Taleo- a love/hate relationship (mostly hate)

If you don't know what Taleo is, then you either haven't applied for a job in awhile, or you haven't been paying attention. Whenever you apply for a job online, say at Columbia, as soon as you hit the "apply for this job" button, the web address changes from www.columbia.com/blahblahblah to www.taleo.columbia.com/blahblahblah. Taleo is a "Talent Management Software" company, providing their customers with "...improved recruiting so you can know more about your candidates and build a high performance workforce." Their website says their customers love Taleo for many reasons, such as oodles of companies use them, they're good at implementing their software quickly ("100% implementation success"), it's cost effective ("With software as a service, there are no additional hardware or software required - just a web browser.")

The Taleo website brags that if your company uses their software for recruiting, then your "quality of hire" increases by 33%. (Off topic- what does that even mean? How did they arrive at that number? What, in their minds, is quanitifiable about "quality of hire?") Nowhere does Taleo talk about what the applicant thinks of their software. Is the applicant enjoying an increased quality of hire? This one isn't.

Here's the good part of Taleo: Job applications require rehashing all kinds of tedious information about names/addresses of previous employers, references, reasons for leaving, salaries, etc. When you sign in as an applicant for a position at Nike, you only have to enter this information once. The next time you apply for a position at Nike the information is already there. That's the ONLY thing I like about Taleo.

I have experienced three main problems while applying for jobs on Taleo sites: 1) there is no support for the applicant if you experience problems or have questions with the application process, 2) the supplemental questions often don't match with the job, and 3) once you hit the "submit application" button you are likely to never ever hear anything again about the position.

Examples:
1) A few months ago I applied for a position at Adidas. All I had to do to apply for the job was answer the supplemental questions since I was a previous applicant. I was really excited about this job so I put in extra effort to craft my answers. However, once I hit the "submit" button, an error message popped up. The message did not mention the source of the error, but it did ask me to send an email to let someone know of the problem. I drafted a nice email and sent it off. Guess what? Two seconds later I received an undeliverable email address notice. Lesson learned- always craft the answers to the supplemental questions in Word and then cut and paste them into the website. But really, what is wrong with a working phone number or email address so I can let you know that there was a problem? Do Taleo's customers worry that they might be bombarded with phone calls and emails so they don't even make it an option?

2) I run across this problem ALL THE TIME. Yesterday I applied for a job at Nike- Color Designer I- Running. I know- Color Designer!!! How awesome would that be? According to the job description, they are looking for someone with...

• Bachelor's degree in Design, Art or a related field with 1-4 years' relevant experience or an Associate's of Art degree from an accredited art school with 4 years' experience in a design environment working with colors, palette development and/or color trends
• Knowledge of the product design and development process
• Familiarity with product manufacturing processes, including materials, fabrics, plastics and pigments
• Macintosh computer experience, including Photoshop, FreeHand and/or Illustrator skills
• Knowledge of CAD programs, preferably in Mac environment
• Thorough knowledge of art and design with a clear understanding of visual design concepts including color mixing, color compatibility and color placement

(from http://www.nikebiz.com/careers/us/taleo.php?view=us_corporate)

With this in mind, imagine my surprise when I found the supplemental questions were: 1) "I have a bachelors degree in business, communications, or related field, plus a minimum 6 years digital work experience..." Yes/No. 2) "I have 3+ years of Footwear Design Experience" Yes/No

What? Where did this come from? Did the HR person select the wrong button when they set up this job? The last time I checked, "Color Theory and Economics" was not part of a standard business degree program. And where is footwear experience mentioned in the necessary qualifications? So of course I checked the No button for both of these questions. And I know that means I'm automatically kicked out of the system and will not be considered for this position.

3) I have applied for many many many jobs using different companies' Taleo application sites. I can think of only twice when I have received an email letting me know that the company "decided to move forward with other applicants." Thank you, Adidas, for at least letting me know.

This is my first blog post that required actual research on my part. As part of this research, I found someone who might hate Taleo more than me. And so I recommend that you also read the Official Taleo Sucks Blog.

Note- all non-Nike quotations from this blog post came from the Taleo website- www.taleo.com