#GR8THINKING

GR8 Guide: Evaluating aTalent Acquisition PlatformHow you manage the assessment of enterprise recruiting technology has tremendous influence over your long-term talent—and business—outcomes. Our three-phased approach to the evaluation and selection process will guide you through each step and lead to greater success.

Table of ContentsWhy Now is the Time for a Modern Talent Platform

The Three Phases of an Effective Talent Platform Review

Phase One: DEFINE

Phase Two: DETERMINE

Phase Three: DEMO

Evaluation Planning Checklist

3

5

6

8

10

12

*Based on GR8 People customer experiences.

How many different enterprise recruiting solutions and tools is your team using just to get its work done every day? If you answered somewhere between six and 16, you’re not alone. According to Robin Erickson, a principal researcher at The Conference Board, many talent acquisition teams fall within this range; likewise, industry analyst Josh Bersin reports that the average large company has 15 or more different recruiting technologies.

According to the HRWins Q4 2019 Global HR Tech VC Update & 2019 Lookback, talent acquisition technology investments totaled more than $2 billion in 2019 alone. While the major infusion of TA tech investment has advanced the industry significantly, spurring unprecedented innovation, there is a downside. Namely, the sheer abundance of disparate technologies and point solutions—with the latter often layered over archaic recruiting systems—is driving TA tech costs up, largely due to never-ending system integrations and maintenance.

In addition, the time required to simply manage, as well as work within, a TA tech stack that’s been cobbled together in this fashion is a drain on recruiter efficiency and, therefore, productivity. A study published by CITE Research and Ring Central in 2018 finds that among the top 10 most disruptive activities that keep employees from getting their work done is having to navigate between apps or programs. Further, 65% of knowledge workers believe a unified platform will help them be more productive.

It’s for this very reason that the industry is witnessing a shift towards the purchase of a modern talent platform, one in which the software offers a single source where all primary components of TA technology—ATS, CRM, career website CMS, employee referrals, campus and event management, internal mobility, and onboarding—are ready for selection and use by recruiters. Furthermore, ready access to data housed within one system ensures that organizations have the meaningful insights they need to make better talent, as well as business, decisions.

As demonstrated in the chart on page 4, the more recruiting tools and solutions that organizations can bring together into a single environment, the greater the value realized by the business.

WHY NOW IS THE TIME FOR A MODERN TALENT PLATFORM

For example, streamlining a muddled TA tech stack from an average of five separate solutions to a single platform can deliver a 35% reduction in total cost of ownership.*

Even amid extremely rapid advances in recruiting technology, the applicant tracking system remains the core of a modern talent platform. The ATS’s foundational role in the hiring process means that any deficiencies associated with a lackluster or dated ATS will always impede the effectiveness of the other solutions within the platform, such as a Talent CRM or career website builder. Conversely, the stronger one’s core, the more quickly the organization can adapt to shifting talent demands while ensuring seamless experiences for all users.

The good news is that when a vendor commits to building the entire platform using single-source code—as opposed to acquiring a solution and hoping for the best when it comes to integration—buyers can have confidence in the vendor’s commitment to quality and stability across the full platform beginning with its core.

Now that the value of a modern talent platform is clear, it’s time to look closely at how to approach the review process to arrive at the best possible match.

The ATS Is Still the Core of a Modern Talent Platform

Characteristics of a Strong Core

—Jayne Kettles, Chief Product Officer

HR Tech 2019: How Strong Is Your TA Core?

The software is intuitive, functioning like a “behind-the-scenes” assistant through intelligent automation and AI.

Technology takes over the most time-consuming, low-value tasks.

The platform architecture anticipates future needs.

AI-driven recruiting solutions are built natively within the existing architecture.

Business Value Derived From a Modern Talent Platform

TA OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY TA OUTCOMES BUSINESS IMPACT

- Seamless user experiences- Elimination of low-value task work

- Ready-access to data and insights- Optimal performance of AI-drivenapplications

- Streamlined hiring process/time to hire averages

- Dramatic improvements in the abilityto hire and retain top talent

- Continuous improvement due todata-driven decisions and effective use of innovative technologies

- Significantly reduced TA costs- Greater revenue due to a reduction

in vacancies- Talent required to realize business

objectives and growth is secured

Degree of TA Tech Stack ConsolidationLOW HIGH

Valu

e to

the

Busi

ness

LOW

HIG

H

DEFINE: The DEFINE phase is undoubtedly the most critical phase within the process as it drives every single subsequent step you take. It includes understanding where you are today and where you want to be tomorrow by conducting in-depth assessments of your current hiring process and candidate experience, as well as clearly articulating your business situation. The more time you invest in the DEFINE phase, the better positioned you will be to make good decisions during DETERMINE and DEMO.

DETERMINE: Now that you’ve mapped out where you are and where you want to be, you can begin researching what the market has to offer and align your needs to the various offerings. Here, you’ll want to consider a broad and balanced range of resources so that you arrive at the most relevant list of prospective vendors.

DEMO: The final phase is focused on reaching out to vendors who have made your shortlist so that you can gather additional product and service information, as well as schedule live demos. Keep in mind that you’ll need to schedule several demos for each vendor to fully explore platform capabilities and to get a sense of the strengths and weaknesses of the vendors’ teams.

THE THREE PHASES OF AN EFFECTIVE TALENT PLATFORM REVIEW

While vendors would love to think otherwise, we know that in reality conducting an enterprise software review is about as welcome as a visit to the dentist. It’s tedious. It’s time-consuming. And, all too often, it’s terrible in terms of producing good outcomes given the high rates of tech dissatisfaction that currently exist among talent acquisition teams and the candidates they seek to attract.

Both the complexity of the solutions being reviewed and the cluttered state of the TA tech market are part of the challenge. But the way teams typically conduct a vendor review also contributes to the failure to deliver value to the talent acquisition function, let alone the broader organization.

In working with hundreds of enterprise organizations over the years, we’ve found that those who were most successful in completing a review—whether they selected GR8 People or a competitor—followed a three-phased process we’ve titled DEFINE, DETERMINE and DEMO.

DEFINE DETERMINE DEMOAssess where

you are andwhere you want

to be

Align your needswith what themarket has to

offer

Evaluatecapabilities,

expertise andservice

PHASE ONE: DEFINE

GR8 People recommends focusing on two specific areas during DEFINE: an audit of your hiring process and candidate experience alongside a comprehensive articulation of your business situation. Once these activities are complete, you’ll be able to revisit your documentation throughout the selection process as a touchpoint that continually affirms your evaluation criteria and approach to the review are reflective of what you defined at the outset.

Hiring Process/Candidate Experience Audits

The first phase of the process is, well, rather defining when it comes to setting your organization up for TA technology selection success. The more time you invest in phase one, the better positioned you will be in aligning your needs to the right system and partner. It sets the stage for the team’s decision-making process and plays a big part in keeping you on track to realizing your long-term talent acquisition goals.

Deciding to purchase new recruiting software presents an ideal opportunity to have frank discussions about your hiring process and candidate experience, including what needs to change knowing that you plan to purchase new technology. After all, while technology can do many things, it can’t fix issues that are the result of poor processes and sub-par experiences. Among the considerations to incorporate into your audit:

In addition to the above data points, capture qualitative data to round out your assessment. Gather input from hiring managers and interviewers regarding what works from their perspective in terms of both the hiring process and the candidate experience. And, if you’re not already collecting feedback from candidates regarding their experience—including those hired and not hired—then, at minimum, weigh the feasibility of implementing a brief online survey that can automate the task of compiling basic feedback across essential aspects of the experience.

Hiring Process Candidate Experience

Snapshot: DEFINE Audit ConsiderationsWhat to Gather and Assess

• TA team structure• Hiring process map (create if one does not exist) and

communications flow• Time to slate and time to fill averages• Hiring manager/business line service level standards• Sourcing strategies• Compliance/governance/data security requirements• HR systems/tools in place• Metrics and reporting (current vs. wish list)

• In-demand candidate profiles• Candidate journey map (create if one does not exist)

and communications flow• Content/messaging aligned to key candidate

journey touchpoints• Candidate conversion rates• Candidate service level standards• Employer brand reach and effectiveness• Ease of finding/applying to jobs• Ease of matching skills to available roles• Language needs

It’s tempting to begin by looking externally at current vendors to see

what they have to offer. However, you’ll realize far more success by looking

internally first—critically—at your processes, the experiences you deliver

and your current business situation.

Defining Your Organization’s Business SituationDefining the business situation involves a deep dive into the various elements or aspects of the business that, together, create the situation your team finds itself in as it seeks to purchase new recruiting technology. One of the main points of this exercise is to gather intelligence that will reduce errors in judgment throughout the evaluation process.

Business Situation: Planning Aspects

BUSINESS ISSUE: Clearly define the business issue that is preventing your organization from executing on strategy and, thereby, achieving its business goals. It’s common that several factors (financial, positioning, supply/demand, productivity, measurement, customer experience, etc.) are associated with a business issue.

Example: Our current recruiting tech stack capabilities don’t align with HR transformation initiatives.

Planning Aspect Key Considerations

What’s keeping us from solving our business issue?

What will happen if we are unable to execute our plan/achieve the goal?

Who will be impacted the most by our success/failure?

Rating/PrioritizationCRITICAL: This has been acknowledged as a vital business issue throughout the organization and is a priority within the C-suite.

IMPORTANT: Senior leaders have acknowledged the issue’s importance, however, other initiatives might take precedence.

FRUSTRATING: We recognize the limitations associated with our business issue, but few outside of TA do.

UNKNOWN: We want to invest in new technology but haven’t yet established the magnitude of our business issue.

BUSINESS CASE: Here, bring together the benefits, costs and risks associated with your current situation and future vision. Think of it as the essential information that executive management needs to decide if your project should move forward. Outline all associated business objectives, the scope and impact of the project, and risks involved (as well as the risk of not making a change), plus your approach to the project (governance, reporting, etc.).

Planning Aspect

Who is the project sponsor for this initiative?

What is the preliminary budget?

Costs to be replaced by the initiative?

What measures of success are we anticipating?

Key Considerations

Rating/PrioritizationCOMPELLING: I have a compelling case, and I am confident senior leaders will approve our project.

STRONG: Overall, our case is strong, and I believe the probability of approval is strong though not certain.

WEAK: More data is required in order to make a strong or compelling case.

UNKNOWN: There is little to no data available to support what we believe to be our business case, resulting in a “best guess” scenario.

FUNDING SOURCE: Dig deeper than just budget and identify where your funding will come from. Your funds may come from the cost of replacement (expiring contracts) or displacement (elimination of spend) or through productivity gains. Often, the added specificity will guard against budget surprises as you get closer to selecting a vendor.

Planning Aspect

Is the project part of TA’s approved budget?

What is budget approval contingent upon?

Who else may need to approve the cost?

Key Considerations

Rating/PrioritizationCONFIRMED: We already have our source and timing of the funding for this project confirmed with all approvers.

PROBABLE: Strong indications exist that our budget will be allocated.

QUESTIONABLE: We will need to juggle current spending priorities or find funds elsewhere to move forward.

UNKNOWN: Our team can request approval for the funds but we have no idea if or how it would be funded.

PHASE TWO: DETERMINE

This is the phase during which your research activities kick into high gear. No doubt, many teams start by googling relevant search terms like “best recruiting software for enterprise organizations.” While this can uncover helpful information, don’t lose sight that what you retrieve may be more reflective of a tech company’s SEO strategy or ad buy as opposed to a true snapshot of the “best” products on the market, especially as “best” should be relative to your organization’s specific recruiting goals, needs and challenges.

So, it’s essential to supplement Google searches with other sources of information, including recommendations from your peers, online software system review aggregators, and association and industry publications, as well as the websites of prospective vendors.

In a world dominated by likes and five-star ratings, it’s no surprise that “recommendations from peers and professional acquaintances” consistently tops the list of how organizations identify potential vendors. Your network offers tremendous value to this process, and you can use your contacts to both identify vendors for initial assessment and to gather input on those you’ve shortlisted.

In either scenario, there are the obvious questions that you’ll ask when you reach out for recommendations, such as how long the technology they use has been in place and what they like most and least about it. But there are other questions you should ask that can yield keen insights as you move through the DETERMINE phase. For example:

• Who came in second when you conducted your review?• What talent acquisition challenges drove your review when you selected your current vendor? • Did you achieve your target go-live date? • Were there unforeseen hidden costs?• Was a well-defined implementation methodology and detailed project plan prepared and

managed by a dedicated and experienced vendor team?

Questions like those above will give you a much better sense of what the actual experience—with the technology and as a customer—will be like, and how much it’s likely to differ from vendor to vendor.

You can also visit online software review aggregators, such as G2, to gain insight into the experience of current customers. Beyond vendor overviews that include validated customer ratings and testimonials, these companies provide general advice in the form of research and articles. It’s typically free to research vendors and access top-line details—just remember that these companies are also trying to sell their consulting services to you and qualified leads to vendors. So, use them as a point of reference but evaluate the available information within the larger context of the research you gather across all sources.

Online Software Review Aggregators

Professional Network Recommendations

UNKNOWN: Our team can request approval for the funds but we have no idea if or how it would be funded.

From SHRM.org and HR Technologist to ERE.net and Recruiting Daily, there’s no shortage of industry publications serving up a wealth of information about the latest recruiting trends, as well as the ever-increasing number of tech vendors developing talent acquisition tools and solutions.

You’ll find summaries and analyses of the current state of TA tech in these publications, along with case studies and thought leadership articles. Search individual sites for broad-based overviews of TA technology, as well as for the specific vendors you are most likely to include when you move to DEMO.

Association/Industry Publications

Just like most industries, ours loves its awards programs. While many of these programs are highly reputable and follow a well-designed methodology for assessing promising new TA technology, don’t overlook the fact that some programs are actually paid opportunities—as opposed to requiring a nominal entry fee—or are based on little more than a demo. So, if you include technology awards on your vendor review scorecards, make sure you do your due diligence and verify which awards programs are legitimate in terms of judging requirements, the review process and associated entry fees.

Finally, your DETERMINE activities will include significant time reviewing vendor websites to ascertain which vendors appear to be best suited to helping you achieve your talent acquisition goals and overcoming your hiring challenges. While you can use these websites to understand product features and functionality, make sure you also review the vendor’s blog and other resources that are housed on the website. In particular, see how often customers are partnering with the vendor on long-form and educational content as this provides evidence of the strong, committed partnerships that result in meaningful outcomes.

Vendor Websites

A Note on Technology Awards

PHASE THREE: DEMO

Now, with the results of your DEFINE and DETERMINE activities in hand, it’s time to see the capabilities of your shortlisted vendors in action. And, since you invested substantial time preparing for the DEMO phase, you’ll find that you’re able to quickly and easily share the details about your organization that vendors need to deliver a personalized and relevant demo experience.

While your team will have thoughts regarding specific features and functionality they’d like to see on the first demo, you should also view the initial introduction as an opportunity for the vendor to “educate” you regarding what’s new (product re-investment and continual development are a must!) and the ways in which current customers are using the platform that align closely with the problems your organization is trying to solve.

Keep in mind that, unlike the review process for a single tool or system, the breadth of a talent platform requires understanding how the technology supports the journey

of all users—recruiters, hiring managers, candidates, employees, etc.—across everything from candidate relationship management and the career website to

internal mobility and employee referrals. It may take a few demos, depending on the time allotted for each, to fully grasp the power of a natively built talent platform.

Selecting superior technology is a given, but equally important is selecting a vendor that “gets you” and remains a committed partner long after implementation. Therefore, use the DEMO phase to uncover the strength of both the technology and the culture as it relates to customer service and support.

Vendor Fit Considerations

Business Experience

Vendor Fit Characteristic Questions to Ask

What is the TA experience of the team? Are the primary components of the platform natively built or created from multiple or recent acquisitions? Is software development performed in house? Who on the customer side do you work with most frequently on a day-to day basis (e.g., recruiting operations, recruiting, employer branding)? How many users currently leverage the platform worldwide? How many talent records managed?

What partnerships, current or planned, are in place and how do they benefit your customers? What experience do you have integrating with common HR systems and hiring tools? What “lessons learned” can you share regarding successful integrations?

What does a standard implementation look like for an organization like ours?Describe the process of gathering a clear understanding of a customer’s unique business goals and objectives? Our go-live timeline is aggressive—what will you do to ensure you can meet it? Can you share recent examples of how you’ve met aggressive deadlines in the past? How does the implementation team identify and facilitate change management strategies to help ensure widespread user adoption? Is there an implementation guarantee on time and expense?

What is your customer retention rate? What options do you provide for customer service (on-demand, self-service, live support, etc.)? Describe the training that customer support team members receive? Will we have a dedicated customer support manager assigned to us, or will we have several based upon component(s) purchased? What level of support is provided by your team to help benchmark and measure our defined goals, KPIs and metrics (ex: source effectiveness, candidate flow, conversion rates, etc.)?

Connections

Implementation & Timeline

Customer Service

By this point, you’ve probably settled on a list of finalists that includes two to three vendors. You’ve learned a lot along the way, and that’s fantastic. You probably have a strong feeling in your gut about which vendor is right for your organization. Now, go back to your DEFINE phase documentation and reaffirm that what you plan to buy—that what your gut is telling you—truly aligns with what your organization needs to realize greater recruiting efficiency and outcomes, deliver better experiences, and overcome your talent and business challenges.

Making a Final Selection

Use the followingevaluation planning checklist to help with your review process.

What is your customer retention rate? What options do you provide for customer service (on-demand, self-service, live support, etc.)? Describe the training that customer support team members receive? Will we have a dedicated customer support manager assigned to us, or will we have several based upon component(s) purchased?

PHASE ACTIVITY OWNER(S) DEADLINE COMPLETE

EVALUATION PLANNING CHECKLIST

Hiring Process Audit

Candidate Experience Audit

Hiring Manager Feedback

Interviewer Feedback

Candidate Feedback

Business Situation Articulation

Referrals Outreach

Software Review Aggregators

Associations/Industry Pubs

Industry Awards/Best of Lists

Vendor Shortlist

Outreach/Demo Coordination

Vendor Fit Assessment

Finalist Demos

Final Feedback/Scorecards

Final Selection

DEFINE

DETERMINE

DEMO

GR8PEOPLE.COM

Congratulations on the start of your journey to better recruiting software! We realize there's a lot to think about as

you embark on a talent acquisition platform review. Use the GR8 People evaluation planning checklist to guide your

team's review efforts and help determine which partner is the right one for you.

Congratulations on the start of your journey to better recruiting software! We realize there's a lot to think about as

you embark on a talent acquisition platform review. Use the GR8 People evaluation planning checklist to guide your

team's review efforts and help determine which partner is the right one for you.

READY, SET, GO!

GR8 People is the One-Experience Talent Platform that powers recruiter performance across the entire hiring lifecycle for more

efficient and effective talent acquisition results.

HIRE CRM BRAND EUREKAElevate recruiter performance with a modern ATS.

Fill candidate pipelines and nurture top talent.

Build super-personalized career websites.

Use AI to accelerate sourcing speed and accuracy.

LEARN HOW OUR ONE-EXPERIENCE TALENT PLATFORM WILL TRANSFORM YOUR RECRUITING OUTCOMESLEARN HOW OUR ONE-EXPERIENCE TALENT PLATFORM WILL TRANSFORM YOUR RECRUITING OUTCOMES

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215.693.1122contact@gr8people.com

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215.693.1122contact@gr8people.com

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