Selecting an ATS System

Saw a great post today on selecting an ATS system.

Most discussions around this tend to focus on various tactical aspects - functionality, access, etc.

This note points out that the KEY to starting an ATS selection process, or any software selection process, is understanding your business and requirements before you start. Most software implementations fail, and a good percentage of them fail before they ever start for the same reason: If you don't know what you should be getting, then how do you make a good choice? Most business people proceed assuming they know the answer, and they don't:

http://tinyurl.com/7ev4jt

Reminds me of people selling their gas guzzling SUV's for a $20k hit to save $500 a year on gas.

Mozy Computer Data Back-up

Here's another great tool to check out:

www.mozy.com

This is a great free data backup tool that you install on your computer and will store around 2GB of data free. You can pay to receive more storage space, or get additional space by inviting friends.

Works in the background on a schedule you set, and is very configurable to store the data you want, and not the data you don't.

Password Safe

Here's some info on something I use.

http://passwordsafe.sourceforge.net/

This is a great secure tool for storing your ID's and passwords, instead of using post-its or recipe cards. It also randomly generates passwords for you to use.

Works great for someone on a single computer.

A bit more complicated for someone with several computers, because it stores an encrypted database on your computer, but if you have more than one computer you use, you would have to keep the databases synced up, or you could install the program on each computer and carry the database on a USB key.

I have dozens of sites, ID's and passwords for both business and personal stuff and keeping track of it all is a real challenge. In addition to the encryption protection, having a simple way to create and stores ID's and passwords makes them easier to keep track of, and provides less reason to re-use the same ones over and over, which is a security risk.

Changing Market Conditions - Stand Out from the Crowd

Deteriorating economic conditions are impacting the healthcare technology space as well as the rest of the economy.

In my experience, HIT has been a consistently strong arena regarless of current economic conditions (2002-2003 for example). However, the current environment is starting to appear to be an exception, and some slowdown in spending by healthcare faclities is evident due to decreases in revenue due to more visits by economically distressed patients with challenges in paying, as well as funding challanges, continuing government reimbursement decreases and related factors.

While HIT is still much stronger than many areas of the economy, we're seeing more of an influx of resumes and candidates than we've seen in a while, longer time on bench for consultants and longer job search cycles.

In order to stand out from the crowd and make yourself a real 'recruiter pleaser candidate', help yourself out do the following:

Contact the recruiters you know periodically, but not incessantly, every 3-4 weeks, unless you're working on something. DO NOT constantly apply to positions or apply to multiple positions at the same time from the same firm.

When you DO apply, make sure your cover letter outlines your parameters; are you looking for perm? w2? 1099? long term? short term? do you need benefits, can you travel weekly? only east coast? spell it out and don't waste your and their time.

Keep records of where you apply, for what, and who you've talked to.