Blog

I recently had an opportunity to sit down with fellow #SHRM22Influencer and speaker Tim Sackett to talk about all things #SHRM22 and #TA. Tim is a Talent Acquisition expert, author of “The Talent Fix” and an HR leader who is helping to #CausetheEffect every day.
Tina Marie: Tim can you share a little about what we can expect from his session “Your ATS In Not Enough! Recruiting Tech and Strategies to Attract More Talent”
Tim: The concept of my session is around what does HR need besides an ATS. Everybody buys an ATS and thinks that should solve all their recruiting problems. It’s far from that, our ATS’s are basically our HCM’s, our systems of record. There are so many other cool systems and technology outside of what your ATS will do, unfortunately some ATS providers will tell you “Oh yeah, we can do that, sure we can do customer relationship management (CRM).” In all actuality, they likely do some pieces of it, very lightly or whatever that may be. We are going to talk about going beyond that, in really trying to figure out what HR should be looking at, what’s out there and the ROI.
Tina Marie: Tim, many of us work for small to medium size companies that are struggling with recruiting. How can we better leverage things outside of our ATS (if we have one) or get other technology that integrates with an ATS to enhance our recruiting experience.
Tim: Tech vendors all the time will talk about “oh we have open API’s.” What an API is, basically is how information flows back and forth between technology sources. Open API is good because your ATS can then talk really well with other technologies and connect (interact). What is not known for most HR buyers is that if I have an applicant tracking system, which has tons of these “API integrations”, what other technologies do their clients want to use. They (the vendors) actually know which ones clients want to use the most.
Part of my RFP and selection process includes asking vendors to give me the” top 10 technologies” that other clients are actually plugging into to. What that information will tell you is where the system holes are that all these other clients (of the product) have already figured out. Finding out how others had to find ways to make the technology work for them helps show you what technology plays well with the system and what doesn’t. ATS companies tend to always tell you they integrate with everybody, they likely do. Some integrations are really easy, and some are really hard. What you want to try to do is find the ATS that is closest to what you need and has the technology integrations that are already built so that you can plug and play really quickly and not have to recreate the wheel.
You can learn more ways about leveraging technology to enhance your recruiting experience to #CausetheEffect at Tim’s session on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at 3:30 pm CST. Tim’s book (a must have in every HR library) – “The Talent Fix” will be available for sale in the #SHRM22 bookstore and he will be doing an onsite book signing at the conference. You will likely spot Tim in the SHRM expo checking out new technology options so be sure to say hello!

Are you attending #SHRM22 and finding it a challenge to pick from one of the many #HRAwesome sessions available? As I plan my #SHRM22 conference agenda, there are a few sessions that stand out. One of those sessions is “Ready Set, Change! Simplify and Accelerate Organizational Change”. When I think about many ways that we in HR can #CauseTheEffect, having the ability to navigate and facilitate positive change in the organizations we serve is one of them. I recently had the opportunity to connect with session presenter, April Callis-Birchmeier on what we can expect when we see her take the stage at the SHRM Annual Conference and Expo in June.

April, can you share a little preview on what #SHRM22 attendees will experience when they attend your session?

ACB: Organizations are inundated with change. New technologies, operational challenges, and adjusted expectations are creating rapid, compounding change. My goal is to help those attending my session discover a model to navigate personal and organizational change while building both agility and resilience in yourself and others.

In your book, you help us identify the why and framework to help prepare and successfully navigate change through storytelling. We watch this process unfold through the eyes of an HR Manager named Elizabeth. I think we can all relate to Elizabeth’s struggles as fellow HR professionals. For those of us facing similar barriers to implementing change in our organizations, share one tip of advice for all of us out there navigating HR today.

ACB: Using a framework or model is extremely helpful when you are not a change management expert, but you’re expected to lead change. The READY framework is flexible and effective in communicating with others about change and implementing various change management tasks and milestones. It is a great tool to assist people in adopting new behaviors and beliefs due to change initiatives and projects.

As you continue to plan your conference agenda, I hope you will join me at one of two onsite attendee offerings for this session taking place on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at 2:00 pm or Wednesday, June 15, 2022, at 8:45 am.

April’s book “Ready Set, Change! Simplify and Accelerate Organizational Change” will also be available for sale in the SHRM Bookstore (accessible to both onsite and virtual attendees). Get your copy signed and meet April at book signing during the conference.

I can’t wait to see you and April in New Orleans at #SHRM22