HR Tech

A year ago I wrote that “2016 was a watershed year in recruitment tech” with a flood of investment, new entrants and mega M&A. I deliberately avoided predictions, but did wonder about potential responses from other big players following Microsoft’s $26B acquisition of LinkedIn. We didn’t have to wait long, as Google has quietly but ominously entered the fray with Google for Jobs and Google Hire. I won’t add to the analysis already written about the impact of these products. But in summary I think it’s the biggest move we’ve seen in HR Tech in the last 5 years or more, and accelerates an existential threat for several categories — notably job boards and ATS software. ...

This post was originally published on Techcrunch . “You have to know the past to understand the present” – Carl Sagan 2016 is a watershed moment for the recruitment industry. LinkedIn and Monster are being acquired, and Careerbuilder is for sale – three of the highest-profile tech companies in the space. Microsoft is making a grand entrance, while cashed-up incumbents watch closely from the sidelines. The ripples will span the entire industry – from founders, investors, service providers even to job-seekers. Basically everyone in business. How will it impact you? ...

I was in NYC last week, for the second InfluenceHR Event. I missed the first, in San Francisco earlier this year. Which I now regret. It was a top-quality event. Hyper focused on ‘Tech companies marketing to the HR buyer’, with content tailored exclusively towards that market. No schedule-fillers here. The content was engaging, and highly targeted. This was also reflected in the quality of the audience: startup founders, CEOs, Heads of Marketing and HR, and industry leaders such as Bill Kutik. ...

Last week I shared the best recruitment article I’ve ever read, which documented the ethical deficiencies of many agency recruiters with damning, real evidence. A classic honeypot. One of the big issues was the repeated examples of recruiters poaching staff from the very company they were trying to work with. Poor form, and a practice that contributes massively to the cynicism and mistrust many people hold towards the recruitment industry. ...

We have live chat installed on our site. It’s a great feature for live feedback, and has helped with many solid leads and conversations. Sometimes, someone drops in and gives us a real kick. This is too good not to share somewhere. We must be doing something right…