A company’s strategic vision and goals are, of course, carried out by its people. The first imperative
of an organization’s managers and human resources (HR) team is to hire outstanding, productive
and committed people that will get the job done. That’s the fundamental goal.

The fundamental goal of a VMS program is the same: to hire outstanding people. As elementary as
it seems, this keystone of a successful program can often get lost in the surge of activity
surrounding VMS implementation or management. Processes and systems are irrefutably
important…but they are only the means to the end.

Notably, this goal stands out as one that is unequivocally shared by all parties in a VMS program:
the client, the VMS managers, and the vendors. While each party has objectives specific to their
interests, the central common purpose is the acquisition of quality people. This supersedes – or
should supersede – every other objective.

To make this happen, communication amongst all parties is paramount. Without it, the acquisition
of outstanding people becomes even more challenging. Successful VMS programs adopt
procedures that facilitate and foster communication – yet still achieve process efficiencies.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Communication and feedback cannot be emphasized enough. Communication between VMS
  managers and vendors; communication between hiring managers and vendors; and communication
  between VMS managers and hiring managers.
• VMS program design is at the core of a good program, but even the best-designed programs can stumble when managed by under-qualified or undertrained staff.
• VMS programs are a relatively recent phenomenon – at least in the sense of a macro trend.

“Many VMS programs do not divulge the vendor’s name when passing along submitted resumes to the hiring managers. On one hand, this procedure removes bias or favoritism – candidates sell themselves on their own
merits. On the other hand, some hiring managers are disenchanted with a program that removes an important factor they used in their decision-making process: the comfort factor in dealing with a trusted vendor with a good track record.”

Original Source: http://www.oakenterprises.com/documents/vms_bestpractices.pdf