Recruiting tools – your guide for 2025

Recruiting today is more demanding than ever: digitalisation and a shortage of skilled workers are increasing the pressure on your HR team. You need to find the right talent quickly and efficiently while meeting growing demands for transparency and a seamless candidate experience.

Recruiting tools support you with these challenges. They automate time-consuming processes, optimise your approach to applicants and improve your position in the competition for the best talent.

There is a huge range on offer: there are now recruiting tools for every step of the application process. But which ones really suit your company? Which solutions will advance your recruiting?

In this article, we present the most important tools for the year 2025. You will find out what types of tools there are and how exactly they support you in your search for suitable candidates.

Recruiting tools are specialised software solutions and digital tools that companies can use to optimise their recruiting processes and make them more efficient. They mainly focus on the phases of job advertisement, applicant management and communication as well as employee selection. In recent years, they have also increasingly included the onboarding of new employees.

The terms “recruiting tool” and “HR software” are often used interchangeably, although they cover different functions and areas of application.

Recruiting tools are specifically designed to optimise the recruiting process by supporting companies in the search, selection and management of applicants. In contrast, HR software focuses on the comprehensive management of employees throughout their entire “life cycle” in the company. It is primarily used after an employee has been hired and provides support in areas such as payroll accounting, absence management, contract administration and the planning and implementation of further training.

Both recruiting tools and HR software are important, but are used at different times. Ideally, you should combine the two into a customised system that ensures smooth data transfer.

If you want to find out whether HR software or a recruiting tool is more suitable for your company, download our free e-book on the subject. In it, you will find out which criteria are decisive in the selection process and how you can optimally combine the two systems: HR Suite or Recruiting Software: a guide for businesses.

For many, but by no means all companies, recruiting tools are already an indispensable part of the recruiting strategy. No wonder, as they offer a whole range of advantages:

With recruitment tools for approaching candidates, you can reach exactly the talent that will drive your company forward more quickly and in a more targeted manner. These tools help you to draw the attention of suitable candidates to your company and communicate with them. We take a closer look at the most important types below.

Multiposting solutions are superspreaders in the best sense of the word. They allow you to distribute your job adverts on all common job platforms with just a few clicks. This saves you an enormous amount of time, ensures the greatest possible reach and allows you to manage your adverts conveniently from one place. Many tools offer sophisticated analysis and reporting functions that you can use to further optimise your job ads.

Dashboard of the multiposting solution from softgarden

softgarden makes multiposting child’s play: Publish your job adverts on over 1,200 job boards, Google and social media – quickly, easily and efficiently. You can reach thousands of potential candidates with just one click.

Our AI-powered solution transforms your job descriptions into appealing adverts that showcase your vacancies perfectly.

You can also benefit from attractive special conditions and favourable packages for your job advertisements. Maximise your reach, minimise your costs.

Test now: Multiposting job adverts with softgarden

Employee referral programmes are one of the most efficient ways of finding suitable new recruits. Incentives such as bonuses encourage your employees to share an open position in their own network.

Employee referrals are so effective because they come from people who know your company well. These employees can realistically assess which of their acquaintances are a good fit for the position in question. And indeed: employees who join a company through recommendations often turn out to be a stroke of luck.

Digital employee referral programmes give you decisive advantages: they make it easy to share job advertisements and ensure better traceability for all parties involved, for example by showing which employee made the referral.

Digital referral programmes cover the entire process, from the submission to the follow-up of referrals, and ensure transparency for rewards. Analyses immediately show which referrals are successful. This saves you time, minimises errors and motivates employees with a user-friendly platform.

Dashboard of the recommendation manager from softgarden

With softgarden’s referral manager, you can enjoy all the benefits of a digital employee referral programme. It’s a cost-effective way to increase your reach and boost your chances of finding top candidates.

The best example of this is our client Damovo, where one in three employee referrals results in a hire. Find out more in our case study: Hiring top candidates faster thanks to employee referrals

Test now: Employee referral programme from softgarden

A convincing careers page is the basic prerequisite for successful recruiting. It is often the first point of contact between applicants and your company and should present you as an attractive employer.

Accordingly, a good careers page needs a clear, applicant-friendly structure and appealing content in text, images and video. All relevant information must be clearly visible. Candidates should be able to apply as quickly and easily as possible via the careers page. It is also important that the site is optimised for mobile devices. (You can find more tips in our free checklist: The ultimate careers site checklist)

A career page builder makes it much easier to set up and manage your career page. With a recruiting tool like this, you don’t need any special technical knowledge to create an appealing and convincing career site. Good career page builders use proven structural elements and seamlessly integrate job adverts, forms and analysis options.

With softgarden’s career site Pro, you can create a career site in no time at all that is not only visually impressive, but also delivers concrete results, as in the case of Testronic, which achieved 45% of its new hires via the softgarden career site. (Click here for the case study: Testronic – 45% of hires applied via the careers page)

You can customise the page to your corporate design and exchange content as you wish. The career site is also impressive on mobile devices and can be continuously optimised thanks to the integrated analysis function.

Test now: Career page from softgarden

With social recruiting, you cast your net on social networks, precisely on the channels where your ideal candidates are active: This is ensured by target group targeting, finely tuned campaigns and seamless tracking of the performance of your job adverts.

Social recruitment tools help you to reach potential candidates via social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or Xing. This allows you to reach not only actively seeking applicants, but also passive candidates who are open to new positions. Direct contact via social media facilitates communication and by sharing job adverts with users, you can achieve a high reach even with a small budget.

Example of social media recruiting measures carried out with Hokify

Hokify is a good example of a powerful social recruiting tool. Thanks to the automatic distribution of your job advertisements on over 50 job boards and all relevant social media platforms, you can maximise your reach and the visibility of your candidate search with this tool.

Test now: Hokify

The rapid rise of AI makes it possible: Recruiting chatbots support your recruiting around the clock by guiding applicants through the application process, answering frequently asked questions and presenting the most important information about a position.

Chatbots respond in real time and relieve you of a lot of routine work through automation. They take the pressure off your team and give you time for personal contact with the most promising candidates.

Thanks to their constant availability and fast response time, they speed up the application process and improve the candidate experience. This in turn increases the likelihood that top talent will decide in favour of your company.

Application example of the recruiting chatbot from softgarden

Recruiting via chat from softgarden is a good example of an efficient solution in the field of recruiting chatbots. You offer applicants another direct and uncomplicated application channel.

You can freely define and easily customise the questions that the chatbot should ask applicants. Time-consuming forms and registrations are no longer necessary. This lowers the inhibition threshold for applications, speeds up the process and leaves a positive impression on applicants.

Test now: Recruiting via chat with softgarden

Digital recruiting tools such as applicant management systems, video interview solutions and online assessments make it easier to select and manage your candidates.

An applicant management system is a digital solution that simplifies your entire recruiting process and makes it more efficient. You manage applications and messages in one centralised location.

The best applicant management systems automate a variety of processes and support you in selecting the right candidates for a position. They speed up your recruiting processes and enable faster feedback and a better candidate experience.

Candidate overview in the web app of the applicant management system and mobile recruiting app from softgarden

Digitise your entire recruiting process, save valuable time and reduce your costs. The applicant management software from softgarden simplifies both your internal recruiting processes and the candidate experience. This helps you find the right candidates faster.

Test now: Applicant management software from softgarden

The greatly improved range of video interview solutions is probably one of the very few positive legacies of the coronavirus pandemic.

Video interviews save you and your candidates time, effort and money. These tools enable interviews to take place anywhere and at any time and can be used as a preliminary stage for a face-to-face interview or as a substitute for a face-to-face interview.

The best solutions offer seamlessly integrated functions such as evaluation tools, intelligent appointment schedulers or options for analysing calls.

Video interview solutions expand the circle of potential candidates beyond your own region and offer maximum flexibility to everyone involved.

Application examples and key functions of Cammio’s video interview solution

One recommended video interview tool is Cammio. The platform enables both time-shifted and live interviews. Features such as smart scheduling ensure flexibility and sometimes significantly speed up the recruitment process.

Test now: Video recruiting with Cammio

Online assessments are digital tests that you can use to assess and evaluate the suitability, skills and personality traits of your applicants. They run on specialised platforms and combine standardised tests with gamification elements and, increasingly, AI-supported analysis.

The advantage for your recruiting: Your candidates can take the test from anywhere and the results can be compared objectively.

Properly prepared and customised to the specific requirements of your company, online assessment solutions save you a lot of time and improve the quality of the pre-selection based on easily comparable data. They also ensure that subjective impressions play as little a role as possible in the candidate selection process.

Aivy is an impressive online assessment tool with its focus on gamification. This playful approach appeals to applicants and highlights their personal strengths.

Thanks to the objective assessment options, with Aivy you promote equal opportunities and reduce unconscious bias that can occur in the recruitment process. Online assessments from Aivy help you to find the best talent faster.

Test now: Online assessments with Aivy

Recruiting tools support the recruitment phase by automating processes, improving communication, centralising document management and integrating closely with existing HR systems.

This lays an important foundation for the successful onboarding of new employees.

The digital personnel file is a great benefit for your recruiting processes: it enables more efficient document management, faster access to important information and better integration into existing applicant management systems. Leading solutions are also adapted to the legal framework in terms of data protection.

As a recruiting tool, the hr works digital personnel file is a real boon for your HR employees. The software keeps all employee data and documents in one secure location and gives your teams access from anywhere. This speeds up the management of documents and ensures an efficient recruitment process. Less paper, less stress.

Test now: Digital personnel file from hr works

Onboarding software, learning management systems and feedback and survey software support you in training new employees. They promote a smooth start and provide you with valuable insights to optimise your processes.

As they function independently of location, these recruitment tools enable a quick and flexible start to the new position – perfect for the era of remote work.

With the right onboarding software, you can integrate new employees into your company quickly and smoothly. The software automates administrative tasks, provides clear access to relevant information and also supports you in developing customised induction plans.

Powerful onboarding software enables personalised content, ensures clear processes and thus creates the basis for a successful start in the new company.

Good onboarding lays the foundation for your new employees to realise their full potential. As softgarden found out in the “Onboarding Reloaded” study, 17.8% of new hires quit within the first 100 days – a significant increase compared to 11.6% in 2018. Despite this, only 18.4% of companies use onboarding software. This is despite the fact that new employees greatly appreciate digital tools in onboarding. Effective onboarding reduces uncertainty and strengthens employee loyalty in the long term.

Dashboard of the onboarding solution from softgarden

The onboarding solution from softgarden takes the pressure off your HR team and turns the onboarding process into a success story. With automated messages, process templates and seamless support from the very first moment. Improve internal communication, make the work of your HR employees easier and ensure optimal integration of your new hires.

Test now: Onboarding Solution from softgarden

Learning management systems (LMS) are regularly used in personnel development. They control access to and distribution of knowledge, improve learning processes and strengthen personnel development.

Thanks to LMS, your employees have access to training materials and learning content regardless of time and place. With a learning management system, you promote flexible and independent learning within your company.

In recruiting, LMS support the induction of new employees and thus help them to utilise their talents as quickly as possible to achieve your goals.

LMS u0022Team Traineru0022 from wissen.online

The TeamTrainer from wissen.online is a recommended learning management system. This solution is browser-based and enables maximum flexibility and easy access thanks to its modular structure. You can use the TeamTrainer for all types of further training and customise it precisely to your company’s requirements.

With features such as event management, reporting and certificate management, TeamTrainer is the ideal support for your recruiting. Organise training courses quickly and easily and always keep an eye on learning progress thanks to transparent tracking.

Test now: TeamTrainer from wissen.online

Feedback and survey software are tools that you can use to systematically collect and analyse feedback from applicants and employees.

The best solutions use automated survey invitations that you can easily and quickly customise to your company’s individual needs.

Feedback and survey software is indispensable if you want to continuously improve your recruiting processes. It provides you with the valuable information you need for optimisation. This allows you to identify weak points, rectify them in a targeted manner and increase your attractiveness as an employer.

Summary of the applicant feedback

The feedback solution from softgarden goes on the hunt for feedback for you, and it’s completely automated. The solution collects employer ratings from employees and applicants and thus contributes to an authentic, transparent and trustworthy employer brand. Agaplesion Bethanien Diakonie, for example, was able to increase its kununu score to 4.28 with the softgarden feedback solution and is now well above the industry average of 3.43. (Actively scoring bonus points for the company image as an HR department).

You can integrate the collected reviews on your career page, on Google and also on kununu, thereby improving your visibility and your chances of attracting top employees.

Test now: Feedback Solution from softgarden

So how do you choose the right recruiting tool for your company? To ensure you don’t get lost in the sea of possibilities, you should be guided by very specific criteria. In the end, you will find the recruiting tools that really suit your company, take the pressure off your employees and win over applicants.

Can the recruiting tool be easily integrated into your existing HR systems? The best recruiting tools can be easily linked to your applicant management system, your onboarding software or your calendar tools and can also be connected to other solutions via an interface.

softgarden solutions offer interfaces with each other and with the numerous partner solutions in the softgarden Marketplace – for a seamless recruiting and candidate experience.

Does the tool offer you an intuitive interface and is it easy to use? Complicated recruiting tools not only put HR employees off, but also applicants. A good tool is clear and makes things easier for you not only in theory, but also in practice.

Are the costs of the recruiting tool transparent and comprehensible? Consider not only the licence costs, but also possible extra costs for support, additional features or training.

Does the recruiting tool offer all the functions required for the respective recruiting step? The framework is usually formed by job advertisements, applicant management and reporting. Other functions such as feedback and surveys are valuable additions that improve your recruiting process.

Digital recruiting tools are already indispensable in modern recruiting. In 2025, their role will continue to grow in light of rapid technological developments, particularly in the field of AI.

Recruiting tools fulfil a variety of tasks along the entire recruiting process. They ensure greater speed, greater efficiency and simpler, more pleasant processes that make life easier for both recruiters and applicants.

Whether you want to draw candidates’ attention to your vacancies, check the suitability of applicants or optimise induction: recruiting tools such as applicant management systems, feedback tools or onboarding solutions are precisely tailored to the challenges of recruitment.

They enable your HR employees to concentrate fully on building trusting relationships. Because AI or not: in the end, people decide in favour of your company because they trust you.

Make 2025 the year in which you utilise the full potential of digital recruiting tools to find the employees who will help your company progress in the long term more quickly and efficiently.