EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Trilogy Enterprises Inc., Austin, Texas, USA seems to be a well established organization which
has understood the changing nature of the environment. Because of this understanding they have
become a fast-growing company which provides software solutions to giant global firms for
improving their sales and performance. Trilogy is currently providing software solution for 3
industries. Their clients in each industry are probably the best performers in world stage in their
respective industries. The industries Trilogy is providing software solutions and their clients in
each industry are as follows.
Automotive industry - Ford, GM, Nissan, Chrysler, Toyota, Hyundai, Kia, Volvo, Jaguar
and AutoNation
Insurance and financial services
Telecom, technology and media industry - AT&T, Cable & Wireless, Cox, Verizon and
ADT
By looking at their clients we can come to a conclusion that Trilogy is a great place to get
software solutions. But it is said that many of its approaches to business practice are unusual. It
seems to be same for their human resource strategies as well. It is said that, unlike most of other
companies around the world, their employees dont have a dress code. And there is no specific
working hours. Employees make their own hours. They tend to socialize together and in most
occasions company is sponsoring them to go to local dance clubs and retreats in Las Vegas and
Hawaii.These facts show that Trilogys company culture is a bit different from other
companies.
The other most significant factor is that Trilogy seems to have a very strong Business Strategy
and the HR division of Trilogy has done a great job to align the HR strategy of Trilogy with the
business strategy. Managers at Trilogy have understood that the rapid growth they seek depends
on having a staff of the best people they can find, quickly trained and given broad responsibility
and freedom as soon as possible. In software industry, if a company wants to succeed and grow
rapidly, it is a must to have best people who can write brilliant codes and people who can gain
the momentum with lesser guidance. It is clear that the managers of Trilogy have understood the
fact really well.
Their CEO is also accepting the fact that for software company people are everything. So they
have a recruitment and selection process which checks each and every aspect of the candidates.
They dont look at only at the knowledge of the candidates. It is obvious that a software engineer
should have a good computer programming knowledge. Along with that a software engineer
should have a good stamina, because in some instances software engineers have to work under
an immense pressure.
It is said that annually Trilogy is reviewing nearly 15000 resumes. And they select only about
1.75% out of them all. The cost per hire is $13000. This figure shows how serious Trilogy is
about their recruitment and selection process. So, rest of this report is about how Trilogy is
Finding People Who Are Passionate about What They Do.

1. Identify some of the established recruiting techniques that underlie Triologys unconventional
approach to attracting talent.

Recruitment is the process of searching for prospective employees and stimulating them to apply
for jobs in the organization. Since Trilogys HR strategy is greatly aligned with the Business
strategy HR department of Trilogy has made finding the right people a companywide mission.
Their recruitment and selection process is a very unusual one. We say so because they do it in a
very funky way. Though they are doing it in a funky way they have integrated formality in to
that process as well. They seem to have only two method of recruitment. They are very
conventional methods. They are finding recruits only from Educational
institutions/Universities and College Career Fairs. They pursue the freshest over achievers
with ambition and entrepreneurial instincts.
When looking at the two methods Trilogy is using for recruiting employees, it is evident that
they are only focusing at the college graduates. This is a very interesting thing We say so,
because Trilogy is a company based on USA. Out of the worlds 1st 100 rank universities, about
80% is belonging to USA. So the reason why they are not going for other methods of recruitment
is very clear.

In 1998, the company reviewed 15,000 resumes, conducted 4000 on-campus interviews, flew
850 candidates to Austin for on-site interviews, and ended up hiring a total of 262 college
graduate. This time-consuming process is expensive, at $13,000 per hire, but the firm is aiming
for the "whiz kid" who will develop the next hit software package

On the other hand software industry is a place where you need creative and innovative people.
That might be a big reason why they are spending as much higher amount as $13000 per head in
the hiring process. As a software company Trilogy have to identify people who can successfully
respond to the question What Can We Remove? during their recruitment process. Preparing
brilliant codes is not an easy job. Sometimes that might take days and days of hard work. Or
even more. So the person who is going to become a Brilliant software engineer should have a
good stamina as well. So Trilogy has to look at people who have Knowledge + Stamina both
in their recruitment process. After conducting on campus interviews they select about 20% and
taking them out on the town into Austin for a standard, three-day preliminary visit. There a
typical day might begin with grueling interview but end with mountain biking, roller blading or
laser tag. So it is clear that they are examining the stamina of each and every candidate during
the recruitment and selection process.
The other important thing we should note is that Trilogy is only focusing on external recruitment
methods. Though their method of recruitment is unconventional, through external recruitment
they can attract new blood to the organization. The external recruitment is the main source of
new skills and competencies. So it is clear that though Trilogys recruitment process seems to be
an unconventional one it is using conventional recruitment methods along with a bit of funkiness
to identify the correct people which have required knowledge and stamina to work in Trilogy.


2. What particular elements of Triologys culture most likely appeal to the kind of employees it
seeks? How does it convey those elements to job prospects?

Trilogys culture is different. That different has done as a part of Trilogys business strategy.
Once Trilogys CEO was asked a question related to Trilogys culture. The question he was
asked is What are your top three challenges? The answer he gave to this answer gives a
great insight about Trilogys unorthodox culture. His answer to above question is as follows.

(1) Hiring the right people, (2) making customers successful, (3) not losing the culture
keeping Trilogy a place where individuals can really shine. I want to make it a place where
individuals are constantly challenged, are in over their heads and find ways to get out of it.

The above phase shows that Trilogy is a place where employees have no barriers to do whatever
they like. They have given all the independence they need to come up with the solutions to the
problems which they were given to solve. But, since the customers and projects they are dealing
are people with high expectations each and every software engineer at Trilogy is constantly
challenged.
No dress code
As We mentioned earlier also Trilogy being a software company, the employees working at
Trilogy might have to work under pressure. When working under pressure, you might have to
spend long hours at the office. If you are an employee working in such a company and asked to
work long hours wearing a nice shirt, trouser and a tie, would you like that? I dont think so.
Dress codes need to be appropriate to the workplace, the culture of the workplace, the workplace
environment, and health and safety standards. Construction workers, some production line
workers, game developers, software developers, and outdoor workers as just a few examples,
may well wear denim as the most appropriate fabric for the work they do and their workplace
culture. Because of this and the dynamic culture of Trilogy management has decided not to have
a dress code.

Flexi hours
A system of flexible working hours gives employees some choice over the actual times they
work their contracted hours. Such a system can be a good way of recruiting and retaining staff -
since it provides an opportunity for employees to work hours consistent with their other
commitments. And Working Relations between employees and supervisors/managers can
improve. Flexible working can replace that old fashioned concept of what was is often referred to
as "Face Management" i.e. the boss needs to see the employee at work to prove work is being
performed. This is a cultural thing that can be overcome by organizations realizing that a more
far sighted approach can be taken. Indeed if we can call Face Management an "old culture
device", its preservation can lead to all sorts of situations e.g. an employee can feel he/she has to
stay late, irrespective of what is actually being achieved, just to impress a boss. In a modern
working environment, employees can resent such an approach, often knowing themselves that by
comparison flexible working engenders a task oriented environment. At Trilogy also the flexi
hours is giving the employees to make their own hours.
The average age of employees is 26
Most of Trilogys job prospects are youngsters. Besides hiring a younger work force you should
treat and pay as if they were the force behind your business, because after all you are only as
good as your employees. Young working professionals respond well to fast results and positive
environments. If you can create this in your work environment you should have a motivated,
loyal, and strong work force driving your company to prosper. A good example of this is Google.
They treat their employees as if they were VIPs, and in a sense, they are. Google's employees are
happy to go to work every day and get every benefit you can imagine. In the end Google may
have spent more money on their employees than most companies but they have created a fun and
loyal work environment where everyone strives to benefit the company that treats them so
nicely. As per my view Trilogys situation is also same. Job prospects would love to join such a
company because they know that it is easy to get support from people in the same age levels.


Company sponsored events
It is said that Trilogy is sponsoring their employees trips to places like dance clubs and retreats in
Las Vegas and Hawaii. It is very important to show your employees how much you value their
hard work. Trilogys management might be offering their suggestions, but they seem to be
clearly understood that these parties are for the employees and should be planned by them.
Trilogy University
After selecting the correct employees Trilogy is giving the new employees a few weeks of
intensive training at a place called Trilogy University, which Trilogys employees call them as a
Boot Camp. The participants are given training on technology and the business. And then they
are allowed to loose on the world. This can be considered as a kind of an induction program for
the new comers. Induction program is a feat thing for any new comer, because he/she can get to
know what is happening in the company and who is around him/her before go to the real
working environment.

As per our view those are the most appealing things for the job prospects. They know that the
life at Trilogy is going to be a bit tough. But the management of Trilogy also has understood that
and they have taken necessary steps to make sure that their employees are happy all the time
despite whatever the situation they are in.


3. Would Triology be an appealing employer for you? Why or why not? If not, what would it take
for you to accept a job offer from Triology?

I would give the answer YES to above question. That is because of many reasons. The first
thing I look at before accepting a job offer is, whether the company is a growing one. I say so,
because if the company Im going to join is not a growing company, I will not have the chance to
go up the ladder and achieve my career goals. On the other hand, with the rapidly changing
environment, a company which doesnt have the ability to grow cant offer its employees with
job security as well. When it comes to Trilogy, it is said that Trilogy is a fast-growing software
company.
Also I like the fact that it has been mentioned as a company which has a unique and unorthodox
culture. If you join a software company to do a job, you sometimes have to do things a bit
strange, like sleeping in the work place, cooking in your work place, etc. So, if the culture of a
software company would be the same culture as in a normal organization it would be really hard
to manage your work. That is because, normally software companies are considered to be places
which employees have to undergo a lot of pressure. So any software companys culture
definitely should be different from other companies. Trilogys culture is considered as
unorthodox because of many reasons. Some of them and why I like those things are as follows.
Flexi hours Im a person who like freedom. But when join to a software company I, the attitude
I have is that there wont be enough freedom to do my personal stuff. But at Trilogy, I can go to
work and any time. What they ill expect from me is to do the work which was assigned to me on
time. On the other hand I can dedicate some time from my weeks time table to my father,
mother, girl friend and everyone who loves me.
No Dress Code Frankly speaking I hate dress code. I see it as a barrier for productivity in a
software company. At Trilogy it is said that there is no dress code. When working with denim
covering your lower part of the body and a t-shirt covering your upper part of the body, I can feel
like being at home. Frankly those two dresses create a home like environment around me. But
there is another side of this. To my way of thinking, receptionists and other front office people,
and anyone who will be meeting clients or the public, ought to observe a dress code appropriate
to the work of the company and their position. But what about back office people, who may
never meet with the public? Software engineers are supposed to be the back office people, who
never meet the clients. So there is no need for them to wear a formal dress.
Socializing together By doing this I can relief my stress. Normally whatever facilities and
benefits you have given by the organization; normally it is obvious that the environment in a
software company can be a bit stressful. So, it is important to have a stress relief method. The
most important thing is that Trilogys management has understood the importance of this and
they are sponsoring the socializing events, which I think as a great thing. I cant see many
organizations do this kind of thing for the mental well being of their own employees.
Training Training of employees takes place after orientation takes place. Training is the
process of enhancing the skills, capabilities and knowledge of employees for doing a particular
job. Training process moulds the thinking of employees and leads to quality performance of
employees. It is continuous and never ending in nature. Training can be categorized in to many
parts. In this case Im speaking about the training which the new candidates are being given. This
training familiarizes them with the organizational mission, vision, rules and regulations and the
working conditions. It is great to see that the Trilogys management has understood the
importance of training the new comers at least for a few weeks at a place called Trilogy
University. Training is crucial for organizational development and success. It is fruitful to both
employers and employees of an organization. An employee will become more efficient and
productive if he is trained well.
These are the reasons why I think Trilogy as an appealing employer for me. By working with an
employer like Trilogy you are not going to lose the creativity and innovativeness one possess
during the University life, because at Trilogy it seems like every minute you are being
challenged and to cope up with that challenge you need to learn new thing and you have to think
creatively. When doing product development you have to think innovatively.


4. What suggestions would you make to Triology for improving its recruiting processes?

The recruitment method the Trilogy is using at the moment is external recruitment. It is clear that
they can gain a lot of advantages by doing external recruitment. But they are using only 2
recruitment methods. According to my view that limits their options of attracting people. So it is
better if they can go for other conventional methods of doing external recruitment. Some of the
recruitment methods I suggest Trilogy are as follows.

Newspaper advertisements
Business magazine advertisements
Television and radio advertisement

Im not suggesting them methods like recruitment agencies, outsourcing, walk in interviews, etc,
because I think they are not suitable for the culture of Trilogy. By expanding the methods of
external recruitment Trilogy could widen their options and they can create element of
competition as well.
Also I suggest them to go for internal recruitment as well. I suggest them that option, because
they can gain extra advantage from the existing workforce by doing internal recruitment. By
using only the external recruitment methods, sometimes undesired problems might occur among
employees. Also external recruitment is a costly and a time consuming operation. This can be
seen from the fact that Trilogy is spending nearly $13000 per recruit annually. By using internal
recruitment techniques they can utilize the internal talent in a better way. Also they can do the
recruitment process in an economical manner. The cost side is a clear internal recruitment
benefit. The internal recruitment can be quicker and cheaper than the external recruitment. The
employee who works with the organization usually does not ask a huge salary. On the other hand
internal recruitment can be a motivational factor for other employees in the organization as well.
Internal recruitment makes sure that the carrier development for employees will be there in the
organization. So the career development is a huge benefit of the internal recruitment process. The
career development has to be communicated openly and the employees cannot be worried about
their application for a new position within the organization. The career development can define
special rules for the application for the new position. The rule is usually about the necessity to
stay at one position for a defined period of time before applying for a new one. In case of
necessity, the HRM Function can act quicker, but the current manager of the employee has to
agree to allow the transfer. When the career development functions well, the employees are
motivated to train themselves to get more skilled and develop their competencies as they see the
career opportunity in the organization.
I think Trilogy should have a plan to develop their future leaders. I dont see any specific plan as
such. Considering the amount of money they are incurring on the recruitment process there is no
reason why they cant develop a method to develop their future leaders. I would like to suggest
them to start a Graduate Trainee Program. Most large companies employing graduates, have
graduate training programs in place. These companies tend to invest thousands in recruiting
graduates who have demonstrated impressive academic ability but who have little or no
experience in the world of work. A graduate training programs is a way of bridging the gap.
Graduate training programs ease candidates into the world of work and give them the skills
necessary to become part of the larger team. They tend to last either one or two years. Some will
offer students the opportunity to experience several different areas of business before choosing a
final career path within the company. Graduate training programs have long been popular with
banks, insurance companies and financial institutions but they have become increasingly more
common with employers across all sectors, particularly the IT and technical spheres. Advantages
of graduate trainee programs are as follows.

A good level of support when starting your career.
Training and development opportunities.
A mentor to talk through any problems.
The opportunity to study for a professional qualification (normally funded by your
employer).
The chance to rotate through different departments and gain experience of different
functions.

So, I believe that expanding the number of methods of external recruitment, introducing internal
recruitment and introducing a graduate trainee program will enhance the recruitment process of
Trilogy.













REFERENCE

Changing World of Work and Organization, lecture 1 tutorial, module 2, PQHRM by
Mr. A. D. Gomez.

Finding People Who Are Passionate About What They Do, Application Case.

Recruitment and Selection, lecture 5 tutorial, module 2, PQHRM by Mrs. Tharanga
Samarakkody

Human Resource Management by Snell, Bohlander and Vohra

Recruitment External Recruitment Advantages of External Recruitment,
http://www.tutor2u.net/business/people/recruitment_external.asp

Culture IBM v. Trilogy, http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=39578

Trilogy Software: High Performance Company of the Future?,
http://www.wiley.com/college/man/schermerhorn332879/site/student/ic/page00.htm

CNNMoney - Where are they now?,
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/fortune/0910/gallery.40under40_where_now.fortun
e/5.html

Flexible working hours - overview,
http://tutor2u.net/business/people/workforce_flexible_hours.asp

http://www.wiley.com/college/man/schermerhorn332879/site/student/ic/page00.htm


http://www.fastcompany.com/36161/insanity-inc