For some companies a resume database is more than just a place to find employees. Check out this story. I think job boards might want to review who's sniffing around their data.

Morgan Stanley accused of misusing resume info

Cold calls allegedly made for contacts

Associated Press - September 13, 2007

Massachusetts Secretary of Commonwealth William F. Galvin filed a civil complaint against Morgan Stanley and two of its Boston employees, accusing them of "dishonest" practices for allegedly using a job-search Internet site to find sales prospects.

The complaint says the company tapped into CareerBuilder.com for resumes, then cold-called people in violation of state and federal do-not-call laws and regulations.

In a statement responding to the complaint, Morgan Stanley said the charges "involve an isolated instance in one office involving a single financial adviser," and added that the company "takes its do-not-call obligations extremely seriously, has systems in place to prevent abuse and trains its personnel to abide by all regulations."

The complaint says a Morgan Stanley financial adviser, Arlen Fox, accessed more than a thousand resumes on CareerBuilder.com for the purpose of sales prospecting between August 2005 and December 2006. The alleged use violated Morgan Stanley's contract with CareerBuilder, which limited the financial-services company's access and use of the resume information for hiring purposes only, the complaint says.

The complaint says "the resumes were chock-full of valuable information, such as employment history -- suggesting potential sources of 401(k) transfers -- recent salary levels and vital contact information, such as cell phone numbers, that might not otherwise be published."

According to Galvin's office, an assistant branch manager in the Boston office allowed Fox to use a management password to access resumes.

Labels: Industry News

I was asking myself this question the other day when I came across this article. The third paragraph is the most interesting one. I'll let it speak for itself.

"To sustain online revenue growth, newspaper publishers have begun striking deals with each other, as well as established online players, to share content and Web traffic. Of course, classifieds are a major focus, as newspapers try to rebuild their old profit centers online. This category proves especially well-suited to economies of scale. (Simply put, the more listings, the better).

CareerBuilder, a joint venture between Tribune, Gannett, and McClatchy, is a good example of a newspaper-dominated network; meanwhile, strategic partnerships with Yahoo's HotJobs, or Monster.com, fall into the hybrid category.

However, the basic obstacle to growth in online newspaper classifieds is how they are sold--usually as "upsells" bundled with print classified listings for an extra fee. This strategy has worked to drive strong online growth until now, with online classifieds representing as much as 70% of newspapers' total online revenues. But the system is obviously vulnerable to the accelerating decline in print classifieds. As it falls, the number of opportunities for online "upsells" decreases, too."

For the full scoop, click here.

Labels: Industry News, Job boards

Weddles just came out with this interesting survey. The responses below were collected from employers and recruiters between March 10 and May 10, 2007 for the following question: Of the openings you've posted online, were they mostly:

Hourly positions? 7.7%;

Entry-level professional positions? 23%;

Mid-level professional positions? 46.2%;

Senior-level professional positions? 7.7%;

Managerial positions? 11.5%;

Executive positions? 3.9%.

What the Findings Mean

Clearly, conventional wisdom is correct. The Internet has, in fact, become an accepted way to find employment opportunities in the full range of permanent positions available in today's organizations. We can, nevertheless, draw some important insights from the poll results.

Experience counts.

The more senior you are, the more likely you are to be recruited on the Internet & up to a point. Employers and recruiters fill more mid level professional positions online than they do entry level positions, despite the widespread belief that recent college graduates are much more likely to use the Web for their job search. Beyond that point, however, the bottom drops out; just a handful of our respondents with senior level openings (7.7%) rely on the Internet to fill them.

Labels: Industry News

Kennedy, the venerable recruiting information org just launched RecruitingTrends.com - Data, news and research about the recruiting landscape.

Labels: Industry News

Are the days of foosball tables and free lunches returning to the recruiting landscape?

According to this USA Today article it is...complete with rafting trips for new hires and wine tasting events.

This quote from the article sums it up;

"I remember the '90s hiring boom, and I thought that was the peak. I would say this time hiring is even more aggressive," says Barbara Massa, recruiting services director at EMC, an information management and storage company based in Hopkinton, Mass. "All the companies want the 'A' players. … You're doing things for candidates that, a couple of years ago, you wouldn't have to even budge on."

Labels: Industry News

FYI---Today's job market is increasingly in the hands of the candidate, according to a study released today by Development Dimensions International (DDI), a global human resources consulting firm and Monster(R), the leading global online careers and recruitment resource and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNST).

The study, titled "Slugging Through the War for Talent: Selection Forecast 2006-2007," reveals that 73 percent of staffing directors report competition for talent has increased since 2005, while 79 percent expect it to further intensify in 2007. "Candidates are in a very powerful position--organizations need to think about hiring as a competitive practice if they want to attract the best people," said Scott Erker, senior vice president of DDI's Selection Solutions. "Right now, there is a significant gap between what candidates want and what employers think they want. That's dangerous for organizations, because many don't understand the motivations of the candidate sitting right in front of them."

Labels: Industry News

Most employees prefer to have more time as opposed to more money, and they're choosing jobs based on this preference. According to a recent survey from the Association of Executive Search Consultants, 85 percent of recruiters have seen candidates reject a job offer because it wouldn't include enough work/life balance, and 90 percent of recruiters say work/life balance considerations are more important now than they were five years ago.

Forbes, March 19, 2007

Labels: Industry News

According to Workforce magazine these are the top temporary staffing firms. Ranked according to revenue for last 4 quarters.

1. ADECCO - $26.4 billion
2. MANPOWER - $17.6 billion
3. RANDSTAD - $10.3 billion
4. VEDIOR - $10 billion
5. GOODWILL GROUP - $7.1 billion
6. KELLY SERVICES - $5.6 billion
7. ALLEGIS GROUP - $4.4 billion
8. ROBERT HALF - $4 billion
9. VOLT INFORMATION SCIENCES - $2.3 billion
10. SPHERION - $1.9 billion
11. MPS GROUP - $1.9 billion
12. EXPRESS PERSONNEL - $1.8 billion
13. LABOR READY - $1.3 billion
14. CDI - $1.2 billion
15. HUDSON HIGHLAND - $1 billion

Check out Las Vegas jobs at NV Job Search.com.

Labels: Industry News

A BusinessWeek.com guest editorial by Lars Galgaard, CEO of SuccessFactors, an on-demand performance and talent management solutions company, explores what it takes to effectively manage talent. Understanding what's required is critically important, Galgaard points out, given findings of a recent survey conducted by SuccessFactors and the Human Capital Institute where 98 percent of executives and human resource professionals indicated the competition for talent is increasing in their industry. In order to win the talent wars, Galgaard says companies first have to know themselves.

Full article

Labels: Industry News

I came across this article detailing some of the new firms getting VC money for job search related businesses. Has a bit of a negative spin on the whole industry.

Look, technology will not solve the entire problem of matching job seekers to employers. Never has, never will. There are tools that will assist you but nothing will ever take the place of this highly humanized process.

Labels: Industry News, Job boards

A recent survey indicates that nearly 27% of Human Resource (HR) Managers say they receive more than 50 resumes, on average, for each open position. Nearly 13% of HR Managers receive over 100 resumes per job opening. When screening these resumes, these managers frequently search the following key words:

* Problem solving / decision making (56%)
* Leadership (44%)
* Oral / written communications (40%)

Read full survey results

Labels: Industry News

Salary.com, a leading provider of on-demand compensation management solutions, has released results of its Working for a Small Business Survey. The survey finds that despite the perceived gap in pay between small and large companies, employees remain at small businesses for other reasons: work/life balance, commute, loyalty, their boss, and relationships with co-workers.

Labels: Industry News

On February 16, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET, the Human Capital Institute (HCI), a global professional association and educator in talent management strategies, will present "The Next Generation Resume," a webcast that will explore how technology has impacted the resume creation process, and how the changes are likely to impact the candidate evaluation process. HCI webcasts are free to all HCI members and registered guests.

Labels: Industry News

From time to time the Fly likes to spread his wings and buzz above the recruitosphere to see whats happening. Yesterday we published the following press release touting the growing community of recruiting bloggers.

Recruiting Blogosphere Coming Out Of It’s Shell

Industry now at 200 Recruiting blogs and counting.

The “recruiting blogosphere”, a community of blogs written by recruiters and human resources professionals, is becoming a powerful medium through which to recruit, vent and rave about the world of job hunting and staffing. There are now over 200 recruiting professionals who blog about the subject, according to RecruitingFly.com.

“More and more recruiters and career professionals are realizing the power of blogging”, says Chris Russell the founder of RecruitingFly.com, a recruiting blog directory and vertical search engine. “Not only does it build their own personal brand but it delivers traffic to their web site, brings in new business and keeps them grounded in the fast-paced world of work”, adds Russell.

Interesting new blogs include Evil HR Lady, HR Thoughts and Generations@Work. You can find an alphabetical list of all recruiting blogs on the recruitingfly.com homepage.

Many bloggers have reported a variety of benefits associated with starting their blog. Joel Cheesman, who writes the popular recruitment blog Cheezhead, recently just snagged a deal with the employment web site JobCentral to become the primary sponsor on his site. The cost: $100,000 for 2 years. For that, JobCentral gets their name on just about everything he does.

Speculation is buzzing in the ‘recruit-o-sphere’ that more sponsored deals like this are on the way. “A lot of bloggers see dollar signs in the future”, says Russell.

RecruitingFly is also among the sites signing deals. Two recruiting vendors, WorkGiant and StaffITnow recently became sponsors. Companies of all kind are now recognizing that these kind of niche sites offer tremendous exposure and business development opportunities.

For everything recruiting, checkout ERE.net.

Labels: Industry News

Looks like Kennedy will now also target Job seekers via its acquisition of the Career Masters Institute founded by noted career expert Wendy Enelow.

Kennedy Information, Inc. announces their acquisition of the preeminent authority on career development, transition and management -- the Career Masters Institute.

Peterborough, NH (PRWEB) January 30, 2007 -- Kennedy Information announces their acquisition of the preeminent authority on career development, transition and management -- the Career Masters Institute.

The Career Masters Institute has been formalizing and professionalizing the careers industry since its founding by Wendy Enelow in 1999. A published author, trainer and career consultant, Ms. Enelow explained that she founded Career Masters "to facilitate the professional exchange of information needed to meet the massive change, transformation and expansion currently happening within the careers industry." Ms. Enelow served as the association's Executive Director from 1999-2004 before stepping down to devote full time to writing, speaking and consulting opportunities within the careers industry.

In less than 10 years, Career Masters has become the leading association for career professionals. Susan B. Whitcomb, who served as Executive Director from 2004-2007, observed that "Career Masters' membership possesses a depth of expertise unmatched elsewhere, with more authors, thought leaders and highly successful career entrepreneurs than any other careers association." It is the first organization to bring together a worldwide membership of career coaches, career counselors, resume writers, outplacement consultants, recruiters, college and university career development personnel, and military and government career transition specialists within one space that connects every sector within the careers community.

full press release

Labels: Industry News

Finally somebody figured out how to make a user friendly version of a print magazine. Check out Talent Management.

Labels: Industry News

This collegejournal article says that employers are dsicivering the benefits of Facebook recruiting.

"Ernst & Young ...launched a page on Facebook with information and discussion boards aimed at college students; the company paid an undisclosed fee. Employers seek "new ways to reach out to the college audience," says Dan Black, director of campus recruiting for the Americas at Ernst & Young.

The approach poses risks as well as rewards. Companies that solicit public feedback are likely to get negative as well as positive comments. The sites can also connect detractors who otherwise wouldn't have met. What's more, employers must continually update their sites to attract visitors.

Still, recruiting consultants and a growing number of employers think the advantages outweigh the risks.

"It's a very good thing for communicating with potential job seekers," says Mark Mehler, a co-founder of CareerXroads, a consulting firm that advises on staffing strategies. "You're reaching the student in their lair."

Organic, a marketing agency that is a unit of New York's Omnicom Group Inc., created a MySpace page a few months ago to help former employees keep in touch with each other and the company, with the hope that some may return or refer acquaintances. The agency specializes in Internet marketing.

Organic also launched two blogs aimed partly at recruiting. Tracy Coté, who heads recruiting, says the blogs draw potential candidates to the company. They also allow recruiters to contact users who post comments and may be interested in working at Organic."

>>>>> Search the recruiting blogosphere

Labels: Employer Branding, Industry News

Like any other complex endeavor, recruiting is comprised of a series of connect steps and invariably there are negative consequences if a step is skipped or not taken in the appropriate order. Throughout the year we have maintained a list of recruiting steps. Currently there are 59 distinct steps on the list. Here are the first 10:

1. Opening(s) identified
2. Alert Staffing
3. Approve request
4. Check for prior staffing templates
5. Send Manager's Checklist
6. Draft Staffing Template
7. Collaboratively finalize Staffing Template with hiring manager
8. Prepare requisition
9. Approve requisition
10. Assign recruiter

To see the rest of our list, click here.

Labels: Industry News

Tony Lee of Adicio moderated a panel last month at Kennedy which talked about web recruiting trends for 2007 and beyond. Also on the panel were Paul Forster of Indeed, Jeff Benrey of Trovix, Jason Gorham from CareerMetaSearch and Drew Dix of Law Jobs.com.

Here are the trends they discussed.

#1 - Applicant Tracking Must Improve - identifying candidate source will become more important then ever.

#2 - Job boards Everywhere - more will be created centered around niches and blogs.

#3 - Smart Marketing Wins - search engines, job boards, and destination sites will continue to prove their ability to find elusive candidates through keyword buys on a targeted, per-click basis.

#4 - Cybersonic Job Alerts - more recruiters will communicate with candidates directly from their desktops and less through resume databases.

#5 Blogs & Video go mainstream - more employers will adopt cutting edge branding technologies to reach elusive, high quality candidates.

#6 - Crunch Time - a shortage of workers in several industries will be severe and how companies recruit will become a strategic differentiator.

#7 - Passive Gets Active - Finding qualified candidates will require more active sourcing techniques.

#8 - Networks are forming - Social, regional, national, cross-platform and more allow recruiters to target candidates in a range of cool ways.

Labels: Industry News

Everyone seems to be weighing in on the Jobster rumors so I wanted to put my 2 cents in.

As someone who runs more than 30 web sites by himself I know the true cost of doing business. That is why I actually strive to stay small and use technology and outsourcing to help manage my biz. Basically, I dont want employees. Has anyone thought that Jobster might just be slimmimg down after having built up its product? Isn't efficiency part of the lesson we have learned?

Just look at craigslist who manages a major web site with a handful of employees. If there's anything I've learned after the first bubble it's that the number of employees you have does not equal success. What matters is the technology and how you use it (and the quality of talent).

I can't tell you whether people "screwed up" or not, I dont work there. But I do know that when investors are involved all bets are off. They want a return on investment. I was somewhat puzzled this year after Jobster seemed to shift its brand image. But hey, maybe they know something I dont. Perhaps now they will learn to do more with less.

Labels: Industry News, Job boards