Feature: Carrie the Careful Consumer

Feature: Carrie the Careful Consumer

I received an email the other day from a recruiter with an interesting question. Let’s call her Carrie. Or, better yet, Carrie the Careful Consumer. She wrote me to ask about a job board she was considering for some of her employer’s staffing requirements. She had noticed that the site displayed the logo of the International Association of Employment Web Sites (IAEWS), which is the trade association for job boards that I founded several years ago. What concerned her, however, was that when she checked the association’s Member Roster at its site (www.EmploymentWebSites.org), she was unable to find the site on the list. Was this job board, she wanted to know, actually a member of the association?

Carrie’s message was especially gratifying to me because it demonstrated a couple of important attributes that I’ve long encouraged in my columns:

  • Invest with your eyes open. There are now at least 50,000 job boards and career portals operating in the U.S. alone. The good news is that this wide array of sites gives recruiters a real choice when looking for the best places to source high caliber talent for their openings. The bad news is that the job board community has almost no barrier to entry, so there are unfortunately some bad players among those 50,000 sites. Recruiters who don’t shop carefully can not only lose out in the War for Talent but they can waste a lot of their employer’s money, as well. Clearly, Carrie understood that challenge and was looking for a way to act as a good consumer by shopping smart among job boards.
  • Do your homework. Smart shopping for job boards is exactly like smart shopping for anything else you purchase online. You should make sure the vendor responds to your needs-for recruiters, of course, that means the site will connect you with the kind and caliber of talent your organization needs-and that it abides by good business practices. That’s why Carrie turned to the IAEWS. Its members have ratified a Code of Ethics which commits them to adhering to clear and explicit standards in their dealings with both employers and job seekers. For example, IAEWS members provide full transparency with regard to how the candidate and employer information they collect will be used.
  • Check the information you collect. Not all information provided online (or any place else) is accurate. Sometimes, erroneous information is the result of an honest mistake and, sometimes, it is a blatant effort to deceive you. Unfortunately, the latter is what appears to have happened in this case. The site that Carrie asked me about was not a member of the International Association of Employment Web Sites. It had hijacked the association’s logo, but could not gain access to its Member Roster. So Carrie’s caution alerted her to a site that was not adhering to the ethical standards of the IAEWS and, I hope, led her, instead, to one of the thousands of other job boards and career portals that do measure up to such standards.
  • What happened to the site Carrie asked me about? It was confronted with the inappropriate posting of the IAEWS logo which it agreed to remove from the site. Then, the site operators asked how they could join the IAEWS. They were told they couldn’t. They had already violated the association’s Code of Ethics.

    Now, I know what some of you are thinking: interesting story, but totally unrealistic. Who has the time to bother with such a labor intensive effort? Well, my response is who doesn’t? You can be an expert in all of the best techniques for online recruiting, but you will still not connect with the high caliber candidates your organization needs if you do not use those techniques on the right Web-site(s) for each of your recruiting requirements. In my view, therefore, Carrie’s brand of careful consumerism is now a core competency of recruiting excellence.

    So, what is the best way to practice good recruitment consumerism online? The following 5-step process is one place to start. I call it the SmartSelect method because it will help you make informed choices among job boards and, as a consequence, maximize your ROI … your return on the Internet.

    Step 1: Determine Your Options. Use any or all of the following resources to identify those sites that are most likely to connect you with high caliber talent in the fields for which you are recruiting:

  • The experience of colleagues and coworkers;
  • The results of a browser search online;
  • Your local library’s Reference Librarian (while their perspective will normally be that of the job seeker, their insights can also be helpful to you); and
  • Other people’s research (e.g., WEDDLE’s Guides and Directory, AIRS Search Station).
  • The key to successful online recruiting is to use a large enough array of job boards to ensure you probe the full range and depth of the candidate population for each of your openings. For that reason, I suggest that you identify 12-15 options for each of your requirements.

    Step 2: Evaluate Your Options. Compare the potential benefits and costs of each and all of the options by using the following metrics:

  • The traffic a site attracts, measured in unique visitors per month;
  • The ability of the site to retain that traffic (thereby increasing the probability candidates will see your job posting or brand ad), measured in page views per month or average time-on-site per visitor;
  • The demographics of the traffic attracted by the site (to ensure the visitors a site attracts are appropriate for your recruiting requirement);
  • The range of services offered by the site (e.g., traditional job posting, contextual ads, online executive search, resume database search); and
  • The cost of those services.
  • There are, of course, other criteria you can use, but this evaluation should enable you to narrow your range of options to 8-10 finalists.

    Step 3: Visit the Finalists Online. I strongly recommend that you never use a site until you have “test driven” it from a job seeker’s perspective. If you don’t enjoy the experience, chances are they won’t, as well. Since they vote with their feet, your return on investment in a job posting or resume search on the site will be far less than optimal. In addition, use this step to see if the site is displaying the logo of the International Association of Employment Web Sites and if it is, confirm its membership by visiting the association’s site and checking its Member Roster.

    Step 4: Select the Best and Track Your Results. Just as you would with traditional recruiting methods, the most effective way to recruit online is to select and use several sites simultaneously. I recommend that you use six: two general purpose sites and four niche or specialty sites-one that focuses on the career field in which you’re interested, one that specializes in your employer’s or client’s industry, one that serves the geographic area where the opening is located, and one that specializes in diversity candidates. Each will give you a different pathway into your target candidate population. While that will give you the right coverage, however, it’s impossible to know, in advance, which sites will work best for any given recruiting requirement. To avoid this uncertainty in the future, keep track of each job board’s performance, using such metrics as the number of candidates generated, the number of new hires generated, the cost-per-candidate/new hire and their quality.

    Step 5: Continuously Evaluate Your Selection. The Internet is an extraordinarily dynamic medium that experiences continuous change as new job boards arrive, established job boards improve and some job boards disappear. Therefore, successful online sourcing and recruiting requires a continuous reassessment and refinement of your strategy. To conduct this evaluation, use both the insights you’ve acquired from previous recruiting efforts (see Step 4 above) and the research you perform through this process. The findings you produce will enable you to fine tune your selection of recruitment Web-sites for each and every new requirement.

    Thanks for reading,

    Peter

    P.S. READER’S ALERT: Don’t miss the write-up below on WEDDLE’s latest book-Finding Needles in a Haystack. Shally Steckerl called it “A rare and uniquely useful reference guide for recruiters!”.

    P.S.S. Don’t forget to send us your new e-mail address if you move.


    This Issue’s Sponsor: Recognizing Richard Rabbit

    This issue of WEDDLE’s newsletter is brought to you through the generous support of Recognizing Richard Rabbit, Peter Weddle’s big message in a little book that is well on its way to becoming a business best seller.

    Recognizing Richard Rabbit is a fable for adults, young and not so young. In the genre of Who Moved My Cheese?, it’s a tale about some forest friends that make an amazing discovery by trying to help one of their own. They don’t uncover the key to organizational change, however, or to setting strategic goals for the enterprise. No, Recognizing Richard Rabbit is a much more personal book and its gift is unique to each and every reader.

    This story opens the door to genuine self exploration. It is all about finding the secret to authentic living. To being your own true self. How does Recognizing Richard Rabbit do that? Unlike traditional fables, this tale unfolds in two synchronized parts: one in fiction-the fable, the other in nonfiction-a parallel self-interview. In essence, you are invited to tap both the creative and the analytic sides of your brain-to probe the whole of your inherent talent-so you can find the pathway to the person you are meant to be.

    What’s that have to do with recruiters and HR professionals? Despite all of the technology it now involves, recruiting is still fundamentally an exercise in forging genuine, empathetic connections with other people. And you can only make such connections if you are being authentic, if you are being true to yourself. In other words, Recognizing Richard Rabbit will not only help you to find the You of your dreams, it will improve your ability to recruit top prospects, as well.

    So, what are you waiting for? Get your copy of Recognizing Richard Rabbit today. All you have to do is call WEDDLE’s at 317.598.9768 or click here. Don’t delay. This is one book you won’t want to miss! Buy your copy of Recognizing Richard Rabbit right away.


    Section Two: Site News You Can Use

    Harvard Business Review published an essay entitled Why Did We EVER go Into HR? by two Harvard MBAs. One of the points made in the very positive article was this: “HR is poised to become the Facebook of the modern corporation.” Why? As the authors put it, “…the rise of social networking sites points to a widespread desire to connect with others who share your goals and interests. HR is uniquely positioned to connect people-and therefore knowledge, expertise, and mentorship possibilities-across an organization.” I couldn’t agree more, although I would rely on a different analogy. Here’s how I would say it: Using the easy accessibility and power of intranets, HR can reinvent itself as the host of a “MyCareerSpace” for employees, providing the support networks and resources that will advance individual performance, improve retention and certify the HR Department as an organization with a 21st Century vision.

    Opportunity Knocks released its 2008 National Nonprofit Wage and Benefits Report. The document is national in scope and provides salary data on titles ranging from Executive Director to Receptionist, based on organization size and location. While intended primarily to help nonprofits assess the competitiveness of their current wage and benefits programs, the data can also be used to research alternative benefit options, set staffing levels and ensure the appropriate sizing and definition of jobs when recruiting. The report is available for $39.95.

    The U.S. Department of Labor published a letter identifying six criteria which define when an employer can offer unpaid internships under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The criteria are:

  • The training [the intern receives] is similar to what would be received in a vocational school;
  • The training is for the benefit of the student;
  • The student does not displace a regular employee, but works under the close observation of an employee or supervisor;
  • The employer provides training and derives no immediate benefit from the activities of the student;
  • The student is not entitled to a job at the conclusion of the training period; and
  • The employer and the student understand that the student is not entitled to wages for the time spent training.
  • While these guidelines were initially published in 1996, they are especially appropriate now as more and more employers search for ways to produce more work with a limited (and potentially shrinking) payroll.

    WEDDLE’s has released a powerful new tool for recruiters. Called Finding Needles in a Haystack, it’s the first comprehensive listing of keywords for successfully searching resume databases online and off. The book provides thousands of search terms and phrases for the:

  • engineering,
  • finance,
  • healthcare,
  • human resources,
  • sales & marketing,
  • technology,
  • and other fields.
  • If you’re not getting the yield you need from job board resume databases, data mining or even your own resume management system, this is the reference book for you. In fact, sourcing guru Shally Steckerl described this book as “A rare and uniquely useful reference guide for recruiters!” It doesn’t get any better than that! To order your copy, please call WEDDLE’s at 317.598.9768 or click here. Get Finding Needles in a Haystack today!

    WEDDLE’s also offers a number of other publications for recruiters seeking to win the War for the Best Talent and maximize their ROI … their return on the Internet. They include:

  • WEDDLE’s 2007/8 Guide to Employment Sites on the Internet. Called the “Zagat of the online employment industry” by the American Staffing Association, it provides full-page profiles of 350 of the best job boards in a range of occupations, industries and locations;
  • WEDDLE’s 2007/8 Directory of Employment Related Internet Sites. The “address book of the online employment industry,” it lists over 9,000 sites and organizes them by the occupational fields, industries and geographies on which they focus; and
  • WEDDLE’s 2007/8 Guide to Association Web Sites. The key to the “hidden talent market” online, it details the recruiting resources and capabilities that are provided at the Web-sites of over 1,900 associations and societies.
  • Postcards from Space: Being the Best in Online Recruitment & HR Management. A compilation of Peter Weddle’s columns for The Wall Street Journal, it provides a complete introduction to the Best Practices for sourcing, recruiting and retaining talent online.
  • Generalship: HR Leadership in a Time of War. The only primer on leadership that focuses on the unique challenges of the HR professional waging both a War for Relevancy in the modern corporation and a War for Talent in the 21st Century labor market.
  • So make sure you’re at the top of your game, get your WEDDLE’s books today. Click here or call WEDDLE’s at 317.598.9768.


    Section Three: Site Profiles

    Site Spotlite … from the pages of WEDDLE’s 2007/8 Guides and Directories

    There are 40,000 job boards now in operation in North America and an equal number operating elsewhere around the world. The key to recruiting top talent online, therefore, is knowing where to find and how to select the best sites for each of your requirements. WEDDLE’s 2007/8 Guide identifies 350 of the top sites worldwide and provides the information you need to determine which job boards will deliver the optimum yield for you. For example:

    JAMA CareerNet

    American Medical Association

    http://www.jamacareernet.com

    Post full time jobs: Yes

    Post part time, contract or consulting jobs: Yes-Part time, Contract

    Distribution of jobs: National-USA

    Fee to post a job: $475/posting

    Posting period: 30 days

    Can posting be linked to your site: Yes

    Resume database: Yes

    Number of resumes: 1,200+

    Source of resumes: Direct from individuals

    Top occupations among visitors: Physicians, Physician Assistants

    Other services for employers: Automated resume agent, Banner advertising, Status reports

    Member, International Association of Employment Web Sites: Yes


    Get Recognizing Richard Rabbit Today!

    This issue of WEDDLE’s newsletter is brought to you through the generous support of Recognizing Richard Rabbit, Peter Weddle’s big message in a little book that is well on its way to becoming a business best seller.

    Recognizing Richard Rabbit is a fable for adults, young and not so young. In the genre of Who Moved My Cheese?, it’s a tale about some forest friends that make an amazing discovery by trying to help one of their own. They don’t uncover the key to organizational change, however, or to setting strategic goals for the enterprise. No, Recognizing Richard Rabbit is a much more personal book and its gift is unique to each and every reader.

    This story opens the door to genuine self exploration. It is all about finding the secret to authentic living. To being your own true self. How does Recognizing Richard Rabbit do that? Unlike traditional fables, this tale unfolds in two synchronized parts: one in fiction-the fable, the other in nonfiction-a parallel self-interview. In essence, you are invited to tap both the creative and the analytic sides of your brain-to probe the whole of your inherent talent-so you can find the pathway to the person you are meant to be.

    What’s that have to do with recruiters and HR professionals? Despite all of the technology it now involves, recruiting is still fundamentally an exercise in forging genuine, empathetic connections with other people. And you can only make such connections if you are being authentic, if you are being true to yourself. In other words, Recognizing Richard Rabbit will not only help you to find the You of your dreams, it will improve your ability to recruit top prospects, as well.

    So, what are you waiting for? Get your copy of Recognizing Richard Rabbit today. All you have to do is call WEDDLE’s at 317.598.9768 or click here. Don’t delay. This is one book you won’t want to miss! Buy your copy of Recognizing Richard Rabbit right away.

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