(Why) Is it worth replacing the software that is the soul of a company?
There's an IT saying that "if it works, don't touch it", referring to the difficulty of changing software. And indeed, a newly developed system can have several disadvantages compared to the old one, that's proved to be working well enough. Changing an IT system is tedious, and requires a lot of development and coordination, taking time away from other tasks. In addition to that, it is usually not a priority because it does not directly generate revenue, but the company has to invest money in its development.
Yet, at HILL, we decided to replace our database software. Despite the many difficulties of switching to the newly developed databank, we went ahead anyway, as there are more benefits than drawbacks. For example, our current staff may have to relearn the implementation of the new software but in return, our new researcher and intern colleagues find it more convenient to learn a more modern and user-friendly system. Furthermore, as the developers have regularly consulted with our colleagues during the development process, the databank interface was tailored to our needs and wishes.
HILL-Hungary was founded in 1989, and 3 years later, our staff were already importing and storing applicants' data in the original database. In nearly 30 years of use, there have been many changes in the labour market. For example, in the old system, we couldn't link a document to a profile because when the original system was launched, we used to receive resumes by fax. However, in our new system, we can store all file types in one place, as required by our researchers, so CVs and cover letters can be attached to the profile immediately, saving many steps in the search process. In addition to that, during the coronavirus epidemic, it became clear that a modern, new database should be accessed remotely, helping all our staff who work from home.
On top of all this, our innovative Applicant Tracking System was so novel that we won a grant from the National Agency for Research, Development and Innovation to support 66% of the cost of developing the new database. With the Applicant Tracking System, we can track every applicant in the process of research and select and now see which projects they were involved before. With this system, our colleagues can give significantly more candidates the attention that everyone deserves, which speeds up the search and selection process, while we also enjoy working with the new databank. Because remember:
Why the pathetic cargo one,
When you can have the turbo run!
Search your new colleagues with us using our renewed faster databank!