What Does Employee Performance and Talent Management Software Have to Do With Recruiting?

Posted by Jim Stroud

October 5, 2008

We now pause this blog for a thought provoking question… “What Does Employee Performance and Talent Management Software Have to Do With Recruiting?”

Turns out, quite a lot…

It seems that companies are starting to find that having an automated employee performance and talent management system can actually be a competitive differentiator when it comes to hiring. Or at least that’s what some of Halogen Software’s customers are telling them.

Halogen Software has been around since 2001. They sell a suite of web-based employee performance and talent management products that allow companies to automate and simplify their performance reviews, 360 degree assessments, compensation management, succession planning and learning management processes. The software automates a company’s processes, all their forms, and then gives them the ability to report on all the data collected in real-time, so they can better manage their workforce. You can even use it to identify areas where you have skill shortages and predict retirements/departures, so you know what skills you need to recruit and in what areas.

Halogen has a number of customers in industries that are finding recruiting and retaining key skills are real challenge. Professional services firms and healthcare organizations are the two most notable. What their customers are telling them is that the employee performance and talent management software not only helps them better manage their existing employees and increase employee satisfaction, it also helps them recruit new employees. It seems that accountants and nurses among others, are going in and asking in the interview about their performance appraisal process, how goals are set, how employees get feedback and how often, and what opportunities there are for development and career advancement.

They say this is especially true for Gen Y employees. Numerous recent books and articles tell us that Gen Y employees need recognition and appreciation on a daily basis. They also expect to climb the corporate ladder really fast, so they’re looking for companies with career development and succession planning programs they can participate in. They also expect to be paid well, and rewarded for their contributions, so it helps to have a compensation management system that ties pay to performance.

This software isn’t just for the big guys either. It’s aimed at companies with as few as 100 employees to up over 10,000.

Now I wouldn’t have thought to dangle an automated employee performance and talent management tool as a carrot to a potential recruit that I’m trying to snag, but then maybe I’ll have to try it sometime. Have any of you ever considered the benefits of an employee performance and talent management system as a recruiting differentiator? Please do tell…

Inquiring minds want to know. (Smile)