For this month we have a review for an ATS that has been around for quite some time but never reviewed before in this column. I have been hearing about this database, Gopher by BlackDog Recruiting Software, for years and am happy to finally be able to review this product. Billed as a complete recruiter's contact management, call management, and calendar system. This service is a 100% web-based with a twist, they also are able to host your entire suite of software products. More about that later but please read on.

Even though there is no local database software, you do need to install Citrix to use this product. This is a free and easy download and install that allows you to connect to their system. From there, simply open the web page and log in. Normally at this stage you would open your database but in this case you are opening to an entire Windows desktop with not only an icon to start Gopher, but also any other software program you use. Again, more on that later. Once you click on the Gopher icon the program opens and you log in again. You open up to an interface that includes your calendar and daily planner, a good idea for any database. Here is your list of tasks to accomplish for the day.

I always like to start with the candidates, called Profiles in this program. Adding a new one is easy. Click the Plus sign, a blank record appears, fill in whatever you need, including a customized skill-words listing (Keyword Dictionary), and save. Using their iRex add-on, you import a resume any number of ways and a new profile (record) is created with all Keyword Dictionary entries highlighted, a copy of the text resume is copied to the profile, the original resume is saved, a Calendar record is created noting the new profile for follow-up, a Note Pad record is created noting the date of entry, the work history is extracted and saved in a Snap Shot, and the skills highlighted are compared to open job orders, all with virtually one click. Once entered and worked a bit, you can access data about this candidate easily, including a resume, memos, positions, and a great tracking page with access to information including Resumes Sent, Interviews, and past Placements. A n ice feature - you can stack your new resumes and using the Auto Import feature the system checks periodically for resumes to add and does this automatically. There is no separate tab, screen or table for companies in this database as all companies can be searched from the client interface. Clients, along with their corresponding Companies are entered in the same way; with job orders having a Client/Company relationship, either manually or via iRex. Whenever a new job order is entered, the entire database of profiles is automatically checked for matches. When entering multiple candidates from the same company, they have a nice Copy Record feature that automates populating the new Client record. Another feature I haven't seen lately is your ability to import a scanned or faxed document.

Once you get the data into the database, searching couldn't be easier. In most databases, the search interface is a separate page, where you need to enter your search criteria. Not here, your search page is the same as your Profile page. Click the Find button, your screen is filled with blank fields, fill in any search criteria into any field, including wildcards (*) and then click the Complete button and your search results come back in single-form view, which you can easily change to a list view with one easy click. For those with a need to search skills you use the same Keyword Dictionary for searching those. You can also search all the resumes directly for any keyword you like. Great interface...simplest I have seen in a while. Reporting is handled with Crystal Reports, Excel and Access. Although there are numerous included reports, user-created reports are completely customizable. 

It's later now... What really sets this group apart from many of the others is their ability to not only host your ATS software, they allow each user access to an entire Windows desktop as I described earlier. Once you login, use your day-to-day software including, but not limited to, Outlook, Word, Excel, Gopher, etc., remotely. What that means to the user is that locally, all you need a basic, simple and inexpensive solution including a pc or laptop, a Windows OS, an Internet browser and an Internet connection. I imagine Cable or DSL would be preferred but you can even connect with a 56k modem. Besides the Gopher review, I did open and work with Word and Internet Explorer remotely and surprisingly, did not perceive a decrease in performance. This could appeal to those of us who feel particularly challenged and generally uninterested in always keeping up with the latest software, patches, etc.

Pricing starts with a one-time cost of $1,200 for one user with an additional $50 per month for their upgrade plan, which offers access to the iRex feature. For a one-user, networked version the one-time costs is $1,500 and the upgrade plan charge is an additional $70 per month. The pricing decreases from there depending on the number of user and networking needs. 

I want to thank Ken Peck of BlackDog Recruiting Software for his assistance in preparing this article. Anyone with an interest in more information on this service can visit their website at www.recruiting-software.com .
Those with any questions or comments can reach Ken directly via voice at
970-349-0364 or via email at ken@recruiting-software.com.