Louise's UK Recruiter Blog

Things to consider before upgrading your CRM

Ahead of our recruitment technology event on Thursday Wayne Barclay of Barclay Jones (a Consultancy working with agency recruiters, corporate recruiters and B2Bs advising them on the most effective use of technology, web and social media) has written this for us.

Once you've decided that your current software for managing your data (CRM / ATS) is ready for a kick up the butt!  You may be wanting to upgrade your existing software, or migrate to a brand new system...  STOP: are you about to simply move into a new house with all of your old stuff?

If you've made the decision that enough is enough, and you're ready (and willing) to change the way you store (and manage) one of your most valuable assets, then you will also be thinking about the existing data you have (won't you?)

I was with a client recently who is ready to make the move and we were discussing his current database and it turns out that he actually has a dataDUMP.  It's a great system, although to be fair he's outgrown it and its but full of junk.

His recruiters don’t search it; they rarely add data to it, and if they do it's merely to ring fence it - they don't keep the data up to date. He spends a fortune on other databases and job sites to help with candidate sourcing; he has little visibility over what he has and what the business “owns” in terms of data; social media is not helping the situation by giving his staff even more “private” access to data that he has zero visibility over.

His database is therefore worth very little; in fact it is probably costing him money! We got chatting about what he wants to get out of the move to a new system...

Like many of our clients he has had the following experience:

• Invested well before recession
• Held on tight during recession
• Got a bit giddy post-recession and focused on bringing the money in (too right!)
• Now realises that strategy is key and he wants a safer, structured, visible environment for his data and his people
• The CRM that he has is not fit for purpose going forward - his business is very different to what it was when he bought the software and the software has not moved with the times.  Upgrading to the newer version would in effect mean a completely new process - so he may as well see what's out there! (Right decision!)

Thus, the decision to move systems has been made and he wants to know about how to deal with the legacy data.  Options:

Bin the old data and start again with a nice shiny new system! Trust me, the theory is great - in reality, your staff will hate you for this (even if they are the ones whinging about the rubbish they have to sift through to get what they need).
Migrate the lot! Some CRM / ATS software houses will happily take money for migrating your data (as a removal man will happily take your old junk to your new home...) - but you will be charged for this AND your staff will still have to wade through it.
Study what you have and see what you have to gain by migrating it - please think about what good looks like.  Think about the typical life-span of a client and candidate and search your datadump for data that you need going forward.

The key to this is to think long not short term; ask yourself:

• If your data was paper-based, filed away in a multitude of filing cabinets, would you pack it up and move it to a new office?
• Is one of your objectives for the new CRM/ATS a cleaner working environment?
• Do you have a policy / process which clarifies to your people when the data that they have goes on to your system?  You don’t want to be spending time and money getting a gorgeous clean house, only to invite a load of hoarders to stay, who nip out to every car boot going, and trawl eBay for stuff they may “need”.  Be clear about what goes onto the system and why.  And perhaps have a system that "archives" data that has not been touched in a while.

Investing in a new CRM / ATS is a great way of moving your business to a new work ethic, ensuring that your workforce has the best tools and that you can maximise the data that you have.  Make sure that you don't simply move your junk to a new system and in 6 months have the same complaints that led you to migrate / upgrade - otherwise it's just geography.

Are you planning on migrating / upgrading your CRM? If so, how much data have you got? what's your strategy?

You can follow Wayne on Twitter, his Facebook Business page, his Pinterest boards, read his blog and connect via LinkedIn.

 

SeeMore at Recruitment Technology Showcase Event

We’ve got our Technology Showcase event in less than a week on the 24th May; for recruiters to investigate different recruitment software providers..

In the run up to the event I'm blogging about some of the providers taking part, and why they think you should attend the event.

Provider name: Monster
Product name: SeeMore

Why should people come and learn more about SeeMore?

Talent Management continues to be ranked as a #1 priority on company’s management agendas. The business drivers for their actions are simple:

•    Demographic shifts worldwide will lead to a shrinking workforce and competition will heat up for certain skills.
•    Economic growth will resume and having the best talent is critical.
•    Almost every organisation today operates in a more complex and competitive environment.

Therefore, in order to grow business, and help ensure organisations retain and attract the best talent the way we look at current talent sourcing and retention methods has to evolve. 

Monster is here to help companies find people with bespoke solutions from the Web to mobile to social; we apply the most advanced technology to help you successfully match the right people to the right job. Our Business has evolved to work with you to solve your big data issues and allow you to understand the talent pool you have already built and be able to apply that knowledge to source the very best candidates quickly and cost effectively.

At the event we will be discussing specifically SeeMore™ our new Cloud based semantic search solution.


If you want to find out more about SeeMore before the event visit: SeeMore

Keith Robinson talking Content at our technology event

Keith Robinson (Director of Ecom Digital) will be at our technology event on the 24th May.  He is an incredibly knowledgable (and modest) chap who has been in the recruitment industry for forever.  He will be talking about the Power of Content.  Watch the video to get an overview (and some really useful topline information) on what Keith will be covering.  It's also a great example of a video blog!

iMeet at Recruitment Technology Showcase Event

We’ve got our Technology Showcase event in just 10 days on the 24th May for recruiters to investigate different recruitment software providers. I blogged about it recently.

In the run up to the event I'm blogging about some of the providers taking part, and why they think you should attend the event.

Provider name: PGi
Product name: iMeet

Why should people come and learn more about iMeet?

iMeet … Face to Face interviewing, right from your desktop

Human Resources touches every aspect of every business. Successful HR teams wield enormous influence over corporate strategy, technology decisions and employee culture through recruiting, training, counselling and so much more — all with increasingly tight budgets and limited resources.

HR teams need technology that streamlines processes and extends their reach without sacrificing the personal element that is vital to effective HR communications. Our team will show you how to use iMeet to drive initiatives, personalize communications and forge new employee relationships.

Why iMeet for HR?
•    Affordable web-based video conferencing enables HR teams to put a face with a name for corporate communications, recruiting and industry networking.
•    Anyone can join from anywhere: headquarters, regional offices, on the road or working from home.
•    Simple and effective for internal and external use: training, interviewing, onboarding, vendor management and more.
•    Easy as making a phone call. No downloads for anyone.
•    Host up to 15 people in a group interview.
•    Share job descriptions, resumes and company documents.
•    Lower hiring costs and increase efficiencies.
 
iMeet is simple, robust and affordable – it  puts the human back into Human Resources!

If you want to find out more about iMeet before the event visit www.imeet.com

Bond Adapt at Recruitment Technology Showcase Event

We’ve got a Technology Showcase event on the 24th May for recruiters to investigate different recruitment software providers. I blogged about it recently.

In the run up to the event I'm blogging about some of the providers taking part, and why they think you should attend the event.

Provider name: Bond International Software
Product name: Bond Adapt

Why should people come and learn more about Bond Adapt?

As developers of cutting edge, innovative recruitment technology, we are committed to sharing our industry experience and helping recruiters to transform their business performance in order to stay ahead of the competition. With nearly 40 years of industry experience and a yearly R&D spend of £4m+, our staffing technology currently provides over 100,000 global users with all the very latest functionality to maximise their insight and increase their productivity.

At the event, we will be offering demonstrations of our specialist portfolio of recruitment software applications, which are currently used by some of the largest global recruiters and available as a Software-as-a-Service or as an on-site deployment. Newly developed features to aid recruiters’ day-to-day activities will be highlighted alongside Bond Adapt’s wide integration with back office functions, social networking sites and third party systems, such as Daxtra’s Search Station 2 and Drag&Tag.

Bond’s investment in dedicated mobile applications is revolutionising work practices for the busy recruiter on the move. Furthermore an intuitive, web browser interface has been designed to optimise recruiting and sales output. It is 100% configurable, fully scalable and offers multilingual capabilities, proving multi-character sets.

If you want to find out more about Bond before the event contact: James Payne, Head of Business Development via James.payne@bond.co.uk or 01903 707070

Visit www.bondadapt.com or join the oOnline buzz: @BondIntUK

MyResourcer at Recruitment Technology Showcase Event

We’ve got a Technology Showcase event on the 24th May for recruiters to investigate different recruitment software providers.  I blogged about it recently.

In the run up to the event I'm blogging about some of the providers taking part, and why they think you should attend the event.

Provider name: MyResourcer

Why should people come and learn more about MyResourcer?

MyResourcer is an award-winning vacancy lead generation system. In the current climate where 18% of jobseekers apply for more than 20 jobs, MyResourcer helps build agency loyalty by finding more vacancies that can be offered to existing candidates.

Come to UK Recruiter’s event to find out why Ann Swain, CEO, APSCo says "The MyResourcer innovative product ...is actively helping the recruitment industry generate more business by improving the process of lead generation”

MyResourcer monitors over half a million direct employer career pages, job boards and clients and prospects’ on a recruiter’s database, then sends alerts when they are updated with new vacancies.

We will be doing live demos using MyResourcer at the event, join hundreds of our other global users and be impressed by what you see.
 
If you want to find out more about MyResourcer before the event contact: Bradley Placks at bradley@myresourcer.com or 020 7078 7990.  Visit www.myresourcer.com

EBSTA at Recruitment Technology Showcase Event

As you may know we’ve got a Technology Showcase event on the 24th May for recruiters to investigate different recruitment software providers.  I blogged about it recently.

Over the next few weeks up to the event I'm going to talk about some of the providers taking part, and why they think you should attend the event.

Provider name: EBSTA (formally Drag&Tag)

Why should people come and learn more about EBSTA?

If your company has a CRM and finds that adding data to it and keeping it up-to-date is a chore. The problem with CRMs is that they just don’t fit into our day-to-day jobs. If we need to sell stuff or place candidates in new roles, our time is spent sending emails, attending meetings and visiting websites. Who has the time to trawl through a poorly maintained database before making that urgent call?

EBSTA seamlessly integrates the CRM into your day-to-day job, allowing you to use and update all that valuable data without interruption. Whether you’re sending the emails or surfing the internet, EBSTA’s discreet side panel keeps you in the loop whilst allowing you to update information with the click of a mouse.  Since it’s launch 18 months ago EBSTA has been bought by over 40 recruitment companies and changed the working lives of more than 3,500 recruiters. Companies across the UK and US are finally getting a return on their database and CRM investments.

If you want to find out more about EBSTA before the event:
Contact: Guy Rubin at guyrubin@ebsta.com or 07932 949 932
Twitter: @ebstahq
Facebook: facebook.com/ebstaHQ
www.ebsta.com

KeyApps at Recruitment Technology Showcase Event

In case you’ve missed my PR we’ve got an event on the 24th May for recruiters to investigate different recruitment software providers.  I blogged about it recently.

Over the next few weeks up to the event I'm going to talk about some of the providers taking part, and why they think you should attend the event.

Provider name: KeyApps Ltd
Product Name: Mobile Recruitment App

Why should people come and learn more about KeyApps’ Mobile Recruitment Apps?

KeyApps are offering a fantastic opportunity for decision makers to learn more about the most cost effective and dynamic mobile apps on the market, and how they can make today’s mobile technology work for them as part of their recruiting process.

·         Reaching a wider audience
·         Secure more placements – engage directly with more relevant applicants
·         Brand awareness – harness the power of the app markets
·         Available anytime, any place
·         Improve agency/candidate satisfaction and communication
·         Reach the ideal candidates before the competition
·         Additional channel to secure referrals

If you want to find out more about KeyApps before the event:
Tel: +44 203 318 2999
Twitter: @keyappsltd
Email: sales@keyapps.co.uk
Web: www.keyapps.co.uk

What do you want to get out of the Recruitment Technology Showcase Event?

I’ve been chatting with Lisa Jones, who is one of our onsite experts for the May technology event, and she was saying what she’s hoping to get out of the day. 
 
She was at last September’s event where we had lots of CRMs in one space vying for attention.  It was a pretty full on afternoon to be honest!  Lisa loves these kinds of events; all that tech in one room, and people who want to talk about it too!  However, if you just come along on the 24th May with no plan whatsoever you might go home more befuddled than you came. The afternoon will showcase lots of great stuff, but you should ideally attend with an objective, and one that is more refined than “I want some new kit”!  These are Lisa’s tips for what she is looking for and how you can get the best out of the day:
 
1.  Technology that really gets me giddy – what gets you giddy?  Do you know what you get turned on by?  Jot it down and make sure that you get what you need from the day
2.  Technology that’s going to help my recruitment clients with their business processes.  Do you know what yours is?  The tech you will see on the day is going to potentially blow your mind, but how will it fit into your day to day business?
3.  Technology that’s going to add to my business process.  I’m not a fan of replacing tech with stuff that simply emulates the status quo… what else can I get from the change?  How will my business be better?
4.  Innovation – we probably all have some form of system that logs calls and correspondence, runs reports etc… but what is it about the tech at this event that is innovative.  Bear in mind at what’s innovative to the suppliers may not be to you and vice versa…
 
My add on top tip is to keep an open mind. We’ve got 20 technology companies at the event.  I’m pretty sure you’ve got some pre-formed opinions on some of them.  Please try and cast them to one side and view as many offerings from as many providers as possible. 
 
It’s a free event so why not bring a colleague and split up the providers so you can each see half – that way you’ll still have time for a cuppa and some networking as well as the workshop sessions we have planned.  Then you can have a chat about your findings over a quick drink in the pub afterwards.
 
 

Recruitment Technology Showcase Event - May 2012

We've just signed up our final sponsor for our Recruitment Technology and Software Showcase Event on 24th May. 

It's an event just for recruiters - those looking for a new CRM system and/or to check out new innovative technologies.

It takes place on Thursday, 24th May from 1pm until 6pm (with drinks afterwards) in central London.

Technology in recruitment is constantly evolving making it difficult to keep up with offerings which may really add value to your business. This event run by us, under our "Recruiters Network" hat has been designed specifically with this issue in mind.  Recruitment and resourcing professionals will be able to gain insight into a range of technology offerings from ten different CRM suppliers AND ten very different innovative technology suppliers.  In addition to this there will be also two workshop sessions running in the afternoon; one on social media usage and the other on the evolution of recruitment.

Over the course of the afternoon we'll showcase offerings from BeKnown, MyResourcer, NowWeComply, Bullhorn Reach, Cube19, Drag&Tag, Cast Recruitment Videos, Broadbean, KeyApps and iMeet.

Our showcasing CRM organisations are Monster, Bullhorn, Cirrus Nova, Microdec, 2LS, Talisman, TriSys, Bond Adapt and Arithon

What you'll get out of the afternoon:

- View short demonstrations (speed-pitching) from a selection of our ten CRM providers.
- View short (limited to 15 minutes) showcase presentations from ten innovative technology providers
Both of these demos/pitches are just long enough for you to get a good idea of the relevance to your business but importantly short enough to hold your attention!
- Network with other attendees and talk with the suppliers, in an informal environment.
- Learn from and debate in our workshops (social media and the evolution of recruitment)
- A thorough update on the recruitment software market in one afternoon
- No other suppliers trying to sell to you (as all attendees will be recruitment professionals)

To find out more and understand how investment in technology will increase the number of placements you make, please visit http://recnet24may.eventbrite.co.uk

If you can't make the daytime we've got an evening social you are welcome at (this is open to anyone within the recruitment industry).  We'll be publishing a link to this closer to the time.

This is set to be a great event so hopefully I will see you there.

Recruitment Software Survey and at #TruLondon

What do recruiters and candidates really want and need recruitment software to do in 2012?

Colleague Software is on a drive to listen to recruiters, consultants, and other suppliers in the industry in order to answer this question. 
Colleague will be at Bill Boorman’s #TruLondon Unconference leading the potentially very interesting track ‘Imagineering Recruitment Software’ where participants will lead the discussion – starting with a blank sheet of paper and ignoring preconceived technological limitations.

Colleague Software is also conducting ‘The Little Recruitment Software Survey 2012’ online – and offering a selection of ever changing recruitment goodies to randomly selected participants, including free tickets to our own Recruiter’s Practitioner Only Event in March.

Let me your thoughts on the future of recruitment software below

Who Moved My HR Software? Review

When I started writing this review I thought I’d first reference my previous review of Peter Gold’s first book; Who Moved My Talent? However, despite happily taking a (signed) copy of his book and reading it.... it seems I never actually shared my review. So, why not check that book out too once you’ve read this and then downloaded his latest book!

Who Moved My HR Software? is somewhere between a book and a very long blog article around the subject of HR technology. His first book was almost coffee break material (well it only took me 15 minutes to read but I am FAST). This one is more a train journey read. As the marketing blurb reads “this book is not just about HR software. It's about how different aspects of 'business' software have changed and how you can navigate your way through the confusion of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) versus on-premise systems.”

Peter has written this book entirely as a story about a chap called Henry (and his “chums” Peter, Ingrid and Bruno) and his quest to investigate new technologies to save his company from falling behind and going under.

As I read it I could just imagine Peter presenting this, in his unique style, prowling the stage at a conference. In fact, in the audio version (I went for PDF) he well may be the narrator.

It’s a book for HR professionals who want to get a better grip on understanding the all these confusing technology options and making a decision on where to go next.

The added bonus is that it’s free and you can download the book from the Lumesse website in PDF, ebook or audio version.

Advertiser Profile: Eploy

This is the lastest post in a new feature on my blog; where I shamelessly promote some companies that advertise with us in the weekly newsletter. However, it's also an opportunity for you to learn more about some of the suppliers that could be assisting your recruitment business.

Company: Eploy®
URL: www.eploy.co.uk
Description: Eploy® is a leading provider of online recruitment, vendor management, RPO and applicant tracking software to recruitment consultancies and corporate HR departments. It is a completely customisable e-recruitment application delivering cutting edge recruitment tools through your browser with minimum cost and short delivery times.
Since 1998 their philosophy has been to actively seek feedback from their rapidly expanding client base and closely follow industry developments and has resulted in exceptional levels of innovation and functionality.
3 USPs:
1. Established since 1998 with a proven record of innovation and excellent service
2. Unlock new revenue streams & offer value added services through your website
3. Search LinkedIn, Google, CV libraries with CVs parsed and imported
Contact: To discuss your requirements or arrange a free trial system or demonstration, please contact Mark on 01562 637199 or email info@eploy.co.uk.

Advertiser Profile: Voyager Software

This is a new feature on my blog. As I mentioned last week whilst it's shameless promotion for some companies that advertise with us in the weekly newsletter, it's also an opportunity for you to learn more about some of the suppliers that could be assisting your recruitment business.

Company: Voyager Software Ltd

Product: Voyager Professional, Commercial, VDQ! and Mid-Office

Description: Voyager is a leading provider of innovative recruitment software and we represent one of the largest suppliers of Recruitment technology in the world.  With a focus on service and delivering tangible benefits, our recruitment solutions offer rapid deployment and return on investment.  Our products span the entire recruitment landscape from the front office to the back office and Online and by combining our recruitment software products, which are all fully integrated, we have a strong track record of delivering solutions painlessly to Recruiters individually or globally. 
Voyager is one of the UK's longest standing and most experienced recruitment software providers; this is not only evident in our products, but also our customer care.  We offer an 0800 Support line, Free upgrades and Free Online Training Clinics.

3 USPs:

* Ease-of-use
* Easily adopted
* Fully integrated

Contact: email sales@voyage.co.uk or call 0800 008 6262

Advertiser Profile: Colleague Software

This is a new feature on my blog. Yes, it's shameless promotion for some companies that advertise with us in the weekly newsletter, BUT it's also an opportunity for you to learn more about some of the suppliers that could be assisting your recruitment business.

Company: Colleague Software

Product: Colleague Recruitment Software

Description: Operating for 16 years with an experienced and passionate team of highly qualified technical staff, Colleague has a long and proud heritage of continuous software development. With an attitude of integrity, respect and honesty Colleague Software has built strong two-way relationships with almost 200 specialist consultancies – including names such as Square One Resources, InterQuest Group plc, Networkers International plc, Lucas Kennedy and Pacific International − resulting in recruitment software that is client driven, customisable, flexible, functional and scalable.  Colleague Software is a Microsoft Partner and Sage Developer.

3 USPs:

* Highly customisable and flexible

* Ideal for specialist recruitment consultancies

* Client driven, evolving software

Contact: For a free demonstration − we are always happy to come to you in person – and some friendly advice call Anthony on, 01603 735935 or email sales@colleague.eu

Other Links: Twitter and LinkedIn

Technology must be personal

This was sent to me by one of our Sponsors for the recruitment software event we are running on the 22nd September.  I thought it worth sharing.

It is almost a cliché that in order for technology to maintain its place in the recruiter’s processes, innovation must be constant and relevant. But while applications and services will always be important, the functionality being provided must stem from the needs of the individual consultant. 

But how will the provision of technology for the industry change over 2011? Or, to put it more bluntly, how does its provision need to change?

Technology now allows consultants to treat all their clients like real people: on an individual and personal basis, and not as an amorphous mass. Ironically however, much of the industry’s technology research and development is not as personal. Due to a focus on satisfying hype and blinkered one-upmanship, many technology providers have spent time and resource developing applications and services without due care and attention being paid to the most important question of all – “how will this help recruiters in their day to day activity?”

The industry has only a handful of technology solutions that truly boost ROI, and these solutions are increasingly evolving into more personally engaging applications, suitable for every level of user.

Indeed, if every level of user, from the board to the junior researcher, is not considered, or even ideally directly consulted, the research and development efforts can only deliver short term ‘gimmicks’ that satisfy a temporary perceived need or unsupported desire. Instead, these efforts should be directed towards delivering quantifiable, readily identifiable ROI and competitive advantage. 

Throughout our experience in the market, we have seen countless technological innovations boldly being launched that pay little attention to the needs of the individual recruiter– innovations that have often disappeared from view as quickly as they have arrived. 

Flexibility and accommodation have to become the watchwords not only by the way in which the technology providers approach the market, but also by the way in which the products themselves are developed. 

PS, if you are interested in the event there is still time to sign up!

Recruiters Toolbox from 2LS

We mentioned this in the newsletter earlier this week but I wanted to take a proper look. 2LS have recently added a "toolbox" section to their site; this is a series of free online resources to help recruitment consultants in their day-to-day job.

There are a number of "calculators" and the "Recruiter’s Book of Checklists". The later is a PDF document which aims to give you hints and tips around certain areas of your job; locating hard to find candidates, managing your pipeline, writing the perfect job advert etc. the calculators (accessed from the site) can work out margin/mark up for you, the end dates of contracts and deal value (ie, you enter start/end date, pay rate and charge rate and it tells you how much fee you have made). They are a nice set of tools for recruiters to take a look at and a nice value add from a software company.

A few words from our sponsor....

I thought it might be interesting for people to hear more from our 22nd September recruitment software event sponsors about why they are getting involved. Here are some of their thoughts:

“We felt the format of this event was really unique and exciting and a great way for us to showcase our cloud-based recruitment solution Prism, in a targeted but informal environment. Being one of the smaller companies in the recruitment industry, it is nice for us to be able to attend an event where we are on an even playing field alongside some of the larger companies. in normal shows or exhibitions small companies tend to be judged by their stand size and that really isn’t an indicator of how good your product or company is, so doing things this way is much fairer for everyone involved and offers recruiters a great way of comparing and contrasting the different offerings.” Laura Harwood, Cirrus Nova

“Eploy® will be demonstrating their new ‘Social Recruiting Toolkit’. Designed to provide a much tighter integration with social and business networks such as Linked In, the Toolkit also allows recruiters to seamlessly search and import data from multiple CV libraries, Google Docs and many other online resources. Eploy® will use this event to gauge delegate’s views and opinions on the new Toolkit, and discuss how the company’s latest innovations in recruitment technology can help their business.” Paul Burgess, Eploy

"i-Business Resources (i-BR) are very pleased to be a part of the UK Recruiter event as it will coincide with phase one of the release of our new version of Quick-Recruit. Visitors to the event will be able to see our very latest fully hosted, true cloud based seamless front to back office recruitment solution with its new interface, features and functions. We will also be discussing the phase two developments due for release by the end of the year and agencies attending will be able to take advantage of our free implementation promotion potentially saving upwards of £3000.” Michael Pretty, i-Business Resources (i-BR)

"This event will give us the chance to showcase our latest version of our market leading Bond Adapt software to a captive audinec. We are also looking forward to networking with the delegates and finding out what the hot topic of the day will be!"  Sarah Woodman, Bond
If you are looking to buy a recruitment CRM solution NOW or in the next six months come along on 22 September and meet lots of recruitment software companies under one roof!

A mini Cloud Computing Debate

One of our sponsors for our upcoming Recruitment Software Event, Cirrus Nova, has sent me a link to an article on cloud computing and her response to the issues raised in it. 

I thought it made interesting reading for anyone concerned with the security around cloud computing in the recruitment space.  You should read the full article but here are the main issues:

There are 4 things that most of cloud storage provider will never elaborate because they will contradict with their basic business mission:

1. No such thing as 100% safety – It is humanly impossible to declare that any of these cloud computing providers offer 100% safety, there is always the possibility that your data is accessed by hackers or other intruders. Dropbox.com recently faced a security issue case where someone managed to access 100 different accounts using a single password, therefore nothing is impossible.

2. System down time – Most of the providers do claim at least 99.9% system uptime, but this means that there is still a small chance that you may not be able to access the service when you need it. Amazon WS, the biggest cloud service provider, had recently a 2 day system downtime, creating chaos for many thousand clients.

3. Have a second manual backup plan – Although this is very oxymoron, unfortunately, you are obligated to have your own manual backup plan in case something goes wrong with any of these providers. How primitive, you may say, but you cannot jeopardize any valuable data. I suggest you get few flash drives and once a month backup all your data.

4. Knowing what to store on the cloud – Although all providers are telling us to store all our data on the cloud, we need to use our brain and decide which data is way too sensitive and simply cannot be stored anywhere but a flash drive. Personal data such as passport copies, bank account login credentials, health records may need to be saved separately.

Does this mean that cloud computing is not reliable? I do not mean that, I personally use it and I do trust it, however, before moving any content online, you ought to be aware of these drawbacks.

And here is Laura’s response addressing the points individually…

1 – No such thing as 100% safety -  Locally held data cannot claim to be 100% safe. Excluding data that is deleted, hacked or damaged on laptops or mobiles let us also remember that approximately 34,000 laptops are stolen each year and another 60,000 mobiles and laptops left in taxis, that data certainly isn’t safe (Source: UK Police Report/Recruitment Consultant July 2011).  Connections to the Prism system are secured with up to 256 Bit SSL encryption, Backups are stored at 2 secure sites and servers are kept up to date with the latest service packs and security updates.

2 – System down time – A cloud infrastructure typically offers levels of performance, uptime redundancy and scalability which is impossible to match with in-house IT solutions. Our secure data centre offers world class availability. Multiple connections to the UK Internet backbone paired with a fully redundant UPS system backed up by diesel generators to ensure that uptime is never a problem.

3 – Have a second manual backup plan – a ridiculous comment in modern times. All data held on servers with credible cloud-based providers is always secure, is backed up hourly and can be restored to any point in time (down to the second)

4 – Knowing what to store on the cloud – again this is complete nonsense. You would no less store something in the cloud than you would on your own PC or phone. If anything, cloud-based data is safer as already highlighted.

The writer finishes his article with the quote “Does this mean that cloud computing is not reliable? I do not mean that, I personally use it and I do trust it”….Is he just therefore trying to harm the industry and slow progress down? One has to ask what his motives are for this article?

If you want to know more about Cirrus Nova, or wish to chat with Laura directly why not come along to our Recruitment Software Networking event on the 22nd September!

Recruitment Software Comparisons

I had an email from a chap called Kyle Lagunas recently asking if I wanted to mention the blog post he'd written about Web-Based Applicant Tracking Systems: A Comparison In Functionality.  It's a mini review of four applicant tracking software products.  It's a nice idea but one which, when you look at his comparison tables, will show you how similar on paper these providers look.

 

If you want to see a comparison of a LOT of UK providers then take a look at the software comparison tables on our site.

 

However, I think the problem is still that it's very difficult to tell a lot on paper. Which is why if you are looking at recruitment software you HAVE to attend our upcoming Recruitment software event!  When you attend you can attend between six and eight mini presentations from UK ATS/CRM providers.  I'll blog a bit more about it later this week but you can check out the website in the meantime: http://recnet22sept.eventbrite.com/

 

 

 

 

 

Wanted: Recruiters to do some beta testing

I’ve just spoken with a company who are developing a new candidate screening tool for recruiters; one of the primary features will be the time saving benefits.  They are looking for beta testers to have a play with the system at the end of August.  They specifically want recruiters (either agency or in-house) who specialise in graduates to try their system on a real life assignment.  If you are any other sort of recruiter and are keen, I'm sure they'll consider you! As an added incentive, anyone who takes part in the beta testing will get 25% off the product when it goes live (that 25% discount is forever!).

So, if you are interested drop me an email and I’ll put you in touch.

Bullhorn 2011 UK Staffing and Recruiting Trends Survey

We are conducting a survey with Bullhorn Software to help determine what is in store for the recruitment industry over the next 12 months.  The survey will take you no more than 6 minutes to complete (probably a lot less) and upon completing the survey you will be entered into a raffle for a £100 Amazon.com gift certificate.

Please help us by completing the survey here

Recruitment Software Trade-In.

Voyager have got a current offer on (and it's only for UK Recruiter "subscribers") where you can trade-in your existing recruitment software and get money off the Voyager product.

They ran this last year and had a superb response so have been happy to offer it again - via us. 

It's a  nice simple offer.  Virtually any software, specifically developed for the recruitment industry qualifies for this promotion and you can expect a minimum of 30% off each Voyager licence when you trade-in each licence of your current software.

You just need to call the Voyager team on 0800 008 6262 (or email sales@voyage.co.uk) before the end of May 2010 to check how you can benefit from the offer.  Just tell them you saw the offer on my blog.

I think it's quite difficult for recruitment software companies to differentiate themselves in terms of the way they make their offering and this struck a nice chord with me. 

Now, can someone do me a trade-in deal on my 4 year old PC?!

Voyager's plan for extra PR?

Paul at Voyager Software contacted me earlier in the week to ask if I'd like to pick the winner of their light-hearted "spot the difference" competition.  If you get any of the recruitment publications you will no doubt have seen their adverts where you have to spot the difference between the manual agency and the Voyager one?

The image depicts two very Recruiters.  One clearly in a mess, disorganised, printer on fire, paper everywhere with a stressed Recruiter working manually collecting a P45 from his boss (that's a clue there!).  The other image is a different story - running Voyagers system, obviously.  All cool and on target, collected getting a bottle of champamagne from his boss - What else! (Ooops was that another clue?).

Anyway, so I'm feeling really flattered at having been chosen to pick the winner.  However, it turns out to involve no judging or skill on my part at all.  On the 1st March I'll be using a random number generator (I feel like Alan Dedicoat off the National Lottery) to select the person who wines IPOD and £200 Voyager voucher. 

Now that I think about it I recon it was all a ploy by Paul to butter me up for extra PR.  Which, of course, has worked.

The competition is still open to anyone who wants to pick the 10 differences (there's even a  cheat button!).

By the way this is the final week for voting in our un-official Onrec Recruitment Personality of the Year Awards?  You can vote here   

Do you JibberJobber?

I've been reading Jason Alba's blog for quite some time now.  I chatted with him earlier in the week and wanted to share some information about his company and product; JibberJobber.

JibberJobber is a “personal relationship management tool” set up by Jason.  Jason lost his job in January 2006 - you can find out about this via his blog.  Basically though, Jason realised that he wasn’t being very effective, efficient or organised in his job hunt.  In fact Jason wasn’t getting any results.  He decided to better organise the process via a relationship management tool which he created himself.   Then he had one of those eureka moments (actually, I don’t know if he had a eureka moment – but I guess he must have!) when he realised how useful it would be to share this newly created tool with others.

JibberJobber is a way for individuals to organise and manage a job search (where did I send my CV?, what CVs and reference letters do I have?, who is in my network?, etc).   However, it’s not just for active jobseekers.  In fact, Jason thinks he probably has less job seekers using the system than people interested in managing their long term relationships.  Jason’s advice is to have all the resources ready for when you need to look for a new job. 

The site doesn't replace job boards, recruitment agencies, face to face networking and/or looking for jobs in newspaper adverts.  It’s positioned as a complement to these; acting as a central hub to allow someone to manage all of the information/data that they get from each of these sources (and more).

Statistics show that people change jobs every 3-5 years – JibberJobber ensures you have all the information from your last job search to hand as soon as you are ready to start looking again - you don't have to start from scratch each time.

JibberJobber has a paid for service.  However, you can use about 90% of the functionality for free.  For example you can manage up to 250 contacts as part of the free service.

So how can a recruiter benefit from JibberJobber?.  If you want to help out the candidates that you can’t place right now why not recommend they use JibberJobber to manage their job search.  In much the same way you may recommend a specific job board or an interview coaching company.  Apart from the fact that you will have made a good impression you should find that the candidate comes back to you at a later stage (probably 3 to 5 years time when they are looking for another job move) and maybe this time they’ll be a candidate you can place.  Actually, maybe they’ll call you as soon as they get a new job – as a client!  Jason tells me that at least one recruiter he knows is including a link to JibberJobber in his email signature file.

Of course, recruiters also need to change jobs occasionally so you might find it useful for your own career management

Jason now runs JibberJobber full time.  He has registered users spread across the world – but with a  strong audience in the US (he is based in Utah).  The UK is probably his second largest market and one he'd love to develop more in.

I like the site and Jason seems like a really nice person to do business with.  It’s basically a free tool with extra functionality you can pay for.  Definitely worth a look – and consider passing the word on to your candidates.

Helping You Choose the Right Recruitment Software

About a month ago Alan Whitford called me up with a great idea.  He asked if I'd considered putting together some information to help recruiters compare the multitude of recruitment software products on the market. 

As it happens I was aware there was a need for such a facility (not that I'd done anything about it yet).  I get a couple of calls a week from recruiters asking me what product they should buy.  The forum always has at least one current thread about recruitment software.  We publish a list of software providers on our site to help recruiters see what companies/products are on the market.  However, I loved the idea of a document which you could use to compare functionality and price of products.  Thus the "Recruitment Software Comparison Tables" were born (catchy name don't you think?!).

I've emailed everyone on our list of recruitment software products.  Over 30 have completed the forms so far and these are up on the site as a PDF document.  I'll be doing an "official" launch in the newsletter next week and by then hope to have added logos/screenshots for some of these companies.

If anyone has feedback on ways to improve the tables please drop me a note

Finally, Alan, thanks for the suggestion, but having spent the last 5 days working solidly on this - please keep all future ideas to yourself!  Seriously though, a massive thanks, Alan, for the idea and for your help in putting the questionnaires together.