Oracle Cloud veterans ‘jump-start’ their recruiting function

Recruiting and retaining a solid workforce is never easy and the current competitive labor market is not helping. Organizations are working all kinds of angles to make themselves even more attractive to potential employees. One avenue that may not initially be considered is implementing a cloud-recruiting platform, such as Oracle Recruiting, which could give your organization just the edge it needs for several reasons.

At the Ascend 2021 Conference, Baker Tilly presented, “Equity Residential, HCM Cloud veterans, go next level with Oracle Recruiting,” during which Rosie Stroh, Equity’s human resources operations director, and Mark Johnson, Equity’s information technology director, discussed what prompted them to adopt the cloud for their recruiting efforts, what the process was like for them and how the firm has benefited from the implementation.

Equity’s cloud journey

Equity Residential – a Chicago-based real estate investment trust – began their journey to the cloud back in 2016, when the firm’s IT, payroll and HR departments were looking to standardize and modernize their systems. Given their prior experience, they knew they wanted to move away from an environment of customization, allow for mobility since employees often worked at multiple sites and implement an application that could be configured to meet their needs. It’s no surprise Oracle Human Capital Management Cloud (HCM) fit the bill.

In the years since Equity’s first cloud implementation, Oracle’s Recruiting Cloud product had evolved, catching up to, and actually eclipsing, Oracle’s Taleo Talent Acquisition solution, which they originally implemented. Functionality was the most important factor, but so was the ability to ‘brand’, Johnson said. Equity wanted the product to be tailored to the firm, which Oracle allows through its flexible personalization capabilities.

Another selling point of Oracle Recruiting was mobility. Equity has a varied workforce and so the platform had to be easy for potential employees at all levels to apply online, with an intuitive and straightforward application process. Stroh said her team wanted it to be nimble enough with their compliance and career site that they could make changes quickly without having to go through a lot of planning or having to get permission from someone else to have it done.

Implementation process

After the product selection, Equity started its search for an implementation consultant. The stakeholders wanted a team that had experience with the entire Oracle HCM platform, Johnson said, because they were aiming to create a streamlined experience for a candidate, and with Oracle Cloud the process doesn’t simply end with the recruiting module, it continues into onboarding, talent profile and there it is a hub for all of talent management.