customer review:

“The platform is very easy to understand and navigate. We just started as an agency a few months ago, and the team loves Zoho Recruit because we were using Google Sheets and Excel files earlier. Trust me, it was a complete mess!”6

Rating: 4/5

 

 

7. Best for growing small businesses: Freshteam

Freshteam is one of the only customizable ATS platforms that offers a free plan — perfect for growing small businesses on a budget. The program seamlessly takes you through the entire recruiting process, right down to signing the offer letter. Create workflows to schedule interviews, host video chats, collate notes and send e-signature requests. You can even collect data to learn why candidates are turning down offers so you can improve your salary negotiations and benefits.

Pros:

  • Free plan available
  • Includes everything you need, from job posts to hiring

Cons:

  • Need premium account for more extensive job board lists
  • Doesn’t track Equal Employment Opportunity reports

Customer review:

“Love the ease of use, setup, intuitive settings and user-friendly dashboards. Very little explanation needed for this product. Freshteam covers pretty much everything our team needs to in terms of team management and on the recruiting end, we have been very pleasantly surprised by the ease of use and features.”7

Rating: 4.5/5

Conduct quality interviews and make the onboarding process simple and streamlined with helpful apps that beat sticky notes and snail mail. These are some best hiring tools out there for small businesses.

 

 

8. Best for easy interviews: Zoom

In-person interviews are a hassle for you and your applicants. So, instead of coordinating endless coffee shop meetups and dealing with caffeine jitters, get to business with a quick and easy video call on Zoom. Zoom is one of the widest-used video conference platforms and offers calendar integration, webinar and chat features.

Pros:

  • Free to use
  • Reliable video and audio quality

Cons:

  • Webinars and longer calls require paid plans
  • Need to download the app to access all features

Customer review:

“Our organization uses Zoom to have interactive meetings with clients and consultants. … One of the biggest problems that this program addresses is the elimination of distances between our office and clients living in other states. Also, it allows our organization to have partners and consultants in other states, saving the company money and time for trips.”8

Rating: 4.6/5

 

 

9. Best for taking interview notes: Evernote

If you’re not using recruiting software, you still need a place to collect all your interview notes. When conducting dozens of interviews, you don’t want to rely on memory or sticky note scribbles. Evernote is one of the most popular note-taking apps that allows you to add text notes, audio clips, images, PDFs, Slack conversations, emails and almost anything else you can think of to an organized page. You can even tag notes for easy access later, which beats thumbing through a pile of papers.

Pros:

  • Store a wide array of data
  • Easy organization

Cons:

  • Not free to use
  • Can’t save notes offline

Customer review:

“Overall, Evernote is an easy to use and functionally rich note-taking application available across all the platforms. It helps [the] user saving notes quickly and efficiently.”9

Rating: 4/5

 

 

10. Best for contract e-signatures: DocuSign

When onboarding your new hire and signing contacts, don’t fret about printing, scanning and mailing. DocuSign allows you to email offer letters and contracts for e-signature signing. The program is easy for new hires to use and doesn’t require them to create an account. Plus, it comes with templates and cloud storage integration for you. Easily onboard remote employees without relying on snail mail.

Pros:

  • Easy to use
  • Integrated storage apps

Cons:

  • No free plans
  • Some people prefer a paper signature

Customer review:

“We use DocuSign every day, in every aspect. From signing important loan documents to interoffice signing we have done it all. It is one of the best programs and most user-friendly programs we have.”10

Rating: 4.5/5

 

 

11. Best for onboarding document storage: Dropbox

Emailing your new hires multiple onboarding files, such as handbooks, style guides and timesheets, can take longer than you realize, especially if you have to hunt for the documents on your hard drive. Instead, easily store and organize all of your onboarding docs on Dropbox and share them with a simple link. Dropbox is a fast and secure way to ensure your new employees receive everything they need to succeed in their positions.

Pros:

  • Easily share multiple documents
  • Organize onboarding files

Cons:

  • Limited storage on free plans
  • Expensive pricing plans

Customer review:

“Dropbox is seamless to use and get around as it’s one of the most user-friendly cloud storage software you can find. It supports easy file storage that you can use by dragging and dropping the files you want to save.”11

Rating: 4.5/5

Now that you’ve onboarded the perfect team, the real work begins. Of course, with great hires comes great responsibility. As an employer, it’s your job to set your team up for success and protect them from harm when they’re on the clock. Workers’ compensation insurance is a type of business insurance designed to protect business owners and workers if an employee is injured or becomes ill on the job, covering their medical expenses, lost wages and more.

We have one more bonus hiring-related tool for you — the Thimble app. Get a business insurance plan to protect your new hires and your business in minutes. Choose from coverage by the job, month or year. Then, just click “get a quote,” answer a quick set of questions and click to purchase. With Thimble on your side, you’re well on your way to completing your vision board.

Sources:

  1. GetApp. ZipRecruiter Reviews. 
  2. G2. Indeed Hiring Platform Reviews. 
  3. Capterra. LinkedIn Job Reviews. 
  4. Software Advice. What are Betterteam users saying about the software? 
  5. sitejabber. How would you rate Monster? 
  6. G2. Zoho Recruit Reviews & Product Details. 
  7. Software Advice. What are Freshteam users saying about the software? 
  8. TrustRadius. Zoom reviews and ratings. 
  9. Slashdot. Evernote reviews. 
  10. Trustradius. DocuSign reviews & ratings. 
  11. G2. Dropbox Reviews & Product Details. 

Written on October 2, 2022 | Last updated: February 21, 2024

Our editorial content is intended for informational purposes only and is not written by a licensed insurance agent. Terms and conditions for rate and coverage may vary by class of business and state.

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