This is a valuable read for recruitment leaders who want to grow their business through systems and data, as well as their people. (And want to avoid saying "Doh!")
Recruitment leaders investing in technology aren’t simply buying a handy tool. They’re investing in the sales pipelines and the future of their staffing companies too!
But how can you ensure that your CRM and /or automation tools deliver and don't just become data-comfort-blankets supported by expensive third-party systems like LinkedIn and job boards?
(And how do you not succumb to Homer Simpson's "dig up stupid" model...?)
CRM = Too Much Data = Sales Prevention
Traditionally recruitment CRMs have been datadumps with vast collections of candidates, contacts, jobs. They make it so easy to collect data, and hide it! They often turn well-meaning recruiters into administrators! (Doh!)
It's never been easier to collect data. But you don't get good boy/girl stickers for data - you get judged on your profit.
With the "too much data, not enough information" model, recruiters often have to wade through reams of data every day. It's paralysing and ironically prevents sales! (Doh!)
Hence, your CRM adoption, and how you automate your processes and create time for real recruitment has never been more critical.
But with the Bullhorn ROI and automation projects my team deliver, we often see a disconnect between data, people, and processes. It's almost like they all act independently of each other. (Doh!)
For example (Doh! x 3):
76% of the marketers we polled admitted not having viable access to their CRM.
Recruiters we spoke to revealed that 80% of the placements they made were on their CRM all along (but sourced from a third-party system).
Too many leaders I speak to want their recruiters to "get on the phone", but the volumes of data the recruiters have, and the systems they are not trained on makes this a chore.
This is definitely not the CRM1st approach we advocate. We advise monetising your data, automating your processes, and freeing up and training your recruiters to recruit and sell.
Alternatively, you can keep paying for LinkedIn premium licences and Job Boards. (Doh!)
Data - Dig Up Stupid!
Do you suffer from too much data, not enough candidates (or clients)? Try this simple data segmentation trick, or data layers “hack”. (I call it my "dig up stupid" model. Thanks Homer Simpson.)

CRM + Data + Automation = Sales-Enabled Recruiters
Look at your business - your systems - your data - your people. As yourself:
How many candidates does your average recruiter need?
How many contacts does your average recruiter need?
How much data does your marketing / automation function need to nurture so your recruiters can focus on speedily converting / reconverting candidates and clients?
Which processes can you automate to free up your recruiters to recruit?
What training do your recruiters need to help them drive a sustainable pipeline?
Then flash forward 6 months. What do you want to see in your recruitment business?
Ideally:
Your "way" - your process, running on clean data...
Being driven by smart systems (and ideally automation)...
Being operated by trained humans.
Then flashback to today - what do you need to start doing now, so in 6 months you're not saying "Doh!"?
Bullhorn ROI + Trained Happy Recruiters = More Sales
We pride ourselves on helping recruitment leaders achieve Bullhorn ROI. We create a Bullhorn1st vision, reduce the need for other tech, optimise Bullhorn, automate their sales-prevention processes and data, and train recruiters to trust it and use it.
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Recruiters! 10 Reasons Why Candidate Engagement is Critical
Recruiters and their leaders who want to spend less time and money sourcing, and more time placing, need to read this blog and think about why they need to create a virtuous circle of talent.On our recent Bullhorn Tips webinar, where we focused on candidate management tips, we asked the attendees about their current candidate management strategy.The results were unsurprising, but also disappointing.They told us that their candidate database was...And that their candidate management strategy was...In other words, not future proof or focussed on creating a robust, easy to deliver pipeline. It's mainly focussed on live, active candidates who are imminently placeable... and Linkedin / Job Boards continue to win at the expense of the recruiter and their profits.Recruitment Data Wealth💵💶💷If we've learned anything (at least since 2008) we need a clean, warm databases to see us through easy and tough times.We need engaged, loyal, happy candidates who are easy to find, happy to recommend, refer, and show up!Some recruiters call this "Data Health" - I call it "Data Wealth".I've seen a lot of tech and data hitting the recruitment market, but still do not see enough process improvements to capitalise on it. We just keep buying more, rather than exploring how we actually need less, but need to work it better.It's Time to Move from Vicious to Virtuous!Recruiters still waste crazy amounts of time sourcing and advertising, but not enough time engaging and managing.And ironically, by not engaging, and letting hot data cool off, the industry creates silos of "cold" data. Hence sourcing is key and reliance on external systems is high, costs increase, placements take longer... Vicious cycle!What if, though, we take a moment? Let the stats below sink in, and engage with our systems and data in a proactive way. Could recruiters create a virtuous circle of engaged candidates staying loyal and placeable, meaning less need for job adverts, Linkedin, sourcing, and insanity?Yes!🔢Candidate Management Stats Every Recruiter Should Know78% of placed candidates are already in your CRM. – Yet many recruiters go straight to LinkedIn or job boards before checking their own database.Only 30% of CRM records are typically up to date. – That means 70% of your candidate data might be incomplete, inaccurate, or out of date.60% of recruiters admit to rarely revisiting past candidates. – This leads to missed opportunities and duplicated effort.It costs 6x more to source a new candidate than to re-engage an existing one. – Save budget and time by starting with your CRM.43% of recruiters say poor data quality negatively impacts their ability to place quickly. – Dirty data slows down sourcing, shortlisting, and matching.48% of candidates who apply to a role never hear back. – Proper candidate management helps ensure consistent communication and better candidate experience.80% of candidates say they’d reapply to a company with a good hiring experience. – Engagement doesn’t stop at “not selected”—it builds your future pipeline.Recruiters spend up to 1/3 of their time on admin. – Automation and smart candidate management free up time for relationship-building and placements.Re-engaged candidates are 2x more likely to be placed than cold-sourced ones. – Prior placements and silver medalists are often your hottest leads.Companies that nurture candidates improve quality of hire by 20%. – Keeping in touch with passive talent builds a stronger, more prepared pipeline.The stats above are from a variety of sources, including IBM, TalentBoard, Bullhorn, and LinkedIn.Even just one of the stats above should be enough to make you stop and think "how can I create a virtuous circle of happy, engaged, and placed candidates?"💻Watch our Bullhorn Tips Webinar and use Bullhorn to manage and engage your candidates.Click to WatchRecruitment and Bullhorn TrainingWe deliver the best live Bullhorn ROI webinar training, and you'll find other tips and tricks in Recruitment HIIT, our online recruitment training platform.Plus, through our Bullhorn Vision service we help generate serious ROI from your Bullhorn, data, and people.TRY HIIT FREE HERECONTACT US ABOUT BULLHORN ROI
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Advertise Jobs: The Recruitment Automation That Transforms Your Database
Recruiters should always be looking for ways to move beyond traditional sourcing methods like job boards and LinkedIn. But often, a "hand to mouth" strategy and little time to think outside of the box means that they need to stick to these platforms.Time and money is wasted.Tech doesn't actually give you the edge.Opportunities are missed, and even lost.Job boards and LinkedIn are saturated with supposedly active candidates. Plus clients, competitors, and increasingly, AI all use them, too.So, how can recruiters create a competitive edge and build a unique (and valuable) candidate database so that they can place easier and faster?Enter Advertise Jobs, an automation designed to engage, leverage, and weaponise your existing database of candidates.🔐Unlocking the Potential of Your Recruitment DatabaseOne of the most common frustrations we hear from recruiters is this: “I can’t find the candidates I need on our database.” Yet, many of these databases contain thousands (if not millions) of candidate records. The problem isn’t the lack of candidates—it’s the lack of engaged candidates.The Advertise Jobs automation changes the game by making your database the first stop for every job.Instead of relying on external platforms, it trains recruiters to source candidates directly from the database. This approach triggers an automated campaign to engage those candidates in the background while recruiters focus on other tasks. Over time, this process proves faster, more efficient, and far less frustrating than traditional sourcing methods.❓Why Start with Your Own Recruitment Data?Here are some compelling stats to consider:72% of Candidates Are Already on Your Database: Many recruiters waste time and money downloading CVs from job boards, only to discover they already have these candidates in their system. Advertise Jobs ensures your database stays up-to-date and prevents duplicate efforts. (Source: Daxtra)Database Sourcing Is Faster: On average, it takes 40 days to place a candidate sourced from your database, compared to 60 days when sourced externally through job boards, LinkedIn, or social media. (Source: Bullhorn)By focusing on your database first AKA "Bullhorn 1st", you save time, reduce costs, and maximise the value of your existing resources.🤖How the Advertise Jobs Automation WorksAdvertise Jobs is built to make sourcing smarter and more streamlined. Here’s how it works:Automated Campaigns: When a new job comes in, recruiters start by shortlisting candidates from the database. This triggers an automated campaign that engages those candidates through multiple touchpoints.Engagement at Scale: Over days, candidates receive a number of touchpoints—a mix of automated and human interactions. This ensures consistent communication and keeps candidates engaged without overwhelming recruiters.Enhanced Productivity: Recruiters can focus on speaking with the engaged candidates and other tasks while the automation runs in the background, delivering a faster, more seamless sourcing experience. Nice!Think about a model such as the “10 touchpoints” model: three human interactions and seven automated ones. This balanced strategy ensures meaningful engagement, delivered in a suitable timeframe, without overburdening your recruiters.💗Automate to Humanise!Candidates want to hear from you about relevant opportunities, but they’re often overlooked because your database isn’t being fully utilised and recruiters are too busy to do the right thing at the right time. Advertise Jobs changes that by:Automating engagement.Reducing time speaking to irrelevant and uninterested candidatesCreating a better experience for both recruiters and candidates,And enriching your candidate data.It’s time to stop wasting resources on external platforms and start maximising the potential of your own database. With Advertise Jobs, you’ll transform your sourcing process, boost productivity, and gain a competitive edge in the recruitment market.Arrange a chat with our team of expert automation builders to discuss this automation (and other awesome automations) which can help you monetise your Bullhorn data and pipeline.Arrange a callbackAutomation and Bullhorn1stWe are Automation Buddies and Bullhorn Experts set on helping ambitious recruitment businesses who want to increase speed and sales.Automation: We coach to inspire, and build your automations so you can recruit and sell!Bullhorn: We optimise, train, and improve RoI from your key recruitment system.READ ABOUT OUR AUTOMATION BUDDY SERVICERead about our Bullhorn 1st Service
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