If you’ve recently purchased a new recruitment tool or software, the next step is to create a plan for user adoption.

1. 5 Tips to Drive
Recruiter Adoption

2. If you’ve recently purchased a new recruitment tool or software, the next step is to create
a plan for user adoption. According to CareerBuilder’s recent Insights Survey, nearly half
of talent acquisition professionals (46 percent) say HR is responsible for driving software
adoption within the internal recruitment team. Fortunately, we’ve got some tried-and-true
tips to help you get started.
Some tactics that have been found to be the most successful in driving adoption, according to
talent acquisition professionals include:
• Ongoing communication (55 percent)
• Ongoing training (50 percent)
• Good vendor partnership (40 percent)
• Time and experience of rollout (33 percent)
• Dedicated support from software vendor (32 percent)
• On-demand training (31 percent)
• Getting recruiter buy-in before software purchase (17 percent)
You will notice each of these reflected in the following tips to get recruiters engaged with the
tool so it becomes a natural part of their jobs.

3. 1
Get recruiters involved in choosing the tool. The key to getting recruiters to use any new
tool is to involve them in the selection process as early as possible. (Think: initial sales
meetings.) Not only will you get critical insight and feedback that will help you make the best
purchase, but you will also have the added benefit of early buy-in if they feel like they were
directly involved in choosing the tool.
Get executive buy-in. The real key to driving adoption of any new system or tool is to get
executive buy-in or a key stakeholder with authority to help support your goals. Getting them
in your corner prior to adoption is a huge win.
Define what success will look like. One of the first steps is to clearly define what adoption
will look like with your recruiters as well as the vendor. What will success look like? What
objectives are you looking to achieve? Once everyone is on the same page and is held
accountable to a set of metrics, you will have the clarity you need on what will make this a
success after implementation.
Involve your team long before you sign a contract.

4. 2
Keep key stakeholders in the loop. Bring together key stakeholders and create an internal
communication plan that spans throughout implementation and launch. This allows
recruiters and other relevant teams to feel like they are in the loop and not surprised by any
major changes down the road.
Communicate milestones. Aim to communicate regularly about milestones and progress at
the interval that makes the most sense; every two weeks or monthly are usually
good intervals.
Collect success stories. Gather recruiter success stories and hiring manager testimonials.
Share these stories when you’re ready to launch to prove the value of using the new tool.
Communicate throughout the implementation.

5. 3
Put deadlines in place. This one seems obvious, but if you don’t create a sense of urgency
around deadlines, adoption of the tool will lag — something you can’t afford. That’s why it’s
important to set clear deadlines in terms of when you expect your team to begin using the
tool. Put yourself in their shoes for a minute — if given a choice, you will probably stick to
using an old tool you’re familiar with for as long as possible, even if it isn’t the best decision
for the company overall.
Have a “launch party.” Once you’re ready to roll out the tool, consider scheduling an official
launch meeting. (P.S. – If you can buy lunch or treats for the team, even better!) Having the
first meeting in person is ideal so there is a greater participation in and engagement with the
tool; follow-up trainings can be virtual. During the meeting, start by telling the story of why
you selected the tool you did and how it will impact the recruiters’ process and success.
Set clear deadlines and expectations when
you’re ready to launch.

6. 4
Cater to different user groups. Different groups — recruiters, hiring managers, etc. — will
use the tool a little differently, so a one-size-fits-all training is not ideal. The good news is you
don’t have to do it alone — work with your vendor to create a training plan that targets each
group of users. It will be important to set expectations for how each group should use the
tool with that in mind.
Think about change management. Will implementing this new tool be a big change for
your recruiters? Will it impact their day-to-day activities? If so, make sure you are providing
a commensurate amount of communication and training to ensure a smooth transition.
Remember: Change can be hard, so offer recruiters the support they need to get them up
and running as soon as possible. Consider scheduling chair-side meetings to understand your
team’s current process — that will help you identify training opportunities.
Take steps to make the transition as smooth as possible.
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7. Make the training content easily accessible. Create a central place for training content —
such as the company intranet or shared folders — so recruiters can easily reference tips and
tricks as they continue to learn how best to use the tool.
Empower ambassadors to work on your behalf. Identify and reward early adopters who are
using the tool well. It will be a huge win if you can rally that group of advocates to help drive
adoption among their peers.
Consider gamification. Gamification can be a great way to drive change — not to mention,
have some fun in what can otherwise be a stressful process. Create a leaderboard and fuel
some inter-team competition to keep everyone engaged throughout the
full-transition phase.
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8. 5
Hold your team accountable. Accountability is critical to implementing any tool or process
change. Hold your team to clear and actionable goals.
Have a plan to onboard new members. Make sure you outline a process that can easily be
replicated to train and onboard new team members. Take pieces of your overall training plan
that would get new users ramped up in little to no time.
Communicate the ongoing value of the tool. How can the tool continue to add more value to
recruiters? What additional parts of the recruitment process can the tool help to simplify or
automate? Recruiters will be attracted to and use the tool for the long term if it helps them
do their jobs faster and more efficiently.
Put a plan in place to achieve long-term success.

9. About CareerBuilder
As the global leader in human capital solutions, CareerBuilder specializes in cutting-edge
HR software as a service to help companies with every step of the recruitment process from
acquire to hire. CareerBuilder works with top employers across industries, providing job
distribution, sourcing, workflow, CRM, data and analytics in one pre-hire
platform. It also operates leading job sites around the world. Owned by TEGNA Inc
(NYSE:TGNA), Tribune Media (NYSE:TRCO) and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI),
CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, South America,
Canada and Asia.
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