GLOBAL RECUITER

Nirmit Kartanya Inder Nov. 17, 2002

Recruitment Software Project

Enclosed find my notes on this subject. This is, by no means, comprehensive and you must feel free to add more points/questions.

The Core-team will consist of Inder & Kartavya. They would, as needed, seek help from Nirmit/Raju/SriRam. Since, target date for preparation of CONCEPT-NOTE is 18th January 2003, there should be a weekly review meeting of Core-Team with Nirmit/Raju/SriRam.

Nirmit may consider involving Krishna who is expected to join on Dec. 9.

cc: Nirmit Abhil cc: Raju cc: SriRam

DIVERSIFICATION PROJECT.

Points/Questions to be raised/answered:-

What is the status of current usage of Software-based recruitment systems/methods/solutions amongst Indian Corporates? - among our current/past clients?

• Does this awareness/usage differ from
• Industry to Industry
• City to City
• Large Co's to Small Co's

What % & which type of Corporates have already installed SAP/RAMCO/PeopleSoft exp packages?

• What is their extent of "Lock-In"?
• Stage/state of implementation?
• How would this affect/impact their willingness/decision to accept/adopt a "Recruitment Software Package" being offered by 3P? Will they be reluctant? Would they want 3P package to get "integrated" with their existing ERP System?

How Computer/Internet Savvy are Indian HR/Recruitment Mgrs?

• What is the extent of computerization in the HR depts. of Indian Corporates?
• Are Computers primarily used for attendance-record/payroll/benefit-administration/leave-records/maintenance of annual reward history?
• How many (-and what kind of) Companies use Computers to Create/maintain
• Employee Databases
• Resume Databases.
• What is the Sophistication of their "Search-engines"?

How many Companies have installed/used, standard/bought-out HRM Software Packages? at what cost? For how long? stand-alone or LAN versions?

• Have any used "Recruitment Software Packages"? For how long? Purchased from whom? at what Price? what is their experience?
• Would they want to buy another/superior package? what additional/missing features would the want incorporated in such new package?

Companies who advertise their jobs/vacancies on their own websites - what is their experience so far?

• what kind of response (No. of applications/resumes) do they get?
• Does this response vary with the "level" of vacancy? e.g: more for junior/fresh openings & Very little for Senior positions?
• Do they use their websites/web-servers, only as a "Resume-Gathering" device or do they have their, end-to-end, entire recruitment process taking place on their websites?

Companies who post their own Vacancies on their own websites -

• Do they also use Naukri/Monster/JobsAhead/Jobstreet/Jobsdb/Sapoorna/Mafoi etc. for posting their vacancies?
• Do they get better response (Quantity/Quality wise) from these job-boards than their own website?

Are junior HR/Recruitment executives/supervisors, more computer-savvy than their older bosses?

• Are these junior executives "driving" the Computerisation of their HR depts?
• Do Senior/Older bosses (HR Mgrs), feel threatened by the Computer-Savviness of their juniors? Do they resist computerisation?
• How do HR depts. justify Computerisation of their processes?
• How do they "quantify" the benefits of computerisation?
• what is top-management attitude towards Computerisation of HR dept?

What % of junior/entry-level HR executives are qualified as MBA (HRD/Personnel)? Is there a general trend to hire more & more of these?

• If this be the case, should we "gift" 3P's "Recruitment Software solution/package", to all colleges/institutions offering Post-Graduate HR/Personnel Courses?
• These are future decision-makers and if, they get used to using 3P Software package from their college-days, they will, likely, buy/recommend same package when they join a Company! Brand-loyalty.

How many Corporates (-and which type), use psychometric & other similar skill/knowledge testing "Tests" for their recruitment and if yes, at what "level"?

• Would they want such "TESTS, integrated in 3P's Software package?
• There is no sense/point in designing/developing such tests on our own (reinventing the wheel).
• But if we want to integrate, readily available/standard packages into 3P software solution, we would need to have "licensing" arrangement with the manufacturers.

Obviously, we will need to prepare a list of existing mfr's and vendors of Indian Recruitment (-and also general HR) software packages.

• We will need to tabulate & Compare their "features"/their "strong" & "weak" points.
• Then, we will need to sharply "question" their existing users about their experiences.
• Such intense "analysis/dissection of Competitor's products would enable us to design a superior product.
• We must also analyse "Imported/foreign" products being used by Indian Corporates & learn from their experiences/support etc.

We would need to decide whether to meet/dialogue with HR/Recruitment Managers, on a one-to-one basis or in a group of ten/fifteen.

• Maybe, we will need to adopt both methodologies, depending upon, which (level) HR Manager would be able to "contribute" most, in which kind of environment.
• Some may "share/reveal" real (poor) experience, only in the privacy of a one-to-one meeting!
• A timebound "schedule" of such meetings must be drawn-up.

What % of the firms/Companies are looking for:

• A separate Recruitment Software Package only?
• A Comprehensive HR Software Package where "Recruitment" package is one of the modules?
• Could we possibly build these Software as a series of "Modules" which, a Company can buy/license over a period of 3/4 years, as its "need" grows and as its budget permits?
• Could these modules integrate/interface with any existing legacy systems of a Company?

To what extent should we try/attempt the "Recruitment Package" (being sold/licensed) to be integrated with:

• Our website
• Our Order Execution System
• Company's own "Annual Manpower Planning/Budgetting" System.
• This (decision) would depend upon:
• Whether we want to make money selling, out-of-box, recruitment software Packages OR
• Whether we want to make money, when User Company is made/forced to give us an "Executive Search Assignment" as a result of using our package.

Shall we market the recruitment package on our own, or can we think of a distribution network of:

• Independent HR Consultants
• 1000 placement agencies
• Jobsites (Naukri/jobsahead etc.)
• NIPM (National Institute of Personnel Managers)
• CII/Assocham/FICCI/Nasscom/Inst. of Engineers/IIPM/HRD Network/ICS/ICWA etc.etc.
• ERA
• For each such "channel", we must ask & answer:
• "Why would they want to do this? What do they stand to gain?"

How would creating/marketing a "Recruitment Software Package" to hundreds of Corporations, help us in establishing 3P as:

• THE INDUSTRY STANDARD?
• For Executive Search, Corporate India's First Choice?
• If WE, don't do this, do we foresee, following doing this?
• ABC
• Ferguson
• Shilputsi
• PSS
• MaFoi
• Sapoorna
• Hewitt
• Egon Zander
• Korn Ferry
• Naukri
• JobsAhead
• Jobstreet
• Monster
• Jobsdb

Vis-a-vis other Competing executive Search firms of India, how are we better (-or worse) placed, in developing/marketing such a Recruitment Software?

• In which aspect do we Score over them & where do they score over us? - as far as development/marketing of such a software is concerned?
• Which of them have (as Compared to us):
• better Vision/better tenacity?
• better technology (development-skills)?
• better marketing acumen?
• deeper pockets (sustainability)?
• better VC Support?
• greater Client-base?

After 2 months initial Survey/Study/dialogue with HR mgs/preparation of "FINDINGS"-Report/preparation of "CONCEPT-NOTE" etc,:

• how long will it take to bring out a marketable V 1.0 of the Software?
• how/where will we "test" it?
• how will we finance the develop-ment/marketing cost?
• how will we "price" it?
• how will we "market" it?
• We need to build into our "PROJECT-REPORT" answers to these - and similar questions, including:
• do we need VC funding?

To systematically Complete the task within stipulated period of 2 months, we must immediately (within this week itself), draw-up an "Action-Plan/Project-Plan", of all "activities" to be undertaken/Completed, by what target date, and by whom.

• Unless we set "bench-marks" & daily measure our progress against these, we Cannot hope to achieve the desired results.

In order to collect/compile/collate/analyse, information/data from Selected HR/Recruitment managers, we need to quickly, prepare a "QUESTIONNAIRE".

• It should be, as far as possible, an "Objective" questionnaire, with "YES/NO", "True/False" type of questions, or having questions which require Simple ticking $\square$ on a scale of 1-to-5.
• Even then, do NOT expect any HR manager to fill-in this questionnaire!
• Best way could be for Nirmit/SriRam/Raju to ask the questions, across-the-table, and for Inder/Kartavya to listen & fill-up/tick the appropriate value on the questionnaire.
• This is the best method.