Save your Job! Show your Boss your worth, demo this right here…

It’s summer time already in the South, 90 degrees outside and humid as Vietnam 1969. The layoffs are still hot too. Not a whole lot of jobs reqs either.

Your Boss is pacing the office like a half crazed Nazi commander waiting for orders to drop kick more recruiters out. Everyone is doing their best to look busy, marching down the halls as they peck away on their blackberry and even giving Social Media Recruiting presentations.


Even a co-worker resorted to shacking up with an HR Manager.

“Eeeewww!” Recruiters collectively cry out.

Don’t panic. No need to go extremes either. But, you need to kiss serious bootay right about now.

Time to test drive some Applicant Tracking Systems, my little brown nosers!

Go ahead and call that 1-800 number. Sign up for the demo and afterwards toot your horn. Type it up in a document and then email to all the managers. Tweet it and blog it… (ahem).

But before you dole out your email address and contact info to all those extremely pesky sales people, here are some things you NEED to know:

Don’t Waste Your Time.

You are the biggest loser if you spend more than one hour going through a demo. Get in and get out, fat boy. The sales guy will keep you on the phone for an entire day.

Pay Attention

Half way through some ATS demos, you may find yourself guzzling lava hot coffee to stay awake. If you start to doze off, do everyone a favor and just reschedule it.

Go Easy on the Questions

The first time you peek into an ATS. You are just peeking. You are not doing in-depth research, so keep the questions to a minimum. Save them for later if you decide to revisit.

Don’t Attack it.

Let me tell you, nothing sucks worse than a crummy ATS. They know it. You know it. It stinks worse than a Truckers’ bathroom. If it stinks, just move on. No need to rub the sales manager’s nose in it.

Try a Lot

Don’t just test one or two. Try to knock out four demos in one week.

To show your worth, check out these Applicant Tracking Systems. These will surely impress.

1) Jobvite – My favorite. I nearly cried after we decided to go with another ATS.

2) Monster ATS. Yes they have a kick-butt Applicant Tracking System. It’s good.

3) Maxhire – Lot of bang for a little buck.

4) iCims – A lot of bells and whistles.

So there you go. Sit back and put your feet on the desk. All the while your co-workers scornfully look upon you sipping your quad venti half-caff three pump cinnamon espresso macchiato. Yes, you are worthy.

If you would like to add your favorite ATS, let us know.

Views: 240

Comment by Dan Nuroo on June 7, 2009 at 9:47am
Had a vendor here who was so desperate to go on a sales call (to me), pushed on through his phone pitch even after I spelled out the I have no budget, no approval, no chance to get approval to buy one answer. I told him I'd be wasting his time and coffee budget on having a meeting. He didn't care... "We're giving away ipods to all people who meet with us" he pleaded. I reiterated my stance, but also commented that my 2004 or whatever ipod had died last month and I was in serious need of another. He still wanted the meeting.??

So I am the happy owner of a new ipod, and am still minus an ATS :(
Comment by Julia on June 8, 2009 at 8:35pm
Great Blog! I'd like to add myStaffingPro to your applicant tracking vendor list.
Comment by Sylvia Dahlby on June 26, 2009 at 10:50pm
Can I add SmartSearch to your vendor list even if it's my own product ? ;-)

Seriously, "the list" of ATS vendors has grown to the point of commoditization - and I strongly disagree with the advice to "try a lot" because it's the fastest way to glaze over and lose sight of the business requirements and end goals. I had one buyer call me who had looked at 25 products; I declined to demo mine, shoppers are not buyers - and the more you shop, the scarier it is to make a buying decision because it's so easy to get distracted by the bells & whistles.

I am the opposite of the sales rep that called Dan; I have learned the hard way not to waste my time or yours.

I will agree there is a lot of rubbish on the market - I have only one criteria by which I evaluate all of them ant that's: If I were unemployed, would I ship them my resume? With hundreds of products to choose from, you'd be surprised how short my list is!

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