PUBLIC MARKS from longhorn2000 with tag it

"We all know that matching the right candidate to the right job involves a lot of jumping through hoops, swinging over moats, and countless other travails for all parties involved. Today, though, we want to focus on one of the major obstacles corporate recruiters have to deal with on a regular basis: hiring managers."

"You make six figures, you have the office in the corner, and you’re used to calling the shots. You’re a high-level exec, and you have been for a while. You’ve got a great understanding of your industry and business as a whole, and you do a fine job of motivating those you work with. You’re education is enviable and so is your experience. So why are you totally confused when it comes to the job search?"

"We’ve reached a point in many industries where there are more jobs than candidates. This is what some like to call a “candidate friendly” environment. What it means for recruiters is that they’re often not the only one with an offer for top talent. So, how do they compete?"

"Recruiters, hiring managers, and employers all seem to think that as more Gen Y employees move into the workplace, they will bring an entirely new outlook on how work can and should be done."

"Of course, one of the most important aspects of that search will be job location. Most people agree that it’s one of the major concerns when looking for a job. Do you want to sit in 3 hours of traffic on the 101 everyday (that’s for our friends in LA)? Or, if possible, do you want to hop in the car and arrive at work 15 minutes later? Are you willing to move or do you need to stay where you are?"

"In short, there’s no network that overcomes all of the obstacles these different parties are facing. We know how to solve this problem and in upcoming weeks, we will take a more in depth look at the various roadblocks facing each group as we unveil our solution."

"December can be a great time to kick up your job search. Come January, even those with their dream jobs will decide it's time to make a change. Just as they'll decide it's time to lose weight, quit smoking, and to do all of those other things that continually make it onto the New Year's Resolution lists."

"Spam is bad enough. Spam that divulges even a modicum of personal info is way beyond. It's not too hard to handle, though. A quick delete here, a filter there, and you might have at least one less recruiter to deal with. It's when the telephone comes into play that things can turn ugly in a hurry..."

"The perfect Plan B job search will allow you to give a comprehensive description of your perfect job. It won’t limit you to that good old location and salary that seem to be the only things many job boards are concerned with... you’ll be plugging away at your current job, and one day your search tool will let you know that it has found the job you had only ever dreamt about. That’s the power that an effective Plan B search could, should, and will have."

"That's why so many people (at least those fond of super heroes) relate to Batman. After all, they think, if we had the right tools we could make things happen, too. Yes, here's where we proclaim that job candidates can transform themselves from mere mortals to superheroes by following Batman's example. (Full disclosure: the kids were watching Batman last night and it's stayed on our brain.) But back to the point. If candidates can assemble the right tools, they can get much closer to finding that dream job."

"Some would suggest that bringing up other candidates in an interview isn’t a good idea, as it takes the focus off of you. Others would suggest that even if you do ask the question you’re not going to get a thorough response. No, there has to be a better way; one that allows you to see how you stack up against other folks out there. You should also be able to see a breakdown of what a company is looking for, and how you compare in each category. Even a simple breakdown would let you say 'hey, I’m lacking in experience, but my skill set ranks at the top.'"

"Now, there’s nothing wrong with glam rock. We all know it can be really catchy, and it did lead to some of the most creative fashion trends of the past several decades. But we on the job boards have been stuck in the genre for too long. It’s time to move forward. While the past may hold some answers, the future of recruiting should be something different and something better."

"Many suggest that the holidays serve as a key search time for unemployed candidates. While this is true, the holidays can also provide quiet candidates with the chance to see what the market has to offer for the upcoming year. It’s also a time when that dream job might not have been picked clean by hundreds of other candidates."

"So, why the wrath? Are IT recruiters really the scourge that some people make them out to be? Maybe some aren’t doing the job, but for many it’s simply a lack of tools. They’ve resorted to cold calling at all hours of the night, because there’s no place on the big boards for them to go. Many IT candidates have abandoned the boards because they can’t find what they’re looking for, so the recruiters have followed."

"Now, we’ve discussed our issues with the niche boards before. While many are doing a fantastic job of bringing smaller companies to the table, most still lack the tools to help quiet candidates find their dream job at those smaller companies. While it’s a step in the right direction to go beyond the Googles and Yahoos!, more steps have to be taken. It’s not enough to post unique jobs, we have to effectively match candidates to companies. "

"On the dating sites and the job boards that are modeled after them, it’s a give and take kind of thing, a “let’s get to know each other a little better” kind of atmosphere. We believe in candidate control, and therefore we believe that candidates should have the chance to glean a substantial amount of information about a job or a company without ever saying anything about themselves."

"The last ten weeks have given us the chance to see what’s on the minds of most of the job candidates out there. As we see it, there just isn’t a source right now for candidates, recruiters, and hiring managers to effectively connect and communicate. As we’ve said before, change is coming, but it won’t just be for candidates. After all, there are things that recruiters and hiring authorities need, and we hope to explore those topics in the future with a comprehensive Bill of Rights for each group."

"We know there’s not always a lot of love being throw recruiters’ way, but we believe if more recruiters had the right tools to work with; tools that allowed for better communication between all parties involved, and tools that allowed recruiters to better assess what a company was really looking for and what a candidate really had to offer, more candidates and companies would be expressing their gratitude on a regular basis. "

"It’s become to easy for businesses and hiring managers to limit the access that job candidates have to information on specific positions and the company as a whole. Whether this occurs due to poor interviews, vague job postings, or a total lack of feedback, it’s got to stop. As we say most weeks when looking at the Job Candidate Bill of Rights, when the candidates are treated right, everyone benefits."

As we gear up for Halloween and start to think twice before walking up the stairs in the dark, we thought it would be the perfect time to highlight a few of the scariest stories from the world of the job search. Just as in the big screen horrors, no one is safe. Candidates, recruiters, and hiring managers are all fair game. Now, prepare to be terrified, or at least amused...

Aggressive lead generation and special offers aren’t the only new ads wreaking havoc on the job boards, and Monster isn’t the only culprit out there. In a beautiful world where DVRs allow us to fast forward right through the commercials, advertisers are constantly looking for the next trick. Just try watching a show without seeing an ad for another show on the same network pop up in the middle of a dramatic scene or during a critical third-down situation.

We know that recruiters are swamped with resumes, but as we’ve said many times here, our industry should be one that’s conducted on the basis of respect. We also believe that a system that provides candidates with substantial feedback on why they didn’t get a job or what they need to do to give themselves the best opportunity to get that job will benefit everybody in the search process, including recruiters and hiring managers. Again, when we respect the rights of the job candidate, we all benefit.

We know that increased confidentiality and better communication can limit the problems with job board scams and fake job posts, but ethical behavior can’t just be one of many options when searching for a job or an employee. It has to be the only option if online job searching is ever going to become as effective as we all once thought it could be.

So, how do we avoid the lies? Well, everyone can just promise to be honest from here on out. If that doesn’t quite work, we could develop a better system for measuring candidates’ skills and how they relate to real-world scenarios at the job they’re applying for. A system that allows recruiters and hiring authorities to get a truer picture of the candidate will help companies avoid falling for the lies, and it will make it easier to match the right candidates to the right jobs.