iCIMS Hire Expectations™

We are about 17 days into 2012 and you are most likely well into implementing your recruitment strategic plan. How is it working out? Are you seeing any improvements compared to 2011? You may need a bit more time to evaluate your current plan, but one important recommendation I would make is: remain flexible in regard to your strategic plan. If you notice that certain initiatives aren’t working – don’t waste your time and money. Nip them in the bud and move on to your next initiative.

Further, if you haven’t considered technology in your 2012 strategic plan, perhaps you should. Managing your recruitment program can be easier with Recruitment Technology and Assessment Science. With these solutions you can direct all of your candidates to an online application process. This allows you to store data electronically while simultaneously performing a thorough assessment test to ensure that the best fit for the position is selected.

If you clicked on this blog, you have probably already considered leveraging technology to facilitate these processes. But since there are so many options out there, the idea of choosing which providers can seamlessly integrate with one another is quite daunting. Well, HR professionals - I’ve just the webinar for you! iCIMS is hosting a free webinar highlighting how our client Aspen Dental enlisted the help of iCIMS and Chequed, a leading assessment provider, to completely streamline and revolutionize their hiring processes. Here are the details:

Registration Link: Click Here
Date: Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
Time: 2:00pm EST
Cost: Free

Look forward to having you there!

Back in August, I had the opportunity to attend the annual ASPR  (Association of Staff Physician Recruiters) event that took place in Chicago, Illinois. I learned a great deal about the challenges associated with this healthcare recruitment space. While the pains are unique, I’ve come to the conclusion that the solutions are simple. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Before we can talk about the solution – one must first acknowledge the inefficiencies and difficulties that seem to haunt this space.  And, while there are a billion and one challenges that these recruiters face, let’s talk about the number one challenge that seemed to be a common theme at the conference: Tracking Physician Documents and Credentials.

Challenge: Tracking Physician Documents and Credentials.

When recruiting a physician, it is essential to collect all of the necessary documents regarding their work, similar to any other candidate type. But, the truth of the matter is: PHYSICIANS HAVE A LOT OF NECESSARY DOCUMENTS. From work history and performance results to references and credentials, and so much more, collecting documentation from all applicants can be rather cumbersome. Once collected, managing that much paperwork leaves room for errors – lost documentation, misfiled paperwork, and incomplete paperwork. Let’s face it: it’s a tracking nightmare.

Solution: Improving Tracking Capabilities

Physician recruiters seem to be inhibited by standard processes of the past – manual management. Fifteen years ago, managing all paperwork with filing cabinets was the way most recruitment departments worked. But a common theme of the conference seemed to show alternatives to this prehistoric recruitment method: online document collection. Recruiters can now create electronic versions of all necessary forms online, so that when a new physician applies for a job or is accepted for a position, they can complete all pre-hire forms online from their own computer and upload any additional documents required.  This also encourages physicians to submit all necessary information, because they cannot move forward until all documents are complete. Time spent collecting documents and the headaches associated with managing those forms are drastically decreased!

Well that's just one challenge and one solution for recruiters in this healthcare space. There are plenty more obstacles that these recruiters face day-to-day. This industry is unique and requires tools that are flexible to meet those unique needs. What are some other challenges you see in this industry and how do you suggest we solve those issues? Look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Every year tens of thousands of HR professionals gear up for annual recruiting conferences and expos. While extremely valuable for professionals looking to stay on top of the newest recruiting trends or latest HR technology, attending these events can be pricey – especially in today’s economy.  While some organizations have turned to online events (webinars) for specialized HR information, others still struggle to find the most valuable in-person events to attend (plus, who can say no to the swag at the expo halls?!).     

In my search for the best HR tradeshows to attend, I found myself wondering – what do I want from an HR tradeshow?  Is the biggest always best? Does location play a factor? How about speakers and agenda? 

As I continued to create my list of tradeshow “must-haves”, I thought about how I make many of my purchase decisions: Ask for advice. So, my HR blogosphere friends – I turn to you! What tradeshows are you attending in 2012?  Are there conferences you can’t live without?  Take our quick survey and in a month’s time I’ll reveal the results.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HRTradeshows

At the ASHHRA Conference!

Recently, I had the opportunity to plan and attend an event for HR professionals in the retail industry and it was great! On March 9th, iCIMS hosted this event in NYC that enabled recruiters to network and discuss a variety of HR topics including recruitment trends, applicant tracking systems (ATS), and other processes that have affected their hiring program. The event started off with an excellent presentation given by Jaime Petkanics, Talent Acquisition Director at Tory Burch. Jaime touched on how an ATS has been incredibly helpful in transforming the hiring process from what they had in the past. Jamie cited that user-friendly functionality was one of the most important attributes of an ATS, since adopting the technology is essential in fostering organizational success for a growing company. In addition to Jaime, representatives from Foot Locker, Aeropostale, Tommy Hilfiger, Liz Claiborne, Chico’s, Banana Republic, DKNY, and Ideeli, also attended the event.

Ultimately, the event was an informative and low-key way for HR professionals to network and reflect on how to overcome the many challenges that today’s recruitment world faces.

One topic discussed was the retail industry’s spectrum of hire types that range from seasonal hires to hourly and salary candidates. Recruiters also discussed the many challenges associated with their high volume applicant pool and how to effectively source and hire candidates from there. While answers varied, there seemed to be some agreement over the use of technology to facilitate this process. Many recruiters cited that leveraging an automatic way to separate hourly and salary candidates and quickly filter based on skill set would drive more simplified hiring processes.

GNC's career site separates retail hiring from corporate hiring

In addition to the structured presentation and discussion, attendees had the opportunity to network with others who have experienced similar work-related challenges. It was a fun and informative experience for all who attended. If you missed the event, be sure to check out iCIMS next networking event in London, UK on May 11th, 2011.

Lastly, I do have one piece of advice for recruiters: network! Take advantage of any industry related recruitment events that are available to you. You’ll find a lot of commonality at these events, enabling you to gain positive takeaways to bring to your own recruitment program. Networking will not only benefit you, but your organization and hiring processes as a whole.

I sat in yesterday on a rather interesting webinar hosted by ERE titled Handling Issues with the Abrasive New Hire Executive that confronted some of the issues that HR professionals have diffiuclty handling.

If you missed it yesterday, I highly recommend checking out the recording. Patrick Reilly and Tony Deblauwe talked candidly about the topic and showed how staffing teams can influence and help change the abrasive executive through specific approaches that get to the root cause of the problem. You can learn how to:

• Build the ability of abrasive leaders to care about the impact of their behavior on others
• Teach them the T-A-D dynamic 
• Take action on and leverage key improvements 
• Provide coaching to the business and employees that can repair the relationship ahead of an HR intervention

Check out the recorded presentation at ERE.net.

Today's guest blog post comes to you from Ron Kasner, iCIMS' Chief Corporate Development Officer. Ron has leadership responsibility for corporate strategy and development, business process improvement, and legal affairs.

A little over one month ago, I attended the 13th Annual HR Technology Conference & Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. As the Chief Corporate Development Officer here at iCIMS, it was an excellent opportunity to hear directly from hundreds of HR professionals (mostly high-level), technology vendors, and analysts.

What I immediately noticed is that it seemed every other booth was somehow involved in one way or another in Talent Management. Either they engaged in talent management directly or were an ancillary product. In fact, many of the companies that were not in the space before, now are – well, at least from a marketing perspective. Unfortunately, that means a very crowded, convoluted market for those truly interested in and in need of a talent management solution. As a result, I personally found the need to truly dig into the “real” capabilities of various talent management vendors.

Luckily, I found many visitors to iCIMS’ booth doing the same. The people visiting our booth generally already knew about the functionality iCIMS and other technology vendors are offering, and subsequently knew what features they need out of a system. What was made clear to me is that ATS functionality alone isn’t enough; these professionals are interested in the total package – not only the complete HR system, but the entire customer experience.

HR professionals, especially those working for small and mid-sized companies, wanted talent management software beyond the traditional ATS. They wanted a solution that would drive their entire HR program from recruitment and onboarding to performance and training management. Finding one system that can support those needs is no longer a bonus, but a requirement.

Many people appeared to truly recognize that the right functionality is pointless without the right people to implement it, support it, maintain it, and enhance it. They asked many probing questions about our company history, growth, and future, as well as, how we service and benefit clients, and what we do to ensure a great transition to and experience with iCIMS. A handful of people shared some poor past experiences with other vendors, including long, costly implementations, confusing product navigation, limited configurability, inadequate training, and slow responsiveness to issues.

Candidly, this put me in a very good position to respond. iCIMS has over a decade of experience in delivering talent management Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). We have over 850 customers, the 2nd largest number of customers in the talent acquisition market, with one of the highest customer retention rates in the industry. Not only have we been recognized by Inc. Magazine and Deloitte for our growth in the industry, but we’re also one of the most profitable vendors in the market. We have the only “pure” SaaS offering, with the most vast configuration capabilities. We also provide free, unlimited storage of candidate, employee, hiring manager, and job profiles. In addition, we offer free, unlimited email and toll-free support, training webinars, and learning materials.

From a customer’s perspective, this means we can provide one of the quickest implementation times, at one of the lowest implementation costs. This not only translates into a lower overall investment, but a faster return on investment as well. This also means superior usability and greater flexibility, driving more user adoption. This translates into a greater return on investment.

While I admit these conferences are good for seeing what competitors are doing or what technology partnerships can be made, I think the most important takeaway is the information and feedback received from the HR professionals, themselves. This may just be my two cents, but in order to be the best in the business, it is essential to provide what your clients need and not just what competitors are doing. These conferences give vendors the opportunity to hear what prospects want and what trends seem to be steering the HR industry. It will be interesting to see which technology vendors were listening…