CareerBuilder Says - Social Networking Shall Not Be Cheap

I was finally happy to see that CareerBuilder is building something for recruiters and it's going to be expensive. I read about it on ERE and essentially, Careerbuilder will build you a talent network. It seems they are the first to admit that it can be done without their help but of course if someone wants to help, why not. Help can be good.

I'm not going to describe what it is they will do exactly because John Zappe wrote about it but I want to comment on the price tag. It says they will charge between 100 and 150k for the first year and this does include setup charges. To me, this sounds cheap. I bet the biggest issue most people will have with this is that it sounds expensive but if you look at this from a traditional standpoint, the cost to hire someone is not cheap and somewhere along the way, someone started selling the concept that talent acquisition or the cost of getting someone real good on board can be or should be cheap. Its not.

I applaud CareerBuilder for holding out their middle finger and saying guess what boys, we are not going to make this cheap.

Comment by Anthony M. Morrison on November 15, 2010 at 4:53pm: I read and re-read your blog post searching for clues that this was simple sarcasm. What is there to applaud when a company tells you they are going to sell you a solution that almost anyone could assemble in Excel, and, by the way, they are going to charge $150K for it?
They are not building what they purport to build. Their proposed solution is more appropriately an opt-in list or a permission E-mail marketing list, but it definitely is not a Talent Community.
A true Community facilitates collaboration and sharing of information. It involves people conversing and working together to solve problems, meet goals, share opinions, and ideas. This social engagement makes people feel included and compelled to contribute positively to the betterment of the community. A social Talent Community is a network of candidates, contacts, alumni, employees and relevant job seekers that facilitates two-way communication between the recruiting professional and the candidate or other connection. They key phrase here is "contribute positively to the betterment of the community."
Please reply to this post and tell us all that you were just being facetious.

Comment by Slouch on November 15, 2010 at 5:22pm: Hi Anthony, the reason you could not find the sarcasm is because there was none there. I like the fact that they are charging a good amount of money. If anything, my post is a comment to everyone who thinks and expects that recruiting software should be cheap. I just respect that they recognize that hiring good people should not come cheap so they will not make it cheap. However, another way to look at it is maybe they are going after those who believe in life that when something is cheap or free, it's hard to expect anything from it. I subscribe to that mentality. My post was not at all about whether the software is good or not.

Comment by Anthony M. Morrison on November 15, 2010 at 5:30pm: Understood. And I agree. One cannot expect good recruiting software that serves its purpose well to be cheap, but nobody should be coerced into paying a fortune for software that does not even serve the purpose for which it was named.

Comment by Slouch on November 15, 2010 at 5:51pm: I think people can call things whatever they want to call things and sell it if they want. It's up to the buyer to decide if they want it. I don't think 150k is a fortune if the system allows you build relationships with people who have the skills to come work for you. Are you aware of arm twisting going on with their sales practices with respect to this new product? I should probably get a demo of it.

Comment by Alexis Perrier on November 16, 2010 at 8:33am: Lower the struggle users face each day on their computer and you've got a great product

Comment by Slouch on November 17, 2010 at 11:01pm: I sent an email to Hope Gurion yesterday to see about getting a demo. I heard back today about picking a time for it.

Comment by Omowale Casselle on November 24, 2010 at 3:14pm: Jason,

This is certainly an interesting development. You make a great point about the tremendous value of acquiring top talent. The impact that top talent can have on business results is well above the $100-150K price tag of the proposed solution being offered. If this solution truly helps an organization meet their ongoing talent acquistion needs by more efficiently using their resources then this sounds like a bargain.

I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on their solution after receiving the demo.

Omowale Casselle