I worked five years in developing a digital technology that manages online marketing campaigns. When I came across the article with the views of Elizabeth Corey, director of global talent acquisition at Masonite, and Allison Chappelle, director of talent acquisition at Adecco on technology solutions it did made me think of the way we partnered with clients.
Chappelle and Corey shared 7 best practices and lessons learned from their experiences with implementing a technology solution when talking with iCIMS Chief Operating Officer Adam Feigenbaum about technology best practices:
- Find a technology partner that shares your vision. There are lots of technology companies and lots of technology products. The key to success is finding the one that understands what you’re trying to accomplish. In this case, Masonite and Adecco were trying to reap the benefits of automation while still giving candidates an experience that made them feel special.
- Build processes that accommodate the future. This is an opportunity to streamline solutions. View recruiting as a holistic process not just applicant flow. Corey said it helped her company find a system that performed human capital management software that addressed both reactive hiring (i.e. running ads to fill open requisitions) and proactive hiring (i.e. searching for future talent).
- Incorporate design and branding elements in the solution. Chappelle noted that her hiring managers don’t realize they’re using iCIMS. “Our managers weren’t asking for a third-party technology solution. They wanted a good process. iCIMS gave us the technology and we branded it for our company.”
- Align the user experience to the strategy. Each person that uses technology doesn’t need to see the same things. When the user experience is customized, it changes the focus of the process. Prior to implementation, the focus was on the paper. After implementation, the focus was on the candidate.
- Manage change. Not everyone will adjust to technology at the same pace. Some will long for the “good old days” of paper. Training and patience are essential in adopting a new technology mindset. That’s something to keep in mind when thinking about making upgrades to existing systems. One user group could be totally ready for change while another is still getting the hang of things. Companies can work with their technology partner to introduce features at the right time.
- Don’t forget the reporting. Having a great system is important. But one of the reasons companies automate is to get data and reports. It’s to measure outcomes and share information. We’re talking everything from obligatory government compliance reports to organizational data used to prepare budgets.
- Regularly evaluate the process. Feigenbaum used the term “Frankensystem” to refer those situations where we’ve made a little change here and another change there so, over time, the technology solution is no longer optimized. Building time for evaluation into the regular maintenance will keep the system primed for producing results.
The first one, the vision, shouldn’t be underestimated, there are plenty of technologies that all do pretty much the same. It’s the vision behind it and the people willing to help you excell that counts the most. Technology is a tool.
I like how they describe technology as a process, which in fact is, great thought. It automates processes or make them more efficient and/or cost-effective. How are tools helping you build good processes.
Change is another aspect that shouldn’t be underestimated, your clients will have to adjust their processes and build the technology in, in a sustainable matter. Proving the ROI of the technology is key for tech providers but don’t be in a supplier modus, be in a partner modus. Understand change and what it takes to integrate technology in processes.
What do you think is great of this list?
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