| Process Before Purchase |
| by
Andrew Shapiro, President of The Cluen Corporation |
|
| Want to keep up with
new technology? Want the tools that will cut your workflow process in half? The
way you run your company is the most important factor in deciding how to use
recruiting tools. As newly public companies mature, and as smaller companies
are ever changing, the issues of business process and structural organization
should remain the most important. Many firms believe that purchasing a piece of
software or technology is as easy as walking into the closest office superstore
and picking it from a shelf. This is not how it works; at least not
successfully. |
|
| This article
endeavors to explain how to follow the three golden steps to a successful
software implementation: Step One - Clearly define the underlying business
process. Step Two - Choose a technology partner that has the experience to
deliver state-of-the-art product but also bring more to the table than a floppy
disc. Step Three - Communicate the goals to all levels of your staff and train
each person on the processes relevant to them until they know them
cold. |
|
| Today, any truly
effective recruiting tool or performance system must be tailored to a company's
strategic action and fit the culture of the organization. Senior management
must formulate and deploy a clear and comprehensive business process and
organizational strategy before ever considering a new piece of technology. The
rule that should be clear is that the main decision-makers should set standards
and establish organization-wide business processes. Furthermore, the
involvement of workforce employees on these decisions will not only assist in
enabling the organization to obtain and use more ideas to improve the business
process model but will also help to communicate the strategy to all levels of
the organization. It will also benefit the majority of employees when you
initiate a new recruiting tool. Managing the expectations of your employees is
beneficial when you are making any changes of business processes or new
technology. Having their input in these decisions will allow them to "buy-in"
to whatever recruiting tool you choose. |
|
| The main advantage
of developing a solid business process before purchasing any recruiting
technology is the ability to effectively employ a work procedure that gives
frontline staff the ability to make minute-by-minute operational decisions
instantly, without needing to constantly consult with the managerial hierarchy.
In addition, it allows the staff to make tactical decisions previously taken
two/three levels up, while increasing their ability to predict problems as they
emerge. Ultimately, this will bring them closer to satisfying low-level
strategic objectives. Effective communication through all levels of the
organization should be a part of creating your business process, not a
compromise of it. A good vendor or technology partner should have experienced
professionals to help you with your workflow and have input on your business
process. |
|
| Creating a business
process that affords space for a custom-tailored recruiting tool will
streamline your decision-making process by making sure all managers and
recruiters have a simple system for deciding on potential candidates. As any
firm knows, speed is essential, and the recruiter who moves most quickly will
usually get the best candidates. By cutting out the bureaucracy and creating
clear and concise criteria to avoid any slowdown of the business process, a
firm can easily position itself for greater success. |
|
This is most easily
accomplished by delegating defined roles, which allows each employee to do
their job with speed, efficiency, and expertise. Most often, they include the
following:
• Workforce Planning & Business Development
• Lead Generation & Sourcing
• Screening
& Evaluation
• Presentation & Search
Closure
• Orientation & Assimilation
• Retention
If each individual within the organization is given a role and the
recruiting process is well established, the workflow will be minimized without
extraneous spending from the outset. This additional efficiency and unification
will translate into savings, which can then be applied to the acquisition of
new tools to further automate the process. When each employee within your
organization is completely aware of their role, then they will be able to
adjust to a new technology instituted into your organization. |
|
Once the time
arrives to automate through a software solution, each of the following needs to
be considered in order to find the recruiting tool that will fit your
organization:
• Employment of artificial-intelligence that will cut
repetitive entries with workflow automation.
• Usage of technology that
incorporates next-generation architecture.
• Availability
of "one-click" reporting that is client-ready.
• Flexibility to research the
potential candidate and source pool in accordance with your pre-established
search process.
• Provision for collaboration
and cooperation between client representatives and your staff concerning search
status and action items.
• Confidence in a
vendor/partner that holds a long-standing track record proving their commitment
to research and development and has experience with implementations that are
similar to yours.
• Comfort with ease-of-use
throughout the application, integrated help systems and ongoing
support.
• Ability to truly leverage your existing information by
transforming it into a true knowledge base.
• Usage of web-enabled
technology that still integrates tightly with your existing desktop
applications and peripherals.
|
|
| A well-designed and
executed recruiting tool and performance system should help provide a flexible
and valuable link your company's business process and future strategic actions.
This technology must be designed with this flexibility and continuous
improvement in mind, and it must help coordinate the organization's process and
strategy throughout the entire firm. |
|
| However, as
previously stated, establishing a long-term and workable, efficient, and clean
business process remains the first and most important goal. Technology can be a
powerful tool that can cut your workflow process in half, but cannot be done
successfully without the clear concise knowledge of your own company. The way
you run your company is the most important factor in deciding on what you want
technology to do for you. |
