Moving Day

After dabbling with blogging the past three months I've decided to take the next step and manage my blog more seriously.  What this means is three things:

1.  I'll be moving to a self-hosted site.  The blog will move to http://www.thehrtechnologist.com  Current subscribers via the RSS feed or email will continue to get the feed.  You should not see any impact.  Additionally, visitors to http://thehrtechnologist.blogspot.com will automatically be forwarded to the new site without any issues.

2.  I'm working on a revised layout and theme.  I'm looking to kick things up a notch and ditch the generic blogger template in favor of something more contemporary and fresh.  Look for the new theme to make its appearance shortly after the new year.

3.  More content and more attitude.  I'm still learning how to be a blogger which means I'm still finding my voice so to speak.  Over the last 90 days I've been able to learn a bit about what resonates with my readers, which content is likely to get the most interaction, and how changes in my writing style impact the number of people who visit my blog.  In short, expect more attitude in 2010.

Thanks for following along over the past few months as I've worked to establish this blog.  I look forward to the continued discussion with my readers in 2010.

Happy New Year!

6 Critical Considerations when Thinking SaaS

Lets face it, HR has historically gotten the shaft when it comes to technology.  In many organizations HR needs to fight for resources against other initiatives which are more closely aligned with core business functions - sales, marketing, production/manufacturing, etc.

With the lack of organizational respect/understand that many HR departments struggle with alongside the historical costs of ERP, its no wonder why HR often has difficulty securing resources to assist with technology-related initiatives.  Whether an organization is tackling the basics such as automating a manual recruitment process (is anyone still handling paper out there?), taking performance appraisals online, implementing learning management capabilities, or moving towards more advanced functionality such as Employee Service Centers with full case management capabilities, fully integrated talent management suites, or advanced analytics with embedded dashboard into role-based portal views, HR often needs to go beyond the capabilities of their internal IT organization.

The answer to many HR organizations struggling with these issues is often utilizing Software as a Service (SaaS) vendors who "rent" their applications to companies. No need to buy servers, install software, maintain code, etc.

Let me start by being very clear -  I don't advocate HR departments engaging vendors without partnering with their internal IT function.  Whether you partner with IT or go it alone, I wanted to share a few critical elements which you need to consider when thinking about introducing a SaaS solution into your business.

1.  Service Matters - Having an iron-clad Service Level Agreement is the foundation from which you will build your solution.  A SLA will govern exactly how/how fast the vendor is to respond to issues, what expectations are with respect to system up-time, etc.  Think of this as the prenuptial agreement for your long-term business relationship and having expectations spelled out as clearly as possible will save you a ton of headaches later.  SLAs are very much negotiable, and should be reviewed with both your IT and Legal staff.

2.  Upgrades?  Who Needs Upgrades? - Unfortunately you do.  One of the least understood elements of a SaaS is exactly how upgrades are handled.  For example, one large SaaS talent management vendor includes all upgrades in your costs and deliver upgrades to all customers at the same time.  Another leading vendor delivers upgrades on a fee basis and gives you a choice as to when you upgrade.  While both options have their merits, the key here is to make sure you understand exactly what the upgrade path looks like and whether the annual subscription fees include all upgrade costs or not and whether an upgrade requires the use of the vendor's professional services organization (generally at an incremental cost).

3. Begin with the End in Mind - Just like a car lease, SaaS contracts can run anywhere from 1 to 100 months, with the average tending to be 36 months.  At the end of the contract think you need to consider exactly how you proceed - renewal or replacement.  In the event of a replacement, how do you get your data, at what cost, in what format, how quickly will be be provided to you, on what media, etc.  Most customers don't think about what happens at the end of the contract when you're soo focused on getting to the new solution.  Taking the time to negotiate this while you have some negotiation leverage is critical.  Once you've notified a vendor that you're leaving them, you'll find that they tend to be a little less responsive to your requests than when you're considering doing business with them.

4.  Change in Control - Let's face it, no matter who you're buying software from there is a chance that they'll be acquired.  Whether they are the leader in their space or a small up-and-coming vendor, there is always someone who would like to acquire them.  Seven years ago no one would have predicted that Siebel or PeopleSoft would be acquired, yet now they're both part of Oracle.  Who's to say that your vendor of choice isn't going to end up on someone's holiday shopping list?  When acquisitions happen by competing vendors, there is a strong likelihood that your vendor's solution will be sunset (industry jargon for discontinued).  In the event that this happens, the migration to another solution is at YOUR expense.  It's a great inconvenience for customers, and an unintended expense.  Be sure your contact spells out exactly what your options are in the event of a change in control as well as official decisions to discontinue products that you've purchased/rented.

5. Not all SaaS is the same - There are very substantial differences between the technical architecture of a single-tenant SaaS solution and a multi-tenant solution.  The differences between the two significantly impact how and when vendor code updates are pushed to your system.  For example, a certain leading talent management vendor has a multi-tenant SaaS solution which means all of their customers run on a single set of core code.  For you non-propeller heads reading this it means that everyone is running the same software at the same time.  When upgrades are necessary, everyone will get them all at the same time.  This means that you need to be prepared to upgrade on their schedule, not necessarily yours.  Single-tenant gives you more flexibility when it comes to timing of upgrades, but that's not always a good thing.  To best understand the differences between different SaaS models I would recommend that you check out this great blog post from Jason Corsello.

6.  Implementations need to be on your schedule, not the vendors - Due to complex accounting rules on how and when firms are able to recognize revenue, most vendors will not be able to count the revenue until their software is deployed.  While there are varying schools of thought on how/when to actually record the revenue and when software delivered via SaaS is considered "delivered", most vendors have an incentive to get you up and running on their solution as fast as possible.  This can create conflict during the negotiations and subsequent implementation


SaaS is not the right option for everyone.  There are plenty of companies that prefer premise-based solutions and have business requirements which all but eliminate SaaS vendors.  For those whom fit the SaaS model, these guidelines should help to to ease concerns and position you for greater success.

The Lazy Man's Predictions for 2010

Its that time of the year again when all the industry pundits and bloggers alike dust off their crystal balls and pontificate on the substantive changes they foresee in the coming year.  In preparation for this event I descended into the basement of Casa de HR Technologist in search of my crystal ball.  Much to my dismay I learned that 1) my basement is in need of some serious TLC  2) I apparently don't have a crystal ball  and 3) I'm afraid of spiders.

While I clearly didn't have the foresight to acquire a crystal ball before I began down the path of blogging, I do have a way to see into the future nonetheless.  Thanks to one of the more unique individuals in the HR Technology market, J. William Tincup, Principal of Starr Tincup, there is a way to bring a series of predictions from a variety of influencers in the space.  I would strongly suggest that you check out his blog here and read the series of 2010 predictions.

As for my predictions for 2010 - Rather than try to compete with or outdo everyone, I'm taking the same path that the guy on the right took in the below picture.

Image courtesy of Photo Dump

An Open Letter to Bill Kutik

Do you know who this man is? If not, you should - he's one of the most highly influential individuals in the HR technology space.  His name is Bill Kutik.

In addition to having a plethora of knowledge on all things HR technology, he's also the Co-Chairman of the annual HR Technology® Conference & Expo held each of the last 12 years.  He also is an industry analyst, technology columnist for HR Executive® magazine, and host of The Bill Kutik Radio Show®..

I've attended Bill's HR Technology Conference & Expo for the past six years - and it is his show.   Additionally, I have had the pleasure of being a panelist both two and three years ago, as well as an exhibitor last year.  Speaking from a multi-faceted perspective I wanted to share an open letter to Bill with the rest of the HR Technology Conference community.

Dear Bill;

First and foremost I wanted to take a brief moment to thank you for your efforts over the last 12+ years as the godfather of HR technology.  Your efforts to create the largest, most successful conference focused exclusively upon HR Technology are appreciated by individuals such as myself who have been able to enjoy successful careers in that space largely due to you and others carving out this specialized niche.  I cannot thank you enough for all you've done for the industry.

As much as the HR Technology Conference has been wildly successful, I believe that there are opportunities to make this conference even better in the future.  As such I wanted to take advantage of this letter to share with you some of my wish list for enhancements to the conference in coming years.  My wish list is as follows:

Mid-Market track
All too often the focus at the HR Technology conference is on the larger vendors, and the needs of the enterprise.  I believe the attendees would be well served by providing a series of sessions related specifically to the needs of mid-market organizations (1000- 5000 employees).  These organizations while aspiring grow into an Oracle, SAP, Lawson, or Workday type of HR technology solution often end up with mid-tier solutions.

Having sessions focused on how mid-sized employers can build the business case for an enterprise-sized solution, supporting more with less, and enabling talent management strategies for mid-market would be of tremendous value to the attendees.  Additionally with many of the exposition booths occupied by vendors with a mid-market focus, this represents a win-win situation for all. 

Increased focus on networking
While there are lunches and ample amounts of time allocated in the schedule to permit attendees to roam the expo floor, there are not many opportunities for formal networking.  In years past I've made some terrific connections at the conference - even landed a job as a result of my attendance.  I cannot over-estimate the value of the professional connections I've made at the conference.

Other conferences can boast similar sessions as those at HR Technology, but very few can actually bring together the wealth of industry talent in a single location.  How can this opportunity be leveraged for incremental benefit?  At the 2009 HR Technology Conference there were several successful tweet-ups where individuals who had not physically met before had a chance to make personal contact with one another - cementing long-term professional relationships; albeit, online.  More tweet-ups are good.

In addition to tweet-ups, having formal special interest groups meet during the show would be helpful as well.  Gathering professionals from similar backgrounds with similar interests such as Global Recruitment, or PeopleSoft users help to round out the experience that people have at the conference and create connections which last far beyond the event itself.

More Panel Discussions

Blogger Mark Stelzner wrote of his experience here - highlighting the desire for more panel discussions.  The panel discussions at HR Technology are nothing short of terrific, and more of this can't be a bad thing.  While there might be a point where too many panel discussions may be too much to handle, that's a problem to consider when you get to that point.

More Singing and Dancing (just no KC & The Sunshine Band)

While we would gladly welcome another performance by Naomi Lee Bloom, the key here is finding a way to weave in a formal social event into the conference.  This is yet another way to help build the community and provide another opportunity for more networking.  I'm not sure you need to outdo some of the parties from software vendors like Lawson and SAP, but having something social is a great value.

Free Wi-Fi
While I'm not sure exactly what the logistical issues might be with getting this setup for all conference attendees at McCormick Place, but having access to reliable wireless internet would help make the conference more productive for all.  Having Wi-Fi will better enable interactive presentations like the one that Jason Averbook and Jason Corsello conducted last year to whatever might happen in future years (more live tweeting of sessions?).  Not having access to wireless is a big drawback.

I'm confident that this has been evaluated before, but if for some reason it has not this represents a terrific sponsorship opportunity and would enhance the conference experience for many.


I believe these subtle changes can help to dramatically enhance the attendee experience and help raise the bar for future conferences.  In addition to my various wishes, I would like to invite others to add onto the wish list through comments on this blog post and/or on the HR Technology Conference LinkedIn group page.

Thank you again for all that you have done for the industry.  I forward to working with you in the future and to a wildly successful HR Technology Conference & Expo starting September 29, 2010.

Best Regards,

Bryon Abramowitz

Facebook as a genuine assessment of a candidates personality?

As a recruiter or hiring manager how do you know whether the candidate you're considering for your opening is genuine?  Have they embellished their background a bit?  Have they shielded you from their true personality or engaged in some other form of innocent (or not so innocent) deception in order to get the job?  Anyone who has has the responsibility for hiring new employees has probably run across a situation or two in which they ended up hiring someone who wasn't exactly what they thought they were getting. 


While a good recruiter can cut through most of the BS, methods of assessing the true nature of a candidate with near-perfect certainty are unavailable.  While some organizations spend hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to assess candidates, there might be some more cost effective and less error-prone methods of assessment - Facebook. 

I came across an interesting article on the New York Times website the other day which cited results of a study conducted by a Psychologist from the University of Texas supporting the potential of Facebook as a tool to help more accurately assess an individual's personality.  While there were many interesting findings of the study the key point that I found to be interesting is that individuals are less likely to stretch the truth in a social media forum where their friends can dispute their boasts.

While not a silver bullet in the candidate assessment process by any stretch of the imagination, this further solidifies the use of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms as an excellent method of validation of a candidate's fit for a role.  When combined with more traditional assessment tools recruiters and hiring managers can feel more confident in their hiring decisions without having to invest any extra money.