Well, maybe the applicant tracking system and recruiting software market’s not so easy after all. Or at least for some people.
If you haven’t heard, Google has ‘fired’ its Google Hire application, recently announcing that it’s sunsetting the product. What does that mean?
For starters, if you’re a Google Hire customer, you won’t see any new functionality, and some existing ‘experimental’ features you may be using now could disappear within weeks. Most important, the product’s going away, permanently, in 2020 – so you need to start making alternative plans immediately to ensure a smooth transition of your recruiting processes and make sure there’s no negative impact on your 2020 hiring plans.
Wait…Google’s in the Recruiting and Hiring Market?
Why was the search and online advertising behemoth even in this market? Given the size of the global recruiting market and the importance of adding talent to any high growth company, Google looked to add this type of functionality to its product lineup.
Google entered the market only two years ago with a product integrated with Google G Suite. It released a product to help recruiters working at small and medium-sized firms with the hiring process (e.g., posting jobs, setting up interviews, etc). It even began an international rollout early this year.
But it was not to be, as the announcement pushed the ‘focusing our resources in other areas’ story. And companies who had jumped onboard are now left in the lurch.
Another One Bites the Dust
On hearing the news of Google Hire’s demise, I was surprised, almost shocked. Google couldn’t make a go of this market, with all its talent and resources?
But on second thought, I really shouldn’t have been. This was one more googly product killed and soon to be residing in the so called Google Graveyard, joining social network Google+, travel planner app Trips, Google Health, Google Reader, smart messaging app Allo and email app Inbox, among many others.
When you think about Google’s most successful products, they’re focused around easy communication and simplicity (like having a simple user interface and typically a self-service approach).
That’s why it was a surprise to me when they first entered the applicant tracking and recruiting software market. I know how much more complicated hiring processes are and the amount of service required to succeed. Google is great at a lot of things – but it’s not really a “customer service” oriented company.
And that’s the problem with using a product that’s not core to a company’s mission. First, the product never really speaks to you. Next, it typically handles the basics but doesn’t have a team that lives and breathes the challenges you face to build a product that truly handles all aspects of your job. And, as most evident in this case, you’re always a quarter away from a “strategic redirection” or “revised priorities” that can take your underlying technology away from you.
With Google facing increasing government and regulatory scrutiny along with the other tech powerhouses, they’ve simply packed up this game and moved onto others.
So With Google Hire Gone, What Do I Do Now?
So, if you’ve been relying on Google Hire for the past several quarters or even a year or two, you’re on a tight timeline to make plans.
That’s where my company, Comeet, can help. While there are a number of approaches you may consider, I believe we’re uniquely positioned to help those using (or that had been considering) Google Hire.
First, we’re passionate about helping those responsible for recruiting. It’s what we’re thinking about when we wake up, what we focus on all day and our last thoughts at night (well, some times!). We’re in this field for the long run.
Second, the Comeet product is focused on just this market – teams focused on recruiting talent for their companies. Our technology brings together all your key people involved in the hiring process, recruiters, hiring managers and candidates, to work collaboratively across the entire process. We believe this is critical to achieve success in the increasingly competitive market for top quality talent.
Third, even before this news, many Google customers had made the decision to move from that platform to Comeet. Why? From our conversations as to why these ‘first movers’ were switching (before there was any actual need to), the common threads as to why they preferred Comeet throughout their recruiting process included:
- Greater transparency and visibility
- Vastly superior workflow support and flexibility
- Comprehensive support for the actual interview process (e.g., interview question kits to assist interviewers)
- Much higher levels of support and customer service
The Bottom Line
These companies were looking to elevate their hiring game by creating a more positive experience both for themselves and their candidates. They found that Comeet’s collaborative recruiting technology built on a highly intuitive user experience, integrated with automation and AI resulted in faster, smarter decision making, and thus more recruiting success.
Lastly, if you’re currently using Google Hire, you’re now facing a huge risk to maintaining a smooth hiring process. We understand exactly what the problem is. That’s why we have a dedicated Google Hire – Comeet Migration Team to help you migrate with ease and ensure no disruption to your hiring teams or your candidates’ experiences (along with a special offer).
Specifically, we’ve created specific technology to easily and effortlessly move your data from Google Hire to Comeet’s talent recruiting platform. Our expert team takes care of everything so you don’t have to worry about existing candidates you’re speaking to, current postings, any of your data. – In fact, lots of companies that have made the switch to Comeet were up and running in a week!
The only difference? You’ll have a more collaborative hiring and recruiting solution that’s easier to use for your entire team. If building a talent-driven organization is important to you, you’ll be in much better hands
Here to Stay…And Built to Last
And that’s our promise to you: to continue to demonstrate leadership in the recruiting software field by driving innovation through new functionality to make your life easier. With our entire team focused on this mission – and only this mission, you can be confident we’re here to stay, and would love to welcome you to the growing Comeet client base community.
If you’d like to learn more or have any specific questions, please reach out to me directly.
– Omer
