Once again Google is tinkering around with its search engine as it makes small strides towards its universal search concept.
If you want to play with it yourself type the following string into your Google.com: javascript:void(document.cookie="PREF=ID=4a609673baf685b5:TB=2:LD=en:CR=2:TM=1227543998:LM=1233568652:DV=AA:GM=1:IG=3:S=yFGqYec2D7L0wgxW;path=/; domain=.google.com");
You'll see a variety of new options, some of these I am aware of through Google Labs, others I've never seen before.
Learn more here. Try it out for yourself and/or check out this video.
28.3.09
To twit or not to twit - Grafton Recruitment answers the question
To twit or not to twit? What do you make of it?
It seems like George Hook and Grafton Recruitment are out of the traps and leading the charge for Twitter in Ireland. George has recently been letting us all know what he has been eating in restaurants and his views on Munster and Ireland's magnanimous rugby campaigns. Grafton Recruitment on the other hand has been out there tweeting their jobs and trying to catch the attention of the passive candidates out there who are beginning to join the warble of the Twitter converts that are growing in their thousands each week on these shores. Here's what the Irish Independent had to say about it yesterday:
"Grafton Recruitment has become the first recruitment agency anywhere in Ireland to incorporate the revolutionary internet tool 'Twitter' as an integral part of their e-marketing strategy.
The company have used existing technology to ensure that every new job posted to their own website broadcasts as a 'Tweet' on Twitter which is then added to the TwitterJobSearch.com database opening up Grafton jobs to a potential worldwide audience.
As well as this facility Grafton Recruitment will also be 'tweeting' updates on news, industry statistics, market trends as well as exclusive jobs making it one of the must-read recruitment Micro-blogs online.
Nico Fell, Grafton Recruitment e-Business Manager said:
"By allowing candidates to follow Grafton jobs on Twitter, we have created a channel of pull media which is perfect for those on the move or people who aren't based in front of a computer all day. With mobile access and the explosion of the iPhone and Blackberry into the online world, sites like Twitter and www.TwitterJobSearch.com are ideal for keeping up to date with the latest jobs. With this new tool commuters weary of their current job can keep up to date in the market for a more rewarding role on the way home from work."
Outlining Grafton's experience of how the job market has become increasingly global in recent years. Mr Fell said,
"Grafton Recruitment's own site attracts visitors from over 130 countries worldwide and will be complimented well by the global reach of Twitter's new job search service which is already serving over 80 countries. We see the competition for roles coming not only from local candidates but also those from overseas as the willingness to travel to find your ideal job increases."
This weeks' announcement comes on the back of Grafton Recruitment's recent shortlisting for 'The Recruiter Awards' for Best Recruitment Firm Website and Nico Fell said the Twitter service was just one of a number of recent innovations Grafton Recruitment had added to their online service as web-based traffic continued to grow."
www.twitter.com/graftonrec
So how does it work?
Most of us know by now but just in case you don't it's basically a status update search engine aggregation that allows you post a 140 characters at a time. Check out the video to see it in action.
Should I be using it to recruit?
It has its pro's and con's. On the plus side it's free, easy to use and quick. It could help you target passive candidates and now that www.TwitterJobSearch.com has hit the market, which is also free, it could be a new channel to get your message out in a new and novel way and help you reduce your recruitment budget along the way. On the con side, from a multi-national employer perspective, it seems to be dominated by recruitment agencies looking at new ways to cast their nets. Also, if could become a distraction if you start to get traffic coming your way, that doesn't match what you're looking for and are not teaching you anything. It could be deflecting your important time away from searching for a candidate using a different channel that may be more effective.
Howard Lee, CEO of Workdigital, the company who created www.TwitterJobSearch.com, believes that recruiting through Twitter does have its benefits, and points to firms such as Intel, who's IntelJobs account currently has over 600 followers. "The advantage of Twitter is that it taps into the passive jobseeker market," he suggests.
It's worth a try so give it a go and let me know how you get on?
I'll be at: http://twitter.com/irishrecruiters
Also, get ready for Twitter offering some added functionality and launching some pro accounts in the near future. Word on the street is they've hired a new product manager and will be launching soon! Also, there's plenty of Apps already out there for Twitter so check them out on your smart phone.
It seems like George Hook and Grafton Recruitment are out of the traps and leading the charge for Twitter in Ireland. George has recently been letting us all know what he has been eating in restaurants and his views on Munster and Ireland's magnanimous rugby campaigns. Grafton Recruitment on the other hand has been out there tweeting their jobs and trying to catch the attention of the passive candidates out there who are beginning to join the warble of the Twitter converts that are growing in their thousands each week on these shores. Here's what the Irish Independent had to say about it yesterday:
"Grafton Recruitment has become the first recruitment agency anywhere in Ireland to incorporate the revolutionary internet tool 'Twitter' as an integral part of their e-marketing strategy.
The company have used existing technology to ensure that every new job posted to their own website broadcasts as a 'Tweet' on Twitter which is then added to the TwitterJobSearch.com database opening up Grafton jobs to a potential worldwide audience.
As well as this facility Grafton Recruitment will also be 'tweeting' updates on news, industry statistics, market trends as well as exclusive jobs making it one of the must-read recruitment Micro-blogs online.Nico Fell, Grafton Recruitment e-Business Manager said:
"By allowing candidates to follow Grafton jobs on Twitter, we have created a channel of pull media which is perfect for those on the move or people who aren't based in front of a computer all day. With mobile access and the explosion of the iPhone and Blackberry into the online world, sites like Twitter and www.TwitterJobSearch.com are ideal for keeping up to date with the latest jobs. With this new tool commuters weary of their current job can keep up to date in the market for a more rewarding role on the way home from work."
Outlining Grafton's experience of how the job market has become increasingly global in recent years. Mr Fell said,
"Grafton Recruitment's own site attracts visitors from over 130 countries worldwide and will be complimented well by the global reach of Twitter's new job search service which is already serving over 80 countries. We see the competition for roles coming not only from local candidates but also those from overseas as the willingness to travel to find your ideal job increases."
This weeks' announcement comes on the back of Grafton Recruitment's recent shortlisting for 'The Recruiter Awards' for Best Recruitment Firm Website and Nico Fell said the Twitter service was just one of a number of recent innovations Grafton Recruitment had added to their online service as web-based traffic continued to grow."
www.twitter.com/graftonrec
So how does it work?
Most of us know by now but just in case you don't it's basically a status update search engine aggregation that allows you post a 140 characters at a time. Check out the video to see it in action.
Should I be using it to recruit?
It has its pro's and con's. On the plus side it's free, easy to use and quick. It could help you target passive candidates and now that www.TwitterJobSearch.com has hit the market, which is also free, it could be a new channel to get your message out in a new and novel way and help you reduce your recruitment budget along the way. On the con side, from a multi-national employer perspective, it seems to be dominated by recruitment agencies looking at new ways to cast their nets. Also, if could become a distraction if you start to get traffic coming your way, that doesn't match what you're looking for and are not teaching you anything. It could be deflecting your important time away from searching for a candidate using a different channel that may be more effective.
Howard Lee, CEO of Workdigital, the company who created www.TwitterJobSearch.com, believes that recruiting through Twitter does have its benefits, and points to firms such as Intel, who's IntelJobs account currently has over 600 followers. "The advantage of Twitter is that it taps into the passive jobseeker market," he suggests.
It's worth a try so give it a go and let me know how you get on?
I'll be at: http://twitter.com/irishrecruiters
Also, get ready for Twitter offering some added functionality and launching some pro accounts in the near future. Word on the street is they've hired a new product manager and will be launching soon! Also, there's plenty of Apps already out there for Twitter so check them out on your smart phone.
24.3.09
Facebook Connect and an interesting new API
The App Wars continue and today I came across an interesting article about the new Facebook Connect App which connects with the iPhone.
This is an interesting move as App Store developers will now have access to a new Facebook API which will be a big win for Facebook and help it expand into the expanding social network mobile world.
Job Boards are already beginning to see the advantages of using the API. While I don't know of any job boards in Ireland that have tried this yet it is happening in other parts of the world. Take for example:
Tribehq, LawEnforcementJobs, HealthJobsNationWide.
So if you manage a career site or a job board should you integrate this into your site?
Possibly. I'd give it serious thought - especially if you have a niche job board and still want to build up its brand. Most people will probably baulk at not having people register on their own site - but how many people if they see any for of registration form simply decide to leave the site straight away. I know I've done it many a time but with this App you simply hit the Facebook logo and you have one click authentication and your in. So by allowing easier access you may catch some extra users that you otherwise may have lost. Once in you can see how many of your friends are already in the site. You can allow people post comments to others walls which will drive traffic to your site, you can pull basic profile, change avator images, etc. If you have a Facebook account click on one of the example companies above to see what it's all about and check out the video.
This is an interesting move as App Store developers will now have access to a new Facebook API which will be a big win for Facebook and help it expand into the expanding social network mobile world.
Job Boards are already beginning to see the advantages of using the API. While I don't know of any job boards in Ireland that have tried this yet it is happening in other parts of the world. Take for example: Tribehq, LawEnforcementJobs, HealthJobsNationWide.
So if you manage a career site or a job board should you integrate this into your site?
Possibly. I'd give it serious thought - especially if you have a niche job board and still want to build up its brand. Most people will probably baulk at not having people register on their own site - but how many people if they see any for of registration form simply decide to leave the site straight away. I know I've done it many a time but with this App you simply hit the Facebook logo and you have one click authentication and your in. So by allowing easier access you may catch some extra users that you otherwise may have lost. Once in you can see how many of your friends are already in the site. You can allow people post comments to others walls which will drive traffic to your site, you can pull basic profile, change avator images, etc. If you have a Facebook account click on one of the example companies above to see what it's all about and check out the video.
Twitter can get you fired in less that 140 characters
As Helen Popkin of MSNBC quite nicely put it "Why waste valuable social networking hours getting yourself "Facebook fired," when Twitter allows you to humiliate yourself quickly, and in 140 characters or less?"
For more information, read here.
For more information, read here.
23.3.09
Ireland's first recruitment "Mobile Blog" is here!
Now in true cloud recruitment form readers of the IrishCyberSleuth can now get their posts on their smart phones on the go!
Thanks to MoFuse I'm now able to get the latest postings on my iPhone and it works great!
Thanks to MoFuse I'm now able to get the latest postings on my iPhone and it works great!
MoFuse is simple, just sign up, fill up a couple of compulsory text-fields and your mobile site is ready to hit the ground running.
22.3.09
CPL Interm Results - Country and Recruitment Industry Barometer
Compared to last year it's been a tough year for CPL and the market.
There 2008 interm results were published on the 2nd of Feb of this year but I am only getting a chance to look at them now. You can check them out here.
This is the 10th year after CPL floated on the stock market. They continue to grow with the recent acquisition of K6 in the Czech Republic and they are building out their job board strategy with the development of their Cpljobs platform and recent bookmarking sharing functionality on their http://www.cpljobs.ie/ site which would suggest that they are beginning to engage more heavily their web 2.0 strategy. Rationalisation is taking place. The contract business is holding strong but the contingency hiring business has been hit. Shares are trading at .90 cents.
Worth reading is John Hennessy's comments on the report:
"Cpl is pleased to report profits before tax and impairment charges of €6.022 million for the six months ended 31 December 2008. This result has been achieved against an extremely challenging business and employment background in our principal markets.
Since 30th June 2008 the global economic downturn has gathered pace, adversely affecting business performance and employment activity in Ireland and in many other parts of the world. The confidence of employers and job candidates has been adversely affected by the downturn and this has had a negative impact on the trading and financial performance of the Cpl Group. We are experiencing a significant reduction in activity as businesses retrench and potential job candidates defer possible job changes, and it has become more difficult to forecast future performance accurately.
Notwithstanding these developments, Cpl continues to be the leader in a highly competitive environment. Although we have reduced our costs significantly, we are maintaining our focus on the delivery of valuable products and quality services to our clients and candidates.
In the six months to 31 December 2008 Group net fee income fell by 26% when measured against the same period last year, reflecting the deterioration in market conditions in most of the countries in which we operate. Net fee income from the permanent placement business decreased by 40% in the six months to December 2008. Net fee income in our temporary placement business, which has been more resilient to date across most of the group, fell by 10%. The pace of the fall in net fee income accelerated during the six months to 31 December 2008.
Cpl has reacted quickly and decisively to the downturn in business caused by the worsening economic environment. We are continuing to respond appropriately to these challenges by managing our cost base, focusing on cash generation and maximising our opportunities in both the temporary and permanent placement markets. The Group had cash balances of €36.4 million at 31 December 2008, and our net cash position has improved further since that date. Our balance sheet remains strong.
In the period since we issued our trading statement in December 2008 we have taken the opportunity to review the carrying value of Goodwill in our balance sheet. Although our annual impairment review was not due to be undertaken until mid-2009, we decided to conduct such a review now in the context of the current business environment. As might be expected, the reduction in business activity caused by the downturn, combined with the uncertain trading conditions facing us in the near future, have given rise to the need to recognise impairments in the carrying values of goodwill arising from the acquisitions of certain businesses in recent years. The total impairment charge required on foot of this review is €4.5 million, and the Board has decided that it is appropriate to record this charge in the six month period to 31 December 2008. A further impairment review will be conducted in connection with the preparation of our financial statements for the year to 30 June 2009.
.
The continued success of CPL Resources plc, notwithstanding the difficult trading conditions, is attributable in the main to our entire team and to their tireless dedication to providing a service of exceptional quality. It is also a result of the loyalty and partnership approach of our clients. We are grateful to our clients for their support and their creative approach to doing business.
The Board is recommending an interim dividend of 1.5 cent per share. The dividend will be payable on 13th March 2009 to shareholders on the company’s register at the close of business on the record date of 13th February 2009."
There 2008 interm results were published on the 2nd of Feb of this year but I am only getting a chance to look at them now. You can check them out here.
This is the 10th year after CPL floated on the stock market. They continue to grow with the recent acquisition of K6 in the Czech Republic and they are building out their job board strategy with the development of their Cpljobs platform and recent bookmarking sharing functionality on their http://www.cpljobs.ie/ site which would suggest that they are beginning to engage more heavily their web 2.0 strategy. Rationalisation is taking place. The contract business is holding strong but the contingency hiring business has been hit. Shares are trading at .90 cents.
Worth reading is John Hennessy's comments on the report:
"Cpl is pleased to report profits before tax and impairment charges of €6.022 million for the six months ended 31 December 2008. This result has been achieved against an extremely challenging business and employment background in our principal markets.
Since 30th June 2008 the global economic downturn has gathered pace, adversely affecting business performance and employment activity in Ireland and in many other parts of the world. The confidence of employers and job candidates has been adversely affected by the downturn and this has had a negative impact on the trading and financial performance of the Cpl Group. We are experiencing a significant reduction in activity as businesses retrench and potential job candidates defer possible job changes, and it has become more difficult to forecast future performance accurately.
Notwithstanding these developments, Cpl continues to be the leader in a highly competitive environment. Although we have reduced our costs significantly, we are maintaining our focus on the delivery of valuable products and quality services to our clients and candidates.
In the six months to 31 December 2008 Group net fee income fell by 26% when measured against the same period last year, reflecting the deterioration in market conditions in most of the countries in which we operate. Net fee income from the permanent placement business decreased by 40% in the six months to December 2008. Net fee income in our temporary placement business, which has been more resilient to date across most of the group, fell by 10%. The pace of the fall in net fee income accelerated during the six months to 31 December 2008.
Cpl has reacted quickly and decisively to the downturn in business caused by the worsening economic environment. We are continuing to respond appropriately to these challenges by managing our cost base, focusing on cash generation and maximising our opportunities in both the temporary and permanent placement markets. The Group had cash balances of €36.4 million at 31 December 2008, and our net cash position has improved further since that date. Our balance sheet remains strong.
In the period since we issued our trading statement in December 2008 we have taken the opportunity to review the carrying value of Goodwill in our balance sheet. Although our annual impairment review was not due to be undertaken until mid-2009, we decided to conduct such a review now in the context of the current business environment. As might be expected, the reduction in business activity caused by the downturn, combined with the uncertain trading conditions facing us in the near future, have given rise to the need to recognise impairments in the carrying values of goodwill arising from the acquisitions of certain businesses in recent years. The total impairment charge required on foot of this review is €4.5 million, and the Board has decided that it is appropriate to record this charge in the six month period to 31 December 2008. A further impairment review will be conducted in connection with the preparation of our financial statements for the year to 30 June 2009.
.
The continued success of CPL Resources plc, notwithstanding the difficult trading conditions, is attributable in the main to our entire team and to their tireless dedication to providing a service of exceptional quality. It is also a result of the loyalty and partnership approach of our clients. We are grateful to our clients for their support and their creative approach to doing business.
The Board is recommending an interim dividend of 1.5 cent per share. The dividend will be payable on 13th March 2009 to shareholders on the company’s register at the close of business on the record date of 13th February 2009."
20.3.09
New Recruitment Model in the UK gets Dragon's backing!
Web Recruit has just come out with a very interesting new business model which I believe has set the tone for the restrucring that is inevitably going to happen with the recruitment industry over the next 18 months.
This new model is a clear response to the question I asked on the Irish Recruiters LinkedIn discussion board a number of months ago. Is the day of paying for job posts on job boards without getting a guaranteed hire from your investment gone? Web Recruit and James Cann of Dragon's Den fame seem to think so.
James has now recently become the chairman of Web Recruit and they are now offering a "flat fee" online recruitment service guranteed to fill your vacancy from £295, or your money back. If you don't make your placement in 4 weeks you get a refund.
In 2009 and 2010 I believe in the Irish industry some of the strongest companies that will come out of this recession will be those that can offer bundles services to their clients. It's going to be very interesting to watch how the job board industry in Ireland reacts to this, if at all! The ones that react first may get invaluable client loyalty that may help them leap frog their competitors and help them ride out the recession much easier. Certainly, a topic worth discussion in one of the up and coming Tuesday Clubs.
To learn more read here.
This new model is a clear response to the question I asked on the Irish Recruiters LinkedIn discussion board a number of months ago. Is the day of paying for job posts on job boards without getting a guaranteed hire from your investment gone? Web Recruit and James Cann of Dragon's Den fame seem to think so.James has now recently become the chairman of Web Recruit and they are now offering a "flat fee" online recruitment service guranteed to fill your vacancy from £295, or your money back. If you don't make your placement in 4 weeks you get a refund.
In 2009 and 2010 I believe in the Irish industry some of the strongest companies that will come out of this recession will be those that can offer bundles services to their clients. It's going to be very interesting to watch how the job board industry in Ireland reacts to this, if at all! The ones that react first may get invaluable client loyalty that may help them leap frog their competitors and help them ride out the recession much easier. Certainly, a topic worth discussion in one of the up and coming Tuesday Clubs.
To learn more read here.
19.3.09
www.Twitterjobsearch.com
This was bound to happen sooner rather than later but as of yesterday www.twitterjobsearch.com was launched by Bill Fischaer and the crew at WorkHound. Lots of recruiters are begining to enter into the world of Twitter and if you've ever gone there you'll see a huge amount of informaiton being spread around at ligtening speed. It looks like another aggregation tool for me like Indeed.com but with a new shiny medium. Whether it takes off or not let's see. That said excellent idea and well deserved hat tip to Bill.
Interestingly enough speaking of Twitter I noticed that LinkedIn now allow people to comment on any edit you make to your profile header. I wouldn't be suprised if we see some Twitter like functionality built into LinkedIn very soon.
Interestingly enough speaking of Twitter I noticed that LinkedIn now allow people to comment on any edit you make to your profile header. I wouldn't be suprised if we see some Twitter like functionality built into LinkedIn very soon.
15.3.09
Google Voice
Google Voice is a new service that Google offers at the moment for all GrandCentral clients, it is however planning to unleash to the world market for free soon. Check out here to learn more. While the technology is by no means 100% accurate it is a step in the right direction and certainly something worth considering as you become more of a mobile recruiter.
10.3.09
LinkedIn and the new "Follow" command in groups
If you are a member of some LinkedIn groups and a reader of discussions you'll be happy to know that LinkedIn have added a neat feature called "follow". It's similar to the RSS functionality that exists in blogspot around tracking comments. With this new functionality not only the originator of questions will get an email update when someone posts a comment to a discussion so will the readers once they hit the "follow" button.
6.3.09
Mobile Phones and Social Networks
Mobile Phones will increasingly become the gateway for more people to access their social network site/s. Gen Ys addiction to mobile devices has meant that there is now a race on for small mobile devices to be the defacto access point for the Bebo and MySpaces of the world.
The number of users on these services is accelerating quickly - a new study by InStat is predicting that by 2012, there will be nearly 30 million "millennials" in the U.S. using a mobile social network of some sort, and a ComputerWorld report confirms that worldwide, that number will soar to 975 million by 2012.
The latest states I could lay my hands on now show that there is 4 billion mobile phone subscriptions on the planet, with an estimated 6 billion subscribers expected by 2013!
1 billion phones will be sold in emerging markets in the next 12 months! And as we all know our very own, Denis O'Brien continues to make huge head ways into Central America with his phones and new job boards. Nice mix of technologies Denis! If he adds some social networks to his portfolio he'll begin to muster Murdoch or Bellisconi like media power.
The mobile device is here to stay. What organisation will be the first in Ireland to learn how to master it Obama style and bend it towards their recruitment and marketing campaigns!
"The Future of Recruitment is the cloud" Happy Hunting!
Here are two very different videos to get you thinking! Africa is getting quickLy connected and not just APAC. The story of Bluepulse is pretty amazing. it's a company I'm tracking. Started in Australia, now located in YouTube's former offices, this social network for mobile users is hot and in the video you can meet Ben Keighran, CEO.
The number of users on these services is accelerating quickly - a new study by InStat is predicting that by 2012, there will be nearly 30 million "millennials" in the U.S. using a mobile social network of some sort, and a ComputerWorld report confirms that worldwide, that number will soar to 975 million by 2012.
The latest states I could lay my hands on now show that there is 4 billion mobile phone subscriptions on the planet, with an estimated 6 billion subscribers expected by 2013!
1 billion phones will be sold in emerging markets in the next 12 months! And as we all know our very own, Denis O'Brien continues to make huge head ways into Central America with his phones and new job boards. Nice mix of technologies Denis! If he adds some social networks to his portfolio he'll begin to muster Murdoch or Bellisconi like media power.
The mobile device is here to stay. What organisation will be the first in Ireland to learn how to master it Obama style and bend it towards their recruitment and marketing campaigns!
"The Future of Recruitment is the cloud" Happy Hunting!
Here are two very different videos to get you thinking! Africa is getting quickLy connected and not just APAC. The story of Bluepulse is pretty amazing. it's a company I'm tracking. Started in Australia, now located in YouTube's former offices, this social network for mobile users is hot and in the video you can meet Ben Keighran, CEO.
2.3.09
Some new LinkedIn polls!
I've put together some polls for the Irish market that I think will make some interesting reading. If you get a spare moment please give them a go. Please go into each one seperatedly and give your answer.
1. If you had to choose one job board to work with this year what would it be? go here [no job board owners or employees need apply]
2. What fees should agencies charge this year for a full-time hire?, go here
3. What is your company's forecast for the rest of the year, until Dec 09, go here [only in-house recruiters need apply]
4. I've had 46 responses to this one but if you haven't taken it already please do: when will the Irish recruitment industry turn around?, go here
1. If you had to choose one job board to work with this year what would it be? go here [no job board owners or employees need apply]
2. What fees should agencies charge this year for a full-time hire?, go here
3. What is your company's forecast for the rest of the year, until Dec 09, go here [only in-house recruiters need apply]
4. I've had 46 responses to this one but if you haven't taken it already please do: when will the Irish recruitment industry turn around?, go here
25.2.09
The Future of Recruitment is in the cloud
If you don't know much about server farms this will help explain a little. Getting access to candidates live on the cloud will definitnely be more important in the future. As more devices allow us access our sky drives or hard drives on the web, our CRMs may also follow suit, and then it could be a very clear case of sourcing and screening from your smart terminal device possibly a smart phone of sorts rather than the desktop or laptop.
19.2.09
Thoughts from China
For the last 4 days I have been in snowy Beijing and I just arrived in diametrically opposed tropical Singapore and replaced scarf for shades and gloves for shorts.
In Beijing I was training over 30 recruiters how to source and during the course of two full days of sourcing got a chance with experimenting with Chinese character sourcing and Chinese cultural approaches to passive candidate sourcing. I made a lot of new friends and got a brief but brillant glimpse into the Chinese sourcing market. Some of the things I took note of were:
-string searching is best done in Baidu and instead of using operators and modifers in English and then using local language key words it's best to write the operators and modifiers if possible in only Chinese characters are only in English... hybrid strings seem to confuse the search engine
-Baidu and Alibaba(the 2nd biggest search engine) look like they use full Boolean syntax. Another popular is Sogou.
-www.QQ.com the 9th biggest web site in the world, by individual visitors per day, is not really used for industry sourcing and is more a competitor to Microsoft's IM rather than anything else
-51jobs.com is the most popular job board
-LinkedIn and Facebook are growing but www.kaixin001.com,www.hainei.com and
www.xiaonei.com are more popular.
-Mobile is on the move and instant messages is becoming popular to contact ggraduate candidates.
-Minimum wage per month is around 700 yuan or 80 euros per month in a lot of country based manufacturing companies
-20 million people have lost their jobs as a result of the global recession.
In Beijing I was training over 30 recruiters how to source and during the course of two full days of sourcing got a chance with experimenting with Chinese character sourcing and Chinese cultural approaches to passive candidate sourcing. I made a lot of new friends and got a brief but brillant glimpse into the Chinese sourcing market. Some of the things I took note of were:
-string searching is best done in Baidu and instead of using operators and modifers in English and then using local language key words it's best to write the operators and modifiers if possible in only Chinese characters are only in English... hybrid strings seem to confuse the search engine
-Baidu and Alibaba(the 2nd biggest search engine) look like they use full Boolean syntax. Another popular is Sogou.
-www.QQ.com the 9th biggest web site in the world, by individual visitors per day, is not really used for industry sourcing and is more a competitor to Microsoft's IM rather than anything else
-51jobs.com is the most popular job board
-LinkedIn and Facebook are growing but www.kaixin001.com,www.hainei.com and
www.xiaonei.com are more popular.
-Mobile is on the move and instant messages is becoming popular to contact ggraduate candidates.
-Minimum wage per month is around 700 yuan or 80 euros per month in a lot of country based manufacturing companies
-20 million people have lost their jobs as a result of the global recession.
11.2.09
New Facebook App and Automated LinkedIn searches
Facebook's own profile search has been bettered by a recent free plugin that has been created in the open source community, check it out here.
Also worth looking at is LinkedIn's new email search agent where you can receive emails when new people enter your 3 degrees who meet your search criteria. There are 3 free searches and you can get more when you have a paid LinkedIn account... check it out at www.linkedin.com/search and edit or cancel them anytime at www.linkedin.com/search?savedSearchListing
Also worth looking at is LinkedIn's new email search agent where you can receive emails when new people enter your 3 degrees who meet your search criteria. There are 3 free searches and you can get more when you have a paid LinkedIn account... check it out at www.linkedin.com/search and edit or cancel them anytime at www.linkedin.com/search?savedSearchListing
26.1.09
Yahoo and the "Region" command
All too often Yahoo is neglected by recruiters when sourcing directly and it really shouldn't be as it is one of the biggest indexes that exists on the planet and spider and indexs differently to that of Google and Live.
Recently, Yahoo introduced it's "region" command. The syntax when searching for candidates would look a little like this
region:"continent" intitle:resume "keyword"
For example, if you are looking for resumes of a Auditor in Europe, your search string will be
region:europe intitle:resume auditor -sample -apply -jobs
Happy Hunting
Recently, Yahoo introduced it's "region" command. The syntax when searching for candidates would look a little like this
region:"continent" intitle:resume "keyword"
For example, if you are looking for resumes of a Auditor in Europe, your search string will be
region:europe intitle:resume auditor -sample -apply -jobs
Happy Hunting
22.1.09
Smart Phone Use Still Along Way To Go in Ireland
Im still on my holidays at the moment down in Brazil and have an announcement to make. I got ENGAGED!
But even in the depths of ceremonial forethoughts and chiming wedding bells Ive still felt the need to scatch my itch and tune back into what is happing in the technology and recruitment worlds.
A central pillar of cloud recruiting will be mobility and mobiles. There is an interesting article in the Irish Times today which gives an insight to where the nation is with smart mobiles.
Get ready for Facebook, LinkedIn and Skype ready affordable Smart Phones. Its coming to the masses soon.
You can catch it here.
But even in the depths of ceremonial forethoughts and chiming wedding bells Ive still felt the need to scatch my itch and tune back into what is happing in the technology and recruitment worlds.
A central pillar of cloud recruiting will be mobility and mobiles. There is an interesting article in the Irish Times today which gives an insight to where the nation is with smart mobiles.
Get ready for Facebook, LinkedIn and Skype ready affordable Smart Phones. Its coming to the masses soon.
You can catch it here.
26.12.08
100 posts and more to come - thank you!
I just want to wish the readers of the blog a belated Happy Christmas and a colourful, peaceful and successful New Year.
When I started off this blog it felt like I was talking to myself a lot. Now that the blog readership has been growing steadily I find I do less of this here and normally do more of it while walking in Phoneix Park or in Tramore! I wantted to give a special thanks to those regulars who have taken the time to subscribe to the RSS feed. Your email comments have made the blog worth while and I hope to write more engaging content for you in 2009.
I've been writing the blog for 4 years now and I just recently posted my 100th entry. While I would have liked to have posted more in 2008 my new job, which I love, took up a lot of time -especially, considering I am soaking up more information than ever from China, India and MEA. However, "cleachtas a dheanamh maistreacht" so now that I am getting the hang of it I hope to produce some more next year. I'm off to Paraty and Itacare on vacation until the end of January but "slan go foill" and see you in 2009!
Happy Hunting!
PS - I will be organising the first ever "Irish Tuesday's Club" in Feb 09 so hope to see you there.
When I started off this blog it felt like I was talking to myself a lot. Now that the blog readership has been growing steadily I find I do less of this here and normally do more of it while walking in Phoneix Park or in Tramore! I wantted to give a special thanks to those regulars who have taken the time to subscribe to the RSS feed. Your email comments have made the blog worth while and I hope to write more engaging content for you in 2009.
I've been writing the blog for 4 years now and I just recently posted my 100th entry. While I would have liked to have posted more in 2008 my new job, which I love, took up a lot of time -especially, considering I am soaking up more information than ever from China, India and MEA. However, "cleachtas a dheanamh maistreacht" so now that I am getting the hang of it I hope to produce some more next year. I'm off to Paraty and Itacare on vacation until the end of January but "slan go foill" and see you in 2009!
Happy Hunting!
PS - I will be organising the first ever "Irish Tuesday's Club" in Feb 09 so hope to see you there.
23.12.08
Saongroup continue their impressive growth - opportunity knocking on recessionary times!
It's not something you hear a lot of people in the Irish press talking about to often but Denis O'Brien and Leslie Buckley have been consistent and tenacious in their vision of creating one of the biggest job board portfolios in the world. Since there acquisition in Irish Jobs from John Feeley in 1995 they have been growing and diversifying ever since. The list of acquisitions they have made and the number of current opportunities they have in their own company are interesting and caused me to dig a little deeper.
On their own web site they state: "saongroup.com is now one of the fastest growing Irish owned online companies in the world, with offices in 10 countries across 4 continents. saongroup.com has its head office is Dublin, Ireland and employs more the 1,700 people across the globe".
Being one of the fastest growing Irish owned companies in the world may sound a bit "quixotic" but it's very much true! Looking from afar and having studies closely what Career Builder and Monster have done and tried to do over the last number of years what Saaongroup has done has been very impressive in comparison.
The portfolio consists of, and this is only some of it:
The company is currently expanding aggressively in India with the recent launches of http://www.myjobsinpune.com/ in Sept 07 and then a recent second expansion in http://www.myhyderabadjobs.com/. I've checked and http://www.mybangalorejobs.com/ and http://www.mydelhijobs.com/ are functioning job boards as well so maybe they've gone ahead and registered the domain and got these set up already. Maybe these are simply target looking companies that the group may go after. Get ready for Goa, Jauiper, Cochin and the other big hubs to follow. Basically, anywhere there is a concentration of 5 million or more people on the planet where internet penetration is growing Denis and Leslie will want a job board. Get ready next for Nanjing, Dalin and Shenzhen in China. Actually, it seems like that is exactly what the company is planning by the looks of some of its vacancies on its career site. Interestingly, they have a regional CEO/COO job in China where they are looking for an individual with 10+ years experience, willing to travel and who can speak Madrin and English. The role will report into the regional CEO and will have control of P&L, expansion and employee motivation. Having been to China myself 3 times now and about to go again in February to train Microsoft's recruiters some deep sourcing techniques I've had a chance to immerse myself in the China recruitment industry and study it from afar. It certainly fits into the emerging market category that Saaogroup have targeted for expansion.
The downturn in the global econonomy presents fantastic opportunities for those companies that have a strong balance sheet. Anne Hegarty in CPL, Brian Murphy in Premier Group and all at Saaongroup must be looking forward to 2009 and the acquisition trail ahead!
On their own web site they state: "saongroup.com is now one of the fastest growing Irish owned online companies in the world, with offices in 10 countries across 4 continents. saongroup.com has its head office is Dublin, Ireland and employs more the 1,700 people across the globe".
Being one of the fastest growing Irish owned companies in the world may sound a bit "quixotic" but it's very much true! Looking from afar and having studies closely what Career Builder and Monster have done and tried to do over the last number of years what Saaongroup has done has been very impressive in comparison.
The portfolio consists of, and this is only some of it:
Candidate Manager
CaribbeanJobs.com
IrishJobs.ie
Job001.cn
Job1998.com
Jobs.ie
Jobs.lu
JumptoJobs.co.uk
CaribbeanJobs.com
IrishJobs.ie
Job001.cn
Job1998.com
Jobs.ie
Jobs.lu
JumptoJobs.co.uk
The company is currently expanding aggressively in India with the recent launches of http://www.myjobsinpune.com/ in Sept 07 and then a recent second expansion in http://www.myhyderabadjobs.com/. I've checked and http://www.mybangalorejobs.com/ and http://www.mydelhijobs.com/ are functioning job boards as well so maybe they've gone ahead and registered the domain and got these set up already. Maybe these are simply target looking companies that the group may go after. Get ready for Goa, Jauiper, Cochin and the other big hubs to follow. Basically, anywhere there is a concentration of 5 million or more people on the planet where internet penetration is growing Denis and Leslie will want a job board. Get ready next for Nanjing, Dalin and Shenzhen in China. Actually, it seems like that is exactly what the company is planning by the looks of some of its vacancies on its career site. Interestingly, they have a regional CEO/COO job in China where they are looking for an individual with 10+ years experience, willing to travel and who can speak Madrin and English. The role will report into the regional CEO and will have control of P&L, expansion and employee motivation. Having been to China myself 3 times now and about to go again in February to train Microsoft's recruiters some deep sourcing techniques I've had a chance to immerse myself in the China recruitment industry and study it from afar. It certainly fits into the emerging market category that Saaogroup have targeted for expansion.
| Sales Executive Cayman Islands Caribbeanjobs.com | Cayman Islands |
| Business Development Executive - Dubai UAE | Dubai |
| Sales Account Manager Luxembourg | Luxembourg |
| Sales Executive Trinidad Caribbeanjobs.com | Trinidad |
| General Manager RecruitGulf.com | Dubai |
| Group Finance Director Saongroup China | Beijing |
| Business Development Manager Abu Dhabi, UAE | Abu Dhabi |
| Regional Finance Manager - Saongroup (China) | Shanghai |
| Sales Executive Jamaica Caribbeanjobs.com | Jamacia |
| Management (Online Recruitment) - Worldwide | Worldwide |
| Financial Accountant – CaribbeanJobs.com | Trinidad |
| Regional CEO - China | Beijing (travel involved) |
| Sales Account Manager Dublin (OTE €70,000+) | Dublin 2 |
The downturn in the global econonomy presents fantastic opportunities for those companies that have a strong balance sheet. Anne Hegarty in CPL, Brian Murphy in Premier Group and all at Saaongroup must be looking forward to 2009 and the acquisition trail ahead!
20.12.08
G-Speak and the User Interface of the Future
One and a half years ago I was fortunate to be present at a meeting with Steve Ballmer where he fielded some questions from a group of recruiters within Microsoft. At the meeting Steve was asked what would he like to change about technology in the future? What would he like his technological legacy to be? Amongst many things right at the top of the list was redesigning operating systems and how people are allowed become more intuitive with their bodies and minds in operating computer systems instead of relying on the present mouse-and-hand paradigm which we have an ubiquitous preponderance of today. As he spoke I tried to form some images from his words to bring myself into his future. In the abstract I found a formidable opponent. But now with the help of the amazing work of the extremely talented Oblong industries I can realise the picture that he painted in its totality.
As the inventors put it themselves:
Cloud recruitment in the future may involving geo-spatial gloves that are a combination of gestural i/o, recombinant networking which will bring us a major stride forward in computer interfaces since 1984. We may all be able to gesture with our hands to a mobile device and execute a number of commands simultaneously using voice recognition. Enjoy!
As the inventors put it themselves:
"The g-speak platform is a complete application development and execution environment that redresses the dire constriction of human intent imposed by traditional GUIs. Its idiom of spatial immediacy and information responsive to real-world geometry enables a necessary new kind of work: data-intensive, embodied, real-time, predicated on universal human expertise.
Some of the SOE's core ideas are already familiar from the film Minority Report, whose characters performed forensic analysis using massive, gesturally driven displays. The similarity is no coincidence: one of Oblong's founders served as science advisor to Minority Report and based the design of those scenes directly on his earlier work at MIT. Other foundational components are less directly visible but as crucially transformative. The g-speak platform braids development arcs begun in the early 1990s at MIT's Media Laboratory, where Oblong's principals produced radical user interface advances, distributed and networked language designs, and media manipulation technologies."
Cloud recruitment in the future may involving geo-spatial gloves that are a combination of gestural i/o, recombinant networking which will bring us a major stride forward in computer interfaces since 1984. We may all be able to gesture with our hands to a mobile device and execute a number of commands simultaneously using voice recognition. Enjoy!
17.12.08
CPL hit hard
Over the last few days there's been some interesting commentary in the national press about CPL's revenue performance. Check out the Indepants article, here today and yesterday's RTE update here. Shares in the company are down at 1.05 euros at the moment and the group expects the outlook for 2009 to be "very uncertain".
Permanent placements are suffering, we know this, it will be interesting to see how hard the contract side of the business become in 2009. However Anne Hegarty and co have a very strong balance sheet. I'd be expecting them to acquire a number of small operations across Europe in the year ahead allowing them expand more aggressively into the RPO market in Europe and play catch up on companies like Kenexa and Adecco to name but a few.
Permanent placements are suffering, we know this, it will be interesting to see how hard the contract side of the business become in 2009. However Anne Hegarty and co have a very strong balance sheet. I'd be expecting them to acquire a number of small operations across Europe in the year ahead allowing them expand more aggressively into the RPO market in Europe and play catch up on companies like Kenexa and Adecco to name but a few.
16.12.08
The Future of Recruitment is in the Cloud! (Utility Recruitment)
I love technology!
Ever since I got a Commodore 64 I've been hooked. One of the very cool things about working for Microsoft is I get a chance to collaborate with smart people in a very innovative environment that allows me glimpse over the edge of tomorrow's technological future and constantly reignite the curious little boy in me who loved to tap away at his computer in his bedroom for hours on end. In this environment I'm often trying to keep my personal knowledge base high by listening to a variety of tech podcasts such as Leo Leporte's Twit and blogs like TechCrunch and the prestigious Robert Cringley's blog as well as a huge internal database of sharepoints on a variety of technological gendres and flavours. And that's not even mentioning our very own Channel 9 or MSDN Blog Network.
I love recruitment!
I love trying to figure out how new improvements in technology can be used to make recruitment more efficent and effective. A lot of recruiters I know like to read other recruitment magazines or blogs or like to pick up the CIPD magazine, the Friday Irish Times or Sunday Business Post to keep up to date with the latest recruitment trends and techniques. I do this myself a lot and have benefited greatly from others. However, I much prefer following the technology geeks and then applying what I've learnt from them to recruitment rather than reading about it from other recruiters. That's where the fun is for me and that's when and where I enjoy my job the most.
Some of the greatest satisfaction I have had in my career is coining a technique and then passing it onto one of our recruiters in Dublin, Dubai or Hyderabad and learning in the future that they made a hire through it.
For quite some time Microsoft has been working at the concept of Software as a Service (SaaS) and has been one of the architectural leading netizens which such companies as Google, Salaeforce and Amazon when it comes to coining the phrase "Cloud Computing"! It's been very interesting to watch this from the inside and I believe that now more than ever a recruiter can be empowered by using technology correctly and creatively to be better at their job and more successful than their peers.
A lot of people may not know what cloud computing is? Sometimes you here people mention things such as: "on demand computing" or ""cluster computing" or "server virtualisation". For me it's simply the ability to access information over the internet from any device. It is a step towards less of a device centric, app centric world and more to an information centric model. Recruiters will need to know how to use social media to brand and contact technological savy individuals and the new generations. They'll need to sync better to increase speeds to facilitate the sharing and processing of information. It will be driven by mobility.
Some of my recent blog entries have been about vice technology, image teleportation and mobile syncing. Stay tuned for more in the future.
For those that are new to Cloud Computing check out Christopher Barnett's great video!
Ever since I got a Commodore 64 I've been hooked. One of the very cool things about working for Microsoft is I get a chance to collaborate with smart people in a very innovative environment that allows me glimpse over the edge of tomorrow's technological future and constantly reignite the curious little boy in me who loved to tap away at his computer in his bedroom for hours on end. In this environment I'm often trying to keep my personal knowledge base high by listening to a variety of tech podcasts such as Leo Leporte's Twit and blogs like TechCrunch and the prestigious Robert Cringley's blog as well as a huge internal database of sharepoints on a variety of technological gendres and flavours. And that's not even mentioning our very own Channel 9 or MSDN Blog Network.
I love recruitment!
I love trying to figure out how new improvements in technology can be used to make recruitment more efficent and effective. A lot of recruiters I know like to read other recruitment magazines or blogs or like to pick up the CIPD magazine, the Friday Irish Times or Sunday Business Post to keep up to date with the latest recruitment trends and techniques. I do this myself a lot and have benefited greatly from others. However, I much prefer following the technology geeks and then applying what I've learnt from them to recruitment rather than reading about it from other recruiters. That's where the fun is for me and that's when and where I enjoy my job the most.
Some of the greatest satisfaction I have had in my career is coining a technique and then passing it onto one of our recruiters in Dublin, Dubai or Hyderabad and learning in the future that they made a hire through it.
For quite some time Microsoft has been working at the concept of Software as a Service (SaaS) and has been one of the architectural leading netizens which such companies as Google, Salaeforce and Amazon when it comes to coining the phrase "Cloud Computing"! It's been very interesting to watch this from the inside and I believe that now more than ever a recruiter can be empowered by using technology correctly and creatively to be better at their job and more successful than their peers.
A lot of people may not know what cloud computing is? Sometimes you here people mention things such as: "on demand computing" or ""cluster computing" or "server virtualisation". For me it's simply the ability to access information over the internet from any device. It is a step towards less of a device centric, app centric world and more to an information centric model. Recruiters will need to know how to use social media to brand and contact technological savy individuals and the new generations. They'll need to sync better to increase speeds to facilitate the sharing and processing of information. It will be driven by mobility.
Some of my recent blog entries have been about vice technology, image teleportation and mobile syncing. Stay tuned for more in the future.
For those that are new to Cloud Computing check out Christopher Barnett's great video!
8.12.08
Voice Search - Square is the new round - The Future of Recruitment is in the Cloud!
Wow! I can't believe it's that long ago but I think it's 2001 when I wrote an article for Monster called "How will XML change the face of recruitment". 7 years and XML has had a huge part to play in driving ATS systems together allowing multiple posting and driving us all towards a more common cloud computing experience. It is truely amazing the technology that recruiters now posses. The future is here but in a lot of cases it's just not distrbuted amongst us evenly. One example of this is voice search technology which maybe in the next 7 years will have a big part to play in how we break away from our addiction to laptops and desktops and start to use mobile devices more in how we recruit. Who knows we'll probably be even talking into our car mirrors to make a search one of these days for a senior credit analyst or a purchasing manager (for new readers who haven't checked out my little screenplay on searching on your car mirror check it out here)!
Here's a video to tell what I mean:
And this is only the start!Windows Mobile, iPhones and Android are all working on improving their technologies in this space. Already Google's launch of Google Mobile Apps in iTunes a couple of weeks ago is setting high standards for voice search on your mobile device. So why not do some searching for candidates on the web or on LinkedIn are Facebook while you're queuing up in Marks and Spencers for those addictive choclete cookies or why not use that valueable time when waiting for your next Ryan Air flight to Faro!
The future of recruitment is in the cloud!
Here's a video to tell what I mean:
And this is only the start!Windows Mobile, iPhones and Android are all working on improving their technologies in this space. Already Google's launch of Google Mobile Apps in iTunes a couple of weeks ago is setting high standards for voice search on your mobile device. So why not do some searching for candidates on the web or on LinkedIn are Facebook while you're queuing up in Marks and Spencers for those addictive choclete cookies or why not use that valueable time when waiting for your next Ryan Air flight to Faro!
The future of recruitment is in the cloud!
5.12.08
4.12.08
List of European Search Engines
When sourcing passive candidates on the Internet most recruiters only use Google, which in my opinion is a big mistake. You should always have a healthy variety of search engines at your disposal to source with... at a very least you should also use Live and AltaVista as well. Engines index differently and in my years of searching I have found on numerous occassions CVs in one search engine that did not feature in another.
Here is a list of European search engines to be aware of.
Here is a list of European search engines to be aware of.
27.11.08
Using JobCompass to find a job on your iPhone
Interestingly CareerBuilder a few months ago came out with an iTunes job searching agent that works with your iPhone but it looks like JobCompass has outdone them with a far more slicker and more location specifc spider that runs off popular job boards like Monster, Dic, HotJobs and Cybercoders to pull their jobs from...
Check out the demo...
Check out the demo...
22.11.08
The new Monster is on its way!
I've got my official invitation to the Irish launch and looking forward to seeing their new career profiling system and jazzed up engine. Also looking to the odd canape and drop of vino tinto as well!
Hats off to the marketing team in Monster.
Hats off to the marketing team in Monster.
4.11.08
The ladders $100k+ social experiment
Interesting commercial from TheLadders, the premier job board in the US for jobs over $100k+. I wonder how TheLadders job board would perform in Ireland? One thing for sure is IrishJobs realised along time ago that there is a niche market there and in action to it they created the Executive Room but I'm not convinced it worked. I just did a search selecting the "employer" drop down menu and then I selected "Dublin" as location and it only returned 10 results. Seems like they have quite a ladder to climb if they want to get to where they want to be. A commercial as clever as this would help! Come on IrishJobs marketing team - give us something innovative as a commercial. It's been a while and we're waiting! Capture our imagination the market for executive recruitment is there for you to win or lose.
13.10.08
Monster gets the wallet out and snaps up ChinaHR
Monster snaps up ChinaHR
US-based online recruitment service provider Monster yesterday secured complete control of ChinaHR.com, paying $174 million for the remaining 55 percent stake in the Chinese recruitment site.Monster had said in its financial report for the second quarter of 2008 that it would pay $200 million to $225 million in cash to ChinaHR.com shareholders. Monster said in 2005 that it would take the remainder if ChinaHR.com was unable to get listed within three years.
Analysts said the failure of the IPO was due to problems with ChinaHR.com's profitability. The company suffered a loss of 150 million yuan in 2007, according to Monster's financial statements for the year.
"The acquisition will give Monster a stronger presence in the Chinese online recruitment market," said Edward Lo, executive vice-president of Monster China, who takes over as the interim CEO of ChinaHR.com while maintaining his current Monster post.
China's online recruitment market is led by NASDAQ-listed 51Job with a 29 percent share, followed by ChinaHR.com with 24 percent, according to Beijing-based consulting firm Analysys International.
Although Monster's acquisition comes amid a slump in US online labor demand due to the global financial crisis, Lo said it is an opportune time for Monster to invest in the Chinese market.
"The economic situation which has ups and downs is a cycle," he said. "The merger is not a short-term investment but a long-term strategic partnership to create the best global recruitment platform."
Liu Tong, an online industry analyst from Analysys International, said it is a good deal for Monster from a long-term perspective as China's online recruitment market is growing rapidly. It grew 36 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2008.In addition, ChinaHR.com's loss does not mean it has operational problems, he said. In 2007, it achieved a revenue of 281 million yuan.
The merger with Monster means there will be enough cash flow to enhance its brands, he added.
More than 90 percent of ChinaHR.com's revenue comes from the online recruitment compared to 33 percent of its rival 51job's, Liu said, adding it means there is plenty of space for Monster to diversify ChinaHR.com's future revenue structure.
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