Free Software Is The Way Forward.

August 24, 2017 – Why are executive search firms paying huge monthly bills for software that is over-engineered, difficult to use, and may be unable to meet the requirements of the new data privacy laws?

New tools, such as Assignment Manager, Client Manager or Client Portal from Not Actively Looking are not only easy-to-use, but working towards full compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the new European data privacy regulation.  The introduction of Gmail in 2004 revolutionised email messaging, offering superior usability as a free service. Not Actively Looking have changed the face of the executive search industry with their suite of assignment, client and candidate management tools, that are intuitive and straightforward, and also FREE to use.

What is it that users actually want?

Regardless of geography or sector focus, executive search companies everywhere are consistent in what they need to support their business. They are looking for a tool that is:

  • Simple and easy to use with a good user interface
  • Designed to work with GDPR
  • Integrated with other key requirements
  • Covers all the basic needs of the search firm: assignments, clients, business development.

Coping with the new data privacy laws is going to involve change, and the Not Actively Looking management tools take away a lot of that hassle. The integrated package embraces all aspects of the new regulation whilst offering a simple, user-friendly solution for both researchers and consultants.

What’s wrong with the existing industry software?

Over the years the software used to support the executive search industry has become overly complex for a couple of reasons. Firstly, software that was originally developed for a different era has been tweaked and modified along the way. Tools originally intended to make life easier are often a source of frustration to the user. Secondly, very few companies solely serve the retained executive search market but rather offer software at a licence, including to contingency recruitment firms or in-house HR departments.  This might create a mishmash of functionality, which is irrelevant and cumbersome.

With GDPR coming into effect in May 2018, the industry will have to come to terms with fundamental changes in the way that data is managed. How will legacy software tools be able to cope with the requirements of GDPR? The answer is far from clear.

Tools that are built with data privacy in mind are more suited to the new environment.

Unlike the incumbent software products that have been around for years, the suite of tools from Not Actively Looking are new and have been built with GDPR in mind and this enables Not Actively Looking to offer a solution which will be fully-GDPR compliant before the new regulation comes into effect in May 2018. Effectively this takes away a lot of the hassle for search firms and is a major advantage to any European-based search firms or any firms holding information on European citizens.

By registering with Not Actively Looking, executives that want to stay in touch with the search firm can manage their own profiles online and share confidential information with a selected audience.  Ensuring that personal information is up-to-date and accurate is a requirement under the new regulation. This is far more valuable to the search firms and offers a much-improved experience for the executives themselves.

How can Assignment Manager, Client Manager and all of the other tools be offered for free? What’s the business model?

When Google introduced Gmail in 2004 they created a product that was simply better than the rest. One that would benefit millions of people all over the world. Here was a tool that was not only easy to use, but also one that offered a better user experience at no cost.

How could this be done? Mass adoption of Gmail created new opportunities and new business models (today Google claims to have over a billion active monthly users of Gmail.

Not Actively Looking is funded from Premium Executive Membership. Simple.

Today, Not Actively Looking offers free Executive Membership to all its members. A proportion of senior executives, however, opt for Premium Executive Membership and the added value that it provides, both in terms of Career Management content and opportunities to connect with a greater number of search firms. This is a fundamentally new concept and a new business model.

Aren’t the search firms going to have to pay eventually?

Search firms that sign up now to Assignment Manager and Client Manager today are guaranteed free use of the tool for many years.

The era of expensive monthly fees for standard software tools to support the executive search industry are over. This is the era of intuitive tools that have been developed to meet the latest challenges facing the industry. Search firms no longer need to pay for something that is basic to what they do. Welcome to the world of simple, effective and free-to-use!

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