This time last year, I wrote an article in AHRI’s HR Monthly magazine (Nov 2007 issue) on Job Boards. The article was based on trends, as well as emerging players in the industry. Also included in the article was tips for employers and recruiters for choosing a job board.
The tips were very well received, and the feedback was very positive. I was informed by numerous recruiters they not only saved $$ in costs, but also time/resources for not using the job board.
This is only a guide of questions to ponder when choosing a job board. You will find that there is no “one size fits all” approach and you should use this in creating your online recruitment strategy. If you need any help in creating this strategy, give me a call.
Be selective. Use more than one job board – and remember to always advertise on your own careers web site
Negotiate. There is no harm in playing one board against the other with advertising costs
General vs niche. Niche boards work very well and access passive job seekers. Although the number of applications might be low, the quality is very high. Most are linked with industry associations.
Consult with peers. Ask industry colleagues or friends if they have heard of – or used – the job board. Have you heard of this job board before?
Research where your competitors are advertising - are they using general or niche sites? Are they utilizing social networks or referral programs?
Critique the website design/layout. If you can’t work out how to use it, prospective candidates won’t know either!
Ask the account manager for their site statistics, such as the number of unique visitors, job advertisements, applications, registered users. Importantly, these should be verified by a third party such as Nielsen’s Net Ratings.
New tips...
The job board MUST have a strong marketing plan - how are they going to attract candidates?
How easy is it for a user to apply for a job? Do you have to register/login or can you apply as a guest
Is the job board optimized for mobile applications such as the iphone
Are job advertisements indexed on search engines
Is there functionality for social bookmarking or integration into web 2.0 sites
Can you maximise your brand awareness by branding the job advertisements or your own profile page with images, video, audio or links to 3rd party sites
How confident are you that they will attract the right candidates for you?
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I have been asked by a industry colleague of mine Michael Specht, to speak at the upcoming HR Futures Conference in Feb 2009. The Inspecht HR Futures Conference brings together speakers covering all areas of HR, Recruiting and Technology to discuss how social media, innovation, culture and technology empower, attract, engage and evolve employees.
Our opening keynote from Stephen Collins will provide insights into the internationally renowned invitation only event TED 2009. Stephen will stretch your thinking about business in knowledge economy covering HR, Recruiting, Knowledge Management, Web 2.0 and technology.
Sean Lew will present on the BearingPoint Wiki and how it facilitates global teams, knowledge sharing, encourages innovation and connects employees and external partners, and demonstrates a solid return on investment.
About to upgrade your recruiting strategy? Thomas Shaw's session on Web 2.0 tools for recruitment is a must covering cost saving examples of social recruitment strategy, recruiting via social networks, and using search engines to indentify candidates.
Anne Bartlett-Bragg will show how to reshape your professional development strategies to achieve the results that more expensive tightly controlled learning and performance systems have failed to deliver.
Concerned about the legal issues of Facebook and other Web 2.0 tools in the workplace, Senior Associate Michael Park from Deacons Law Firm will provide a critical overview of the issues to consider.
Jasmin Tragas from IBM Australia will share some global informal learning initiatives from IBM with examples of web 2.0 and virtual worlds such as SecondLife.
Where? Karstens at CQ 123 Queen St Melbourne
When? 26 February 2009
How much? $350 before 15 Jan 2009, $400 from 16 Jan 2009
Who should attend?
HR Specialists and Managers, Internal Recruiters, Agency Recruiters, Job Board owners, Shared Services, HR Technology professionals, Learning & Development Specialists and Managers, Organisational Development Specialists and Managers
What's covered?
Everything an HR or Recruitment professional needs to know about the impact of technology on their industry.
Who's speaking?
The day features speakers covering HR Management, recruitment, learning, professional development, and legal issues as they related to Web 2.0 in the workplace.
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This is another one of my favourite applications I created for a client earier this year. 2discover is a executive recruitment agency based in Sydney. The brief was quite simple - create a Facebook application that enhanced the 2discover brand which is visually apealing, easy to use, and non intrusive to users
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It started with an small idea, and has suddenly grown into a syndication machine... Last week, I was thinking about a way I can subscribe to all blogs/news sources - organised by the time they were posted, easy to find, as well as the ability to share the information with other colleagues as easy as possible. Recruitment Blogs was born.
Each blog/news source has a RSS feed. So now I needed a way to aggregate all the RSS feeds into one database, then output the data into a format that is user friendly, ability to search, easy to manage as well as updating.
It took 24 hours to get a beta site up and running. I had been working on a RSS scraping project for another client, and have utilized the “plugin” for the CMS I currently use.
It could have been easier to set up my own personal Feedburner blogroll, but I thought I would share it with everyone. There is a menu/blogroll at the bottom of the page.
Initially, there was around 8 main sites I visit every day to keep in touch with industry news – Recruiter Daily, Shortlist News, Michael Specht, Geoff Jennings, JobAdder, Human Resources Magazine, 2vouch blog, SixFigures blog etc..
It has huge SEO benefits, and initially I pictured this to be the “Wotnews” of Australian recruitment/HR news (Cheezhead did this over in the US)
I worked out that on average, there are 15 new articles posted per day (estimate) that’s around 75 per week, 3,900 per year! Currently there are over 300 articles aggregated from their RSS source.
The site has the following functions so far
Subscribe to a daily email alert, which will send you all the snippets for the past 24 hours.
One search for all sites (searches the title, short description and author)
Easy to use :)
Collects title, link, short desc and date, and arranges them all in date order via a predefined RSS feed into the database
Archive and Calender view options
No ad's or reference back to my own work, just plain and simple industry collaboration
Articles link back to the original article, plus info on the author
Aggregation is set hourly, and just collects new items
Very basic, its taken 24hours and I can’t believe how easy it has been so far. Most functions still need to be fixed and combined together. All the feed dates are wrong (parsing and UTF issues) but you get the idea
If you have any suggestions or would like to help me on this project, feel free to comment.
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It's not often I brag or show off work I have completed for a client, but I couldn't resist this one. I was engaged by a allied health recruitment agency called Sheelagh McKenzie earlier this year to create a Facebook Application as well as a social networking strategy.
Sheelagh McKenzie Recruitment Services http://www.sheelaghmckenzie.com (yes they are currently in the process of upgrading their website)
We worked in conjunction with Thurnham Teece http://www.thurnhamteece.com.au who were engaged to provide the images and graphical services. The application uses our Facebook Application API integrated with their existing job board.
For more information about Facebook Applications contact us now.
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A few weeks ago, I resigned up for Twitter to see how much it has changed since I was last actively "tweeting" on the website. There has been a lot of discussion about whether Twitter is useful, fun or just a fad.
In the past few days I have received a number of emails, and read a number of blog articles on using Twitter for recruitment. Twitter is a mini-blogging tool, where you have 140 characters to tell all your 'followers'
The best way to use Twitter for recruitment is...
post hot jobs, or latest job links on twitter back to the employers or agencies web site
recruitment news updates.. ie "Looking for a PHP developer in Melb, Top rates apply"
speaking/networking functions.. ie "Speaking at XXX on how to find a job", "Meet us at the Careers Expo"
Links to career content - employee profiles, videos, articles, etc.
Follow discussions on various topics or trends
Connecting with job seekers via twitter
Resources:
Have I Got A (140 character) Story For You! - Published by Sitepoint.com http://6rec.com/6m8t
Recruitment and employer branding using 140 characters - EngageOnline http://6rec.com/wio3
Zappos using Twitter to connect with job seekers - John Walker http://6rec.com/53s4
Twitter is a communication channel for people to tell other people what they are doing. For a simple but biased explanation see Twitter in Plain English on YouTube. You may ask: "Why would they bother - why would anyone care?" - and that's a reasonable question!
Upsides/Downsides
Upside is difficult to measure but they might exist - the downside is a lot more keyboard activity for less productivity. If one of your staff come to you with a Twitter proposal get them to justify it, have them put some money on the table - it could be a fancy lunch if it doesn’t work - and then measure results.
How can Recruitment Directory benefit from Twitter?
With millions of Twitter users posting their microblog entries called tweets, there is a lot of useless noise being generated. Cutting through the noise can be difficult and there isn't really one definitive use for Twitter. Potentially you could benefit from:
Following the tweets of top recruiters for snippets of their wisdom
Keep up with industry news
Track discussions on specific topics or trends
Promoting available positions to thousands of potential candidates
Branding of your business in a casual, social and personable environment
Keeping your clients and candidates informed by allowing them to subscribe to your tweets
How can Recruitment Directory start using Twitter?
First decide whether or not you want to take on yet another online social media site. A good way to make this decision is to search Twitter for topics relevant to your agency and see whether people are making useful tweets. If there seems to be some useful discussion going on you might want to Join Twitter and start posting promotional tweets about your business and following tweets of your clients or top recruiters.
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There was speculation back in June 2008, that Monster was set to return into the Australian market. Today Monster/News Ltd announed they have entered into a joint venture partnership for online recruitment. Watch out SEEK, the Monster is back!
Extracts from their press release “This new relationship between Monster and News Limited combines two industry leaders to jointly deliver recruitment solutions to both job seekers and for employers seeking talent in this important region,” said Sal Iannuzzi, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Monster Worldwide. “With 140 newspapers reaching nearly 12 million people each week, News Limited provides the largest audience of any publisher. When coupled with the Monster experience, this joint venture will become the leading career and recruitment destination in Australia.”
Under the terms of the joint venture agreements, which remain private, Monster will own a 50 percent stake in CareerOne. The joint venture will initially carry the CareerOne and Monster brands, and the organization will continue to operate from its existing headquarters in Sydney.
“This deal cements CareerOne’s position as Australia’s second largest digital employment brand and is great news for the Australian employment sector – it increases our competitive position and will bring a world class product into the local market, offering employers and advertisers the best possible platform to reach millions of potential job hunters,” said John Hartigan, chairman and chief executive of News Limited. “Monster led the world in creating the online jobs market, and a decade later its expertise and technology is unrivalled. The combination of News Limited’s sales and marketing prowess, together with Monster’s world-class technology and expertise, make a powerful combination.”
“Monster’s established expertise in building effective employment services for the small-to-medium size marketplace will be a powerful capability in how the joint venture provides employers and advertisers the best possible platform to reach job seekers,” said Mark Stoever, executive vice president, corporate development and strategic alliances for Monster Worldwide. “It’s a smart, strategic alliance -- one that we are confident will have a positive impact and hold tremendous value for our customers, both present and in the future.”
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As the demand for Australian domain names continues to grow, the availability of quality domain names becomes less and less. What domain names relating to recruitment, HR, jobs, careers and talent are currently up for sale?
Earlier this year, the auDA http://www.auda.org.au opened up the .au domain name space for the registrant transfers policy be relaxed to allow a registrant to transfer their domain name licence to another eligible entity, for any reason.
It will not be allowable to register a domain name for the sole purpose of resale or transfer to a third party
Registrants will not be able to transfer their domain name for the first 6 months after the initial registration (this does not apply to domain names that have been renewed or previously transferred)
After 6 months, registrants will be able to offer their domain name for sale/transfer by any means (eg. by listing the domain name for sale on a domain brokerage website, advertising the domain name for sale in a newspaper, or contacting a prospective buyer directly)
The new registrant must comply with normal eligibility and allocation rules. Registrant transfers will be processed by the registrar of record using a standard transfer form, and the registrar may charge a transfer fee
Parties to a transfer will be asked to disclose the sale method and price, on a voluntary and confidential basis, so that auDA may collect aggregated statistical data to improve access to market information for buyers and sellers.
Basically... If you currently own a .au domain name, you can sell it to another party. There are a number of 3rd party domain name sale sites which sell domain names.
I have compiled a list of domain names that are currently for sale below. Note: ** I have declared my interest if I have a name for sale. Personally, some of the domain name prices are inflated, whereas there are some which are bargains!
How much is a domain name worth? The market is very young, and the old saying "what’s in a name" stands. If the domain name is important to your brand and business you may have to pay more for it.
If anyone has anymore domain names they wish to list, or know any recent sales, please let me know.
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Geoff (8:01am Wednesday 26 November 2008)
Wow, didn't realise that many recruitment domains are around for sale.
I put together a very basic site for my recruitment domains http://www.oozdomains.com/
What is an Application Tracking System (ATS) ? You may have heard the ATS called many different things such as a “Recruitment Database System”, “e-recruitment System”, "Jobmatch", "Talent Management System" etc. For the purpose of this post, I will refer to it as simply an ATS. If I have left any sites or products out, please contact me or leave a comment.
“An application tracking system (ATS) also called a candidate management system (CMS), is a software application designed to help an enterprise recruit employees more efficiently. An ATS can be used to post job openings on a corporate website or job board, screen resumes and generate interview requests to potential candidates by email. Other features may include individual applicant tracking, requisition tracking, automated resume ranking, customised input forms, pre-screening questions and response tracking, and multilingual capabilities.”
So you have read the definition, but what dose it means to the average Recruitment Consultant?
An ATS is a system that allows you to manage your workflow in an online capacity. It removes (most) the heavy administrational burden of recruitment and automates the tasks – from acknowledgement letters, job advert postings through to an interview performance and psychometric testing. There are many different products and providers on the market – one size dose not fit all.
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myStaffingPro is an applicant tracking system with over 10 years of experience in the SaaS market. myStaffingPro currently supports over 500 customers from a variety of industries.
DC123 is about to launch our new ATS/CRM system. We are currently migrating the 1.5 Million Australian resumes that are held in the old Digital88 Opus system.
First Choice Software have been supplying recruitment software for years, and are one of the top suppliers of software for years. I think we would fit in your list well!
http://www.rdbpro.co.uk
Don't forget 3Hats http://www.threehats.com.au which allows you to Mange. Recruit and Market.
Save your admin time with our Advanced Outlook Plug In - sign up for a demo to get you ready for the new year now!
Mercury has been providing eRecruitment systems to the health and local government sector for over 10 years. http://www.mercury.com.au with complete integration to http://www.fit2work.com.au for police checks in less than 60 seconds.
A reminder to people that MyRecruitOnline has a stand at the 2011 American Staffing Association Expo Oct 11-14 New Orleans. We'll be showing off our advanced real time distributed Recruitment system alongside our live Sync technology (Outlook is a subset)
Conrep ATS software (Applicant Tracking System) provides end-to-end solution for consulting, staffing, recruiting and professional services organizations. for More visit - www.conrep.com
SimplyHired launces into new markets, LinkedIn API launches with a number of 3rd party applications. I started this self question & answer a number of weeks ago when I was starting to generate content for the blog.
In the news last week, SimplyHired an international job aggregation site have launched a number of new local portals in Canada, UK, India and Australia http://www.simplyhired.com.au what is it?
Simply Hired is a vertical job search engine that aggregates and indexes millions of job listings from around the world. These jobs are pulled from hundreds of sources by various scraping methods. SimplyHired and Indeed.com are the largest providers of aggregation world wide. It was only a matter of time before these sites launched a local version. In Australia, there are already a number of aggregation service providers such as Recruit.net http://www.recruit.net, MySpider http://www.myspider.com.au, Jseeker http://www.jseeker.com.au, CareerJet http://www.careerjet.com.au
What is the difference between Google and these job aggregation providers?
Google http://www.google.com.au is a search engine, which spiders websites for new content to updates their search engine, whereas a job aggregation site scrapes the job listing from leading job boards, career sites etc. The scraping occurs via the job aggregation site reading a XML/RSS feed for the new jobs, and updating its existing content.
These sites give the job seekers a “one stop shop” for their job search. There are usually 2 fields for job seekers to use – keyword and location. It is a much faster method for searching all job boards at once.
Last year we saw a number of job boards express concern at these sites for scraping their content. Is job aggregation legal?
This is an interesting point, and I totally agree with the points raised by these job boards. The question is who owns the content. The content is simply the job board post created by the author for that job board. Has the initial publisher of the content agreed for the job board to then syndicate this onto another site or not? It is now common practice for the job aggregation sites to receive expressed permission before scraping the site.
From a recruiter’s perspective, I want my job post to be exposed to as many potential candidates as possible. How have these new technology tools such as social networks, blogs, twitter, online resumes databases, etc helped recruiters.
Using these tools, recruiters have become more connected with candidates and clients. Candidates no longer have to wait for the newspaper, or conduct searches on job boards. Social networks continue to grow in number as well as intelligence. These networks can automatically match your previous searches and listed skills with jobs and other people. Recruiters are now able to headhunt, and search for candidates with particular skills and experience with a few searches and click of a button. The ability to quickly reach candidates via SMS or instant messaging systems has allowed recruiters to streamline and improve business productivity.
It’s important to remember that the emergence of these tools has allowed employers/clients the same opportunity to use these tools as a recruitment agency.
LinkedIn has just opened up its site for 3rd party developers to create applications. What dose this mean?
LinkedIn has followed in the footsteps of Facebook, MySpace and other social networks in allowing developers to create applications within the LinkedIn site which you can put onto your profile and enhance your experience with the site.
In a blog post released by LinkedIn http://blog.linkedin.com/ “This initial roll out features productivity applications that range from gathering information that professionals around you are generating to enhancing your abilities to collaborate and communicate more effectively. You’ll be able to work much more closely with your contacts on LinkedIn with tools such as file sharing, project management, business trips and many more.
The nine applications that you see live today on LinkedIn include productivity enhancing applications from Amazon, Box.net, Google, Huddle, Six Apart, SlideShare, Tripit, and WordPress as well a Company Buzz application developed by LinkedIn. Each of these applications will help you stay current and competitive as a professional in today's rapidly changing business world.”
The job search application is powered by SimplyHired and has a unique feature that allows the “Who Do You Know” tool to link to a user’s LinkedIn contact list enabling job seekers to see who they know at that the company.
There is now a plethora of these new technologies and sites. How is the average recruiter going to use them?
Recruitment Agencies and Employers need to start to think of creating a “digital marketing strategy” to use these tools. This includes a mix of tools such as job boards, social networking sites, aggregators, blogs, RSS feeds, Twitter, Videos (ie using YouTube or posting it within the job post), and Web2.0. There is no one size fits all approach, and depending on the candidates you are trying to attract you may have different approaches.
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There is a PDF copy of the old article here http://www.recruitmentdirectory.com.au/About/Downloads/p13_sectionid/2/p13_fileid/2
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I put together a very basic site for my recruitment domains http://www.oozdomains.com/