Archive for March, 2010

PART 1 OF A TWO PART POST:

The 6th Sense. Our senses, they help us see, hear, speak, smell, and touch.  Now, with the advent of Monster.com’s semantic 6Sense technology we can seek candidates in new and innovative ways.  Never before have I seen such research, forethought, and planning go into a new process.

As a recruiter, it cuts down the sourcing time exponentially.  As a candidate, you search with a far greater focus.  In February, I had the opportunity to take part in a conference call/webinar where this new technology was demonstrated to industry leaders. 

The call was lead by Javid Muhammedali, Director of Product Management, for Monster.com  Eric Weingardner, VP of Client Adoption was the moderator.  Also in attendence was Kathy O’Reily, Director of Social Media Relations,Monster.com, Matt Charney, Social Media Engagement Manager, Monster.com, John Sumser, HR Examiner, Sarah White Chief Strategy Officer, HRM Direct,  Sioux Logan, President, RedStream Technologies,> Mr. Steven Choi, CEO & President, Innovative Pharma Solutions, and I. 

By now, everyone knows that Monster acquired HotJobs on February 3, 2010.  The presentation, was also in February, and I waited until March to offer my two part report.  Primarily, I wanted to see the impact of what the acquisition would have on the industry, and to see how much of a difference it would make.   I am extremely impressed by the time and research Monster.com has invested in 6Sense, and power resume search technology.  There’s a reason Monster.com is considered the leader in the industry, it’s because they work so hard to maintain gold standard quality .  What I respect most about what I’ve observed is that they keep raising the bar higher and higher.

“Upon the closing of the acquisition, Monster will become Yahoo!’s provider of career and job content on the Yahoo! homepage in the U.S. and Canada,”  according to Javid Muhammedali.

This positions Monster as one of the largest providers of talent in the recruiting industry.  Conversely, it opens more access to jobs for candidates.

It’s only been a month since acquisition, and our conference call, but the results are already being tabulated.  I needed time to investigate the technology, confer with my colleagues before reporting back to you.  The new product was available to search firms in October of 2009, but it wasn’t rolled out to candidates publicly until this year. 

Here’s the statement Monster released: “Finding the “best” resume in a pool of candidates has long been a major challenge for the human capital industry. With Power Resume Search, powered by 6Sense, recruiters can now quickly, and precisely find and target candidates who meet their hiring needs.  With the size of the resume databases growing from thousands to tens of millions, 6Sense is perfectly-suited for the challenges facing businesses  today – especially since the need to expeditiously fill openings is a top priority for employers. For job seekers, 6Sense powered search provides relevant job search results, precisely matching people with opportunities better than ever before.”

While 6Sense search technology is still in its beta-phase it is filled with promise, and I was impressed with the potential it holds for our industry.  Because the material in the presentation is dense with data, I will go into greater detail in my next post.  What I found most compelling was the discussion about context verses concept searching. The ingenuity, and level of innovation is astounding.  Even the Boolean Blackbelt himself  applauded Monster.com in a recent post.  He remarked that as he was helping a recruiter in a recent training course to find candidates for their client, who happened to be“Google,” he formed a massive boolean string.  Guess where he found the candidate? Monster.  Far too often, recruiters criticize the job boards as being “too vague,” or “too large,” or that they can find everything they need on linkedin or through a google search.  Glen Cathey suggests that those who complain the most may not be using the technology properly.   The new technology on the horizon is going to change the game.   It is my hope that recruiters, managers and executives will begin to see these new tools in a higher light. 

The people at Monster.com have been more than gracious in providing me with all the information I need.  They are going to be my guests on Compassionate HR April 5, where we will discuss the importance of Corporate Philanthropy. 

In my next post, I will drill down the comparative details of the rest of the presentation, and my thoughts now that some time has passed.  In addition I will post technical information that recruiters and job seekers will find interesting. Stay tuned for part 2.

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Next week, The nation’s sensation “ERE Poker Game” will be hot and sizzling live from The Hard Rock Cafe in San Diego.  My game face is on-and I plan to gamble my best bet to help get aid into the hands of the children who need it most.  That’s right, the proceeds from this poker game will benefit the children in Haiti.   Whether it be Texas hold em, or 5 card stud, If I don’t take home the silver bracelet, I want my friends, my followers, and my colleagues to participate in the fun.  So, I throwing down the gauntlet.  Sponsor me!  I will play poker for charity, all you have to do is commit to match my gift (or the amount of money I lose) to the ERE Foundation.  Or, if you plan to attend the ERE Expo you can register for the ERE Poker Game here .  Tonight I was inspired by my guests on Compassionate HR @EREPoker, Jeremy Langhans, Senior Recruiter at Starbucks and David Manaster, Director of ERE Foundation. To hear the replay of our action packed show click here.

This will be my first ERE Expo.  You might be wondering, what drew me to this event.  Well, just check out the conference agenda .  I’m excited about networking with recruiters, and industry leaders from around the world.  I’m also curious about the latest technology that our field has to offer.  I will be blogging daily from this event, bringing you all the juicy details about what I see, who I see, and what I learn.  There’ll be interviews, and chats, and reports on the latest…so stay tuned my readers.  In the meantime, I’m putting on my poker face.  I hope you’ll do the same.

Your twitter pal,

@HRMargo

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My new twitter friend from the UK, Cathy Rich observed my effort over the past two Fridays, or as I now call them #HireFriday.  She asked If she I minded if she launched this in the UK.  I was delighted, but I gave her the following guidelines.  Here’s a recap of our conversation via twitter and on her blog.  On today’s blog, Cathy said:

I received this e-mail from Margo Rose, who launched #HireFriday on Twitter in the USA last week:

“#HireFriday is my brain child, fueled by my passion for Compassionate HR  As you know, the recruiting industry in the US is very client centric, which often leaves most candidates eating dust.  Because of great people like Bill Boorman, Mervynn Dinnen, and Alan Whitford, I understand the wishes, desires, and needs in the UK are equally weighted.  This delights me.  It is in this spirit that I launched #HireFriday last Friday.

I’m sick of #followfriday, with its meaningless stacks of names.  Isn’t it better to help your friends, and loved ones find jobs, make connections and network with really reputable recruiters and hiring managers?

What #HireFriday is NOT is a place where recruiters post spammy jobs.  It’s a place where we tweet the names of candidates/their occupation/job title/unique skills/city location they choose to work.  It’s for the candidate.  It is then my hope that recruiters, hiring managers and non-hr people will tap that person on the shoulder and say, hey this Company is hiring, and I think you’d be perfect for the job…

It’s like a bulletin board for candidates, pure and simple.  Then, it is my hope that someone will see a person in the twitter stream that works in their respective industry and help the jobseeker get connected with a helpful resource or person.

This is my passion, it’s in my heart.  I’m not trying to monetize this.  I do not choose to make “commissions.”  I simply want to be helpful.  I registered the hashtag, and I work in a Law Firm, so we’ll have legal eagle eyes to keep creepy, spammy people out (as much as possible).”

I aim to role this out as a trial on Twitter in the UK as from next week. With the jobs boards clogging up and everyone competing for the same jobs and candidates, this might free up the market. And literally, it will be FREE for everyone.

More news will follow soon – I will be happy to receive comments and views please!

I commented on her blog as follows:

First, thank you for having the courage to being an early adopter of my concept #HireFriday. Jeff, I understand your skepticism. As, I am sure many recruiters and observers on twitter are as well. This is not a “for profit” venture. There are no commissions to be earned, no axes to grind. My only goal is to help friends, and friends of friends to find jobs; get connections through other people’s networks, and to offer a helping, supportive hand.

Recently, I was in transition. I know the pain, heartache, and self doubt that comes with it. I also know the power, strength and courage that can come with it as well. But, with that said, I never, ever want to forget the pain of how hard it is to be a candidate.

Yes, I’m in HR. I hope to leverage my connections with my friends and colleagues to help those in the midst of a job search. Let’s just call it my good Karma wagon. By paying it forward, I fulfill my passion and my mission, while helping another human being. What could be better than that?

If recruiters make placements, and make commissions, that’s good too. My goal is pure and simple #HireFriday gives visibility on twitter to people looking for jobs.

Recently, my facebook status was as follows: “Have you hugged an unemployed friend today? Do something better, introduce them to your contact network and give them a leg up.”

That status was re-tweeted around the globe. What I’m discovering after just two short weeks is that this idea is catching on, it has resonance, and reach. And sometimes good deeds do go unpunished, as the saying goes.

When I make a placement as a recruiter, I’m wearing a very different hat. Candidate sourcing on twitter is tough, and it’s not the best place to source. However, it is a good place to identify passive candidates who aren’t actively engaged in a search. The candidates who participate in #HireFriday, are most certainly active candidates. They are the low hanging fruit, ready to be picked. I say, let’s give them a job first, they are the ones who need them most.

My other favorite saying that I share with recruiters around the world is “Never take away a person’s hope, it might just be the only thing they have left.”

Sincerely,

Margo Rose @HRMargo http://blogtalkradio.com/comphr

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