‍Introduction

In a world where companies constantly seek new and innovative ways to improve their HR processes, we’re on a mission to simplify the entire candidate and new hire experience. With a focus on user-friendly technology and unmatched customer support, Abode offers a range of features and capabilities that allow hiring teams to manage everything from post-offer keep-warm strategies through a new hire’s first year on the job. 

But, beyond just providing HR software, Abode is committed to building strong, mutual partnerships with some of the best companies in the world, working closely to understand their unique needs and challenges. In this post, we’ll dive into what sets Abode apart and explore why we’re passionate about helping businesses build better candidate experiences and workplaces. 

Where does Abode fit into the early career space?

Early-career talent is now Generation Z. Making up 13% of the workforce in 2022 and projected to more than double to 27% by 2025, this generation focuses on 3 main criteria when searching for and accepting a new role: transparency, expectations, and connections. At a minimum, they want to know, and be bought into, the full picture of what their role is, company mission and values, how they’re going to grow within the organization, and expanding their network. Companies need to modernize their strategy for recruiting, onboarding, and retaining early-career talent, all while providing an experience that Gen Z talent demands. 

And, if that’s not enough, currently, there is no central place for companies to build and manage this experience. For hiring teams, the current process is piecing together various tools and technologies (hi, Excel spreadsheets) in order to execute their communication and keep-warm strategy. This can be incredibly manual & time-consuming, inefficient, and result in a confusing or lacking experience for candidates. A poor candidate experience can result in not just turnover but lost revenue, unhappy candidates, and a marred employer brand. 

Put simply, Abode is changing & modernizing how companies communicate expectations, facilitate connections, and build community - the three components needed to build strategies catered to the newest workforce generation. 

How does Abode fit into my existing HR tech stack?

The HR tech market, valued at over $400 billion, is constantly expanding with a wider range of responsibilities beyond traditional HR processes like payroll and benefits administration. New areas such as sourcing and recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and emerging technologies like AI are becoming more prevalent. So, how does Abode fit in? Let’s look at your existing tech stack and the functionalities each piece brings to the table first. 

Applicant Tracking System

An Applicant Tracking System (commonly known as an ATS) is software that allows recruiters and employers to track and manage candidates, their resumes, and other candidate information. An ATS can help, well, track, and aggregate applicants across a variety of job boards and platforms and automate related tasks (screening, interview scheduling, resume reading, etc.). However, an ATS is just that: it tracks applications. Any additional communication or engagement is typically done outside of the ATS, in email, on LinkedIn, or through a CRM (more on that below!). 

Human Capital Management

Human Capital Management (also known as HCM) is a suite of tools that store, manage, and track detailed employee information such as payroll, benefits, time tracking, compensation, performance management, and more. HCM tools are a functional, fundamental part of any Human Resources team. 

Candidate Relationship Management

A Candidate Relationship Management (CRM) tool helps hiring teams build databases of talent. A talent CRM can track talent interactions, nurture inactive candidates, and analyze and organize results. Similar to Abode, talent CRMs can be helpful in centralizing a hiring team’s outreach efforts, yet they rely primarily upon email as a mode of communication with candidates. 

Abode

Abode’s platform provides visibility to candidates and hiring teams along the various commitment points of the hiring funnel. For candidates, Abode gives them insight and provides expectations around journey steps: microlearning pieces of content, action items, or resources to promote engagement, excitement, and preparation. For hiring teams, it means better candidate management and data collection to better understand and help predict candidate behavior. 

Organizations use Abode to connect candidates between the ATS and HCM, build community and create connections, and automate time-consuming administrative tasks such as sending emails or setting up email drip campaigns, updating spreadsheets, and more. Our bread and butter lie in the fact that your program management and organization can be hosted in Abode, instead of various other places. 

We challenge you to think: can your existing tech stack automate beyond emails? What about providing a centralized place for candidates to complete tasks or view company resources? What about the ability to natively integrate surveys into the candidate journey? Do you currently have a “one-stop shop” for your team and your candidates to operate out of? If not, it might be worth taking a look at our platform (schedule a demo here!). 

Who uses Abode?

The answer might surprise you, because while most HR tech systems are built for the recruiter or his/her hiring team, Abode is built with the candidate in mind. 

Our platform provides a true, candidate-first experience. What we’re doing is aligning company ecosystems to what early-career talent wants: we’re the tool providing transparency, communication, engagement, and community so that your candidates feel prepared, supported, and successful as they assimilate into your organization. 

That’s not to say recruiters and hiring teams don’t benefit from Abode too - they absolutely do! We empower teams to have better, more sophisticated insights into candidate activity and behavior so they can understand which candidates may be trending towards turnover. Ditch the spreadsheets and integrate directly with your HRIS or ATS. Our technology doesn’t compete with the tech stack you’re already using (unless you’re using Excel spreadsheets - then we’ll replace those!) - it simply layers on top to surface the right data and the right time, across the right systems. 

Is Abode just for early career?

No! Although, in our minds, it’s a great place to start.  We focus on early career for four main reasons:

• There’s a continual investment. For enterprise companies, early-career talent is often the largest volume of hiring. 
• It’s a unique space. The timeline and duration to hire early talent is longer, more comprehensive, and competitive. 
• There’s a larger impact. The turnover (or renege) rates in the early career space surpass those of mid-to-late career jobs. 
• We have a vested interest. Our co-founders saw first-hand the gaps and opportunities within their own internship processes and experiences. 

The introduction and assimilation of Gen Z in the workplace have changed the way teams attract, engage, recruit, and retain talent…and we’re here to rise to the challenge. However, Abode can be configured for any team, department, or business unit that hires, engages, and retains employees. 

What’s the story behind Abode?

Abode’s story starts back in the late 2010s when our co-founders launched their first company to connect homeowners and college students for odd jobs and chores. Since then, Abode has grown from three founders to a team of 16 and has evolved from a souring platform to a content creation agency hosting podcasts and blog content to a venture-backed company with a platform that helps the biggest and best companies in the world engage and retain their early-career talent.

Our name, Abode, refers to our platform as “a place of residence; a house or home,” something we always strive to be for candidates and hiring teams alike. You can read all about our name and the reasons why we chose “Abode” here. 

Key Takeaways

As companies continue navigating the ever-changing landscape of HR, Abode remains committed to providing innovative and user-friendly technology solutions to simplify and improve a candidate’s post-offer, engagement, and retention experiences. To see Abode’s platform in action, get in touch with our team here. 

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