We all have our little wish lists of things we want someone cool to invent, like, immediately. One of mine? Most recently (as in, this past Sunday), I had a moment of panic and thought I was out of my beloved Metropolis coffee. Right then, I longed for the existence of at-home coffee delivery. You say lazy; I say easy and time-saving. I’m sure someone, somewhere, has already thought of this — and for those poor decaffeinated folks out there, I sure hope so.

When we stop to think about it, most of the little gadgets we desire do something for us. They may save us time, money, hassle, for instance. As an employer, your hiring wish list is likely long. But those little tools — the ones that make it easier for you to talk with candidates, store your needed information (and access it at a moment’s notice), and communicate with your fellow colleagues about your open positions — are often the most valuable.

The dish: One-click candidate communication

The gist: Within both “My Applications” in your Job Postings and “My Resumes” in your Resume Database access, you can communicate with candidates as well as co-workers with just a simple click. Instead of opening a dozen windows on your computer, logging into your e-mail system, or having to open your Word documents and figure out how and where to store necessary information, you can just click a link and communicate. The best part? You don’t even have to leave the site — you can do it all within “My CareerBuilder.”

Also known as: The complimentary continental breakfast of CareerBuilder’s Free Tools You Can Use.

Why: You can communicate easily and you can get what you need — and quickly. Also, pancakes! Choose from a variety of helpful tools, when and where you need them. The tools are always available — utilize them at your convenience.

How to get it: Click into a candidate’s application. Seeing the full-view version? Okay, good. A box with these tools can be found to the left-hand side of the application you are viewing.

Once you click into a candidate’s actual application, you can:

• Email a candidate directly – Click “Email candidate.” You will be directed to an email form. From here, you can also CC other people and include a previously created Letter (or enter new email text). Once you’re done, simply hit “send.” Congrats, you’ve just emailed a candidate, and it didn’t take ten minutes.
• Forward a candidate’s application – Click “Forward application.” This works in a very similar fashion to “email candidate”; you will be directed to an email form in which you can enter the email address of the person or persons you would like to forward the application to. You may also include a message if you like (or, if you’re not big on email etiquette, just leave it blank). Hit send. Done.
• Save an application to one of your folders – Click “Save to Folder.” You are then given the option to “Create a folder” to drop the application into, or select a previously created folder. Organize your applications easily, while they are still top of mind.

Why you need it: Communication with candidates and your colleagues easily and effectively — and organize your applications with just a click. Bonus? You can access your reviewed applications just as easily in My Folders. It’s not coffee delivery, but it’s darn close.

And now, you can cross one more thing off of that nagging little hiring wish list.