Comments on: Who Should Taleo Acquire Next?

By: Victor

Victor — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:08:54 +0000

What about HarQen’s product Voicescreener? I took a look at it the other day after a colleague told me about it and it seems like the most ideal candidate for the “edge” technologies you spoke about.

Otherwise, I see big things for Jive Software. I love what they are doing. They were my vote.

By: Peter

Peter — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:29:17 +0000

To broaden their suite, I would envision a WFP tool, such as Vemo. WFP is a hot topic for clients now and these tools aren’t typically integrated with an ATS. The value this would add at the C-level is huge. It really places Talent Management at the heart of an organization’s overall business objectives and strategy.

Social recruiting is all the buzz, but Taleo is already working on a similar offering (see all of the marketing emails about Monarch being “Facebook easy”). I do like Jobs2Web, though.

One other thought would be a Learning Management tool, something that is missing from the Taleo TM Suite.

Interesting times….

By: Jason Corsello

Jason Corsello — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:57:48 +0000

Thanks for the comments so far. If I missed any company’s please add them & explanation in the comments.

By: Ian Alexander

Ian Alexander — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:43:56 +0000

I think the question should be: Who would Oracle want Taleo to buy?

By: Psychometric

Psychometric — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:42:07 +0000

What about an assessment player like SHL or PreVisor? Companies like these already have a number of integrations with Taleo. And guess what? they are profitable with very high gross margin. Something, I am sure Taleo aspires to eventually.

By: Pal of mine

Pal of mine — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 06:50:17 +0000

Aha! Psychometric, you are on to something big time. I agree. But let me tell you, I think Taleo would aim higher in the assessment market. SHL and PreVisor are small potatoes and niche focused. The talent management consulting companies (hint: the ones with acronyms) would better round out their portfolio.

By: Psychometric

Psychometric — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:42:12 +0000

DDI will never sell

By: Psychometric

Psychometric — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:52:13 +0000

And another thought, (assuming Pal of Mine meant DDI), surely Taleo is going to want to buy Web Services type companies? Not highly consulting oriented countries. Over 50% of SHL and PreVisor revenues now run through integrations with ATS providers. All high margin product revenue that is already ‘passed through’ Taleo like platforms. Why buy a services business with an expensive consulting force? Finally, SHL is a global player across all job families, while I admit PreVisor is more high volume call center/customer service roles.

By: Pal of mine

Pal of mine — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:56:08 +0000

Every company has a a price…. especially ones that have experienced a downturn in revenues, layoffs and lack the luxury of multi-year contracts.

By: SIM

SIM — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:17:11 +0000

Just a quick question for Psychometric. Based on the fact that SHL and Previsor are privately held… where are your quotes regarding “revenue % through ATS providers” and “gross margin and profitability” coming from??

By: Psychometric

Psychometric — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:14:19 +0000

Hi SIM, in response to your question, I have experience as a buyer of SHL and PreVisor services when installing an ATS. My knowledge was gathered through this due diligence process. We quickly discovered there are really only two real testing players integrated with Taleo: SHL and PreVisor. Compared to other assessment providers, they have a core competency in web services. As for gross margin, all on-line assessment companies have high gross margins. SHL’s numbers were there for all to see, as they were public until they went private in 2006 with an MBO backed by Hg Capital.

By: Pal of mine

Pal of mine — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:12:47 +0000

Psychometric,

When you say “two real testing players integrated with Taleo,” do you mean app > app or data > app, or both?

By: Psychometric

Psychometric — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:58:15 +0000

Pal of mine,

Both but increasingly App to App. PreVisor for example pioneered Webservices with HR XML protocols for assessment providers.

By: Pal of mine

Pal of mine — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:28:24 +0000

I’d be interested to see if a volume-focused player like PreVisor starts competing more in Sr. Exec + assessments.

By: Karen Cayamanda

Karen Cayamanda — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 11:42:46 +0000

I would say Vemo (Workforce Planning). Vemo is another provider with a great product and strong expertise in workforce planning.