Checklist: What Strategic Talent Acquisition Teams Need in Their Tech Stack

HR teams know that your people are your organization’s most significant strategic advantage.  Success in any market depends on having a skilled, dedicated team that can help you innovate, keep customers and clients happy, and remain profitable.

Yet globally, more than 85 million jobs are projected to go unfilled by 2030, creating a significant talent shortage. Companies are already experiencing the consequences, with 58% reporting that skills shortages are significantly impacting their business plans.

The ability to attract and retain top talent has become a critical differentiator—and building the right TA tech stack can help. Use this checklist to evaluate your current resources and take note of what high-impact tools you may be missing out on.

Many talent teams (45%) describe their ATS as an administrative tool for capturing resumes. Another 16% go so far as to say it’s a painful experience for applicants, and the recruiter or admin experience isn’t much better. However, about a quarter (27%) say their ATS is a strategic tool enabling better team performance.

It’s no surprise that 28% of talent teams are actively shopping for an ATS. But how to choose the best one?

A modern ATS is foundational to building a tech stack that can help drive your strategic TA initiatives. Many of these systems have built-in CRM features, though you can supplement your ATS with a standalone CRM and other best-in-class automated workflows as needed to support your hiring process.

The technology you use should help your team efficiently attract, engage, and hire skilled talent. Custom integrations with the tools you use every day are often the make-or-break difference between an ATS that speeds top teams forward—and one that just add to your to-do list as a recruiter, along with the following features.

Skilled talent is in high demand, and the onus is on employers to seek them out—not the other way around.

A modern ATS should provide comprehensive sourcing capabilities that help organizations tap into diverse talent channels and maximize their recruiting reach.

Candidate experience is a top TA priority for CHROs over the next year, and your team is likely already monitoring candidate satisfaction and focusing on creating an experience that outshines competitors.

Your ATS and CRM are invaluable tools in making memorable candidate experiences that strengthen your employer brand and keep talent engaged throughout their journey. HR leaders look for solutions like:

Leverage recruiting analytics to optimize your talent acquisition strategy, make informed decisions faster, and demonstrate ROI to stakeholders.

A modern ATS should automate manual tasks and streamline workflows, allowing your talent team to focus on strategic initiatives and candidate relationships.

Over 75% of organizations have had difficulty recruiting for full-time regular positions, noting that a low number of applicants is their top challenge. Job postings alone won’t be enough to help you build a high-quality talent pipeline—especially for specialized and hard-to-find skill sets.

Modern talent sourcing platforms expand your talent pool by helping you proactively identify and engage qualified candidates. These solutions enable you to efficiently build robust talent pipelines and tap into diverse candidate pools so you can increase the chances of finding the right candidate.

Traditional sourcing methods often require you to craft detailed search criteria and manually sort through hundreds or thousands of search results, requiring more time than posting a job advert. That’s no longer the case.

Automated sourcing tools can help you quickly identify, review, and engage qualified candidates at scale.

With so many candidate sourcing channels to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which to search first. Luckily, you don’t have to.

Multichannel sourcing solutions can help you coordinate your sourcing efforts across multiple channels within a centralized hub to maximize your reach and effectiveness.

Many teams are being asked to do more with less. Efficient processes can increase the feasibility and success of sourcing—and other strategic initiatives.

Candidate assessment platforms provide structured ways to evaluate candidates beyond resumes and traditional interviews. These tools can help you objectively evaluate candidates' skills, knowledge, and experience to identify the most qualified people for an open role quickly.

One in three companies are not confident in their interview process. They face several challenges, including a lengthy process, too many interviews, inconsistent workflows or communication, and a need for more objective data to drive decisions.

Candidate assessments can be an excellent way to overcome these challenges and improve hiring outcomes. In fact, 59% of employers say that assessments help with more fair hiring, 56% agree that they improve the quality of hire, and 44% say they lead to faster hiring.

One-third of candidates have experienced bias in the interview process. This isn’t only unfair to your candidates—it may be costing your team qualified talent who voluntarily withdraw from your hiring process following any perceived bias.

Structured evaluation tools promote fair and objective candidate assessment.

Remote work is here to stay. More than 10% of US paid job postings on LinkedIn offer remote work, and about 13% offer hybrid work. These jobs attract more than their fair share of candidates, with 47% of all applications on LinkedIn going to companies that offer remote work.

The right TA tech stack can help enable an effective virtual hiring experience.

Modern background check platforms automate the screening process while ensuring compliance and maintaining a positive candidate experience throughout hiring and onboarding. These solutions help organizations improve their quality of hire and make informed hiring decisions while mitigating risk.

Today’s candidates may drop out of your hiring process if they don’t understand your background check process, if it’s clunky or not mobile-friendly, or if it takes too long to complete. It’s important to create a transparent and user-friendly screening process that maintains candidate engagement.

A modern background check partner can support inclusive hiring practices and maintain compliance with fair chance hiring laws and EEOC guidance.

Automated technology can streamline background check processes to reduce your time-to-hire while maintaining accuracy and compliance.

The right technology can enhance candidate experience, enable data-driven decision-making, and help you recruit high-performing teams that can drive strategic value in your organization. Take the time to evaluate solutions and build an ecosystem that will meet your current and future needs.

The right background check partner is an important part of maintaining a high quality of hire that can contribute to your organizational goals. Checkr’s advanced background check technology helps you hire faster and more inclusively so candidates stay engaged in your hiring process. Leverage our pre-built integrations with over 100 ATS and HRIS tools to build a streamlined tech stack that supports your hiring goals and enables your talent acquisition strategy. Get started today.

The resources and information provided here are for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Always consult your own counsel for up-to-date legal advice and guidance related to your practices, needs, and compliance with applicable laws.