Evaluating ATS Needs
LONG Building Technologies, one of the largest building integrators in the Western U.S., focuses on providing products and services in building automation, HVAC equipment, mechanical service, security solutions, and parts. LONG boasts hundreds of employees across eight states: Alaska, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
Through its typical business analysis and cost control measures, LONG completed an expense review and noticed that its current Applicant Tracking System, Jobvite ATS, appeared to be expensive. As a small- to medium-sized business (SMB) with one dedicated recruiter, LONG wondered if there was a system that had similar capabilities that checked all of its boxes, but was less costly.
The company decided to cross-compare Jobvite to other recruiting software. One ATS allowed for integration with LONG’s current Human Resources Employment Solutions (HRIS) system and seemed to be a one-stop shop for the company’s system needs. Though LONG loved its partnership with Jobvite at the time, the company ultimately decided to switch its platform to save money and increase efficiencies.
“We thought we were making a better business decision,” said LONG Technical Recruiter David Poor. “But I count that decision to move away from Jobvite as the single biggest professional mistake that I’ve ever made.”
It took approximately six months for the full gravity of the decision to become apparent for the company’s HR team. LONG expected it to be difficult to learn a new ATS, but had anticipated that the HR department would be better off in the long run.
“We realized quickly that this was not the right solution for our organization and we needed to correct it as fast as possible,”
Poor said. “We had no idea what we had, we needed to get back quickly and we needed to pull out all the stops to do it.”
What brought LONG to this realization was two-fold. First, the change led to a loss in recruiting solution functionality.
“The system that we were looking to move to turned into a typical used car sale where you’re promised the moon, and you get something that’s pretty terrible,” Poor said.
Second, LONG found they had to pay extra for basic capabilities they needed to attract, engage, hire, and retain the talent that drives success. In reality, the perceived cost savings resulted in them needing to pay for features that came stock to Jobvite.
LONG also recognized that Jobvite is a system that can grow and evolve with the company and its recruiting needs. For example, LONG has taken on federal contracting work and now must follow specific hiring rules and regulations. Jobvite helps them achieve and report on these compliance requirements.
“I can count at least half a dozen times in my time recruiting for LONG where I’ve said to myself, ‘It would be great if the Jobvite system could do this’ – and I dig a little deeper and that feature is already there. It’s easy, it’s streamlined, it’s simple to use for myself and anybody else at LONG that needs to use it,” Poor said. “And it’s a part of the base package, so we don’t have to pay for it.”
Boomeranging Back to Jobvite
After the attempted implementation of a new vendor failed, LONG learned that perceived cost savings on a recruiting platform can actually increase costs downstream. The transition back to Jobvite was quick and immediately improved recruiter efficiency.
“To put it bluntly, even when we were no longer a customer, I got better customer service out of Jobvite than I did out of the new system that we had tried to switch to,” Poor said.
Additionally, Jobvite’s smooth integrations make it easy for
one or two recruiters to manage high requisition counts and concentrate on recruiting, as opposed to trying to work through an inadequate ATS.
Jobvite’s ATS is also incredibly scalable and feature-rich, which is crucial in today’s fluctuating job market where there is a race to fill roles. Jobvite is a much-needed tool that can help reduce the administrative burden for any given HR team through automation, so that they can focus on finding and hiring the talent they need.
In an industry such as LONG’s, which is experiencing a severe talent shortage for skilled trade roles, the company ultimately found that its recruiting team needed to avoid splitting pennies on its ATS each year.
“The tangible and intangible benefits that Jobvite will provide over other applicant tracking systems will pay for itself 10 times over,” Poor said.
Achieving Maximum Impact with Jobvite
By adding Jobvite back into its hiring repertoire, LONG completely reignited its recruiting efforts and allowed them to feel supported in a true partnership. LONG plans to continue transforming its recruiting efforts by leveraging Jobvite innovation. Their goals include increased efficiency and better candidate experience as they recruit skilled talent now and in the years to come.
“The amount of money that we thought we were going to save by going to a system that was more appropriately powered for our company ended up being nothing compared to the amount of money we were losing by not filling roles as quickly as we used to,” Poor said. “Part of that was the shortcomings of the ATS we switched to, but the other part is that Jobvite is just that good.”
Thanks to Poor’s realization of the true cost of transitioning
to a new system, LONG again has the technology needed for efficient workflows. This efficiency contributes to LONG’s goal of hiring great talent quickly.
LONG Returned to Jobvite and the Path of Evolving TA Efficacy
Jobvite’s Evolve Talent Acquisition Framework helps TA teams deliver world-class results. From initial assessment to specific action plans, Evolve empowers TA leaders to identify and prioritize areas for improvement so that no effort is wasted. Teams, processes, technologies, and strategies are optimized over time, and organizations emerge stronger, more efficient, and better able to adapt to the needs of the ever-evolving talent marketplace.
The Evolve framework offers four levels of talent acquisition maturity. By aligning their people, processes and technology, organizations like LONG can go from a level 1 to a level 2.
About LONG Building Technologies
LONG Building Technologies, Inc. is one of the largest building integrators in the Western U.S., providing products and services in Building Automation, HVAC Equipment, Mechanical Service, Security Solutions, and Parts. We boast hundreds of employees across eight states: Alaska, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming, but we are best defined by the way we treat our customers – the heart of our business. To learn more, visit www.long.com.
