IRIS Software Group (IRIS), one of the UK’s largest privately owned software companies, is today announcing it has acquired Blue Octopus, a leading provider of recruitment software and services in the UK. Founded in 2010 by brothers, Chris and Liam Coleman, Blue Octopus specialises in offering innovative recruitment and onboarding technology, managed recruitment services and

Blue Octopus has increased the versatility of its award-winning recruitment technology, Octo Platinum, through a new integration with pre-employment screening and vetting services provider Eurocom CI. The integration provides users with in-depth insights into potential hires, verifying their backgrounds and qualifications, and helping to ensure that the right candidates are hired for all roles. For

Blue Octopus is celebrating today after picking up the Technical Innovation award at yesterday’s Onrec Awards 2023 in London. The Onrec Awards, now in their 17th year, celebrate companies’ achievements in online recruitment. Blue Octopus first won an award in 2013, just three years after the company’s formation. Blue Octopus’ successful evening at the Onrec

Blue Octopus has been shortlisted in three separate categories for the Onrec Awards 2023: Best Online Candidate Experience (in conjunction with not-for-profit housing association Stonewater), Technical Innovation Award for the new Octo Platinum recruitment software, and Personality of the Year for Co-Founder and Joint Managing Director Chris Coleman. Blue Octopus provides an end-to-end recruitment process

Blue Octopus has announced a new partnership with equality, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I) solutions provider MeVitae to help users of Octo Platinum applicant tracking system (ATS) mitigate bias in the hiring process through CV anonymisation. MeVitae’s blind recruiting tool, which uses natural language processing, redacts over 20 parameters that could lead to discrimination, such as

Blue Octopus Recruitment is pleased to announce that it now offers full support of LinkedIn Job Wrapping, a feature that streamlines and simplifies the posting of new vacancies on LinkedIn. The integration enables users of the next-generation Octo Platinum applicant tracking system (ATS) to increase their productivity when advertising their vacancies on the world’s biggest

Recruitment cost per hire is an important metric in HR, for various reasons. First, it’s an accurate indicator of how resources are spent when hiring a single employee. Second, this KPI can help you determine how your business is performing relative to the industry average. And lastly, cost-per-hire is a useful metric in strategic HR

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of later-career workers over the age of 50 leaving the workplace has risen dramatically. This has created a scenario where companies are faced with the loss of substantial expertise and staff shortages. In today’s article, we look at why hiring experienced and older workers (aged 50-70)

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, most companies undertook all of their onboarding activities for new starters offline and in-person. Once lockdowns were implemented, many firms switched to a hybrid or fully remote working model for new starters. Unable to onboard the new employees in-person, demand for virtual onboarding took off and, as many companies have continued

If you’ve decided to take advantage of outsourced recruitment solutions, you will already recognise that your business will benefit from access to a richer pool of talent, a more streamlined recruitment process, and lower overall hiring costs. The challenge, however, is to choose your outsourcing recruitment specialist. As in all walks of life, there are businesses offering services

Integrating a new hire into an established team can be daunting for the new employee and his or her colleagues and managers. A good onboarding process will make recruits feel welcome, support them to establish and build productive relationships with colleagues, and ensure they have the tools and knowledge to perform their duties well, in as short

Many businesses benefit from outsourcing some or all of their recruitment function to a third-party specialist – not a recruitment agency but a managed recruitment services partner that works as part of your HR team to deliver better and more cost-effective talent acquisition. In this article, we examine the four main ways in which outsourced recruitment can

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) can – in theory – handle the entirety of the recruitment process. But despite an impressive level of automation, many essential processes still require direct human input. The best automation platforms don’t seek to exclude human input from the process but, rather, to augment and support the work of recruiters to maximise

If your HR department is overworked, or your talent acquisition and onboarding expenses are through the roof, you may benefit from investing in a new and better applicant tracking system (ATS). In today’s article, we take a look at how to choose the right applicant tracking system for your recruitment strategy, and answer our most

With its unparalleled efficiency, virtual onboarding has rapidly become the go-to option for HR departments during the pandemic and, increasingly, into the post-covid era. Both the approach and the technology are still innovative, so following a few basic steps can help companies get the most out of their upgraded onboarding experience. 1) Put Somebody In Charge Whether

Onboarding is critical to a new hire’s long-term integration with their team and their success as a productive employee. Companies with a carefully designed onboarding strategy enjoy better retention, engagement, and productivity rates. Like many other business processes, onboarding has recently gone virtual during the pandemic. This can present additional challenges for businesses, but there are some key

Hiring the right talent is a crucial factor in the success of a business venture. This is why it’s essential to have a smooth and effective recruitment process in place. However, this is often easier said than done. Talent acquisition and onboarding has become increasingly complex as the needs of businesses become more sophisticated. When

Workplace diversity recognises the unique strengths of each employee and their potential to make a positive impact on the success of the organisation. A commitment to diversity also enables a more talented workforce to be recruited: you can access a richer candidate pool to source employees with a wider range of skills, experiences, and personalities. This

Being a good interviewer is a lot harder than people think. Recruitment specialists have several tried and tested strategies that can help interviewers to hone their skills and get the most out of every minute of the process. Here’s how to get started. Step One: Preparation Getting ready for the interview can save a lot

Writing the perfect job advertisement can be a tricky business. The job ad needs to stand out from the crowd, contain all the right details, and accurately reflect the ethos of the organisation. Thankfully, there are a few easy steps to find the ideal candidate. Here’s how: 1) Think About The Type of Person You Want