If you’re considering a candidate relationship management (CRM) system, you’re probably wondering: Do I really need this when I already have a database within our applicant tracking system (ATS)?
Put simply? Yes. Because an ATS can be like a black hole —candidates go in, but they rarely come out. To truly engage, nurture and convert talent; you need a system to build relationships.
A recruitment CRM supercharges your hiring process by enhancing and unifying your entire tech stack. From AI-powered sourcing and automated workflows to candidate engagement and targeted outreach: it’s technology designed to make hiring more efficient —and effective.
Your ATS alone is not enough
Applicant tracking systems (ATS) hold a longstanding record as the cornerstone of recruitment tech. They help organisations track and guide jobseekers through various stages of the application process. But as finding top talent gets trickier, your ATS only shows half the picture.
While an ATS is an indispensable tool post-application, there needs to be an equal focus on how to target, track, and guide candidates pre-application. Job boards are expensive, with declining engagement —and quality candidates often prefer to apply for jobs via networks, not faceless job ads. Recent PageUp research shows it takes just four applications from your talent community to make a hire —a massive improvement compared to 74 applications per hire from job boards.
This is where a candidate relationship management system becomes invaluable. It extends your recruitment capabilities, allowing you to build and nurture networks with candidates —before they even apply for a role. It helps recruitment teams target particular talent segments, engage candidates over time, and ensure that no opportunity slips through the cracks.
With candidate relationship management software, recruiters can focus on the human element of hiring: cultivating a pool of connected, qualified candidates —ready when you need them.
Key features to look for in a candidate relationship management system
Unfortunately, not all recruitment CRMs are created equal. When evaluating a candidate relationship management system, you’ll want to ensure it has the right tools to truly impact your hiring process. Let’s unpack a few of the must-have features to look out for:
Talent pipeline management
Look for a recruitment CRM that allows you to build and manage talent pipelines, so you’re always prepared with a pool of qualified candidates when you need them. The ability to segment your talent pool based on criteria like skills, experience, or preferences means you can engage the right people, at the right time, with the right message —at scale.
Automated candidate engagement
Building and nurturing relationships with candidates is key to a successful recruitment strategy —but it can be very time-consuming. Choose a candidate relationship management tool that offers automated nurture campaigns as a low-touch way to keep your organisation top-of-mind for passive candidates. Bonus points for AI-powered content delivery, targeted job alerts, and automated follow-ups to keep candidates warm —without extra legwork for the hiring team.
Engagement scoring
A recruitment CRM that tracks and scores candidate engagement will help you prioritise your hiring efforts. Look for a system that analyzes interactions —like email opens, clicks, and application updates —giving you actionable insights that help you focus on the most engaged candidates. That way, you can tailor your follow-up messaging to maximise conversion.
Smart candidate workflows
Time is of the essence in recruitment, and smart workflows help navigate the repetitive tasks that slow you down. Build automated tagging, sharing, and application workflows, so you can focus on nurturing relationships —not chasing tasks. With AI assisting behind the scenes, your workflows can automatically adapt based on candidate behavior, ensuring you never miss a thing.
Recruitment dashboards and analytics
The use of heatmap technology can inform recruiters what candidates are engaging with on your careers site to tailor communications and negotiations to candidates interests. Dashboards provide at-a-glance insights into your recruitment efforts, from sourcing performance to candidate engagement. A good recruitment CRM allows you to customise these dashboards to your specific KPIs, giving you real-time access to the data that matters most.
AI and automation
High-calibre candidate CRMs elevate recruitment with automation and AI. Automation streamlines repetitive tasks like candidate outreach and engagement workflows, allowing recruiters to focus on building relationships with potential candidates. AI goes a step further, surfacing the best fit talent based on candidate skills, and optimises existing content for your careers site or jobs ads —keeping content fresh and engaging. Savvy recruitment teams are looking for solutions that can keep pace with innovation —making AI and automation must-have features for 2025.
Broad integration capabilities
Your recruitment CRM shouldn’t exist in a vacuum. Integration with external platforms like LinkedIn, job boards, and your ATS is a must. By connecting these tools, you centralise candidate data, streamline workflows, and ensure a consistent experience across all stages of your recruitment experience. This unified approach also provides end-to-end visibility on your recruitment process —enabling smarter, data-driven decisions every step of the way.
Your sourcing superhero: Clinch’s LinkedIn CRM Connect Integration
Our LinkedIn CRM Connect integration allows recruiters to effortlessly bring candidate data from LinkedIn directly into their CRM. This simplifies the process of building and managing talent pipelines and enables recruiters to nurture relationships with candidates —without switching platforms. It means recruiters can harness LinkedIn’s extensive network while benefiting from the comprehensive engagement and workflow management that a candidate CRM provides. It’s the definition of win-win.
The ultimate tool for proactive recruitment
While this may seem like a lot to find in one system, the good news is: the Clinch CRM checks all these boxes and more. The Recruitment Marketing Suite is an all-in-one tool for enhancing your recruitment process and driving real, measurable results. Want the proof? Take a look at how Golden Hippo transformed their hiring with Clinch’s powerful recruitment solution:
Case study: Golden Hippo’s success with Clinch CRM
Golden Hippo is a direct-to-consumer company with a portfolio of over 20 brands in the health and wellness, beauty, and pet food sectors. Faced with rapid growth, the recruitment team was struggling to meet their hiring targets. But, after implementing the Clinch Recruitment Marketing Suite, Golden Hippo was able to build an engaged talent community using their recruitment CRM. The result? A steady supply of engaged candidates, familiar with the brand, and ready to hit ‘apply’.
The Golden Hippo team saw:
- A 37% reduction in time-to-hire
- 5 hours per week saved per recruiter on sourcing and outreach
- 16% of total hires from proactive sourcing
- 25% faster closure of hard-to-fill roles
Your recruitment strategy needs a CRM
Clinch’s CRM is built to enhance every stage of your recruitment process —whether it’s sourcing, engaging, or converting top candidates. With features like LinkedIn CRM Connect integration and AI-powered recommendations, Clinch enables you to attract, nurture, and hire quality talent —faster than ever before.
Ready to hire smarter? Explore Clinch’s CRM and accelerate your talent attraction strategy today.
