A few weeks ago, I got a message out of the blue from a young, eager intern asking me to do a demo of the new software he’s working on. “You helped me get this job,” he shared excitedly. Of course I said yes. How could I say no? At the meeting, I was reminded exactly why I don’t often take random demo requests.
First, the tech didn’t work. I could tell they were panicking and I wanted to help. I said: “Hey, I love ideas. You don’t have to have everything working.” Instead of using the time to ask questions or show me some mock-ups of an ideal state, they fumbled through refreshes. Clearly, no one thought to just set up an example before the call. Life tip: don’t demo something you’re not sure will work.
What made it worse? Ego. Every time I made a suggestion or tried to let them know a particular feature wouldn’t work in HR because it was illegal, they argued with me. At one point I actually said, “do you just want me to sit here and nod or what’s my role here?” You should know it takes A LOT for me to say something like that… and this? Well it was just like a lot of the other HR tech demos I’ve been on: built for dazzle, never for daily use.
HR Technology Red Flags You Shouldn’t Ignore
The fact it wasn’t working didn’t matter. I probably could have gotten past the ego, too. But only if they could have done one thing: explained the problem they tried to solve in the first place. These kids, not even out of college yet, were trying to solve a problem they don’t understand: hiring.
This goes for every HR technology company out there - whether your founder is 18 or your company is. There is not a one size fits all solution for any problem in HR technology. If your team can’t discuss a problem (and that nuance) in depth? I can almost guarantee your product doesn’t fix anything for most people.
That’s just one of my red flags. Others include:
- Using a buzzword more than 10 times in a conversation. If I’m starting to count, that’s too many. Current favorites among the tech bros include: Seamless. End to end. Complete. Always. And, of course, AI.
- They claim they are showing you AI, but can’t explain how it works or where the data is coming from.
- They answer every question with “it depends” even when there’s an obvious yes or no answer. “Do you screen for this?” Yes or no.
Three Questions I Ask In Every HR Tech Demo
Assuming I don’t see any of these red flags and need to pretend my connection is weak to get out of it, I do love seeing new products. I love talking to passionate founders about complex problems. Look, after this long in recruiting? I need friends to nerd out on problems with.
During the demos, I always ask these 3 questions. I learned this from one of the smartest people I know many years ago at lunch. Now, these aren’t the only questions - but you can’t skip these.
- “What’s the most common reason users stop using your product?”
- “Can I test this in a real environment - not a sandbox?”
- “How much and what parts can be tailored?”
If they squirm, well, that’s saying a lot without saying anything at all. I didn’t learn that part from the HR lady, just the couple hundred demos I’ve done over the last 10 years.
Favor? Can you share this with a vendor who needs a reality check? This next part is for them.
Are You Selling HR Technology? Let’s Meet Up.
In just a few weeks, I’ll be at HR Tech doing a People & Culture session as well as a live Q&A from the expo hall floor. I’d love to see you there.
I’ll be taking meetings with friends and folks in Vegas who want to sponsor this blog in 2026. You can book a meeting with me directly by sending a message over on LinkedIn. Either way, let’s connect. But hey, even if you’re not going to make it there - we can meet up. I’ll be at RecFest in October and you can learn more about our sponsorships and book a meeting with me here.
