How to Convince Your Boss to Invest in New Recruiting Technology

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• July 30, 2014
• By Kimberley Kasper
• 1 Comment

Recruiting is a unique mix of technology and humanity. With so many changes recently, the basic applicant tracking systems we’ve relied on for years no longer make the cut.

Broad talent management software provides limited recruiting capabilities, and without programs to source talent, organize referrals and track progress, the comprehensive, candidate-centric recruiting functionality recruiters need is incomplete.

While it seems like an obvious necessity for any recruiter, such an extensive recruiting platform can be a hard sell. Executives not involved in everyday recruiting tasks often believe an enterprise suite will solve all problems, but as recruiting becomes more and more like marketing, closing deals with candidates — and not just posting jobs and scheduling interviews — is high priority.

Now that recruiting has the greatest business impact of any HR function, executives should pay attention. To give them the push they need to embrace new recruiting technology (and foot the bill), here are four tips for getting your C-suite on-board: (Click here to tweet this list.)

1. Get a sponsor

Once you’ve decided it’s time for a recruiting platform upgrade, finding an ally in your company is the first step. Determine who else in your company might have the most at stake: Do you have a technical leader in need of key players on the IT team? How about a sales manager looking to grow their team before a big launch?

Isolate which members of your company’s ecosystem stand to benefit from fresh talent and make your case to them first. Getting as many allies as possible will benefit you in the long run and help your executives understand how far-reaching a comprehensive recruiting platform can take the company.

2. Understand your ROI

For your business-minded C-suite, hard numbers matter. To get your execs on board, make your case by showing the measurable upside to investing in a recruiting platform upgrade — and the measurable downside. Demonstrate how the right technology can help you conserve time, increase productivity, reduce costs and secure the best hires.

For example, if your company finds value in referrals, explain to your executives that referrals are hired faster, so they can understand why a solution that facilitates referrals will enhance efficiency and cut time-to-hire.

Or, if your executives are concerned with the longevity of candidates, tell them that employees hired by referral stay with a company longer than those hired through other sources, helping them see why a comprehensive platform is essential for pinpointing long-term hires.

Ask your executives what their priorities are, and do your research into why an upgrade would address those issues. That way, you can select the perfect recruiting partner for your hiring efforts.

3. Involve IT early on

Thinking about IT before you’ve even picked a recruiting platform might feel a bit counterintuitive. After all, now that most recruiting platforms are available in the cloud, they require less maintenance, are less expensive and are more accessible to both recruiters and candidates. Even product updates are fully streamlined, so you can be sure your recruiting platform is constantly up-to-date.

But your IT department might have plenty of concerns around security, data and downtime when they implement a new system, so be sure your new recruiting platform has all bases covered. Make sure your IT team is comfortable early on by explaining the benefits of a new system, and go over critical infrastructure requirements to select the best possible option.

4. Leverage data to measure success

Because many companies rely on data to make business decisions and drive strategy, finding a recruiting platform that can capture relevant data and create the required reports has never been more crucial. Analysts and industry experts have faith in the value of data in recruiting.

What data actually matters? Your recruiting platform should be able to track applications and hires — along with their productivity — by source, so you know where your best talent comes from and where to concentrate efforts.

Plus, keeping track of your referred employees helps you evaluate the value and longevity of your employee referral program. Finally, use the success of any nurture campaigns you conduct among prospective candidates to evaluate which messages work best. If you can’t analyze, customize and apply your data, measuring the success of your recruiting program becomes harder.

As the dynamics of the recruiting industry continue to evolve, recruiters are turning to a customizable, candidate-centric recruiting solution to secure quality talent. Unfortunately, getting your executive suite on board — and ready to spend — is a bit of an uphill battle.

If you recruit strategic allies, do your research and incorporate data, you can easily build a strong case that’s sure to bring your executives to your side.

Kimberley Kasper is the Chief Marketing Officer at Jobvite and responsible for all areas of marketing including marketing communications, programs, and operations. She has spent over 20 years working for SaaS and cloud technology companies. You can find her on LinkedIn.

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