CareerPlug Expert Reviews, Pricing, Alternatives - 2023

Unlike other tools in this category, CareerPlug uses job description templates to help build postings. Other aspects of their hiring process are also template-based.

CareerPlug is a hiring software made for blue-collar industries. Given the high turnover rate and the difficulty in finding restaurant staff, especially in the wake of the coronavirus, CareerPlug has simplified hiring with an easy-to-use applicant tracking system (ATS). Though their solutions are geared towards restaurants, they can be used for hiring across other blue-collar industries such as cleaning services, health and fitness, personal care, and retail.  

The company's core mission is to make hiring easier, which they have done with a software that gives you the ability to recruit and manage your hiring process with plug-n'-play tools that help create and promote job postings as well as screen and evaluate candidates. These four processes form the basis of the platform’s operation, and they all work together to ensure you don’t spend as much time looking for the right candidate. This is especially true for the screening process which we really appreciate in the software. 

CareerPlug’s screening stage filters the candidate pool in a way that brings the most qualified applicants, according to your set parameters, to the top of your list. By doing so, you are setting yourself up for success in the interview stages. Most candidates complain about the sheer number of interviews they have to go through to get the job, and that is because hiring managers often schedule multiple interviews in a bid to get to know the candidate before they commit. CareerPlug’s screening process eliminates all that and improves the quality of your interviews by giving you basic candidate information beforehand.

Being a mobile-first solution, prospective candidates can interact with your postings on their mobile devices. They can start, participate, and complete the hiring process via text messaging and email. Applicants can also schedule interviews from their phones and sign onboarding documents digitally.

Lastly, the company is committed to helping managers improve their hiring process. From time to time, they publish recruitment insights, strategies, and research in their resource center to help you make the right hires. In a recent publication, they surveyed employees in 11 different industries to learn what makes a workplace toxic and what employers can do to become a better place to work and retain their staff. Things like these can help businesses escape the high turnover and low retention pandemic that is plaguing most blue-collar industries.

CareerPlug is not the best software outside the blue-collar hiring domain.

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• Job posting builder: To make the hiring process less hectic for managers, CareerPlug has provided job description templates for common blue-collar positions such as line cooks, waiters, fitness supervisors, swim instructors, sales associates, and so on.  
• Branded careers page: With CareerPlug, you get a branded careers page you can host on your website. As it is with other CareerPlug features, this feature requires little to no effort from your end. You simply need to define some parameters, such as adding your company logo, some team photos, social media pages, etc., and the system will build the page using modern mobile-optimized designs. 
• Applicant screening: Like most of the features, CareerPlug’s applicant screening is template-based; offering you a set of questions to filter and select candidates that have the skills, availability, and work authorization to be eligible for your roles.
• Electronic onboarding: CareerPlug allows you to upload onboarding documents (offer letter, legal documents, I-9, W-4, etc.) via the "Forms" feature. You can also digitally add fillable fields and signature areas on uploaded documents. These documents can be sent to your prospective hire and stored in the system. 
• Applicant verification: During the onboarding process, the system allows you to run background checks to verify the authenticity of the applicant’s record. They have partnered with two background check companies — Universal Background Screening, Inc., and Accurate — to make this possible. ‍
• Interview guides: CareerPlug allows you to structure your interviews for a desired result rather than leaning solely on gut feeling. They provide a series of questions to get you started and scorecards to measure the outcome of the interview.

CareerPlug integrates with major job boards including Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Facebook Jobs, Glassdoor, and Simply Hired. The software also integrates with Universal background screening and Outmatch, a talent management platform.

CareerPlug does not reveal their prices on their website. You will have to book a demo to see what works for you and get a quote.

CareerPlug is best suited for blue collar hiring.

CareerPlug provides educational resources such as reports, best practice articles, and how to blogs, in their resource center. This also includes technical information on how best to use the software, and host webinars from time to time, especially when new features come out. You can always reach them via the customer care line they provided on their website.

Clint Smith founded CareerPlug in 2007 with the hopes of creating a better way for employers to find quality applicants. He started the company in his apartment after working in investment banking for a couple of years.

The company initially started as a recruitment marketing service provider for large companies. It wasn’t until 2011 that Smith decided to change course and focus on small businesses, particularly retailers and franchisees. In early 2012, the app launched and has been doing well since. Today they serve over 14,000 businesses in a range of blue-collar industries.