I can implement that ATS in 30 days! This is about as easy to do as naming a tune in less than 3 notes, yet it is the most common statement I hear when ATS vendors are selling their technology to customers. Is this really possible? It could be, but the results usually leave you far from the expectations set during the ATS sales cycle. Here is what typically occurs:

In last week’s post we teed up the idea of avoiding the war for talent by doing a better job of internal development and succession planning. The key to making this type of program successful is the leadership and communications necessary to ensure managers embrace the concept of internal mobility.

Today we continue the discussion and focus on the roadmap and supporting technology:

We’ve all heard about the war for talent. The cost of losing a talented employee to the competition or being unable to deliver a product on time because of resource deficits are problems many businesses face today. While there is most certainly a battle raging for the top talent across virtually all business sectors, the “winners” are gaining the most ground not by raiding the competition but by developing internal strategies for career path and succession planning.

Early in his presidency, President Trump signed an executive order banning the entry of nationals from seven countries into the U.S. for 90 days, along with other suspensions.  The action stirred loud voices on both sides of the issue. The opposition was widespread and loud, but many polls show that more people supported the action, even if they do so more quietly. Regardless of the pros and cons of the action, there is one point on which nearly everyone can agree: the way the order was rolled-out was problematic. In examining these problems, there are valuable lessons about change management.

I started my career in HR over 20 years ago, and the questions I heard most often at all the HR conferences were “Why don’t I have a seat at the executive table?” and “How can I get the executives to take me seriously?” Well, we’re 20+ years on, and in spite of all the best intentions, I still hear these two questions repeatedly. What are we doing wrong?

In today’s business environment organizations are constantly launching new strategic initiatives aimed at driving some sort of value proposition. These range from company-wide reorganizations to the implementation of a major technology such as an ERP or a Human Capital Management software suite. They say that somewhere between 37% and 68% of large corporate projects fail. There are loads of reasons – lack of sponsorship, poorly defined requirements, unrealistic timelines, and the list goes on.

To paraphrase Mark Twain, recent reports that the resume is “dead” may have been greatly exaggerated. In a world of increasingly short attention spans of both recruiters and candidates, a resume may seem archaic – and those used to texting, tweeting, and Google searching may wonder why bother putting time into develop, or read, a resume?

It’s time for your first project sponsor update. You’ve spent hours getting the deck just right. You’ve meticulously prepared the slides, used every SmartArt® in the toolkit to ensure your point is made, refined the slide transitions and practiced your delivery in the mirror to make sure it is just right. You start the web meeting knowing that you are going to knock it out of the park.

If you are in the market to buy a new Talent Management Technology product, there is no shortage of advice on how you should conduct your selection process. I know this because I am one of the people who preaches about “best practices” vendor selection methodology.