ATS: Best of breed versus Oracle and SAP

When I first built an ATS our strategy was to 'plug' a front end into the recruitment module of the ERP/HR systems such as Oracle, SAP, Rebus (now Northgate etc).  Problem was, that the HR systems were not generally ready to do this (although some did e.g. Debenhams) and the 'best of breed' (BoB) message was still quite a compelling argument.

But have we spiraled forward and with integration being easier is the 'best of breed' argument a lot weaker?

If we take HBOS as one example who uses the SAP e-recruitment module which from a job seekers viewpoint is OK but no different to HSBC who uses Vurv.  SAP will state data integrity and integration as some key benefits of their system (and no doubt many others) whereas Vurv, Jobpartners, iGRasp etc will quote better functionality etc as their benefits.  But neither party is really looking at the applicant so this being the case, SAP is in the lead once again.

There are of course a number of e-recruitment experts still pushing 'BoB' but the e-recruitment consulting market has become somewhat commoditised already with vendors still paying out and consultants still accepting a commission payment for giving out impartial advice.  Only last week, a vendor who knows I do NOT accept any kind of referral payment still offered me one!! 

Anyway, with how the web has progressed in the last 10 years, I believe we are back to the 'plug-in' (plug and pray) scenario whereby the actual apply process is less differentiated as employers need to currently simplify the process rather than complicate it with killer questions, branched screening questions etc.  The 'candidate experience' needs to be enriched BEFORE they apply for a job to ensure they are fully engaged so that any service level reduction in the application process will be forgiven due to their high level of interest in the employer.  Getting the site AND jobs indexed by search engines is vital to attract traffic from multiple sources yet rarely made easy by any of the ATS vendors whereas a plug-in scenario as has been implemented by Mothercare (using Vurv) allows the jobs to be found in search engines, gives users an RSS option, jobs are collected for free by aggregators such as Indeed and the candidate experience can remain highly compliant for users that have assistive technology e.g. blind, partially sighted.  Furthermore, it is a simple transition to integrate Google maps, add social bookmarks, create job widgets etc to keep the career site in line with latest trends whilst allowing the application process to focus on data integrity and security.

Of course the ATS vendors can offer further modules such as onboarding and vendor management which may of course be needed but should be available as standalone modules rather than tied into the ATS.  Recruiter usability may also be easier with an ATS but not necessarily still the case as the ERP's also move to a portal environment.

So, the ATS BoB landscape may have changed yet again for those that want the BIG deals.  Vendors and employers need to take a holistic view of e-recruitment and not expect one vendor to supply it all.  The recruitment process is transactional once the applicant is engaged, but the ATS is not what engages an applicant.  It may be a simplified view at this stage, but the real value is outside the application process once we get down to keeping it simple and basic.

And finally, both HBOS and HSBC were featured in the Top 100 Retail Career Sites awards - see who did the best and what difference (if any) their ATS made! 

Have the ERP dinosaurs risen from the ice and joined the race once again?