Recruitment software for small businesses

Simple recruitment software for small businesses that need to hire well.

Polar Recruitment Manager is an applicant tracking and hiring system built for small businesses. Manage vacancies, applicants, interviews, candidate comparisons, recruitment costs and hiring decisions in one connected place.

✓ Applicant tracking ✓ Candidate management ✓ Interview management ✓ Recruitment analytics
Inside Polar · Recruitment Manager Example only
Hiring brief

Office & Customer Coordinator

Live vacancies 1
Applicants 7
Interviews 2
Recruitment cost £184
Polar recommends: Sarah and Aisha are the strongest current candidates. Complete both interviews before narrowing the shortlist.
Hiring should not become another admin problem

Stop running recruitment through inboxes, spreadsheets and scraps of notes.

Hiring one person can quickly create dozens of emails, CVs, interview notes, reminders and decisions. Polar keeps the recruitment process together so the owner can see what is happening and what needs attention next.

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CVs scattered across email Keep applicant information together rather than searching old messages.
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Interview notes in different places Keep candidate evaluation and interview information attached to the hiring journey.
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No clear shortlist Compare applicants using the same information before making the hiring decision.
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No idea what recruitment is costing See recruitment sources and costs rather than simply paying for another advert.
Applicant Tracking System

A simple ATS without the enterprise complexity.

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) helps a business manage job applicants through the hiring process.

Polar gives small businesses the useful parts of applicant tracking software — vacancy management, candidate management, interview progress, comparisons and hiring decisions — without expecting the owner to become an HR specialist.

Know who has applied

Keep every applicant connected to the vacancy and their current recruitment stage.

Know who needs attention

See who needs reviewing, interviewing, following up or making a decision on.

Keep hiring decisions consistent

Compare candidates against the same role requirements rather than relying on memory alone.

Keep the recruitment journey connected

Move from applicant tracking into employee onboarding without starting again.

Recruitment workflow

From vacancy to applicant to interview to hire.

Polar gives the business one clear hiring workflow so every stage follows naturally from the one before it.

1

Vacancy management

Set the role, salary, requirements and what a good candidate looks like before applications arrive.

2

Applicant tracking

Keep candidate details, source, availability and application status together.

3

Candidate comparison

Compare applicants side by side using consistent information and role requirements.

4

Interview management

Plan interviews, record progress and keep hiring decisions attached to each candidate.

5

Hire & onboarding

Move the successful candidate into Polar People so the employee journey can continue.

Candidate management

See the recruitment picture at a glance.

Applicant tracking becomes much easier when the owner can immediately see who is in the process, where they are and which candidates need attention.

Hiring Board

Office & Customer Coordinator · Northampton

7 Applicants
3 Review
2 Interview
0 Hired

Sarah Jones

Customer service coordinator · Northampton

88%
Available: 2 weeks Source: Indeed Stage: Interview

Aisha Khan

Office administrator · Rugby

84%
Available: Immediate Source: Referral Stage: Review

Candidate Comparison

Compare the strongest applicants using the same hiring criteria.

Candidate Essential fit Availability
Sarah Jones 88% 2 weeks
Aisha Khan 84% Immediate
Daniel Moore 72% 4 weeks
Polar says: Sarah currently has the strongest overall fit. Aisha is close behind and available sooner, so both deserve interview attention before the shortlist is narrowed.
Recruitment management software

The hiring tools a small business actually needs.

Polar brings the important parts of recruitment management into one place without turning a straightforward hire into a complicated HR project.

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Vacancy & Job Management

Create the vacancy, salary, essential requirements and hiring criteria before the recruitment process begins.

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Applicant Tracking

Track every candidate from application through review, interview and final hiring decision.

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Candidate Management & Comparison

Compare applicants side by side using the same role information rather than relying on memory or scattered notes.

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Interview Management

Keep interview status, candidate evaluation, decisions and next actions connected to the applicant.

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Recruitment Analytics & Costs

Understand applicant sources, recruitment spending and which routes are producing useful candidates.

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Hiring & Onboarding Handover

Carry the successful candidate into Polar People so onboarding can begin with information already collected.

Recruitment analytics

Know where your applicants are coming from — and what hiring is costing.

Small businesses can easily spend money on job boards without knowing whether those adverts are producing useful applicants. Polar keeps recruitment source and cost information alongside the hiring journey so future recruitment decisions can improve.

Indeed 4 applicants £126
Employee referral 2 applicants £0
Company website 1 applicant £0
Other advertising 0 applicants £58
Polar says: Referrals are currently producing strong candidates at no advertising cost. Review this before increasing paid recruitment spend.
Hiring and onboarding

Recruitment should not end at “Hired”.

Once the successful applicant is chosen, Polar can carry their core information into Polar People so the employee journey continues without starting from a blank record.

✓ Candidate marked as hired
✓ Core candidate information retained
✓ Employee record begins with context
✓ Onboarding continues in Polar People
Recruitment software for UK small businesses

Built for the business owner hiring people — not an HR department managing thousands.

Many recruitment platforms are designed around specialist HR and talent acquisition teams. Polar Recruitment Manager is designed around the reality of running a small business.

You need to know who applied, who looks promising, who needs interviewing, what recruitment is costing and what happens when you hire someone. Polar keeps that clear.

✓ Plain-English applicant tracking rather than complicated recruitment terminology.
✓ Candidate information connected to the rest of the business.
✓ Recruitment decisions visible without digging through spreadsheets.
✓ A natural handover from recruitment into employee management.
Recruitment software FAQs

Common questions about applicant tracking and hiring software.

What is recruitment software?

Recruitment software helps a business organise the hiring process. It can bring vacancies, applicants, candidate information, interviews, decisions and recruitment activity into one place.

What is an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)?

An Applicant Tracking System, often called an ATS, is software used to keep track of job applicants as they move through the recruitment process. Polar provides simple applicant tracking designed around the needs of small businesses.

Does a small business need an applicant tracking system?

A small business may not need a large enterprise ATS, but applicant tracking becomes useful as soon as several people apply for the same role. It helps prevent CVs, interview notes and hiring decisions from becoming scattered across email and spreadsheets.

How can I keep track of job applicants?

Polar Recruitment Manager keeps applicants attached to the vacancy and shows where each person is in the hiring process, such as application, review, interview or hired.

Can Polar help compare candidates?

Yes. Candidate comparison helps the business review applicants using consistent information and the requirements of the role rather than relying entirely on memory or first impressions.

Can Polar manage recruitment interviews?

Polar Recruitment Manager keeps interview progress and hiring decisions connected to the candidate so the business can see what has happened and what needs to happen next.

Can Polar track recruitment costs?

Recruitment source and cost information can be kept alongside the hiring journey so the business can understand which advertising, referral or other recruitment sources are producing useful applicants.

What happens when I hire someone?

The successful candidate can continue into Polar People so the employee and onboarding journey starts with information the business has already collected during recruitment.

Is Polar Recruitment Manager suitable for UK small businesses?

Polar Recruitment Manager is designed specifically around the practical hiring needs of small businesses, giving owners a simpler way to manage recruitment without needing a dedicated HR or recruitment department.

Polar Recruitment Manager

Hire with confidence, not just speed.

Manage vacancies, applicants, interviews, candidate comparisons, recruitment costs and hiring decisions in one connected small-business recruitment system.