Recruitment Automation That Works

Claire Monroe

Hi everyone, welcome back to The Science of Leading. I’m Claire Monroe, and as always, I’m joined by the quietly brilliant Edwin Carrington—Edwin, how are you?

Edwin Carrington

I'm well, Claire. And I appreciate the upgrade to “quietly brilliant.” I’ll try not to let it go to my head.

Claire Monroe

Just calling it like I see it! So today we’re digging into recruitment automation, which... I mean, let’s be honest—it feels like a total maze when you’re first stepping into it. Like, there are a million tools out there and they all claim to be game-changers. Edwin, for hiring managers who are overwhelmed before they even open a demo tab—what actually matters most when picking a platform?

Edwin Carrington

That’s a good place to start. In my experience—advising companies and also watching HR tech evolve over the years—the key is this: prioritize the features that remove your actual pain. Not just what looks impressive in a pitch deck.You want workflow automation that shaves off hours—like moving candidates along your pipeline or firing off reminders—without you having to babysit it. Then there’s AI-powered matching, where the system actually reads your job requirements and flags top matches. That’s become a real force multiplier for lean hiring teams.

Claire Monroe

Yeah, I keep hearing about interview scheduling too. Like, how some tools just handle the whole thing?

Edwin Carrington

Exactly. Especially if you’re dealing with volume. Automated scheduling takes the email ping-pong out of the equation—it finds availability, syncs calendars, and books the call. Done.And I’d add recruitment marketing and reporting to that core list. You need tools that get your roles out in the world and show you what’s actually working—without you having to cobble together data in a spreadsheet every month.

Claire Monroe

Okay, that’s actually a relief. I always worry there’s some secret “killer feature” I’m missing—but it sounds like the basics, done well, are still the big wins?

Edwin Carrington

Exactly. Automation. Candidate matching. Scheduling. Marketing. Reporting. Nail those, and you're ahead of the curve.And one more that’s often missed—but critical: integration. If your platform doesn’t play nicely with your ATS or CRM, you’re looking at a data silo nightmare. Suddenly you’ve got duplicate entries, missed updates, and friction every time someone tries to pull insights. It’s one of the biggest killers of adoption I’ve seen.

Claire Monroe

So integration isn’t just “nice to have”—it’s like... non-negotiable?

Edwin Carrington

It should be. Prioritize integration from the start and you’ll save yourself months of frustration.

Claire Monroe

Let me ask this—and maybe I’m outing myself—but why do so many leaders get totally overwhelmed by these tools? Is it just the jargon, or...?

Edwin Carrington

Partly. There’s a lot of buzzwords—“AI,” “pipelines,” “automated engagement”—that sound impressive but don’t always translate into clarity.But more than that, I think people try to solve everything at once. My advice is: pick your biggest bottleneck and find a tool that solves that well. Start there. Don’t aim for a perfect system on day one—just one that removes friction where it hurts most.

Claire Monroe

So focus over feature FOMO. That helps. Alright—let’s get into the fun part. What tools are actually standing out heading into 2025?

Edwin Carrington

There’s a lot of movement in the space, but a few names rise to the top. ClickUp is great for full-process tracking—especially if collaboration is a big need.Workable’s strong if you want deep AI sourcing and solid parsing. And Greenhouse? That’s your go-to if consistency and scalable workflows are what you care about. They’ve really leaned into structured hiring.

Claire Monroe

Zoho Recruit’s another one I’ve heard a lot about—especially for teams that want to tweak everything. And SeekOut, Manatal… they’re both doing interesting things with AI pipelines.At my last job, we tested a couple platforms, and—funny enough—it wasn’t the “most powerful” one we ended up picking. It was the one with the best onboarding. That training support? Honestly, it made all the difference.

Edwin Carrington

That tracks. A powerful tool that no one understands is just... unused potential. Training and onboarding should be on your evaluation checklist.And you mentioned ClickUp—real case study: QubicaAMF used their dashboards and automation features and cut reporting time by about 40%. That’s not fluff—that’s time back to your team.

Claire Monroe

That’s huge. And with Manatal, someone pointed out that their Chrome extension actually shows when you’ve already reviewed a candidate’s profile—inside the ATS. Like a built-in memory so you don’t waste time chasing the same person twice. Feels small, but it’s such a sanity-saver.

Edwin Carrington

Exactly. SeekOut does something similar on the sourcing side—they’re great for niche roles or teams with complex hiring needs.But even with all the tech, don’t forget the human side. If your team finds the tool frustrating, it won’t get used. Intuitiveness matters.

Claire Monroe

So the big idea here: there’s no “best” tool for everyone—just the right tool for you. Match it to your process, your people, your priorities...

Edwin Carrington

...and how fast your team can get up to speed. A tool that looks amazing in a demo but confuses your coordinators? That’s a slowdown waiting to happen.Think: adoption, integration, then advanced features—in that order.

Claire Monroe

That’s such a good mental checklist, especially for folks who don’t feel super tech-savvy. Alright, let’s shift to the messy part: the pitfalls. Because we all know software rollouts are never as smooth as the sales team makes them sound.

Edwin Carrington

Let’s talk about it. The biggest trap? Assuming the default settings will magically fit your workflow. They won’t.You need to customize: build workflows that reflect your stages, craft screening questions that match your values. Otherwise, the system starts working against you.

Claire Monroe

We ran into that! Used a default four-stage pipeline when we actually needed six—and it totally broke our visibility. Reporting was a mess. Took us weeks to figure out where things were falling through.

Edwin Carrington

That’s common. I hear similar complaints all the time—confusing dashboards, limited reporting, or steep learning curves.The better vendors—ClickUp, Greenhouse, Zoho—they’re investing in cleaner onboarding. But still: always demo, pilot, and get real feedback from the people who’ll live in the system daily.

Claire Monroe

Yes. Because “intuitive” means different things depending on who’s clicking. And if folks are scared to open the dashboard... back to spreadsheets you go.

Edwin Carrington

Exactly. Now—can we talk about the elephant in the room? AI.It’s not just hype anymore. Roughly 92% of companies are already seeing measurable benefits from AI in hiring. We’ve crossed the tipping point.But it raises a real question. Claire—would you trust an algorithm to shortlist your next teammate?

Claire Monroe

Oh wow—you’re putting me on the spot. I mean... part of me says yes, absolutely, for efficiency. Let the system scan the pile, flag skill matches, maybe catch stuff I’d overlook.But full trust? Nah. I’d still want to feel the fit in an interview. Chemistry, energy, those micro-signals—you can’t code those. At least, not yet.

Edwin Carrington

And I think that’s the future of hiring—using AI to lift the heavy stuff, surface the right data, move faster... but keeping humans in the loop for the moments that matter. Final calls, culture fit, intuition—that’s where leaders still lead.

Claire Monroe

Exactly. Use the tech to get you to the moment, not through it. Edwin, what’s your final word for folks eyeing new platforms this year?

Edwin Carrington

Keep it simple: choose tools that match how your team works today—not how a vendor wants you to work.Customize what matters. Pilot early. Train often. And if adoption lags? Don’t hesitate to pivot. There’s no gold medal for sticking with the wrong software.

Claire Monroe

Couldn’t agree more. And hey—if you’re wondering how to actually put all this into action, OAD offers behavioral assessments and hiring tools you can test for free at o-a-d-dot-a-i. It’s a smart way to build better-fit teams without spending hours in the weeds.

Edwin Carrington

Highly recommended. Especially if team alignment and smart decision-making are your north stars.

Claire Monroe

Thanks, Edwin—and thanks to all of you for listening. We’ll be back soon with another episode of The Science of Leading. Until then... lead with intention. See you next time.

Edwin Carrington

Take care, everyone.