Simplifying the recruitment puzzle with Taleo

Taleo is consistently ranked as the favourite applicant tracking system (ATS) for recruitment by recruiters and employers. It allows them to perform a wide array of functions -- measure important metrics, create candidate selection workflows, add privacy statements with the click of a button, choose from the several pre-defined and proven workflows, activate dynamic approvals, add appropriate notifications, create pre-screening and disqualification questions, manage security,  and more.

However, when candidates were asked to fill Taleo forms while applying for jobs, they appeared frustrated. They clearly did not share the same level of excitement as recruiters and employers. Their frustration cannot be attributed to mere lethargy to fill lengthy forms. In the past, job seekers were willing to go to any lengths to apply for jobs -- standing in long queues, dropping their resumes at offices, filling applications at employment boards, completing Taleo forms, and more. Today, times have changed and talent has become paramount. A skilled candidate has several options to choose from, and recruiters scramble for his / her attention. In such a scenario, it becomes imperative to sit back, think, and sensitise organizations for the needs of the candidate.

Although Taleo is a wonderful application with tons of features, an overenthusiastic requisition creator can ruin the experience for the candidates in the quest for more information. Organisations should exhibit restraint while adding questions to candidate forms, or must deploy an extremely accurate resume parsing option, which automatically fills in the fields that the employer seeks to review.

This option of resume parsing is available through several autonomous vendors, but a badly configured system continues to elude candidates the joy they seek of being able to apply for a job without redundant and relentless typing that goes on for pages. This is because not all resumes are in the same format, and not all parsing tools are intelligent enough to identify the fields and fill in the right information. Add to it the difficulty of having to update your profile constantly and the ineptness to showcase professional recommendations, certifications while making it flow into several unbearable pages.

There was a game changer, that was released by Taleo before being acquired by Oracle. It was called Universal Profile. This allowed candidates to create a single profile on Taleo with possibilities to edit or add new information whenever required, keeping the profile up to date. It allowed the candidate to use this universal profile while applying for jobs with every employer that used Taleo. Thus, this brilliant solution seemed to have solved the problem that most job seekers dreaded. However, in 2015, this feature was discontinued citing low usage and other issues, best known to Oracle. Since then, there has been a very discernible product gap. 

This concludes the story of Taleo, and why it could do with a bit of a push. The next post will explore LinkedIn announcements, and how it helps support the offerings of Taleo.