In the past year alone, there’s been a real explosion in the HR app, technology and platform market. Practitioners need to be across these new tools, as they can save you huge amounts of time, effort and money.

While you’re waiting for the next big enterprise system upgrade to be approved, you might want to consider a smaller, cheaper and nimbler HR app instead.

Here are ten HR apps, software systems and tech platforms that you should definitely be using.

1. Myjoboffer.com.au

This HR app has to be one of my favourites. As the name suggests, this site automates your job offers and provides users a suite of customisable features such as payroll forms, policy and procedure documents, and more. Even better, you can sync it with internal networks to make sure your new hire is ready to go from day one. When things go this smoothly from the start, it creates a memorable first impression.

2. Enboarder.com

Once you’ve successfully on-boarded your new employee, this HR app promises to help make their first days smooth and engaging. It basically includes everything you would consider best practice: giving the candidate a welcome call after the offer letter is signed; coordinating a coffee with their manager during week one; or assigning a work buddy to welcome them into the team. The interface lets you customise workflows for different functions, and it all comes together in a system that’s mobile and responsive.

3. Jobvibe.me

I just love this one. This product is all about employee engagement and team leadership. It suits any size team – from a small call centre to a national operation. It provides morale tracking and issue identification within the team to help managers stay tuned into what employees are thinking. How does it work? Every week your team rates how they’re feeling about work via their mobile devices. Feedback is aggregated and shared so everyone knows what’s going on. The whole team then works together to solve issues and celebrate what’s great.

 4. Skills-base.com

More ‘skills inventory software’ than an app, but again, really cheap and easy to use to create your own customised skills matrix. This software allows for simple, yet powerful skills management and could be applied to any size organisation. It helps companies to internally source skilled employees for a job, client or project. It can be used to keep track of skills, licenses or qualifications, and information can be filtered by individual, job role, team or even geographical location.

5. Expr3ss!.com

This one is best described as software that solves staff selection. It quickly and cost-effectively matches only those applicants with the right skills, attitudes and cultural fit required for your organisation. As CEO Carolyne Burns described it to me: “It takes the grunt work out of recruitment.” Through a short survey, this software identifies what candidates ‘can do’ (skills), ‘will do’ (open to), and ‘fit to’ (culture and behaviours).

6. Predictivehire.com

This one is where strategy meets technology meets HR. Sounds similar to the above but it’s actually very different. Clever and customised algorithms transform large volumes of people data into meaningful and actionable insights via their cloud-based app. This technology will shift your hiring-performance bell curve by increasing both workforce tenure and productivity. The best part is it’s totally mobile, cloud based and customisable. Such software presents huge opportunities to lift the performance of the whole workforce. Your CFO and CEO will love it.

7. Livehire

This is a software platform that helps industries build their own niche Livehire Talent Community, which ultimately enables them to have access to the talent pools they need on-demand. For example, if five hospitals are looking for nurses, why not combine your efforts, develop a talent community, and know who’s available for what shifts and for what pay rate? No need to send out heaps of rejection letters – just contact the people that are a match to your needs. HR can also apply this system to their internal talent pools and workforce planning. That is why organisations such as BUPA, KPMG, EY and Michael Hill are all embracing this new platform.

8. Vieple.com

Video interviewing has to be on this list. This clever HR app gives companies the ability to screen and see large numbers of candidates quickly at a time that best suits the hiring manager. Hiring managers provide feedback directly in the app, but HR still has oversight and can be involved with questions design and review manager’s scoring.

9. Pageuppeople.com

This is an oldie but still a goodie. Page Up is an integrated talent management system, including on-boarding and learning management systems, plus performance management, as well as recruitment modules. These are all fully integrated systems and customisable. It’s all cloud based so candidates can apply via their phone, get SMS alerts to an interview or be signed up by a recruiter at a careers fair via any smart device.

10. Socialtalent.co

Also not technically an HR app, but it has to be on this list. I would classify this as more of a methodology, with training courses on how to use social media to find candidates. They describe themselves as providing “the black belt of internet recruitment.” Originally recruiters from Ireland, these guys have taken Europe by storm with clever formulas (known as Boolean searching) to get better results when looking for your ideal candidates online via Facebook or LinkedIn. The online training modules are all short and funky with course titles such as ‘Recruitment Ninja’, ‘Black Belt’ and ‘Advanced Black Belt’. I particularly like their ‘Diversity Ninja’ program for recruiters. HR has been using the Boolean system for years – at least since the 19^th century, when George Boole invented it. But now training is available for everyone in easy to follow modules and support tools.

Of course, these are just some of the great HR apps out there. Missed anything? We’d love to know about your favourite HR tech platforms and apps. Let us know in the comments below.

Rachel Hill is the founder and managing director of Hill Consulting HRS. She is a recruitment expert, speaker and author, and auditor on recruitment best practices for organisations.