One of my favorite parts of each year is evaluating tools.
My other favorite part is using them. These were some of my top tools last year, and all are either free or have free versions. Here they are in almost no particular order:
I’ve been using Hiretual since way back in the beta days. Aside from having a great team that is extremely helpful and willing to add features that we can use in sourcing, the tool is great. From the small things like being able to move the icon to where on the screen you want it to the peer-ranking on the talent profile, Hiretual keeps the flow going. The emails have been mostly accurate and available for many of the candidates I’ve searched for it. The estimated current salary is close on some roles. Probably 80-90% accurate for 80-90% of the candidates. One of my other favorite features of this tool is the Boolean creator from uploading a job description and the x-ray search sites. If you’re not already using this tool, I would highly recommend adding it to your arsenal.
I was able to go through the Social Talent Black Belt Certification last year and in the process was introduced to their tool SourceHub. In addition to keeping you logged into Social Talent, it also helps with Boolean creation. Great to use when starting your search strategy to help find similar keywords that you might be able to add to your search. The training that Social Talent offers is another great resource for continuing education for sourcers and recruiters.
Have you ever wished you could keep an eye on a candidate without having to go to their profile every single day to see if they’ve updated something? With Page Monitor, you can do just that. In addition to job opportunities, sales, etc. you can monitor a candidate’s profile and be alerted to changes that they make. This could be a great way to find out if someone is polishing getting ready for a move.
This tool has been at the center of a bit of controversy in some circles. I love it, though. It’s been great at finding not only an email address for people but even phone numbers for some. Most of the ones that I’ve used this tool to have been accurate as well. Do your research to make your conclusion about it but know that it does work well.
No tools list should be complete without adding in the one tool to rule them all, or at least manage them all. I work on a decked-out gaming rig; I also have a few hundred chrome tools. I usually have a ton of tabs open with various phases or research going on, and I run out of memory quickly if I’m not using Extensity. The feature I love the most about this tool though is that it lets you set up profiles. You can toggle tools off or on depending on which profile you select. I have my “cyberstalking,” “just browsing,” and “get off Amazon” profiles for example.
These are just a few of the tools that I’m currently using daily so if you’re looking to get a head-start on tools in 2017; it’s a good jumping off point.
Quick Legal Disclaimer: I am a Blizzard Entertainment employee, All views and opinions are my own.