Vendor Management Teams: Follow the Leaders

Reviewing and selecting a vendor for an Applicant Tracking or Hiring Management System (HMS) is an involved process. Many of the topics raised during the evaluation and in an RFP focus primarily on whether the software delivers certain functionality and meets certain standards of performance. Yet focusing too much on the functional and technical aspects of the solution risks neglecting a range of issues that are crucial to finding a vendor with the right “fit” for your company. A successful relationship with a vendor has much to do with its corporate culture and customer orientation, and this starts right at the top, with the management team.

Track record
One aspect to gather information on is the background of the management team. The management team should have a proven track record of management in HR and enterprise software development. (enterprise software includes Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and supply chain management software.) The core competency is the ability to bring complex software to the market in a timely and responsive manner. Product development entails more than just managing a large R&D team; a fundamental understanding of the business challenges facing recruiting must drive the direction of development.

Culture and Vision
Through his or her leadership, the CEO sets the tone for the company’s overall culture and vision. To understand this, find out the principle upon which the company was founded and how this founding principle is conveyed to the rest of the company. Ask where the management team sees recruiting going in two years or five, and decide whether this vision of recruiting meshes with your own. Culture and vision are areas often overlooked when assessing vendors. Make sure they get attention in your vendor selection process.

Customer Focus
Also of significance is evidence that management has created a service-oriented culture within the company. A service-oriented culture may manifest itself in a variety of ways: key executives may have past experience with implementing enterprise software in global corporations; management may structure the company at a very high level around customer service; or product development is conducted in ways responsive to customer input and feedback. Ultimately, you will want assurances that your company’s needs are completely satisfied.

The Right Stuff
In the end, you will want to select a HMS vendor that represents the best overall “fit” with your company. As part of this assessment of overall fit, it is important to find out about a potential vendor’s management team. The three key qualities of a management team are:

• a proven leadership,
• an understanding of your needs, and
• the ability to stay focused on an overall vision for the product.

As your company conducts its vendor selection process, pay particular attention to the example set by each vendor’s management team, their experience and management style. These are strongly indicative of the quality in both the software and services you may receive if you form a long-term relationship with the vendor.