» Vendor Issues

Its 2010 – Stop using your ATS like a Hoarders Basement

Sarah White — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 06:54:15 +0000

It is the first business day of 2010 (pronounced twenty-ten FYI). There are still no flying cars or teleportation devices. I still have to type this blog out and can’t just think it. No cancer shot has been discovered so the likelihood of I Am Legend actually happening next year is unlikely. However, we are still in a recession that I thought we were buying ourselves out of last year and there is still historically high unemployment rates. One thing that has also stuck around into the new year is the A&E TV show Hoarders and over the last week I caught up on the new season of Hoarders.

Hoarders was as gross and disturbing as it normally is. If you don’t watch it – they basically go in and clean up homes of people that hoard – most of them are old, crazy, cat ladies. It follows their families that have ignored or enabled it for so long that the hoarder has lost their children, pets or their sense of reality. On one of the episodes I watched a they were cleaning out a woman’s house who seemed to have 2, 3, 4, or even 10 of the exact same thing laying around and they found a cat. A dead cat. Then another. 2 dead cats. In her house. She didn’t know she ever had a cat. As I was watching that, I couldn’t help but think about what state of chaos you have to be in to not realize you have someone else’s dead cats in your living room.

But in reality, it’s what most companies (and recruiters) do every day with their applicant tracking system. For the most part, candidates are just dead cats in the living room of corporate software.

Many hoarders problems aren’t necessarily that they keep so much stuff – its that they don’t know what they have so they spend crazy amounts of money to acquire more of the exact same. Then they fail to organize and keep track of it properly so they can actually use it effectively. In the same light, Recruiting problems are not caused by the number of resumes they get it – they are caused by software issues and poor process decisions that they typically use.

1. Software Issues – Many (even well known) Applicant Tracking Systems don’t have solid search functionality. The ones that do, often make it cumbersome and not easy to work with. There aren’t easy ways to track/tag, manage and interact with candidates that aren’t attached to a particular requisition. It isn’t a new issue, its been beat to a pulp in many a blog postings already in 2009 and it is something that a few of the vendors are in the process of correcting.

2. Process Issues – This could (and IMO does) tie closely into #1 – but most companies don’t make searching their own database a priority. When they need a candidate – the first instinct is to post the position and see what comes in. The first step should be to stop, take a look around them and see what they already have. That candiate in the database may still be alive and kicking and wanting to come work for you, but not actively searching for opportunities.

The high unemployment rates are creating an overwhelming volume of candidates coming into ATS’s. Candidates are coming in, sometimes totally unnoticed, and are hiding under the couch like that cat did. Sitting, Waiting, Hoping to be found. Unfortunately, time consuming search functions and poor results stop many of us from from even looking. Like the hoarders, the recruiters are preoccupied with other priorities and companies software is so packed full of all of these resumes and people that don’t work for them right now, but may in the future (Common quote on the show Hoarders, BTW) that the one they may really want – may not ever be found. And the candidate disappears under the mess of other, less qualified candidates because they were lost in the database.

So, as we move forward to our flying cars and teleportation that I was sure would be here by now, lets at least stop treating resumes like the dead cat under the couch we forgot about.

Here she is…Miss Talent Acquisition System….

Sarah White — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:59:20 +0000

Well, it is a beauty pageant – but I don’t think it will be exactly what you are expecting and what else would you expect from a company based in Dallas? In and of itself, there are probably more beauty queens (Current and former) than anywhere else in the US combined! Anyway – the team over at HRchitect is back at it with another thrilling season of industry beauty pageants. Think of it as a way to silently demo a bunch of technology without all of the hassles and headaches of a zillion calls coming your way from eager sales reps.

I ran this type of thing here in Milwaukee (live) over the past few years and we would often have 30-40 companies joining us to see what was new in the way of software – so I understand the amount of work that goes into this on the back end and I really like the way the HRchitect crew does it. They take 5 vendors – each only gets about 10 minutes and you get to see the high level overview of the company. HRchitect also provides you with an overview of what is currently going on in the industry to start out with and leaves time for Q&A – all total the webinar lasts about 90 minutes.

Best part – it’s free and next week – I was planning on sitting in myself – but I’m on vacation sans laptop and will miss it. Check out all the details on their site and register here: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/379948915

AYO, I'm Tired of Using Technology…

Sarah White — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:34:39 +0000

I admit it – I like a little 50 – especially when I am working out. There is something about his songs that make me feel like I can run a little longer, lift a little harder and feel a little gangsta. I also admit that it is also only because of 50 I have any Justin Timberlake on my Iphone (which I recently learned is odd not to have via twitter). Anyway, beyond the soooo NSFW lyrics of the song – Ayo, Technology is “I’m Tired of Using Technology” and I think a lot of us can relate. Personally, it feels like I am never disconnected – between my 4 email accounts, im, 3 twitter profiles, linkedin, the blog, facebook, text messaging, voice mail and phone calls – I am rarely just experiencing down time anymore.

And truth be told, I do feel like the work never ends. The IM sessions until midnight, the email’s at 3 am because I thought of a great idea in my sleep – I bring it on myself. I am not really tired of using Technology – just bad technology that makes things harder than they need to be.

This past month I have been working on marketing strategy for new product lines, reviewing partnership requests (and doing demo’s) of a number of other peoples solutions, all while working on new product development and improvement with our own technology team. Needless to say, technology has been on my mind. Unfortunately, I have to admit that for so many new HR Technology vendors that I am seeing demos for – they have forgot about the users behind the product. Demo after demo I have done had a great user interface for 1 of the key stakeholders – but horrible ones for the others. It is no wonder that twitter is crazy with people complaining about their ATS’s (umm..big guys – you should really be paying better attention to your clients and what is going on via twitter….btw) and how unfriendly the user interface is or the complaints from the managers, etc. I had to sit through a complaintfest (A nice term for what it really was) during a late night poker game after the UFC fight Saturday night from a number of managers and end users of a certain performance management company. The ‘solution’ had been forced down the throats of users at 3 different companies in the Chicago area over the last 12 months and all of them had the same opinion – there “has to be something in it for HR, because we don’t see the value – it’s just making life more difficult” I sat slightly smugly and quiet glad it wasn’t my product they were talking about. :-)

So – I’m not really tired of using technology – just crappy stuff that makes my life harder. (Umm…iPhone that won’t send mail from all of my email addresses half the time) Vendors listen up – remember that behind all of the technology are people that acutally use the solution and need the solution to work for them. You should be designing for the Candidate, the Recruiter, the Hiring Manager, the employee, the retiree and who ever else may need into the solution – not just the person making the sales decision.

As for me – I am going to take a vacation next week without my laptop (ok, I will still have my iphone which is really just a mini office, but still) and just appreciate the joys of (almost) technology free downtown on the beach.

Not all vendors are struggling right now…

Sarah White — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:04:03 +0000

I know it wasn’t my job – But, I am pretty sure that SOMEONE for got to tell the HR Technology Vendors about the bad economy? I mean what else would explain the results seen (and published) by some of my favorite vendors in the space.

The twitter wires were buzzing this morning with the links to the 2nd Quarter Results for SilkRoad as well as the results for Ultimate Software, an HRIS system. Both had positive results with Silkroad having its 24th consecutive period of sales growth! Ultimate Software reported a 14% sales increase vs. same quarter numbers the year before!

Lets combine that with the fantastic results that privately held Talent Acquisition/Talent Management/Applicant Tracking/ATS/Whatever we are calling it now is Companies like HRMDirect and ICIMS and it makes you stop to wonder if we are starting to see the uptic – and it happened 2 months ago!

My thought on why these companies are doing so well and some tips to the rest of you vendors that may be struggling. Here we go:

1. They are not the most expensive products on the market – They are not the absolute cheapest. They are robust products with a great value proposition to an organization so it is easy to actually find the ROI

2. They have great sales pros. That doesn’t mean that they are smooth talking, high pressure, angry closer types of sales people. They are consultative – want to provide value and respect your time (not call every day to check in on you and if you made a decision yet). (I worked w/sales reps from all 3 when I was consulting and always appreciated this aspect of their sales process) They also give enough information on their website for those of us with fear of forms issues (actually – icims – a touch more info would be great, but love the screenshots!) feel like we know what we are jumping into.

3. They are proactive when it comes to the market – when things need to be adjusted – they just do it. They don’t feel the need to brag about every single client they sign or every step along the way. They have taken on social media/twitter and are learning to use it – ahead of the other guys. ICIMS has recently started iblog, HRMDirect’s blog (New one launching this fall) is- believe it or not actually writen by our CEO. Himself. Seriously. No help. They are also on Twitter – learning the ropes still – but on nonetheless – their tweets are not slams on other products (Umm…you know who you are – mystery vendor that will remain unnamed but I see through my tweetdeck search) rather an insight into their organization or the industry. If you are on twitter make sure to follow these vendors – every once in a while, they tweet something cool. @HRMDirect @ICIMS @SilkRoadTweets

Sidebar: What makes them my favorite? I will elaborate briefly:

1. SilkRoad by far has THE single coolest onboarding technology I have seen. Others that try to compete, but honestly, they just don’t even compare. If you haven’t seen it and are on the lookout for onboarding – contact your local sales rep ASAP! If you are in the Midwest then lucky you! We have the pleasure to have their best guy on the job – Sam Gillen – so you will be in good hands!

2. ICIMS – I have enjoyed following them over the years and seeing what they were doing with their solution. The market responsiveness they have shown in the past 12 months and the interactivity on the website is just part of why I have always been intrigued by them. I love someone looking out for the small to mid business but scalable for the large as well – (which is what I also love about HRMDirect – nice segway, I know!)

3. HRMDirect - When I was doing consulting with sm/mid sized orgs (Under 10 K ee’s) they were always a product on my list. A true SAAS solution that can be up and running in DAYS or WEEKS vs. months – even for big guys! Full Featured software without the high enterprise pricing – works well for any size org. Now that I work there – I love surprising people in a demo with what the product can do!

Overall – HRMDirect, ICIMS & SilkRoad – are always looking for innovative, new ways to do things without losing the core ease of use of the product. They also have a great support/sales group that doesn’t hound you like you are the last recruiter/hr pro in the world.

And that is why those 3 are some of my favorites in the world of talent acquisition!

Maybe I have a fear of commitment – but….

Sarah White — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:37:08 +0000

I admit, I have a fear of commitment on so many things and an unwavering loyalty to certain things that I commit to.

Example #1 Commitment Fear – I am almost OCD when it comes to making decisions on no brainer things in my life (at work, no issues w/this – odd? yes) like flavor of ice cream (do I do vanilla, vanilla bean, french vanilla? AND YES there is a difference) where to go on vacation, etc. because I don’t want to commit to any one thing and always be questioning if the other option was the right decision.

Example #2 Loyalty – TV Shows – I can’t stop watching a show after I commit to it – I call it being a show deserter and if it gets cancelled, I feel it was my fault all those people were out of a job. You have NOO idea how hard it was to watch those last few years of Dawson’s Creek! Yikes! Now that Pacey (My first real TV Crush), I mean Joshua Jackson, is on Fringe, I automatically become committed to that show as well…you see the crazy cycle?

Anyway, my point is – before I make a commitment, I like to explore all of my options. Learn (in detail) about what I may be giving up and missing out on as well as determine the long term potential there. I like to research and learn and make sure that I am making the best possible decision at this moment.

Once you fill in a form on a vendor’s website – you are commiting to a product. Well, not the product so much, but the sales reps and email campaigns and everything that goes along with it. You are putting your name on a proverbial dotted line of commitment that I just don’t like to cross until I am really, really interested in something.

So why are vendors making it MORE difficult to learn about their products right now? Seriously – We are in a recession – they should be doing backflips that someone still is considering buying from them. HELLO Vendors, no one wants to fill out forms to see some really basic information that your competition is offering up for free on their site, then get hounded by your sales people forever.

Believe it or not, my idea this morning was to write about the new performance management solution that Success Factors was offering for “emerging” businesses (Apparently, “Emerging” means you are under 50 employees which is what it takes to be considered a “small” business. UGH!! More terminalogy to learn!) I think small “emerging” biz is a really under focused on, yet important market and I was excited they were going to play ball in that area. I was also excited that it was built on the cloud technology. Then I got to the site and while there is some (limited) information – if I want to see so much as a data sheet of what the product even includes I have to commit to “the form”. I can see for the online demo, pricing, etc – but to see what is included in the product? Really???

My favorite part on the form was the statement: “We will not share your information with 3rd parties.”

My immediate thought – It isn’t the 3rd parties we are concerned with…its your sales team!

I seriously started laughing out loud to myself at the irony of that statement. Maybe someone without such a fear of commitment would have just filled out the form and gone on where there lives. Me? I see who else is doing the form thing (I am adament not to have it at HRMDirect) via some quick research and am proud to share some vendors that actually appreciate commitmentphobe’s learning about their product - HRMDirect, Taleo, PCRecruiter, ICIMS (to a lesser degree), SilkRoad, Newton

Attn all ATS/HR Technology Vendors – What not to do on a demo…

Sarah White — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 17:15:03 +0000

Over the past few years, I have had the pleasure to demo many different ATS’s on the market. For the most part a demo is a demo is a demo and they all follow the same format:

1. Talk about the company and why it is great. Mention the leadership team and their prior accomplishments and that you have good funding.

2. Show other companies logos that use your product so we know you are reputable and that other people that are more important than us use it, so it must be a good option.

3. Show your product.

This is the accepted practice and while not rocket science, it works. However, over the past few months, as more and more companies have asked me to view their product I have noticed a trend – people are doing some funky things in demo’s. So, I am blogging here to see if anyone else has noticed these things….

1. Telling me that no one else does what you do when I have seen 5 other products that do the same thing. I have often been able to tell a company that there was a direct competitor in the space that they hadn’t even heard of. Being “new and different” doesn’t mean that you have icons with pictures instead of words.

2. Wasting time telling me about why everyone else does it wrong when you don’t tell me what you are doing differently. I really don’t like the fact that a vendor would slam another vendor, but if you are going to do so – tell me the problem they have and then the solution you offer that makes it no longer a problem.

3. Don’t twist competitors products and present them in a way that is inaccurate or untrue. All it does is hurt your credibility if the company you are talking too knows (or thinks they know) the right information.

4. Have a “group” demo with people from multiple companies at the same time. I recently had this happen to me and since there were 4 other companies on at the same time, I couldn’t address the issues that I thought would be relevant to me or my clients. I also didn’t have the opportunity to say “Can we skip to the demo” as we went through the history of recruiting since 1872.

5. Forget to DEMO the product. Yes, I said it. I went through more than one demo where the “demo” was a couple of pictures of the product at the end of an hour long powerpoint slide. YIKES! If I wanted to see the actual product, that was another hour that we needed to schedule.

I am positive that I have left off more strange events that have occurred over the last few months in demos – but I think you get the drift. Owner/Manager from companies should know what types of demos sales people are giving and if you are doing one of these things — look at your reasoning behind it and if you think it is hurting or helping.