The HR Daily Advisor was recently at the 19th Annual HR Technology Conference and Exposition at the McCormick Place Conference Center in Chicago. In a recent session, titled “What’s Trending and Beyond? Talent Acquisition Technology for Modern Recruiting,” we’ll be hearing from Elaine Orler, CEO & cofounder of Talent Function.

In the world of recruiting, many refer to the so-called talent war. As companies seek to expand, they need new talent—and that’s a problem for a lot of companies. Naturally, companies selling their HR technology products promise some great results if you use their products.

The breadth and depth of these solutions, however, is staggering. How do you know you are using or considering using the right solutions? Are you using all the features of the solutions that you already have? How many solutions do you need? To answer these and other questions, Orler suggests you have to focus on what capabilities your business needs, instead of which solution is perfect for you. Only then can you look into which solutions fit those needs.

A Challenge Any Way You Look at It

What makes recruiting so challenging these days? From a certain perspective, it has always been challenging. Connecting with the right people in the first place, making use of great interviewing techniques, tracking down references, all on a budget and with a deadline makes the basics of recruiting a hassle, to say the least. But there are many recent challenges that add to the complexity of recruiting, according to Orler.

Multiple generations. The HR Daily Advisor has regularly explored the challenges that multiple generations in the same workplace present, as well as some of the solutions to those challenges. More than just looking at the differences in workplace culture among generations, there is a competition problem. Orler says, “We see the boomers are not done working, and are competing” for first-level jobs. Where once a hiring manager would most often find high school- and early college-aged kids applying to their cashier positions, now there are regularly candidates from any generation sitting across from them during an interview. Orler says, “It’s going to create some disruption on how those jobs get filled.”

The candidate experience. This has become very relevant, according to Orler. She says, “We know everything from what type of job people are applying to, whether they will apply again,” and “we are now able to calculate the lost revenue for businesses that poor business-to-customer experiences create.” Many companies don’t take the candidate experience into account, but they should. Companies stand to directly lose good hires, customers, and money when they don’t create a smooth, respectful, and friendly candidate experience.

Too many solutions. The rise in the quantity of solutions for recruiters and hiring managers has made a quagmire of what each individual solution claims is an easy fix. Part of the problem is that recruiting itself isn’t an exact science. Orler says, “There is no one approach that works best.” Software companies know that and try to offer multiple approaches with each software bundle. Multiply those bundles by the sheer quantity of solution vendors out there, and you can quickly get lost in the weeds when looking for a software solution to your hiring problem.

Market speed vs. business speed. Orler asks, “Why is recruiting so much more diverse than the rest of HR?” She answers, “It’s because we have to operate at the speed of the market, not the speed of the business.” Orler elaborates, saying, “One speed for today might be okay, but your organization is going to go a lot faster or slower at some point, and you have to have the ability to adjust your processes up and down.”

Tomorrow we’ll look at what Orler’s predictions for the immediate future are.