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The HR Technology Conference 2016: Slow Down to Speed Up

A group of co-workers smiling and working together around a table

In HR technology, competitive advantage is too often confused with how fast a solution provider innovates and launches new capabilities. Categories are created and products are enhanced with very little consideration for what customers actually want or need. The pressure to “speed up” has created confusion in a market that is already crowded and complex.

But, at this year’s HR Technology Conference, the tone seemed different. Solution providers are slowing down, being more thoughtful with product launches, and getting back to the basics. They are thinking about what will help customers improve the way they recruit, develop, and manage their workforce. They are thinking about the employee, the manager, and the candidate. And, while future-looking topics like AI, machine learning and robotics were undeniably mainstream, there was still a heavy focus on simplicity. Both traditional solution providers and startups are tackling fundamental areas of HCM such as assessments, performance management and recruitment. And, surprisingly, this is where much of the product leadership is happening…in the basics.

The simplicity at this year’s conference represents a refreshing shift in a market that has a history of overcomplicating even the most basic of processes. Below are some of the categories and providers that stood out this year:

Assessments

Assessments are a critical part of the hiring process with 79% of companies using some type of pre-hire assessment. Our research shows that assessments are top on the list of investments for companies this year. While stand-alone assessments are still on the rise, established suite providers and talent acquisition platforms are focusing heavily on this market- providing validated assessments and improving the candidate experience. Below are a few providers we are paying attention to:

  • The Chemistry Group: One of the darlings of the Great New Tech session, The Chemistry Group is a next generation assessment provider taping into social profiles and rich candidate data to help employers make better hiring decisions.
  • Cornerstone OnDemand: Cornerstone’s Selection solution allows companies to uncover candidates who are the right fit at any point of the application. Using realistic job previews, job simulations, and assessments, Cornerstone Selection makes it easier to exclude applicants early in the process.
  • HireVue: For anyone that has ever wanted a shorter, simpler, and more candidate-friendly assessment, HireVue’s digital assessment will meet those needs. Its’ assessment product significantly improves the way that employers can identify the right fit while improving the candidate experience.
  • Infor: Assessments are a priority for Infor’s HCM suite. The provider has invested heavily in behavioral and cultural assessments and is pushing these assessments in the rest of its products. It does this so seamlessly that companies are able to get a better grasp of areas such as flight risk, predictive performance, and team development.
  • SMD: SMD (Strategic Management Decisions) was one of the most interesting briefings we had last week. This company is a cloud-based survey, assessment, and analytics provider that promises clients a 10% turnover reduction guarantee.

Performance Management

Companies are finally replacing traditional performance management practices and technology with solutions that provide ongoing feedback, enhanced collaboration, and a positive employee experience. Providers are weaving performance in the form of recognition, wellness, and communication. And, the result is happier employees, a stronger company culture, and improved business outcomes. Below are a few providers, we believe are adding value to this market:

  • ADP: With a new take on performance management and an improved manager and employee experience, ADP is reimaging performance management and enabling greater transparency and feedback.
  • HighGround: Another startup in the Next Great Technology session, HighGround links performance and engagement by offering companies one platform for performance, recognition and employee communication.
  • GuideSpark: Companies that effectively communicate with employees are 4 times more likely to engage employees and 3 times more likely to improve quality of hire. GuideSpark’s communication platform helps companies such as Lionsgate to replace broken performance management systems with ongoing conversations, content and analytics.

Recruitment Marketing

Often referred to as the “pre-applicant platform,” these solutions manage outbound sourcing, inbound recruitment marketing, and employer branding. They integrate with any ATS but essentially, they do what the ATS has never been able to do. Below are a few providers that impressed us last week:

  • Clinch: One of the best products I have come across this year in the recruitment marketing space (and another nominee in the Next Great Technology session). Clinch helps recruiters think more like marketers by helping them easily publish content, attract passive talent, and understand what sources are the most valuable.
  • Entelo: As a leading talent acquisition provider, Entelo is the one provider that offers a unified talent pipeline. They offer outbound recruitment to help companies attract talent and inbound recruitment (through their award-winning Stack product) to help companies rank and prioritize resumes.
  • Phenom People: Calling itself a “Talent Relationship Platform”, Phenom People differentiates itself by using AI to learn about an individual and the touchpoints an organization makes and then provides insights back to recruiters and candidates.
  • Qwalify: Another provider that was nominated as a Great New Technology at the conference, Qwalify is much more than a talent community. Its’ Talent Dojo solution is an engagement-based recruitment platform which helps companies communicate with current and future talent relationships.
  • SmashFly: Smashfly sets the bar high in recruitment marketing. It is helping organizations through a complete recruitment marketing platform of inbound recruitment marketing, outbound sourcing and employer branding. It offers the scalability, services, and security that enterprise companies are demanding.
  • Talemetry: Talemetry leverages a company’s existing recruiting system investment and deeply integrates it with a unified modern recruitment marketing platform. The recruitment marketing solution is now offering auto-sourcing and has strengthened its services over the past year.

Applicant Tracking Systems

Today, the talent acquisition system remains the backbone of a modern recruitment function. Yet, Aptitude Research found that two out of five companies are still unhappy or indifferent with their provider. And…companies are only using 3% of its functionality. So, in the world of recruitment, the need for simplicity has never been greater. Last week, we met with ATS providers that are breaking the mold. Below are our list of some of the providers that impressed us in recruitment:

  • iCIMS: As a provider that has always prioritized customer satisfaction, iCIMS truly understands what clients want from an ATS. The iCIMS Mobile Hiring Manager App. enables hiring managers to take immediate action on job candidates from virtually anywhere, alleviating “log jams” in the hiring process and reducing time to fill.
  • Jobvite: Jobvite is one of the leading talent acquisition providers in the market and differentiates itself by offering solutions to handle every aspect of talent acquisition including recruitment marketing, ATS, and onboarding functionality. Its’ priorities over the next 12 months include mobile, analytics and collaborative hiring.
  • Lever: The fast-growing ATS provider is only 3 years old but has already secured itself as a staple in the talent acquisition tech community. While many providers have taken steps to offer a CRM module as an option in their product portfolio, Lever includes its CRM (its Nurture product) and ATS as a single solution.
  • ZipRecruiter: One of the greatest success stories of the past year has been the growth of ZipRecruiter. Well known for its marketing and advertising, ZipRecruiter is more than just a job distribution tool. It offers companies in the SMB market, a full ATS to help with high-volume, quality of hire and velocity.

Artificial Intelligence

It is hard to talk about this year’s conference without mentioning the role of AI. Companies want solutions that can give them greater insight on the individual and greater communication with candidates and employees. A few of the companies leading the way in AI include:

  • gr8People: This provider is offering recruitment automation through every stage of the talent acquisition process from recruitment marketing to onboarding.
  • Olivia: The big topic of the conference was Olivia, the bot that asks candidates a few simple questions and then sets them on a more personalized experience in the hiring process.
  • Works Applications: The leading Japanese provider is leveraging bots to better engage candidates and help provide feedback on the hiring process.

We will follow these providers and more this year and next and will be profiling them in our upcoming Aptitude Index reports. Also, we would love to hear from you about what providers were most interesting to you at the HR Technology Conference.

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HR Technology Conference: 5 Reasons We are Excited to Attend

tortoise toy ahead of a hare toy

It is hard to believe that the HR Technology Conference is just one week away. This will be my 10th year attending the event and I have been spending the past few days reflecting on the past and considering the future. So much has changed in this industry over the past decade. Some of the largest providers have been acquired (Taleo, SuccessFactors, Kenexa and now Monster) and many exciting startups seem to be taking center stage. Providers are going to market with solutions that not only lift the administrative burden off of HR departments but also, provide a meaningful experience for candidates, employees and managers. The value proposition for many of these solutions has never been greater.

As we start to plan for next week, below are five things we are most excited about:

  1. Startup Pavilion: “The value of an idea lies in the using of it.” – Thomas Edison, General Electric Co-founder. The startups at the conference will not disappoint. Over 50 companies will be participating in this year’s Startup Pavilion including onboarding, assessment, performance management and benefits companies. They are all rethinking the way companies rely on technology to manage their workforce and enhance the employee or candidate experiences.
  2. Next Great Technology: Speaking of startups…on Tuesday, October 4 at 3:30pm, I will be participating in The Next Great Technology session where participants will be able to hear and vote on 8 of the most exciting providers in the market today. Check out HighGround (performance management) and Clinch (recruitment marketing) who will be featured during this session.
  3. Performance Management: Are companies really ready to throw out traditional performance management practices and systems and replace them with more innovate and effective options. We think so. We have seen companies such as GE and Lionsgate rethink their approach for performance and invest in new solutions. Many providers are offering viable options- something we have not seen for a long time.
  4. Candidate Experience: Every talent acquisition provider is prioritizing the candidate experience in all aspects of recruitment. And while we are excited to hear what new technology is improving candidate feedback, we are most excited to hear from industry expert Gerry Crispin– who has spearheaded this movement. (He was also our last guest on the Research on the Rocks podcast).
  5. Conversations: Last year, we set off on a journey to start a new conversation in HCM. This year, we are excited to continue that conversation by reconnecting with familiar faces and making new friends in this very exciting market. We hope to see you there!
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Top 7 Findings on Talent Acquisition in the SMB Market

compass with the arrow pointing towards the word talent

Today is the end of SMB Week at Aptitude Research Partners. Small to mid-sized companies face a unique set of challenges with talent and workforce management and we are excited to share our latest research on this demographic. According to Aptitude Research Partners’ 2016 Hire, Engage and Retain study, nearly 70% of SMB organizations invest in technology that is up to date with consumer technology. The top three investments for SMB organizations include video interviewing, employer branding tools and onboarding solutions. They want tools that improve the candidate experience as well as ensure quality of hire.

Below are the top findings on talent acquisition for SMB companies:

  • Dissatisfied with their Technology: Nearly 50% of SMB companies are dissatisfied with their ATS and looking to change providers compared to 36% of enterprise organizations.
  • Candidate Comes First: Sixty-three percent (63%) of SMB organizations have improved their candidate experience over the past year.
  • Not a Mature Market: 1 out of 3 SMB companies do not currently have an ATS in place. Fifty percent of those companies that do have a system in place are dissatisfied or indifferent with their current provider and looking to make a change.
  • Word of Mouth is the New RFP: One third of SMB companies believe that word of mouth is the most influential factor when making decisions around recruitment technology. Price and demonstrated ROI also play a key role in technology decisions.
  • Opportunity for Best-of-Breed: Fifty-seven (57%) of SMB organizations invest in an ERP provider or Talent Management Suite provider for their ATS. Only 14% of SMB companies are using best of breed providers for their ATS.
  • Implementation Time is Shorter: 85% of SMB providers implement their recruitment solutions in less than 1 year. Forty-seven percent (47%) of these companies believe their provider was a true partner through the implementation process.
  • Need More Change Management: Only 22% of SMB organizations have a change management process in place and only 38% of these companies were satisfied with their provider through the implementation process and would recommend them.

For more insight and research on how SMB companies are using talent and workforce management technology, check out our latest reports at www.aptituderp.com.

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Randstad Acquires Monster: The End of the Glory Days

monster job board logo

Ten years ago, I was the Research Director at ERE Media. It was the heyday of recruitment and right before everything in our industry changed (mostly, for the better). Taleo was just plain old Taleo, the largest ATS provider. Jobster and Jason Goldberg were the most interesting names in the space. The blogosphere was filled with controversial and thought-provoking discussions. And Monster was still at the center of it all. Spending tons of money on marketing, flexing its muscles in all things recruitment, and living large. Maybe too large. The value of job boards was becoming questionable and companies started reducing their investments in favor of LinkedIn and niche boards. The writing was on the wall. But, instead of rethinking its strategy, Monster just carried on in a big way. It acquired HotJobs in 2010 for $225 million and then, China HR for $174 million. Instead of reinventing itself, it just kept biggering and biggering.

Over the years, Monster made a few attempts to expand outside of the job board arena including acquiring TalentBin, developing 6Sense and SeeMore (semantic search engines), attempting to play in the CRM and ATS space with the HRSmart acquisition, and more recently, acquiring Jobr (the Tinder of recruitment). But most of its efforts (with the exception of TalentBin- by far, its best decision) fell short. The products did not integrate, the pricing was all wrong and yet, the messaging stayed the same.

The downfall of Monster reminds me of the high school quarterback. Someone that gains so much attention early in his life and then tries to relish those glory days even when the rest of the world has moved on.

So, where do we go from here? Two days ago, Randstad announced its plans to acquire Monster for $429 million – that works out to be $3.40 a share (by the way, Monster’s share price was once $91). In my opinion, the acquisition does not disrupt the market or change the landscape in any major way. What it does do is present a few unique opportunities for Randstad.

  1. Establish Leadership in Technology: Services and technology are becoming more ingrained in all areas of HR Technology and recruitment is no exception. Randstad is working to establish itself as a tech provider with its investments (through its Innovation Fund) in companies like gr8People and RolePoint and its own development of solutions like Talentradar. Yet, when you think of Randstad, you still think of services- RPO and MSP. This acquisition gives them more of a ground to stand on as a recognized technology provider.
  2. Expand its Global Presence: There is no denying that both companies are global companies but the acquisition of Monster gives Randstad even more global recognition. Monster has a presence in over 40 countries and 50,000 employees around the world.
  3. Articulate the Value Proposition: Monster made some bad decisions but it made a few good ones (I mentioned TalentBin above). Its major problem was it could not articulate the value proposition. It couldn’t get out of its own way. It acquired a broad spectrum of talent acquisition providers and developed solutions that would connect employers with job seekers but it wasn’t able to integrate these products or its messaging. It was still stuck in the past. The glory days.

Randstad is an impressive company with an impressive team of industry experts and individuals committed to helping companies recruit better. So, this acquisition may be the best decision Monster has ever made.

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Dog Days of Summer: What’s Keeping Us Busy

woman working from her tablet sitting outside at a wooden table

It has been an exciting summer for us at Aptitude. After several months of hectic travel schedules, Mollie and I have decided to stay local in August. We are busy publishing new research, prepping for the fall conference season, and collecting and analyzing more data. The best thing about less travel is that we get to have some amazing conversations with solution providers, corporations, and the broader HCM community. It has been eye opening and we have learned a lot.

If you are curious about what we have been up to this week, here are five things that have been keeping us busy:

  1. Research on the Rocks: In case you missed the news, we are now part of the HR Happy Hour Network founded by Steve Boese and Trish McFarlane. Our podcast series, Research on the Rocks, will highlight some of the key findings from our research and interesting trends in HCM technology. Our first episode covers payroll, communication, recruitment marketing, and assessments.
  2. Recruitment Marketing Index and Workforce Management Index: We published our first Talent Acquisition Index report a few weeks ago and we are already well on our way with the next two. The Workforce Management Index will provide insight on areas such as time and labor, scheduling, payroll, and absence management. The Recruitment Marketing Index will provide clarity around a very popular yet confusing space.
  3. Culture Survey: Culture is a powerful force within organizations, but one that remains mysterious to many. This survey will focus on how an organization communicates, what behaviors, skills and achievements it rewards, the work environment and “employee deal” of compensation, reward, and benefits, and even how it assesses talent. We are collecting feedback on the survey now and it will launch at the end of this month.
  4. New Technology: It is an exciting time to be in HR Technology, especially with so many new providers offering solutions that are solving business challenges. We have been conducting briefings with many of the start-ups in the space and we are getting excited for The HR Technology Conference.
  5. New Research: We have new research now available on our website that cover a wide range of HCM topics including: background screening, employee communication, the talent acquisition trifecta, and employee burnout. These are reports all based on data we have collected over the past few months and topics we feel deserve more attention.

So, we have been busy but in a good way. If you have a new company, new product, new strategy or new idea, send us a note. We would love to schedule a call and hear from you.

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Don’t Go Changing…The Dangers of Category Creation

A street sign with directions pointing different ways labeled what, where, who, when , why and how

The HCM technology market is competitive and crowded. Providers are trying to gain market share and expand into new territory. Especially, when customers are increasing their investments and 1 in 5 companies (on average) are looking to replace their existing solutions (Aptitude’s 2016 Hire, Engage and Retain study). Given this state of the market, one trend I have noticed is that many providers are trying to get the buyer’s attention by creating new categories. They are coming up with clever names to describe very mature areas of technology investment or in some cases, inventing something new. Sometimes it makes sense but most of the time, it doesn’t. Does anyone really want to invest in an ”employee awesomeness experience excellence platform”?

You get my point.

Below are a few considerations for any solution provider that is thinking about embarking to the land of Category Creation.

  1. Budget: Does this new category align with HR Technology, workforce management or recruitment budgets? If not, buyers are going to have to build a business case for something they don’t have any idea of what the demonstrated ROI is going to be. That’s no fun and sounds like a recipe for failure.
  2. Confusion: The HCM technology market is already filled with confusion. Most companies are still trying to understand the difference between talent acquisition and talent management. Will a  new category exacerbate this confusion or bring clarity? Too often, new categories leave customers unsure of where this technology fits into the broader HCM landscape.
  3. Product vs. Marketing: There are product providers and then there are marketing providers. Which one are you? If you truly believe in your product and the value it provides, then by all means, create a category. But in many cases, providers are putting a marketing spin on a performance management system, LMS or ATS.

If you are set on category creation, then there are a few success stories that might be worth watching. Recruitment marketing is one example. A few years ago, companies had no idea what a recruitment marketing platform would look like. Today, it is a very well-recognized category thanks to providers such as SmashFly that have not only built a strong product but educated customers on the value. HireVue (video interviewing) and Globoforce (social recognition) are a few examples of other providers that have created awareness for new categories that now align with budgets and provide tremendous value.

Companies have a lot to think about when selecting the right technology. They want simple solutions that will help them do their jobs better and improve business results. Fancy names and new categories will not always help them achieve these goals.

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The Power of Recruitment Marketing

A digital layout withs someone selected cartoon figures as ideal candidates

When we asked organizations to identify their priorities for talent acquisition investment, recruitment marketing was top of the list. Companies want solutions that can handle the top of the funnel or the pre-applicant workflow. It is not a new request. Companies didn’t just decide they needed a solution to attract, engage or nurture leads. They just didn’t have any good options in the past. Today, recruitment marketing is a critical component of any talent acquisition technology strategy.

The challenge most companies face is understanding what recruitment marketing is and how it can help drive overall recruitment success.  Often referred to as the “pre-applicant platform”, recruitment marketing includes capabilities that maintain the employer brand, foster candidate relationships and enhance messaging and communication efforts. While recruitment marketing can transform a talent acquisition function, the real value is found in a solution that integrates and supports the overall talent acquisition strategy.

Next Tuesday, June 21, I will be presenting a webinar with Charlie Nelson at SmartRecruiters to discuss the power of recruitment marketing. Below are a few topics we plan to cover.

  • The current state of Recruitment Marketing and the key drivers for investing in a technology partner;
  • The role recruitment marketing plays in the current talent acquisition landscape;
  • The key strategies to integrate recruitment marketing efforts with overall talent acquisition efforts;
  • An action plan to help companies get the most value out of their recruitment marketing strategies and investments.

This topic has gained a lot of momentum over the past year and I hope you can join us and share your thoughts on this space.

 

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Greenhouse and the Era of Next Generation ATS Providers

Many people holding up tablets in front of their faces with their pictures on the back

Greenhouse is on a fast growth curve. It has made a name in an industry that is crowded, confusing and incredibly competitive. This next generation talent acquisition system is growing at 200% annually with $60 Million in funding and over 2000 customers (mid-market). It is interesting to me because it is not necessarily disrupting the ATS market but it is thinking about recruitment differently. I learned a lot about Greenhouse at its user conference last week where I had the opportunity to meet with the Executive team and some of its customers. Below are a few reasons why I believe it has been successful and a few things it might need to consider for the future.

Why So Much Growth in Such a Short Period of Time?

  • Productizing Best Practices: Greenhouse with its scorecard functionality and its focus on best-practices is a product that guides recruiters and hiring managers to make the right decisions. It doesn’t force them into the decisions but it shows them what the obvious answers are and then let’s them decide. The job of a talent acquisition professional has become so complex that this level of simplicity and guidance goes a long way. Box, one if its customers at the event, said it was able to provide a simple experience for recruiters, improve how recruiting teams work together and cut time to fill from 60 to 28 days.
  • The Demand for Best of Breed: According to research we’ve conducted this year, 50% of the companies that are unhappy with their ATS are using an ERP. Companies today are looking at best of breed providers and no longer have to sacrifice integration for deep functionality. Stitchfix stated that when considering an ERP and Greenhouse, the partnerships and integration  with third-party providers helped influence its decision to go with best of breed.
  • Happy Partners: In conversations with several companies in San Francisco, Greenhouse has a reputation for being a good partner. Why is this important? Well, the next generation talent acquisition platform is dependent on an ecosystem of providers to support everything from sourcing to screening to interviewing candidates. This ecosystem is the lifeline of an ATS and having strong partnerships in place can greatly improve the customer’s experience.

What It Needs to Consider Moving Forward?

  • Move Out of Tech: Right now, Greenhouse has nearly 60% of its customers in the technology industry (including eretail and fintech). When we ask companies what influences the recruitment tech decisions, “word of mouth” was number one. While it is great that tech companies are so impressed with Greenhouse, it will need to expand outside of tech to sustain its growth and rethink its messaging and even sales strategy.
  • Expand in Recruitment Marketing: Next Generation TA platforms are defined as having 3 critical systems: a Recruitment Marketing platform, ATS and onboarding system. Greenhouse has the ATS and onboarding but needs to build recruitment marketing especially as it comes head to head with providers such as iCIMS, Lever, and SmartRecruiters.
  • A Stronger Message: As competition continues to heat up in this market. Messaging around making recruitment better and easier gets overplayed. Greenhouse will need to be very clear on its differentiators as it moves up market and into other verticals.

Greenhouse is one of the providers we are including in our upcoming Index report. Stay tuned…

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Ericsson: A Lesson in Employer Branding

Shadows of business people with colorful speech bubbles above their heads

Despite its’ recent popularity, employer branding is still fairly immature. In fact, less than half of companies we surveyed are investing in employer branding this year. Companies understand it is important but often do not know where to start or what role technology can play in attracting talent. And for those companies investing in employer branding tools, only 55% are satisfied with their providers.

How can companies improve their employer branding efforts? How can they find more value in their strategies and technology options? Last week, I attended HCI’s Talent Acquisition conference and learned a thing or two about employer branding from the Head of Talent Acquisition at Ericsson.

Several years ago, Ericsson transformed from a telecommunications company to an ICT and software services provider. Not only, did it need to think about how it would represent the new business in the marketplace but also, how it would attract talent. At the time, employer branding was not aligned with any corporate communications and lacked an element of story-telling. Ericsson needed to find a way to make the company more exciting to candidates and communicate why someone would want to work there.

Below is what they decided to change:

  1. Encourage Employee Advocacy: With 120,000 employees and 100 nationalities, Ericsson recognized that not every individual would be brand ambassadors, but everyone should have the right messages and tools to be able to talk about the brand in the same way. Ericsson developed an App that gives employees an opportunity to fully understand what their employer brand is and talk about the exciting things that the company is doing.
  2. Invest in Social: By moving to Social Chorus (an employee engagement app), employees have the ability to build their personal brands within the company and share those messages externally. With this tool, Ericsson’s employees were sharing the brand 4 to 5 times more. LinkedIn Elevate also provides a powerful platform for Ericsson. Since running the pilot, the company had 24,000 job shares that they had not seen before.
  3. Target Candidates: Ericsson is able to leverage technology to create a personal and human experience for candidates and employees. It targets talent by skills, jobs, and diversity. It leverages various strategies for each of these groups. For example, it created a “Women in Tech” Quiz that captures information and engages with women about their careers. It also provided a great deal of support for the UN’s “HE for SHE” campaign and had its male employees participate. For Black History Month, Ericsson highlighted a number of its employees as well as African Americans outside of the company that have achieved success in STEM careers.
  4. Disrupt the Conversation: In an effort to stay relevant and reach candidates on a different level, Ericsson would disrupt Twitter conversations about popular TV shows and get involved with the conversation. Ericsson also invited girls to be guest bloggers on its career blog to promote Girls in ICT and Girls in STEM.

We hear so many presentations about why employer branding is important but few about how companies are strengthening their efforts. Overall, Ericsson achieved success by being innovative, empowering employees to participate, and leveraging technology in a more human way.

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China: Six Reasons HR Technology is a Big Deal

A hiker atop a mountain looking out at other mountains and lakes

My Dad visited China for the first time in 2009. He went for business but had the opportunity to see the Great Wall and many of the popular tourist sites you might expect. He took pictures and shared them- a first for my Dad. And six years later, he still finds a way to bring up China in just about every conversation. I am not exaggerating. It clearly made an impression.

Last week, I had my own experience in China. I was fortunate enough to visit Zhuhai for the inaugural HR Technology China conference hosted by LRP and China Star. With over 6000 registrants and 3500 attendees, I think it is safe to say that the event was a huge success. Every session was standing room only and the conference had captured the attention of Chinese officials, media and universities.

This trip also made an impression on me. Not only because I spent time with some of my favorite people in our industry (Trish McFarlane, Steve Boese, Jason Averbook, Kevin Wheeler, and the amazing LRP team) but also because of the energy and transformation that is happening in a country so rich with history and culture. Now six days later, I am the one who can’t stop talking about China. And… I am going to share a few things I learned last week.

  1. HR is a Big Deal. China accounts for up to one-third of the global growth in recent years and the business of talent is taken very seriously. Unlike in the US, where HR professionals are looking for ways to gain the support of business, HR is valued in China. Companies invest resources and technology to making sure they are recruiting, developing and retaining talent.
  2. Talent Acquisition is the Priority. As companies expand and look to compete for quality hires, talent acquisition is a priority. Identifying and attracting talent was a topic discussed throughout every session of the conference as companies look to hire the best talent and compete with large MNCs or foreign-based firms. Currently, only 20% of Chinese graduates are staying overseas. The majority of students are returning to China to seek employment.
  3. Services Are Where It’s At. HR professionals are eager to invest in new technology but first need to understand their processes. The demand for HR services in China seems to be greater than in the US. Conference attendees wanted to simplify some of the trends so they could make the best decisions around their technology.
  4. Branding is a City Thing: Employer Branding is a major component of any recruitment strategy for companies in China but the focus is on the city even more than the company. At the conference, both delegates and companies in attendance were creating a strong connection between talent and the city of Zhuhai through videos, marketing and messaging. A large technology firm I met with a few years ago was focused on branding efforts that would highlight the different cities in China instead of the overall company.
  5. The Student Population is Impressive: Many students from the local university in Zhuhai attended the conference. These individuals were eager to learn and connect with other attendees and presenters. They were passionate about the topics and ambitious about their future careers in the workforce.
  6. Social Media is Powerful: Although many of the popular social media sites we use on a daily basis are blocked in China including Facebook and Twitter, social media is a big part of HR. These companies leverage many social media sites including WeChat and LinkedIn. Over 50% of companies are using social media in their talent acquisition efforts.

This event was an amazing experience and I am grateful to LRP and China Star for the opportunity to attend. I will be posting a summary of my presentation on Employer Branding in China next week.

 

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