Archive for the ‘HR News’ Category
Recruiters Still Digging, Finding Digital Dirt
When ExecuNet began researching in 2005 how publicly available online information influenced executive hiring, three-quarters of the search firm recruiter respondents revealed they were already Googling candidates to find information beyond the résumé. As a result, more than one-quarter of recruiters had eliminated a candidate because of what they found online.
We've continued to monitor this trend, developing a series of reports on Digital Dirt that raised awareness of online reputation management, and our 2010 data casts no doubt that recruiters have fully adopted Googling as a best practice with 90 percent regularly conducting this activity. Forty-six percent uncovered digital deal-breakers, such as ethics violations, falsified employment history and felony convictions, which lead to eliminating candidates from consideration.
We've continued to monitor this trend, developing a series of reports on Digital Dirt that raised awareness of online reputation management, and our 2010 data casts no doubt that recruiters have fully adopted Googling as a best practice with 90 percent regularly conducting this activity. Forty-six percent uncovered digital deal-breakers, such as ethics violations, falsified employment history and felony convictions, which lead to eliminating candidates from consideration.
The younger generations — digital natives — who largely live online have to make efforts to separate themselves from their less-professional identities when they enter the workforce, but for successfully established executives, they'll have to work to become visible and distinguish themselves. In our most recent research, 80 percent of executive recruiters said a candidate's job prospects improve when positive information is found online.
With this research in mind, take some time to:
- Find what's online about you.
- Work to correct/eradicate anything that doesn't reflect your name well.
- Develop a plan to establish visibility, both on the Internet at-la
By: Robyn Greenspan Source: Recruiters Still Digging, Finding Digital Dirt
Robyn Greenspan is the Editor-in-Chief at ExecuNet, the leading business network for senior executives, where she is responsible for setting and driving the editorial content strategy across ExecuNet's online and offline publications and webinar programming. She also writes and produces the company's widely cited and highly recognized research project, the annual Executive Job Market Intelligence Report.
Incoming search terms for the article:
Colleen Aylward, Founder of InterviewStudio.com, to Speak at Onrec Online Recruiting EXPO 2009 November, 3-4 in Chicago
(CHICAGO, Ill. – DATE) Colleen Aylward, Founder & CEO of InterviewStudio.com is presenting at the Onrec.com and Kennedy Information Online Recruitment Conference & Expo 2009, to be held at the Donald E Stephens Convention Center, in Chicago, on November 3 & 4, 2009. Onrec.com EXPO 2009 is widely regarded as the “must attend” online recruitment event of 2009.
http://www.onrec.com/conferences/031109/default.html
Onrec.com is the world’s leading information resource for Human Resource professionals and recruiters using the Internet to recruit. Onrec EXPO 2009 is the only global gathering of online recruiting leaders and game-changing technologies.
Colleen’s industry knowledge and overall unique approach to recruiting will provide a great opportunity to those who attend Onrec EXPO 2009, in which he will be among over 40 expert speakers in attendance.
Session Topic:
Applicant Videos. Are they a Risk or the Next Advancement in Effective Screening with the Capability to Limit Discrimination?
Session Description:
From the muddy playing field of the video controversy in today’s applicant screening market, there arises a glimmer of hope that technology has indeed afforded us another game-winning opportunity in accessing rich, necessary applicant data and yet limit the potential for “hidden” discrimination in the process.
The first onslaught of stand-alone candidate videos brought “boo”s from the stands in the recruiting world, with applicants at first, second, and third base all tagged out for poor quality, or irrelevance. Add to that the double play of discrimination fears regarding the visual appeal of the candidate, and not one video made it to home plate.
Enter the next phase of technology tools for intertwining the EEOC and OFCCP guidelines with the screening process. There really is a way to start merging all data about your potential players and viewing it in relevant order. There is a way to narrow down the candidate pool legally using video as it should be used by recruiters and hiring managers.
Don’t strike out with applicant videos just because you’re not sure how to play. Come join us for this lively interactive session to learn how they can be used correctly, legally, and within compliance standards.
Leave this session with the latest White Paper containing information about all the video product vendors on the market today and the 15 Best Practices Paper about the Use of Video in Applicant Screening.
Speaking for the second time at an Onrec conference on the use of Video in the Employment marketplace, Ms Aylward takes on the controversial discussion of legal liability on the part of the Employer, and outlines the latest “best practices” guidelines for the use of video for applicant screening.
“New methodologies and technologies are always met with skepticism, resistance, and even fear in the beginning because they represent change which can be disruptive,” says Aylward, author of the industry White Paper on this subject untitled Unmuddying the Waters of Video as an Employment Tool. “In the HR world, the hesitancy can also come from fear of discrimination litigation due to “too much data” about a candidate.”
“In fact,” says Aylward, “The proper use of new technologies such as Video and Multimedia in the candidate screening process can actually assist employers in avoiding potential discrimination in their hiring practices — and can offer job candidates who may be in protected classes a richer set of tools to use in providing a complete profile of themselves — rather than just the standard resume which could include a name, a neighborhood address, a member organization, graduation dates, or even a photo – all data which can lead to immediate discriminatory conclusions. Using best practices in incorporating these new tools into the corporate hiring process will not only help ensure compliance and fair recruiting, but will shorten the hiring timeline and reduce interviewing travel and accommodation expenses as well.”
Speaker Bio:
With a business degree from University of Washington, followed by 24 years of high tech sales and management experience in large and small companies, including NCSS, Dun & Bradstreet Computing, Comshare, Carlyle Systems, and GEAC, Colleen Aylward came to the Recruiting industry in 1990 on a soapbox of Change.
Drawing on twelve years “on the other side” in Tech Support, Sales, and Regional Management, she transitioned to high tech recruiting in 1990 in the Seattle area. She founded Devon James Associates, Inc., one of the country’s first RPOs, to answer the progressive demands of local software vendors seeking MORE/BETTER/NOW. Her small firm has compiled an impressive repeat-client list simply by word-of-mouth (Visio, SPRY/CompuServe, Amazon, Alias/WaveFront, Cranium, InfoSpace, Rhapsody Networks and others). High energy, funny and slightly irreverent, Colleen and her unique approach have been mentioned in publications such as Barron’s, Forbes, Fast Company, Washington CEO, Smart Money, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Puget Sound Business Journal, and others.
From her work in the recruiting industry, Colleen’s passion has come to focus on technology solutions to solve the angst of those hiring managers she deals with on a daily basis: How to save time and money on recruiting and HR processes without sacrificing quality hiring results.
Now, launching her 3rd small company, InterviewStudio.com, Colleen Aylward can be reached at Devon James Associates, Inc. at colleen@devonjames.com or at InterviewStudio.com at colleen@interviewstudio.com
About InterviewStudio
Launched in 2007, InterviewStudio offers a SaaS model portal for employers and recruiters to quickly view complete Candidate Showcases before bringing the candidate in for the first round of interviews. InterviewStudio is driving a new paradigm shift in the hiring and job-seeking marketplace, bringing the total view of a candidate to the very beginning of the screening process. Visit InterviewStudio at www.interviewstudio.com or contact us at 425-466-7887.
The Onrec.com Online Recruitment Conference & Expo 2009, will be hosted by both recruiting powerhouses Kennedy Information and Onrec – for more information visit:
Two Recruiting Conference Powerhouses Join Forces
For more information on The Onrec.com Online Recruitment Conference & Expo 2009, contact RD Whitney at rd@onrec.com or go to www.onrec.com/Expo2009
InterviewStudio
14150 NE 20th St, Suite F1-518 Bellevue, WA 98007
www.InterviewStudio.com
Phone – 425-466-7887
Fax – 425-378-1683
Info@interviewstudio.com
Contact: Kevin Scott, kevin@interviewstudio.com
Office: 425.466.7887
Incoming search terms for the article:
The New H.R. Technology for Candidate Screening
Imagine being able to browse through candidates like you can in InterviewStudio… watch the video below to view how easy it is to scan through the candidate’s resume, their endorsements, their video interview, their assessment test scores, their LinkedIn profile… all on one screen using one tool.
Imagine the time you could save by cutting out the phone screens and first interview rounds using a tool like InterviewStudio for your candidate screening.
Yes, it takes a few minutes to screen a candidate this way instead of just looking for keywords on a resume, but what a rich set of due diligence data you now have at your fingertips with which to make quality decisions!
And taking a few more minutes of a recruiter’s time is well worth the weeks’ or even months’ worth of time and money savings to the employer.
The ultimate tool in Candidate Screening . InterviewStudio.
The Rules For Job Hunting Have Changed
Reposted from HR News
Paul Anderson wants you to forget just about everything you think you know about finding a job.
“Many changes have happened in the job market since 20 years ago, since 10 years ago – since last October,” said Anderson, a former hiring manager for Microsoft and Expedia.
Even since March. Three months ago, roughly 100 résumés an hour got posted on job-search Web sites. Now that number exceeds 400 resumes an hour, Anderson said.
You want a job? Join the club.
Some 13.7 million Americans want jobs but can’t find one – up by 6 million in the last 12 months. The private sector dumped 611,000 jobs in April, according to the latest report from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“You have so many people out there looking. Revenues are down at companies in most industries. Needs are becoming very specific. Fewer jobs are available. Some companies are trying to hire people at bargain prices. There’s fierce competition and overqualified candidates willing to take anything,” Anderson told a congregation of job seekers in Tacoma recently.
Anderson, principal at Kirkland-based ProLango Consulting, says job hunting these days has morphed into a new industry he calls Career Search 2.0. With his background in psychology, he doesn’t call himself a career consultant. No, he’s a behavioral specialist, because job hunters need to understand human behavior and outfox the system.
He offered five ways to tackle a job search in the new world.
First, scrap the elevator pitch – your 30-second soundbite that describes what you do so you can sell yourself in a flash, Anderson said.
“Why the elevator pitch doesn’t work,” Anderson said, “is that nobody cares about you. They care about themselves. You have to change your mindset from self-serving to serving others.”
That means finding out what need you can fill for the recruiters and other hiring authorities you meet.
Second, at job fairs, don’t bring a sheaf of résumés and hand them out to recruiters like Halloween candy. They’ll wind up in the garbage.
Instead, get business cards from the recruiters. Ask them what kinds of jobs they need to fill and what kind of candidates they like. Note that on the back of the business card. If you know a lot of people in town, tell them so and say you’ll steer qualified candidates their way. Then follow up when you get home. Ask the recruiter to meet for 15 minutes over coffee.
“People buy from people they like and trust,” Anderson said. “You can’t build a relationship at a job fair. Instead of being a desperate jobless person looking for work, turn yourself from a stranger into a contact. When you contribute first, reciprocity will kick in.”
Recruiters have extensive networks of contacts. If you help a recruiter fill a job, you have just tapped into that recruiter’s vast network. Even if they don’t recruit for your expertise, Anderson guarantees they know someone who does.
Third, leverage online social networks, primarily LinkedIn.com, the No. 1 online business network, to connect with as many people as possible.
Online networks allow you to find and seek advice from contacts who work for the companies you have targeted for your job search, it allows others to endorse you, and it allows you to post specific information about the job you want, Anderson said.
Other online social networks, such as Facebook, focus more on users’ personal lives – where you should “show yourself as a stable family person who’s serving the community. If you have a dog, put up a picture,” Anderson said.
“When you submit a résumé, three things happen,” he said. “The hiring manager will look for you on LinkedIn to see what kind of endorsements you have. They’ll look on Facebook for pictures of you at drunken parties. And they’ll ‘Zillow’ your address to see where you live, the value of your property, how long you’ve lived there and if you can reasonably commute to a job.”
Fourth, get your résumé off of all job-search Web sites such as Monster.com and Dice.com, Anderson said.
“They’re too expensive. Plus 85 percent of jobs are filled from word of mouth,” he said. “Use LinkedIn instead for targeting people at companies you want to work for … and get into conversations.”
Try to secure informational interviews, informal conversations where you seek advice from someone at your target company.
“Many times open positions don’t make it to online job boards,” Anderson said. “You want to build rapport with those hiring managers you met informally” so they remember you later.
Finally, Anderson said, stay off the recruiters’ blacklists.
You didn’t know they had them? Anderson told his class of job seekers that recruiters have begged him to delete this tip from his seminars. He hasn’t.
Every major company has a computerized database to manage its applicants, their résumés and notes about all interactions. Those companies also have a separate database – the blacklist – where they kick out all the problem applicants who have no chance to get hired, he said.
How do you kill your chances? Multiple ways. Visit a company’s Web site, put 80 jobs in your job cart and click “Apply All.” Anderson said it shows you as desperate rather than focused. If you come across as rude to a recruiter screening you by phone, you’ll get kicked onto the blacklist. If, during a meeting, you complain, have bad body language or appear depressed, it’s the blacklist for you.
“Every time you show up, you have the opportunity to become one of the good ones,” Anderson said. “Take it.”
Dan Voelpel:
dan.voelpel@thenewstribune.com
http://www.thenewstribune.com/voelpel/story/770211.html
Incoming search terms for the article:
Interview From Anywhere: Live Video Interviews Are Now a Best Practice
Courtesy of ERE.net Jun 29, 2009, 5:15 am ET
Most of the media coverage these days about recruiting is devoted to social networking, mobile recruiting, and blogging, but the recruiting technology likely to have the most impact if it continues to catch on at the current rate is interviewing candidates “live” from remote locations. The approach I call “interviewing from anywhere” takes advantage of widespread broadband Internet access and inexpensive webcams, two factors that severely restricted videoconferencing as a feasible alternative to face-to-face interviews a decade ago.
Video conferencing is not only a practical nice-to-have capability, it is a necessity for any modern recruiting organization charged with recruiting truly top talent around the world. Remote video interviews provide numerous benefits. One of the most difficult to ignore in these tough economic times is the fact that they are dramatically cheaper.
When it comes to video-conference interviews, organizations still have two options: high quality fixed facility interviews, and lower quality flexible location interviews. The latter requires only that the candidate have access to a decent broadband Internet connection and a low-cost webcam. When purchased in bulk, a number of webcams are available at prices less than $15 per unit. Based on my experience, I predict that within a few years the “interview from anywhere” approach will become the standard practice for all but final hiring interviews.
Literally hundreds of firms have already begun using video interviews, and usage patterns are climbing at a significant pace. While first-movers adopting the approach were predominantly in the high-tech and communications industries, today usage crosses nearly every industry. Organizations like HP, Microsoft, Google, Tyco, Whirlpool, Rio Tinto, E*Trade, PepsiCo, UCLA, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, and Broadcom are marquee customers of leading solution providers.
If you doubt that this approach will truly grab hold, just look back at the uphill battle that phone screens had to fight before they became the de facto standard first step in the assessment process.
The Business Case for Adopting the “Interview from Anywhere” Approach
Increasing the number of candidates available to interview and cutting the cost per hire are two major benefits of adopting the “interview from anywhere” approach. In tough economic times, the travel costs that result from flying in multiple candidates for interviews is a highly visible expense, especially when you consider that a majority of the people brought in will not result in a hire. For companies that recruit nationally or internationally, travel-related expenses can easily account for 50% of all recruiting costs.
The second and perhaps the most significant business benefit of remote interviewing is that it dramatically increases your candidate pool. For many organizations, tough economic times limit the talent pool dramatically to local candidates. However, since there are no travel costs associated with the “interview from anywhere” approach, firms with limited budgets will be able to consider top-quality candidates from outside the region. Ease of scheduling is another significant reason why the quality and the size of the talent pool increases; no longer will attending an interview be a major time suck. Even the volume of local candidates will likely increase as remote interviews will not require them to lie to their boss and disappear for a day.
Additional Advantages of “Interviewing From Anywhere”
There are many additional advantages associated with the interview-from-anywhere approach, so if you’re having reservations about the concept, here are some additional points to consider:
- Interviewee and interviewer performance — because candidates are not rushed to get back to work or fatigued from hours of driving or airline travel, they are more likely to be relaxed and excited about the opportunity to present themselves. The net result is that the candidates perform more like their normal selves. In cases where the interviewers need to travel in order to ask questions during the interview, they too will be refreshed and better able to sell and excite the candidate.
- Almost-live view — with broadband and the latest generation of webcams, the quality of the video is quite high. Unlike telephone interviews, facial expressions and body language can be readily seen, something that hiring managers rate as a “must-have” feature. Your ability to sell candidates that are in high demand may also be improved because they can effectively see and feel the excitement of the interviewing team.
- Lower dropout rate because of multiple interviews — if your organization requires multiple interviews on different days, that multiplies the amount of travel and the scheduling difficulty associated with hiring an individual. Allowing the candidate to “interview from anywhere” and after work hours reduces the amount of scheduling and travel stress that routinely builds up over multiple interviews. Taken together, they reduce the likelihood that a currently employed candidate will drop out halfway through the process due to fatigue or their unavailability.
- Faster time-to-fill — a great deal of the delay that plagues many organizations in making a hire can be associated with the time required for travel and to find an opportunity for the candidate to get away from work without raising suspicion. Requiring all of the interviewers to be in the same room also can delay the scheduling of interviews. If managers are willing to hold interviews at night, on weekends, or on holidays, they may be able to do all the interviews back to back. Holding the interviews closer together or even back to back also makes it easier for comparisons to be made between candidates. Taken together these factors may significantly shorten the time it takes to fill open positions. This can mean less lost revenue (as a result of the extended vacancies). Reducing the delays in making a hiring decision (prominent in traditional interviewing) might also mean that many of the quality candidates that are in high demand will not drop out of the process before it is concluded, because they were not forced by the time delays to accept other offers.
- An improved candidate experience — most people in recruiting routinely say that they want to improve “the candidate experience,” but forcing candidates to lie to their boss and travel multiple times is not a positive experience. It may impact their willingness to accept an offer and what they tell their colleagues about your firm.
- Ethical issues — for currently employed candidates, asking them to come in for an interview during work hours (on company time) can cause ethical concerns among the best candidates. In other cases it may force them to use sick days, personal days, or vacation time. They may also feel that they are letting their team down by being absent from work during the time that they are traveling and interviewing. Conducting interviews from home outside of work hours can help alleviate these pressures. Also, because there’s no travel time involved, the candidate doesn’t have to add the travel time to their excuse for not being at work.
- Green concerns — using technology to reduce travel certainly reduces much of the carbon footprint and the environmental impact related to a job search. For environmentally conscious candidates, this may be a major selling point and an illustration that your company is focused on sustainability.
- Family impacts — having to travel and be away from their family (with no guarantee that they’ll actually get the job) may discourage even unemployed individuals from applying.
- Administrative costs — candidates who must physically visit the facility generate an expense because they must be cleared through security. There may also be scheduling issues and a cost associated with using conference rooms for the interview. These costs, although small, escalate as more individuals are physically brought to the facility.
- Employer brand image — offering this new approach may garner media attention and positive comments on the Internet. Together they may encourage more individuals to apply. By showing respect both for the candidate’s time and the needs of their current firm, you may also build goodwill in your image.
- Manager scheduling availability — using this approach, hiring managers can also interview from almost anywhere without having to be in the office. As a result, they are more likely to be able to easily find time for interviewing, further reducing a major barrier to speeding up time to fill.
- It uses available technology — it’s important to realize that the technology involved has improved since the last time you may have contemplated video conferencing. If you use a vendor, there is generally no need to purchase additional software or web-related technology. In addition, because laptops, wireless networks, and mobile phones can generally be used, manager resistance decreases because they don’t need to use new hardware or technology.
- More are comfortable with remote interaction — because many managers and candidates are now frequent users of online social and business networks, they are now generally more comfortable and experienced than in the past with interacting with individuals who are not in the same room.
- Global capability — relatively cheap long-distance communications and the Internet allow this process to have a global capability.
- A recruiting advantage — by being the first to offer this approach, your firm will develop a competitive advantage over other firms struggling to “offer something different.”
- You can maintain the “physical meeting” option — no matter how many remote interviews you hold, you can still reserve the option to interview the candidate in person for the final interview.
- Minimal price — even if you use a vendor, the price per interview will most likely not exceed $200. There are also free options if you have your own technology function.
- Facility tour — in lieu of a physical walk around, virtual tours and team member introductions can still be provided to the candidate via a web video.
- Vendor availability — most early adopters of the interview-from-anywhere approach are using a vendor to facilitate the process. While most support video from anywhere, a few focus on higher quality video experience and require the candidate to visit a studio. Some of the vendors to consider include: GreenJobInterview, iViioo, HireVue, and Candidate Quality Management.
- Additional uses — in addition to using the interview from anywhere process for external hiring, it can also be used for internal transfers and vendor selection.
Next week: Part 2 will cover more advantages of live video interviews, some potential problems, and ways to improve your in-person interviews by changing the “where and when.”
Come And See InterviewStudio on Vator.tv