Do you want to take over the world, or simply champion the boutique, lone wolf approach? That’s the first stage.

The next is identifying the software you will use on a day-to-day basis. While many will still opt for the good old fashioned spreadsheet and notebook (there is quite a charm in keeping things ‘old school’), you will not be able to sustain this way of working for long. You can’t thrive and grow without a plan in place for collating, storing and tracking the information that is frankly critical to survival.

But what to look for? And how do you make an informed decision when there are so many options available?

Do you use your experience with past employers and make your choice based on what they used? It sounds like a good place to start, but it’s important to remember that what worked for them may not work for you.

Cheap is good as it allows you to streamline costs during a period where overheads are vital, but this is ultimately never a good route to go down. Functionality will be severely limited and eventually you will outgrow it, and you will have to switch providers – and migrate your data with it!

You’re then likely to look at the very top end of the market, because they must carry an inflated price tag for a reason, right? These products look and feel fantastic and have loads of added features, but on closer inspection, are these really suitable for you? Despite looking good, they will be complicated, and learning how to use it will be a job in itself. In reality, these wonderful added features are nothing more than ‘nice-to-haves’ – you may use them once or twice but they won’t really provide any value. Is it worth the price?

So, what should you be looking for? At this early stage, you require the fundamentals: solid, robust software that offers your data a secure home, and allows you to record, store and navigate with consummate ease – simple is better! You also want to make sure that your chosen solution provides you with the ability to scale up and grow as your business expands, and one that offers flexibility in where you are able to use it.

It’s a tough but crucial decision, but be assured there are plenty of solutions available to you that tick the right boxes. Safeguarding the future of your business is one of the first things to keep an eye on, and your choice of soft ware is something that will influence this. It needs to be simple, it needs to be quick, it needs to be effective and ultimately it needs to make your life easier. The right solution is definitely out there, you just need to look.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: James Penney is Divisional Sales and Accounts Manager at Evolve. Coming from recruitment and marketing, he’s well placed to translate the needs of the modern day recruiter into practical, simple solutions. James doesn’t think that recruitment software should be complicated, instead believing in straightforward solutions that truly makes life easier.

EVOLVE (FCP INTERNET)

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