Recruiters and hiring teams are tired of spending hours chasing forms, syncing calendars, and wrangling spreadsheets. It doesn’t have to be this hard.

In our Hiring Trends in 2025 report, automation and streamlining came out as the top priority for recruiters looking to improve their hiring process. If you’re ready to simplify the chaos, here’s how recruitment automation can do the heavy lifting so you can focus on hiring well.

In this guide:

• What’s slowing down your hiring process?
• Using automation tools to manage the heavy lifting
• 5 epic benefits of recruitment automation that go beyond speed
• Where to start your automation journey

What’s slowing down your hiring process?

If your recruitment process feels heavier than it should, chances are, you’re spending excess time on tasks like:

• chasing approvals and forms
• manually triggering background checks or references across multiple platforms
• updating spreadsheets or sending check-in emails
• coordinating interview logistics
• tracking candidate progress across multiple systems.

None of these tasks are difficult on their own but together, they stack up fast (often at the expense of candidate care, manager engagement and clear, reliable reporting).

Using automation tools to manage the heavy lifting

When we refer to automation, we’re not talking about Skynet taking over your entire recruitment process and “removing” the humans. Smart recruitment automation means removing the parts of your process that drain your time without adding value. 

Hiring automation tools can:

• automate reminders and nudges to keep hiring steps moving
• send instant updates when candidates complete key actions
• trigger background checks or references without manual input
• show in real-time progress from a single dashboard (no chasing or multi-systems needed!)
• create structured workflows that make approvals simple and fast.

When done right, automation frees your human team to do what they do best: connect, assess, and deliver great hiring outcomes.

5 benefits of automated background checks that go beyond speed

Faster is always a goal – faster hiring decisions mean bums in seats sooner. But smart hiring teams use automation to get more than just their time back. 

Here are five benefits of automating your background checks:

1. Clarity 

Know where every candidate is, what’s complete and what’s outstanding, all in one place.

2. Consistency

Every step, every time. No more skipping or redoing work. Candidates will enjoy a smoother, more transparent process, too.

3. Oversight

See delays before they become problems. Spot inefficiencies and fix them quickly.

4. Accuracy

Reduce human error, especially in compliance-heavy steps like background screening or work rights checks.

5. Scalability

Scaling fast? What works for five hires a month can also work for fifty.

Automating your background checks can help you build a better experience, avoid compliance concerns, and expand your talent pool with no extra effort.

Where to start your automation journey

Your recruitment process doesn’t need a full (and expensive) tech overhaul for automation to really work. You can start simply and quickly by focusing on that one step in your hiring process that chews up most of your time.

Some easy wins to get you started:

• Automating ID and work rights checks.
• Triggering reference requests as soon as a candidate reaches a milestone.
• Setting up standard email templates for candidate updates.
• Replacing approval emails with a built-in workflow.

Pick one area, streamline it, and build momentum from there. How refreshingly easy is that?

Recruitment automation helps you win the messy admin battle

Recruitment automation can be a game changer for slow or outdated hiring processes because it removes the repetitive, time-consuming tasks that slow you down and stop you doing what you do best – hiring well.

Start small by conquering your biggest roadblock first. We predict that you’ll feel so overcome with satisfaction at your improved hiring decisions, speed and efficiency, you’ll streamline your entire process. 

Want less messy admin?

Hire smarter with Checkmate. Book a demo today.

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