Industry Archives - PCRecruiter

Recruitment is most definitely a people business, so introducing automation into your recruiting process might not seem like an obvious move. That is, until you realize that by adding automation at various points in their workflow, recruiters can actually free up more time to focus on their core business – making placements.

In this post, we explore ways that forward-thinking recruiters use automations to drive efficiency in their recruitment workflows. We’ll see how the right applicant tracking system (ATS) can help you hire faster.

What is recruitment automation?

Recruitment automation is the use of technology to automate specific tasks within the recruitment process. It helps minimize the time to fill open roles, and reduces costs. This delivers a better overall experience for candidates, employers, and recruiters.

Automation covers both external and internal tasks. These can include things like notifications sent at specific stages of the hiring process or emails to candidates. Ultimately, the less time a recruiter spends logging information, the more time they have to spend working with clients and candidates.

Recruitment automation can also include more strategic tasks, such as email campaigns, which help keep clients and candidates informed and engaged. Examples of time-saving automations include:

Form letters to candidates
Notification prompts to administrators
Emails to clients regarding scheduled interviews

PCRecruiter’s own system for recruitment automation is essentially an open box. Wherever a communication is both repeated and repeatable, the opportunities for automations are endless. As recruiters spot more opportunities to refine workflows, there is less need for them to manually create and send correspondence.

The great thing about automating via the ATS is that recruiters don’t need to spend time jumping between multiple tools. Doing more things from a single hub reduces friction, speeding up the placement and hiring processes.

The automation building tool is part of recruitment automation in PCRecruiter. — PCRecruiter’s Automations make event-triggered recruitment automations easy for users to implement.

How to use automation in recruitment

Think more strategically about your own recruiting workflows. You’ll see almost any recruitment process presents potential for automation. Everything from the initial job posting to interview scheduling to following up post-hire is an opportunity to streamline.

For most recruiters, their bane is technology that interferes with their work or slows them down. That being so, the best approach to implementing automations is to identify opportunities in existing processes. Look for points where automation might help recruiters to be more efficient and productive. By automating repetitive and repeatable tasks, recruiters free-up more time to focus on their core activities.

Here are five ways to use automation in recruitment:

Applicant Tracking

Applicant tracking is the backbone of any recruiter’s day-to-day. A whiteboard or spreadsheet solution might cut it in the early days. However, when you start handling multiple placements and hundreds of candidates these tools become inefficient and unwieldy.

No matter how many candidates in your database, or how many employers you’re dealing with, an applicant tracking system (ATS) like PCRecruiter scales with you. Because the software tracks candidates from end to end, you’ll never lose track of potential hires along the way. Candidates you couldn’t place remain ready for next time a suitable role opens up.

PCRecruiter users can modify fields and forms to suit existing workflows — this includes adding custom automations. For example, triggering behaviors when records containing specific information, such as a location or industry, are entered.

Job Postings

When it comes to job postings, there’s an administrative burden on recruiters to make the information visible. Whether on recruitment websites or your own company’s careers page, it can become complicated to track and manage multiple postings. Automation can help you create once and publish anywhere.

The great thing about PCRecruiter’s integrated job board is that it can be implemented into practically any website. This saves duplication of effort and potential errors that come from managing a website’s job board separately. In addition, leveraging job feeds and integrations helps to advertise the opening on other sites, saving time and effort.

Social Recruiting

In a world where 70% of the workforce consists of passive talent and 82% of Americans have a social media profile, it makes sense to reach potential candidates via their favorite social hangouts. Recruiters can leverage the potential reach of both personal and professional networks via social recruiting. This is accomplished through a combination of posting links to new job postings, and strategic employer branding.

What if every time you published a new position, your marketing team received a notification with all the relevant details? What if the job could be posted to social networks automatically? This could then be easily incorporated in and around other content promoting your employer brand and its values. PCRecruiter’s built-in automation features as well as integrations with services like Paiger and Zapier make these workflows easy to implement.

Process Sequencing

Process sequencing plays a vital role in helping support reps respond to customer inquiries quickly and efficiently. It provides standardized workflows and even scripting.

The same approach can be applied to recruitment. Sequences provide the recruiter with a clear and standardized series of tasks. These can be customized to suit different roles or industries. This creates the potential to create and apply automations at specific stages of the process.

PCRecruiter’s own sequencing tool enables recruiters to create their own workflows, with manual or automatic tasks. Tasks can include phone calls, prompts to connect on LinkedIn, or an automatic email confirming review of a resume. More quickly completing tasks and leveraging automating steps means recruiters can make more placements with less effort.

An easy task-based interface makes recruiting automation simple. — The task-based Sequencing interface allows users to work through their queue with minimal friction.

When it comes to onboarding new recruiters (or helping to keep current ones more effective), sequencing simplifies training. Making every step a clear and straightforward task guides users and informs them what the result of each action will be.

For example, after marking a completing a call, a contact is moved to the next step. The prebuilt sequence defines what that step is. For instance, if you have to leave a voicemail, the next step could be an automatic SMS confirming the message. If the call was connected, the next step may be a follow-up email with a form to complete.

Personalized Communication

In most competitive industries, there’s an increasing customer expectation of regular, relevant, and anticipated communication. People want more personalized and hassle-free experiences, and they expect regular notifications and updates as a matter of course. Just think of all the notifications you received the last time you placed an online order; you’re told when it’s been received, when it’s shipped, that it’s with the carrier, and so on.

Automations don’t just streamline existing processes. They can also help recruiters to do more than they would have been able to otherwise. Leveraging relevant data makes communication with candidates and clients can more personal. You’ll improve engagement by using their name, roles applied for, and even other roles they might be interested in. This creates a closer relationship, even if the placement is unsuccessful, that can return value in future placement efforts. This kind of personalized communication could take many forms. PCRecruiter can handle a variety of notifications:

Text messages (SMS)
Email notifications
Pop-up notifications within PCR
Push notifications (via the mobile app)

Making strategic use of recruitment automations

Any attempt to save time and cost through automation works best when it adds value and efficiency to existing processes. Look to automate aspects of your recruitment process with that in mind.

At the end of the day, most recruiters are people people, not tech people. That’s why it’s important to make workflows as streamlined and intuitive as possible. The software solution needs to fit their way of working and not the other way around.

PCRecruiter’s training team on-boards users by taking time to understand their daily flow. They get to know what your process looks like and how it works. By mapping out the process, they can identify where the software can solve pain points. Recruiting is already a challenging role — why add another layer of unnecessary complexity?

Once set up, automations in PCRecruiter enable you to do what you would do without it, only much faster. To learn how you can make placements with less administrative hassle, book a free consultation today.

There’s no question that recent years have been uncertain times for almost every type of business. Even those employers who managed to successfully ride out the global pandemic are feeling the effects of an ever-changing recruitment market. In a number of sectors, there’s also a widening gap between the skills needed and the skills candidates can offer.

As we move into the latter part of 2022, what are some of the key hiring recruitment trends for the staffing industry, permanent placement recruiters, and HR professionals?

Working Remotely Is Here To Stay

A man working at home — “Candidates now expect remote or hybrid working models as the norm.”

We live in a world where flexible working – greater freedom in when and where we work – is now an integral part of the employment landscape, particularly in knowledge-based industries. In fact, 80% of people are likely to recommend remote working to a friend. To that end, potential hires expect absolute clarity around remote and hybrid practices within companies. And for recruiters, remote working has advantages on both sides of the hiring process.

On one hand, candidates now expect remote or hybrid working models as the norm. With proven benefits in terms of employee job satisfaction and morale, the best candidates can demand their ideal working conditions. Many people prefer remote working to cut travel costs, reduce their carbon footprint, and the time they spend commuting. For that reason, putting together a personalized package of flexible working arrangements can help to differentiate your offer – and even become a deal-closer – when the right candidate has multiple offers on the table.

On the other side of the coin, remote recruitment practices are enabling recruiters to make the right hire faster. From access to a deeper and wider talent pool to streamlining the early stages of the recruitment process, through to things like online interviews or screening, remote hiring offers recruiters a competitive advantage in terms of time-saved and reduced costs. Find more strategies for reducing your time to hire, by reading our blog post on 10 tips to help you hire faster.

It’s Still A Jobseekers Market

Artificial intelligence is growing stronger, as shown in this “photo of a recruiter talking to a candidate” generated by DALL•E

Never mind artificial intelligence (AI) and robots taking human jobs, according to a recent study by Korn Ferry, the biggest threat facing recruiters will actually be a shortage of suitably skilled humans. In fact, it’s predicted that by 2030 there will be a global talent shortage of around 85 million people. The competition for recruiting and retaining top talent is heating up.

With more open positions than candidates, the best talent has the most power in the current job market. As the demand for talent continues to outstrip supply, companies are adopting evermore proactive hiring strategies in an effort to optimize their talent pipelines. Developing an appealing employer brand, deploying proven marketing tactics, and engaging with potential candidates via social media are fast-becoming a necessity in many sectors.

For instance, being present on the right social media platform for your target audience is a way to build relationships with potential candidates, especially as a growing number of digital natives begin filling up the talent pool. Learn more about social recruiting, and how to implement it, with our blog post on how to use social media in recruiting.

Employer Branding Is A Key Differentiator

Employer Branding Stats — There’s ample evidence that a great
employer brand makes it easier to recruit
and it also impacts the business’ bottom
line in more than one way.

Whether you choose to leverage it or not, the second an employer makes a hire, they have an employer brand. Like a company’s “traditional” brand, it embodies your mission, vision, and core values. For many organizations, an effective employer brand helps them to connect with the right candidates, attract the best talent, and retain that talent once they’re inside the organization.

As with a company brand, you need consistency across every touchpoint, creating a candidate experience which leads to positive word of mouth, and clearly sets out your value proposition as an employer or recruiter. In addition, the right employer brand and candidate experience will continue to make your company an attractive proposition to potential candidates who didn’t quite make it this time around. The other benefit of employer branding is its impact on retention, with one study indicating that it could lead to a 28% reduction in staff turnover. Take a more in-depth look at employer branding with our blog post on the topic.

Hard-To-Fill Roles In Tech And Marketing

In part, the talent shortage is due to demographics, with the majority of the boomer generation expected to exit the global workforce by 2030. As work becomes increasingly tech-based, many businesses are facing up to the reality of a deficit of the right talent. According to a study by Korn Ferry, without an influx of skilled, high-tech workers, the US could potentially miss out on $162 billion worth of annual revenues.

Contrary to what you might think, despite the global reach of digital recruitment channels, from job posting sites and careers pages to social media, filling roles in tech and digital marketing is becoming increasingly challenging. This is largely due to the uptake of digital technologies in the wake of the global pandemic, and the trend for digital transformation – the adoption of new technologies to drive efficiencies. Put simply, technology is moving at such a fast pace, when it comes to front-end developers and software architects, there just isn’t enough expertise to go around.

The “MarTech Map”, courtesy of https://martechmap.com/

This shortage of talent is especially true of digital marketing and the expert use of ‘martech’ (marketing technology). Comparing Scott Brinker’s MarTech Map from 2011 and 2022 shows an increase from 150 solutions to over 9,000 in 2022. That’s 6,521% growth in just 11 years. No one can be expert in every digital marketing tool, and this illustrates the challenge facing recruiters looking to hire the finest and most up-to-date marketing minds. Whether they’re looking for a marketing automation specialist or a search engine optimization (SEO) strategist, it can be difficult to find the right talent because the technology is so new. Smart recruiters are even employing SEO techniques to improve the online visibility of their job postings.

Recruitment Trends Round-Up

Whether you’re competing for the best candidate in a shallow talent pool, exploring new channels for networking with potential hires, improving your overall candidate experience, or trying to fill open roles in a highly-specialized market, the right applicant tracking software (ATS) can help.

PCRecruiter has been helping people hire since 1998. The technology might have changed, but our dedication to providing intuitive and time-saving solutions for sourcing, tracking, and recruiting candidates remains the same.

Find out how PCRecruiter can help streamline your recruitment efforts, by booking a demo.

Whichever type of recruitment you’re involved with, and whatever sector or niche you specialize in, having the right tools to handle your recruitment process can give you a competitive advantage and ensure you fill your open roles with top talent.

For any type of recruiter, from permanent placement through to internal HR departments, the right applicant tracking system / software (ATS) can help you manage large quantities of applicants and candidates and make your recruitment process more efficient and effective.

In this blog post, Stacy Racutt, PCRecruiter Training Manager, explores the basics behind applicant tracking software, and how the right solution can streamline workflows to enable you to make the right hires, faster.

Isometric cartoon of man holding an ATS (applicant tracking system) sign

What is an applicant tracking system (ATS)?

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is a type of software which enables recruiters and employers to track applicants and candidates through the recruiting and hiring process.

Functionality is typically broad, covering everything from a candidate database to email and SMS integrations which help to streamline and automate communication between candidates, employers, and recruitment professionals.

The right ATS can facilitate the standardization and improvement of processes and workflows to achieve the bottom line: finding the best candidate for the role.

How an ATS works

Once a company’s job descriptions have been created, they’re typically posted on a job board on a website. This gives active candidates a window into what’s available, allowing them to view open positions, and apply for suitable roles.

After completing and submitting an online application, often uploading their resume or curriculum vitae (CV), applicant information is then captured and added to a database on the ATS. Once a candidate is in the system, recruiters can then interact with, and track, the progress of candidates throughout the recruitment process.

With PCRecruiter (PCR), any activity around a specific candidate can be tracked across the full range of communication channels including emails, SMS, and calls. This helps recruiters build a clear history of their relationship with a candidate. With every communication in a single, centralized record, it’s easily accessible, and highly visible to recruiters and their managers.

Passive candidates take a slightly different path into the ATS. These people are not actively seeking a specific position, but may be open to the right opportunity. The PCR Capture tool enables employers and recruiters to parse candidate contact information from popular social media and professional websites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Indeed to create a record for them.

Why use an Applicant Tracking System?

From a candidate application on a job board through to the final interview, some system to track the sourcing and placement process is a recruiting necessity. However, for many smaller-scale search firms, or recruiters who are just starting out, it’s not uncommon for workflows to include manual processes, which are inefficient and vulnerable to human errors.

Over time, and with an ever-growing talent pool, it can become increasingly challenging to keep track of top talent and MPCs. They may lose out to competitors, have to settle for second best, or not make a placement at all. While sticky notes on a whiteboard or a series of Excel sheets might be a workable solution in the early days, the need for applicant tracking software quickly becomes obvious.

Digitally transformed recruitment

Isometric illustration of someone looking at a large resume on a screen

Digitization of manual recruitment processes usually leads to the use of spreadsheets to track candidate progress. If you’re dealing with a very small data set and a narrow set of needs, a spreadsheet can do the job, up to a point. There may be nothing inherently wrong with a spreadsheet, but it wasn’t designed with recruitment in mind, and it’s not a searchable database of resumes or CVs, or a convenient way to track a process over specific dates and times.

A spreadsheet was built for numbers and data, and there comes a point when it’s not the right tool for getting the job of recruitment done. On the other hand, digitalization represents a step on from simply transferring an existing paper-based system to a digital one. Digitalization of your recruitment process requires the use of cutting edge recruitment technology to add value and drive efficiencies to your day-to-day operations. Digitalization gives you the opportunity to improve your existing workflows by leveraging the potential of digital tools and their functionality.

For newer, scaling recruiters, the next logical step is to track and monitor candidates through an online recruitment platform. This acts like an ATS, but the information isn’t unique to them. Essentially, it grants access to a shared talent pool, which is being mined by multiple firms. It isn’t a private bank of contacts and resumes/CVs with a communication history that’s ready and waiting when it’s next needed for a potential hire.

History Matters

This history is really important. Why? If you have multiple recruiters in the same office, working in the same industry, it’s important they’re aware of each candidate’s history with your organization. Has anyone else interviewed them previously? Is someone else currently trying to place them elsewhere?

Without a reliable ATS, it can be hard to tell.

Having a complete history of a person, even including feedback from a client, on file and at hand, immediately provides a head start and avoids crossover with other recruiters going after the same talent.

Furthermore, all of your own notes and actions regarding a candidate can make them easier to identify for future searches. Searching across the open web or paid candidate sources may only turn up those who are actively on the market, or may only provide partial information, whereas your private talent pool may contain that perfect candidate that has been in your roster all along, and who may not be accessible to anyone else.

And this is to say nothing of the benefits of keeping your job openings and client information on file in the same database with your candidates, allowing you to efficiently cross-reference, promote, and communicate.

How an ATS benefits recruiters and employers

There’s no question that in a highly competitive job market, making effective use of the right ATS can give employers and recruiters the edge on their rivals when trying to acquire the best candidates. Here are five reasons to invest in an ATS:

Speed-up search by building a pool of talent which contains historical data, and personal details, which can come into play at any given moment in a future placement.

Centralize all communication, including calls, SMS, and email in one repository so that everything you know about a candidate is available with a just few clicks.

Greater visibility over your processes can help you refine and evolve workflows by creating automations, finding spots where you can drive efficiencies by eliminating repetitive, routine tasks.

Save time by creating re-usable templates for things like resumes, forms, and questionnaires. Upload online job postings quickly and efficiently to multiple sites.

Quickly identify passive candidates through your ever-growing, searchable library of candidate records, including all your previous interactions with them.

Choosing the right ATS

When a spreadsheet of contact information is no longer meeting your recruitment needs, and is actually slowing you down, an ATS gives you a lot more capability, versatility, and functionality. The right ATS allows you to do more with your data.

PCRecruiter is a fully customizable ATS and CRM designed to meet your specific recruitment needs, and works with your existing processes, evolving as you do. Pick the core and premium functionality that’s right for you, and discover new ways to speed up your placement process, from scheduling call plans to capturing data from online sources.

See PCRecruiter in action. Book a demo today.

Podcasts are a great way to get the latest recruitment industry insights, topics, and trends. Listen anywhere, on-the-go for actionable tips you can take with you the next time you step into the office. Need help getting started? Read PCRecruiter’s list of six top recruitment podcasts.

There’s no better way to stay up to date with the latest recruitment industry trends, than by listening to your favorite recruitment podcast. On your daily commute or whilst relaxing at home, listen whenever, wherever to get your daily dose of insight into the recruitment industry.

Whether you’re looking for an in-depth interview with a recruitment industry leader, tips and tricks you can take into the office with you the next day, or a beginner’s guide to the fundamentals of recruitment, the right podcast can take you deep inside the world of hiring.

But if you’re new to podcasts, new to recruitment, or searching for something that fits your recruitment niche, it can be difficult to know where to start. So, here at PCRecruiter, we’ve compiled our shortlist of top recruitment podcasts.

Read on to get listening!

Recruitment Podcasts

Talk Talent To Me

https://talktalenttome.com/

Drawing on a deep talent pool of recruitment leadership, Talk Talent To Me takes listeners on a rollercoaster ride through talent acquisition. Covering everything from strategies, metrics, and techniques through to current industry trends, it features top talent leaders on the front line of modern recruitment. The show is hosted, produced, and edited by Hired’s Content Marketing Manager, Rob Stevenson. We like the depth and breadth of talent interviewed, from VP’s of Global Talent, to CHROs.

The Recruiter Startup Podcast

https://anchor.fm/recruiter-startup-school

With over a decade in the industry, Dualta Doherty has a hands-on approach to setting up and successfully running a recruitment business. Each episode, the founder of Dualta Doherty & Partners and this very podcast, is joined by recruitment agency leaders from around the world to talk about what it takes to start up, scale up, and operate at the highest level of recruitment. We enjoy hearing about the successes and challenges of recruitment industry leaders, and the valuable insights into setting up on your own.

Recruitment On The Go

https://soundcloud.com/recruitmentonthego

Everything you ever wanted to know about recruitment in daily, bite size pieces. Hosts Caitie and Mingus give you the latest lowdown on recruitment trends, top tips and tricks, plus all the tools and resources you need to maintain a competitive edge in the recruitment industry. Ideal for recruiters, HR specialists, and talent acquisition managers alike, each episode offers inspiration and insight, wherever you happen to be. We listen out for the actionable recruitment tips provided in each episode.

Recruiting Future

https://recruitingfuture.com/purpose/

The self-styled ‘calm voice of recruitment continuity’ offers insight, inspiration, and inclusivity in the fast-paced, ever-evolving world of recruitment. With a particular focus on the future of talent acquisition, each episode covers a different aspect of the industry, from technology, and automation to diversity and inclusion. With an eye on the future of work, guests are typically recruitment thought leaders and pioneers from the wider business world, who share ideas and experiences designed to inspire listeners and drive change. We like the focus on giving a platform to new and diverse voices in recruitment.

The RecruitingDaily Podcast

https://recruitingdaily.com/podcasts/recruitingdaily-podcast/

Going behind the scenes of the world’s most influential talent acquisition teams, the RecruitingDaily podcast is a one-stop shop for the latest insights into recruiting, sourcing, and talent acquisition. Each episode drills down deep into a complicated topic, breaking it down into understandable chunks in order to help recruiters take their game to the next level. We enjoy the sheer variety of content, from equity audits to using virtual meetings to streamline recruitment processes.

The Elite Recruiter Podcast

https://pod.co/the-elite-recruiter-podcast

Benjamin Mena’s show covers a broad range of recruitment-related content, taking listeners on a journey through money, marketing, sales, leadership, and placement. Along the way, you’ll pick up tips, tools, and tricks from some of the best in the business. Hear the stories of top recruitment professionals, how they got to where they are now and the mindset that got them there. We like the Elite Recruiter Podcast for its vibrant and insightful look at the industry.

So you’ve reached the end of our list, only to find your favorite recruitment podcast is missing? Get in touch with PCRecruiter and let us know why we should give it a listen! And for even more podcasts, check out our Top 5 HR Podcasts blog post as well!

We love podcasts – they make commutes and grocery shopping fun. There are so many great HR podcasts available, covering every topic under the sun, so we’ve compiled a list of a few favorites which will keep you inspired.

We’re really keen on podcasts here at PCRecruiter. Why? Because they can make boring commutes or grocery shopping much more interesting!

There are a variety of HR podcasts available – covering topics from employee perks to corporate branding, and everything in between. We’ve prepared a list of some of our favorites and hopefully these shows will help you stay on top of changes in the industry and gain a little inspiration from those leading those changes. Here they are in no particular order:

HR Podcasts

Emotion At Work

https://emotionatwork.co.uk/podcast/

Started in 2017, the Emotion at Work podcast is led by Phil Willcox and dives into the full spectrum of professional emotions that people experience at work. Phil’s belief is that emotions should be at the center of everything we do as they are so impactful throughout our lives – especially in our jobs. The episodes are released monthly and are a true deep dive into the chosen topic.

Phil speaks with industry professionals about a variety of themes, including emotion control, emotion expression, digital body language, shame, and other pressing social issues in the workplace. Phil and his guests share their personal stories and aim to build a greater knowledge of emotion among the listenership. The podcast, and its themes, are built on the vision of Phil’s company and look to educate and train people in emotion in any organization.

Talent Magnet

https://www.talentmagnet.com/podcast

Every week, Mike Sipple, the co-founder and CEO of Talent Magnet Institute, has discussions with thought leaders, industry executives, and a variety of HR professionals to better understand the sector. The topics they cover include business, relationships, community, and life in general. It’s a brilliantly varied podcast that taps into each guest’s personal experiences and how those have shaped their successes as well as their failures.

Founded in 2001, Talent Magnet was built with the objective of transforming business leaders and their organizations into ‘talent magnets’. They’ve become a trusted name in talent and aim to develop the skills of their clients, making them better leaders, and making their teams better because of it. With that goal in mind, they want the culture of quality leadership to work as a ‘talent magnet’ so that businesses that commit to improvement attract the talent they need.

#WorkTrends

https://talentculture.com/worktrends-podcast/

#WorkTrends, hosted by Meghan M. Biro of Talent Culture, is a podcast series and Twitter chat that revolves around current HR news and features experts from around the industry. With over 400 total episodes, there is a serious back catalog for new listeners to tap into.

Some of #WorkTrends’ most recent episodes show just how varied the topics can be so matter what part of HR you’re interested in they’ll be something that grabs your attention. Seriously, check out their last few installments:

The Everywhere Workplace – Prioritizing Employee Experience
The Urgency Epidemic – Prioritization & Productivity
Building a Courageous Work Culture: Why it Matters
Myth Busting Common Video Interview Concerns
Military Hiring – Diversity, Inclusion & Business Success

The Recruitment Hackers

https://www.therecruitmenthackers.com/podcast

The Recruitment Hackers is a community of talent acquisition professionals whose mission is to promote best practices, tools, and industry trends. They’ve grown into a network of experts and a part of that connectivity is through The Recruitment Hackers podcast.

The weekly content deals with a wide range of themes, including recruitment automation, optimizing the candidate experience, and harnessing culture to attract the appropriate kind of people. The podcast prides itself on offering real-life examples of companies that are recruiting successfully as well as proven strategies to grow your talent pool. Best of all, they don’t get caught up in trends and make an effort to point out the gimmicks that are springing up in the recruitment space.

Chad and Cheese

https://www.chadcheese.com/

Of all the podcasts on this list, we think it’s safe to say that this one has the best name. Branding themselves as the snarkiest industry experts out there Chad Sowash and friend-of-PCRecruiter Joel Cheesman have built a platform with a number of different podcasts that cover European HR trends, HR startup critiques, and interviews with other recruitment pros to name a few.

Their particular style might not be for everyone’s taste but they definitely aren’t afraid to be open and honest about their views. It’s clear that whether you like them or not, they have a genuine wealth of knowledge and experience, over 40 years between them, and that makes this podcast well worth listening to – just get used to their lack of filter(!).

These podcasts are just a small selection of a huge range of available insight that is out there in audio form. We hope you check the suggestions out, and get as much from them as we have.

Do you have any HR podcasts or recruitment industry podcast favorites? Comment below and let us know what they are.

PCRecruiter has been named to G2’s Top 50 HR Software List in the annual ‘Best Software Awards’. This PCRecruiter’s first time appearing on one of G2’s Best Software lists, earning its place this year thanks to high marks for customer service and adaptability in the recruiting, staffing, and HR space.

PCRecruiter has been consistently highly-rated on G2, the world’s largest and most trusted software marketplace. G2 helps more than 60 million people every year make smarter software decisions based on authentic peer reviews, and is the definitive online destination to discover, review and manage the technology that businesses need to reach their potential.

This year, PCRecruiter has been named to G2’s Top 50 HR Software List. The annual Best Software List ranks the world’s best software companies and products based on authentic, timely reviews from real users.

This PCRecruiter’s first time appearing on one of G2’s Best Software lists, earning its place this year thanks to high marks for customer service and adaptability in the recruiting, staffing, and HR space.

“G2 has been a great partner in spreading the word about PCRecruiter,” said Bill Kubicek, PCRecruiter co-founder and VP of Sales and Marketing. “We’re honored to have been included in the ‘Best’ this year, particularly because we know that standing is based on the reviews of satisfied recruiting and staffing pros.”

“As we continue to accelerate rapid growth, our online marketplace boasts 100,000+ software and services companies in 2,000+ categories and over 1.5 million trusted user reviews. Simply put, G2 is where you go for software,” said Godard Abel, co-founder and CEO, G2. “Our annual Best Software List aims to guide buyers on their purchasing decisions, knowing they can trust in the credibility and objectivity of our scoring algorithms. We applaud those companies named to our 2022 list, as they’ve earned the satisfaction among their customers as well as an impressive market presence.”

The top 100 software sellers are ranked based on a combination of Satisfaction and Market Presence scores for each seller, and the top 100 products are ranked based on reviews across all categories they are a part of. To be included in one of G2’s Software Sellers or Software Products “Best Of” lists, a software seller or product must receive at least 50 approved and published reviews during the 2021 calendar year. Scores reflect only data from reviews submitted during this evaluation period.

To learn more, view G2’s 2022 Best Software List and read more about G2’s methodology. To schedule a demonstration, contact us today.

G2, the largest software marketplace and review platform, has published its Winter 2021 reports. PCRecruiter was again ranked #1 in Customer Relationship and a Leader in multiple categories. G2 publishes these quarterly reports ranking applicant tracking software, staffing software, and recruiting agency software based on data from multiple sources.

The Winter 2022 reports from G2, the largest software marketplace and review platform, are in! These quarterly reports are based on independent user reviews and satisfaction scores, as well as other data sources and indicators of market leadership. PCRecruiter has once again been revealed as one of the applicant tracking, staffing, and recruiting agency software industry’s top choices.

Still the Best in Customer Relationship

Among businesses from 1-50 employees, PCRecruiter has once again been ranked the #1 Applicant Tracking System in regards to quality of support, earning the ‘Best Relationship’ badge. In the mid-market range (companies with 51,000 -100,000 employees) PCRecruiter was ranked in the Easiest To Do Business With. Our team always works hard toward customer satisfaction, and we’re always glad to see the reviews that tell us we’re achieving that goal.

PCRecruiter Remains a Leader

G2 ranks software as a Leader based on substantial Satisfaction scores and Market Presence. PCR has once again placed in this group, both for the 1-50 employee range ATS market for the ATS and the among Candidate Relationship Management categories overall. We also ranked as a High Performer in both the Staffing and Recruitment Marketing categories.

And, as with the Fall 2021 reports, PCRecruiter remained the vendor with Highest User Adoption for the Recruitment Marketing category.

Post Your Review!

We want your voice to be included in G2’s Spring 2022 reports! You can post a review of PCRecruiter at this link to be eligible for a gift card from G2 in thanks, or you can post via this link to donate $10 to “Girls Who Code”, helping to close the gender gap in tech.

Times change and recruiters can’t just rely on a spreadsheet of contacts, quick thinking, or a ‘roll-up list’ in LinkedIn to get ahead in an industry which never slows down. An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) offers recruiters a custom built technology that can support them in their work to deliver great candidates to great employers. To show how that pairing is made easy by an ATS we want to show you 5 key benefits of the software.

Times change and recruiters can’t just rely on a spreadsheet of contacts, quick thinking, or a ‘roll-up list’ in LinkedIn to get ahead in an industry which never slows down.

An Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) offers recruiters a custom built technology that can support them in their work to deliver great candidates to great employers. To show how that pairing is made easy by an ATS we want to show you 5 key benefits of the software.

Repeatability

What do you do with the other candidates that you didn’t put forward for your latest role?

You’ve cultivated 10 of the brightest marketers for a recent commercial role and you’ve placed 1 of them straight into the job (nice work by the way!) But now you’re left with 9 additional shining stars… So what do you do with them?

Well, with an ATS you can easily transpose your broader inventory of existing candidates into new roles. Simply put, an ATS helps you put the right people in the right places – so you have them all, ready to go, as soon as a new opportunity lands (or you go out and create it!)

Richer Data

We all love to drop in on LinkedIn and check out candidate history. But all too often, the details given barely scratch the surface. What about everything they don’t write about – things like their ambitions, their home life, their lifelong, unflinching love of the Chicago Cubs –?

With an Applicant Tracking System you can save all that rich, personal data on your candidates in one place – to give you a true, more three-dimensional profile to take forward.

Specialist Database

Feel like pursuing a niche? As you build up multiple candidates for a new position you’ll realize you’ve actually farmed up a good herd of industry specific talent. You can make and save great contacts within that industry and then propel your dedicated flock toward them in a move that’s guaranteed to land in the right spot.

Success Support

Customer service and success support are absolutely critical when implementing any kind of software. After all, if you can’t use it, what’s the point in having it?

An ATS is only going to deliver the benefits you need if it’s configured to your requirements. We only come to understand that by listening to what you really need. We’ve been in business for over 20 years and have adapted our levels of service over time; while understanding that every recruiter is different.

Automation & Efficiency

We’ve grouped these two together because automation feeds into and supports efficiency. A lot of recruiters are still using databases and pulling out information themselves. A properly configured ATS can scan your emails, set reminders, notify contractors – and much more besides.

On top of that, call recording and dialing history features help to automatically fill out the CRM component of your system. No-one likes having to backfill an activity log, and with an ATS you don’t need to.

The bottom line is that recruiters want to save time by increasing speed. They have to compete to get the best employers and candidates on their books and Applicant Tracking Systems support that goal to a tee.

At PCR we support everyone – from one user offices up to massive multinationals – in exactly the same way; with expert support at every step.

Want to go bigger and better in recruitment? Contact PCRecruiter today.

G2, the largest software marketplace and review platform, has published its Fall 2021 report. PCRecruiter was ranked #1 in Customer Relationship and a Leader in multiple categories. G2 publishes these quarterly reports ranking applicant tracking software, staffing software, and recruiting agency software based on data from multiple sources.

G2, the largest software marketplace and review platform, publishes quarterly reports that rank applicant tracking software, staffing software, and recruiting agency software. These reports are based on multiple data sources, including perceived market presence, satisfaction scores from independent user reviews, and indicators of market leadership.

With G2’s newest detailed breakdowns just released for Fall 2021, PCRecruiter has once again been revealed as one of the recruitment software industry’s top options for recruiting and staffing professionals in organizations of all sizes.

PCRecruiter is #1 ATS in Customer Relationship

The Fall 2021 reports indicate that, for businesses from 1-50 employees, PCRecruiter is a Leader among Staffing and ATS solutions. In fact, PCRecruiter is the #1 ranked Applicant Tracking System in this market in regards to quality of support, ease of doing business with, and likeliness to recommend.

Even among larger companies (51-1k employees), PCRecruiter ranked in the Top 10 easiest vendors to do business with. We know we go the extra mile to make our customers happy and successful, but it’s always nice to see it supported by the data!

PCR is Leading The Way

PCRecruiter received high marks across the industry, ranking as a Leader among Candidate Relationship Management and Applicant Tracking vendors, and as a High Performer in both the Staffing and Recruitment Marketing categories for businesses of all sizes.

In the Recruitment Marketing category, PCRecruiter earned the Highest User Adoption badge. This is perhaps one of the most important metrics we’re proud of — after all, even the greatest features and highest quality data can’t be of any value if your team isn’t using the software. The time and personal attention we put into getting new customers up to speed, and the system’s incredible configurability have put it at the top of the category in G2’s Implementation Index.

We want your voice to be heard!

We appreciate the kind words and accolades from our users that went into these rankings. If you’d like to have your opinion counted in the Winter 2021 report from G2, we encourage you to post a review of PCRecruiter at this link. Not only will this help people learn about PCRecruiter, but you’ll also be eligible for a gift card from G2 in thanks.

G2, the largest software marketplace and review platform, has published its Summer 2020 report. Once again, PCRecruiter received high marks. G2 publishes these quarterly reports ranking applicant tracking software, staffing software, and recruiting agency software based on data from multiple sources.

G2, the largest software marketplace and review platform, has published its Summer 2020 report. Once again, PCRecruiter received high marks.

G2 publishes these quarterly reports ranking applicant tracking software, staffing software, and recruiting agency software based on data from multiple sources. They use factors such as perceived market presence, satisfaction scores from independent user reviews, and indicators of market leadership to create detailed breakdowns.

PCRecruiter is a Leader & High Performer

The Summer 2020 reports show PCRecruiter as a Leader among ATS options in both the overall and small-business (50 or fewer employees) categories. Leaders have both high ratings on G2 as well as a substantial market presence score.

PCRecruiter was also ranked a High Performer in the overall and small-business Staffing categories. This is based on our high customer satisfaction scores, which remain consistently high. We ranked particularly well in areas of customer support and ease of doing business with. In fact, PCRecruiter was ranked top-of-the-list for Easiest to Do Business With among all Staffing vendors for mid-market (51 – 1k employees) companies.

Add Your Opinions

We appreciate the kind words and accolades from our users that went into these rankings. If you’d like to have your opinion counted in the Fall 2020 report from G2, we encourage you to post a review of PCRecruiter at this link. Not only will this help people learn about PCRecruiter, we’ve partnered with G2 Gives to donate $10 on your behalf to Direct Relief. This highly-regarded non-profit provides humanitarian aid to people affected by poverty or emergencies.

G2, the world’s leading B2B software and services review platform, has released their Fall 2019 quarterly reports. These reports are based on independent reviews from users in the staffing and recruiting industry. PCRecruiter has once again received high marks and is ranked in leadership positions on G2’s Grid reports.

PCRecruiter ranked in the Top Ten for multiple factors on both the Staffing and ATS Categories. In particular, we ranked well above the industry averages for customer service, ease of doing business, implementation speed, and more.

Small staffing businesses ranked PCRecruiter as one of the Top Three vendors in regards to customer relations, and PCR was given a Top Five slot for implementation and user adoption in the Candidate Relationship Management category.

Overall, PCRecruiter placed as a High Performer and Leader in both the Small-Business Staffing and ATS grids, as a Leader in the Staffing grid, as a High Performer in the ATS grid, and was ranked Highest User Adoption among Small-Business ATS vendors.

We are honored to serve our users and we extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone for their thoughtful reviews!

If you’d like your opinion considered in G2’s next round of B2B software reporting, please visit https://www.g2.com/products/pcrecruiter/take_survey and submit your own review of PCR.

Our friend Mike Gionta is hosting a 4-day virtual summit from March 26-29, 2019 called the Recruiting Firm Owner Summit. Solo-recruiters and search firm owners are all welcome at this FREE series, which has been attended by just under 25,000 recruiters from 6 continents over the past ten years.

Topics include:

How to increase billings even during a bad market or recession
The secrets to breaking through your income “ceiling” and the science of getting truly rich
The art & science of getting retainers that lead to $100k clients!
How to negotiate higher fees and establish long term repeat contracts with clients
The 6 lies that block recruiting success
The 5 secrets recruiters can use to build 7 & 8-figure recruitment businesses without ever having to micromanage or get back into the tools
Success secrets from the field for solo/independent recruiters
The great techniques for sourcing candidates when you don’t have a network
The key unknown methods of how to sell contracting business to your assignments to ensure you get those assignments!
The 3 keys to consistently growing $$ for recruiters
7½ ways to ditch your clients and still increase your revenue

Remember, these tips are from recruiting firm owners for solo-recruiters and search firm owners. All 12 sessions, taking place March 26-29, 2019, are offered at no charge.

Grab your spot by clicking here.

GetApp’s quarterly ATS ranking showcases the leading Applicant Tracking cloud apps in the North American market. PCRecruiter has been once again ranked in the Top 10!

GetApp research team identifies and evaluates hundreds of products, focusing on the top 10-15 cloud-based software products in the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) software category. They then creates the Category Leaders list to help business owners and decision-makers in evaluating their ATS technology options.

The ranking highlights key factors that small businesses should consider when assessing which software products may be right for them. These factors include user perception (“user reviews”), compatibility with other systems (“integrations”), mobile offerings (“mobile”), technical capabilities (“functionality”), and product security (“security”).

Check out the rankings at GetApp’s site or contribute your own review of PCRecruiter.

GetApp Category Leaders constitute the subjective opinions of individual end-user reviews, ratings, and data applied against a documented methodology; they neither represent the views of, nor constitute an endorsement by, GetApp or its affiliates.

PCRecruiter has once again been ranked a top-ten choice in the Applicant Tracking Software category guides from Capterra and GetApp!

These sites are two of the B2B software industry’s leading directory / recommendation engines. They release regular reports based on user-submitted reviews, feature breakdowns, pricing, integrations, and other factors.

This quarter, GetApp’s Top Applicant Tracking Software list has ranked PCRecruiter in the top ten. The position is based on the strength of ratings from our users and our competitive stance in the mobile app for iOS/Android category.

On the Capterra site, PCRecruiter was included in the top ten Most Affordable Applicant Tracking Software list. Our cost of ownership was favorable compared to other ATS options, based on a hypothetical 2-user, 2-year license with the complete host of available features and services.

Main Sequence truly appreciates the recognition of PCRecruiter’s great ROI and comprehensive range of functions from these valuable independent services.

We invite all of our users to write their own review of PCRecruiter on Capterra or GetApp so that your opinions and experiences can be included in future rankings!

Earlier this year, SoftwareAdvice released their latest FrontRunners data. Main Sequence is proud to see PCRecruiter listed in the Masters quadrant, scoring 4+ out of 5 on most of the measured stats, such as Value (4.26) and Integrations (4.9).

FrontRunners is powered by Gartner Methodology and offers a data-driven assessment of the most capable and valuable systems for small businesses. It’s driven by real user reviews/ratings, and verified product data.

The content for the FrontRunners quadrant is derived from actual end-user reviews and ratings as well as vendor-supplied and publicly available product and company information that gets applied against a documented methodology. The results neither represent the views of, nor constitute an endorsement by, Gartner or any of its affiliates.

GetApp, a leading business software directory and review site, has released it’s latest Category Leader rankings, highlighting the top 25 cloud-based business applications in key business application categories. Main Sequence is pleased to announce that PCRecruiter was given a Top 5 slot in the Applicant Tracking category.

The rankings, which give business owners a short list of the best options to consider, are based on the following five criteria:

Quantity and rating of user-submitted reviews.
Number of integrations with other listed apps.
Mobile app availability and rating.
Social media presence and following.
Security survey responses (modeled on the Cloud Security Alliance’s self-assessment form).

These rankings are completely independent of any commercial relationships between GetApp and the software vendors, taking into consideration factors including real user opinion, compatibility with other software products and mobile devices, security, and market presence. These rankings help provide an easy-to-follow overview of important factors for the buying process.

Main Sequence is glad to be recognized as one of the top solutions available in a reflective representation of the leading business applications on the market.

Capterra, a Gartner company that helps businesses select software solutions, has ranked PCRecruiter in the Top 10 on their list of the Most Affordable Applicant Tracking Software.

To put the report together, Capterra compiled “typical ATS software buyer” scenario with standard, expected features and customer service. They scored systems based on how many standard features they offered and the cost of those features, taking into account what customers were saying about the product’s functionality and quality to determine just how affordable and valuable the systems really were.

When the numbers were all lined up, PCRecruiter landed in the top 2% of roughly 300 selections, and practically neck-and-neck with the solutions listed above it.

Main Sequence is proud to be recognized for providing exceptional value to our users.

If you’re one of our many Windows-based PCRecruiter users, you should mark July 29, 2016 on your calendar as the end of your free Windows 10 upgrade period.

The free Windows 10 upgrade offer was a first for Microsoft, helping people upgrade faster than ever before, and July 29th is your last chance to get in on the deal. After July 29, upgrading your Windows 7 or 8 machine to 10 could cost $119 or more retail.

Most Windows 7 and 8 software is compatible with Windows 10, and PCRecruiter 9 is no different. If you’re still using PCRecruiter 8, you can also move to Windows 10, but you’ll want to continue working within Internet Explorer 11, rather than the newer Microsoft Edge browser, which is only compatible with PCRecruiter 9. We still recommend running PCRecruiter 9 in Google Chrome, regardless of your operating system.

To get your free Windows 10 upgrade, visit https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-upgrade

We were very pleased to learn that GetApp, a site where businesses can review business software for a variety of applications, just released a new quarterly ranking for their Applicant Tracking Software category with PCRecruiter in the tightly-grouped top 10.

Rank is based on user reviews, integrations, mobile app availability, media presence, and security. PCRecruiter ranked only 6 points from the top slot.

Check out the full listing at https://www.getapp.com/hr-employee-management-software/applicant-tracking/#getrank

William Kubicek, Martin Snyder, and Mic Harris of Main Sequence will be attending the NAPS Conference in Houston. They will be found from time to time staffing booth #2 at the event; if you are attending, Bill, Marty, or Mic would be pleased to provide an in-person demonstration of PCRecruiter9 or discuss any aspect of your recruiting software needs. Serving the professional and business development needs of the search and staffing community for more than five decades, NAPS has been a force in establishing the highest standards of ethics and performance for recruiters and staffing operations people. More information about the event can be found at http://www.naps360.org/?page=Details

On July 14th, the EEOC issued the first update to its pregnancy discrimination guidelines in 30 years. In the the Enforcement Guidance released on the EEOC Website, the comission addressed how the requirements of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as amended in 2008 should be applied individuals who have pregnancy-related disabilities. The commission posted a Q&A document and Fact Sheet.

Among other issues, the guidance discussed:

The fact that the PDA covers not only current pregnancy, but discrimination based on past pregnancy and a woman's potential to become pregnant;
Lactation as a covered pregnancy-related medical condition;
The circumstances under which employers may have to provide light duty for pregnant workers;
Issues related to leave for pregnancy and for medical conditions related to pregnancy;
The PDA's prohibition against requiring pregnant workers who are able to do their jobs to take leave;
The requirement that parental leave (which is distinct from medical leave associated with childbearing or recovering from childbirth) be provided to similarly situated men and women on the same terms;
When employers may have to provide reasonable accommodations for workers with pregnancy-related impairments under the ADA and the types of accommodations that may be necessary; and
Best practices for employers to avoid unlawful discrimination against pregnant workers.

For more information, visit http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/pregnancy_guidance.cfm

EEO data collection and reporting functions are standard with PCRecruiter. Anyone wishing to collect and track EEO data in their recruitment process can seek information or a demonstration by contacting their PCRecruiter representative.

The Canadian Anti Spam Law (CASL), which was designed to stop spam from being sent to Canadians, goes into effect July 1, 2014. Many people remain unfamiliar with the law, even within Canada, despite its serious potential impact for any business that sends commercial email to Canadian recipients. So what is this law and how does it affect recruiters, staffing agencies, and HR sourcing pros?

WHAT does CASL apply to?

In short, any email, text, or direct social networking message that actively or passively promotes your services or your current job openings could be placed into the category of communications affected by this law.

CASL applies to any "Commercial Electronic Message" (CEM). A CEM is defined as any electronic message (emails, texts, some social media messages) that contains a message which encourages the recipient to take part in some type of commercial activity. This includes e-newsletters that contain a link to a sponsor's website, client satisfaction surveys, mass emails providing general information about your business or organization, etc. It also covers emails requesting consent to send future emails.
There are exemptions from the rule for certain types of messages. For example, you are allowed to send a single CEM to someone without prior consent based on a referral, as long as the full name of the person making the referral is disclosed in the message.

WHO does CASL apply to?

The law is very broad, applying to all CEMs sent to anyone in Canada or by anyone in Canada.

CASL stipulates that Commercial Electronic Messages cannot be sent TO or FROM anyone in Canada without express prior consent. Even if your company is outside of Canada, any emails sent to Canadian jobseekers, partners, or clients fall under the stipulations of the law. Although it may prove difficult to prosecute violators outside of Canada, the the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has stated that it will work with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the US, and other regulatory commissions to enforce this law.
There are exemptions from the "express consent" rule for limited periods of time and under certain "implied consent" circumstances. Implied consent includes recipients who have made a purchase or your product or service, made a business deal, contract, or membership with your organization in the past 24 months. Implied consent also includes a 6-month period following an application or inquiry. If you haven't gotten express consent to continue sending CEMs within the implied consent period, you are required to stop sending CEMs at the end of the 6-month or 24-month time frame.

WHAT are the penalties for violating CASL?

Unlike other anti-spam rules (such as the USA's 'CAN-SPAM' law) Canada's anti-spam law has been given very large, sharp teeth.

The maximum administrative penalty for a violation by a business is $10 million, and directors and officers may be personally liable for their company's violations.
Individuals can be fined up to $1 Million.
Up until June 30, 2017, the penalties will be administrative only. After July 1, 2017, the law allows individual suits against violators. Receivers of illegal messages can sue for $200 per individual transgression up to $1 Million per day. Additional penalties may be levied for altering transmission data and other violations.

HOW can I comply with CASL?

Some of the stipulations for complying with CASL are the same as those for complying with the US CAN-SPAM law. Make sure that your emails include the following:

Your name (or the name by which you conduct business if different) in your messages.
Your physical mailing address plus either a telephone number, web address, or email address in your messages.
A link to a method of unsubscribing from future messages which takes effect within 10 days.

In addition to the above, but differing from CAN-SPAM:

Recipients must give express consent to receive your messages. This consent can be oral or written, although written consent is clearly better should questions arise.
You must retain a record of your consent confirmations.
Methods for collecting consent via a form must be clear and affirmative. The person opting in must check a box or perform some other action which is clearly marked with a description of its purpose. Asking the person to un-check a pre-checked box is not allowed.

HOW can PCRecruiter help me comply?

Although PCRecruiter has offered "unsubscribe" tracking for many years, the new CASL law has generated changes in how email is handled. The next system update will include an 'opt-in / opt-out' function which can be used in form letters, custom forms, email signatures, and job board links. The system will also include methods for tracking the 6-month and 24-month 'implicit' permission allowed under the law. The system will apply these settings automatically when sending email communications. PCRecruiter also gains new options for adding and removing multiple email addresses from the opt-in/out lists, as well as capabilities for exporting and importing email addresses in CSV format.

If you send email to anyone in Canada, or you operate business in Canada, you will want to become familiar with this new law and make sure that your electronic communications comply with it. This information is not intended as an offering of legal advice; please consult with your applicable legal authority regarding the CASL or any other compliance activities that you may undertake.

If you desire assistance with implementing features in PCRecruiter, please contact your Main Sequence representative.

Our friends at Software Advice have analyzed the new Inc., Magazine "Inc. 5000." list and have compared it with the 2008 listing. Their conclusion is that the "HR ecosystem" has grown and changed, consolidating, gaining employees and generating more revenue than five years ago. We'd like to think PCRecruiter has something to do with that, naturally.

For complete details, check out their study at http://www.softwareadvice.com/hr/industryview/hr-ecosystem/

The results of the Software Advice 2013 Recruiting Channels Survey, sponsored in part by PCRecruiter, are in! Here's what they've found:

Current Use of Recruiting Channels: 97 percent of participating recruiters said they have used employee referrals to source new hires in 2013. Traditional job boards and company careers pages came in at number two and three respectively. Social media was a close fourth, with 80 percent of recruiters saying they have used these channels to source hires.
Channels Delivering the Highest Volume of Candidates: The channel delivering the most candidates into recruiters’ inboxes was still traditional job boards, while employee referrals came in second. Social media came in at a strong third.
Channels Delivering the Highest Quality of Candidates: While traditional job boards delivered the highest volume of candidates for recruiters, employee referrals still deliver (by far) the best candidates for open positions. However, more respondents said social media delivered higher quality candidates than traditional job boards.
Projected Use and Budget for Each Channel in 2013: Although traditional job boards, employee referrals and company careers pages were the top three most used channels, recruiters plan to invest more in social media in 2013.
Conclusion: The data would seem to support the hypothesis that social media recruiting is only going to increase in the coming years, but only time will tell.

For the complete results, check out Software Advice's slideshare here: http://www.slideshare.net/SoftwareAdvice/2013-23205044

A new study found that when it comes to human resources hiring decisions, employers may value candidates who are a good cultural fit over those who can do best on the job. The researchers voice concerns that the emphasis on background similarities may create a class bias in hiring at elite firms.

Study author Lauren A. Rivera, an assistant professor of management and organizations and sociology at Northwestern University, spoke out in the December issue of the American Sociological Review. She said, “Of course, employers are looking for people who have the baseline of skills to effectively do the job. But, beyond that, employers really want people who they will bond with, who they will feel good around, who will be their friend and maybe even their romantic partner.”

Based on more than 100 interviews at leading U.S. investment banks, law firms and management consulting firms, more than half of the evaluators ranked cultural fit as the most important criterion at the job interview stage. Rivera suggests that this may mean that parental socioeconomic status plays a big part here. She said, “Evaluators are predominately white, Ivy League-educated, upper-middle or upper class men and women who tend to have more stereotypically masculine leisure pursuits and favor extracurricular activities associated with people of their background.”

Rivera also commented on how these findings might apply to other workplaces. While leisure interests would be expected to be particularly significant in more affluent circles, the specific cultural similarities that matter might vary in different settings. If you’re applying at a health food store, maybe no one will care if you play squash, but being a vegan could potentially give you an edge.

While the authors say this is the first empirical demonstration of this process, human resource professionals have long recognized the importance of finding candidates who fit in. This is one reason behind detailed job descriptions that give applicants a chance to screen themselves out if long hours or a laid-back environment doesn’t jibe with their personal values. It also helps to explain why employee referrals are highly valued for finding new employees who will connect with the current ones.

If nothing else, employers may want to consider whether the study findings suggest a barrier to bringing on board new employees who could be top performers and the implications for developing diverse and inclusive workplaces. For recruiters and job seekers, it’s another reminder to pay attention to extracurricular activities and other considerations that could be even more important than grades and job skills.

More companies are looking to bring on new recruiters as they prepare for the typical end-of-the-year hiring surge.

A recent report from Wanted Analytics found that the number of job postings for recruiters and other staffing professionals increased by 12 percent in September when compared to 2011 and by 29 percent when compared to 2010. This is also a good sign that the recruitment industry has officially recovered from the effects of the economic recession.

When it comes to overall growth in recruiting jobs, San Francisco takes the lead, with a 36 percent increase in job postings when compared to last year. The top five cities with the most recruiting jobs listed during September were:

New York, N.Y.
Washington, D.C.
Chicago, Ill.
Los Angeles, Calif.
San Francisco, Calif.

And if you’re looking for a recruiting job, make sure you’re brushing up on your negotiation and social media skills, because it’s not enough to just know the basics anymore:

We’ve been watching hiring demand for Recruiters for a while and noticed that job requirements continue to evolve for this profession. In addition to traditional recruiting skills – like experience with applicant tracking software (ATS) and full lifecycle recruiting – there are several emerging skill sets that are gaining more traction every month. Two of these include negotiation and social media skills. The number of job ads that look for candidates with strong negotiation abilities is up 13 percent compared to September 2011. Job ads with social media requirements have grown even more incredibly, up 52 percent since last year.

To learn more about ATS and other important recruitment tools, check out www.pcrecruiter.net.

With the 2012 Presidential Election less than three weeks away, we’ve officially entered the dreaded zone of back and forth debates, non-stop trash talking commercials, and endless political posts on Facebook. Even though this time of year can be annoying, there are some things that recruiters can learn, especially from the Presidential debates.

Americans don’t simply let someone walk into the White House without an intense screening process, the same way that you shouldn’t hire new employees without knowing all that you can about them. While the vetting process isn’t quite as intense for normal job candidates, there are still a lot of similarities.

Here are five things recruiters can learn from the Presidential debates:

Interview your candidates thoroughly. Just as Americans want to know as much as they can about each Presidential candidate before they make a decision, recruiters should learn as much as they can about each potential employee before choosing who to hire. Keep in mind that it usually takes more than one interview to learn everything you need to know about a candidate – you not only want to know about their experience and their skills, but their attitude and how they will fit in with your company culture – so it helps to have a series of different types of interviews with different people in the company.
Understand what each candidate’s strengths are. By thoroughly reading through their resumes and conducting several interviews, you should eventually be able to pinpoint what each candidate’s strengths are. Once you know each candidate’s skills and abilities, you can more easily decide who’s talents align with the job and your company as a whole.
Understand what each candidate’s weaknesses are. Just as you need to know what each candidate’s strengths are, you also need to know what each candidate’s weaknesses are. You can unveil a job seeker’s weaknesses by simply asking them what they think their own weaknesses are and by asking a number of other behavioral-based questions. You shouldn’t always discount a candidate because of their weaknesses, but instead ask yourself how you might be able to help that job seeker overcome their weaknesses and whether or not they’re willing to grow and learn within the position.
Check the facts. Just like Presidential candidates, most job seekers will say almost anything to make themselves look good, which is why you need to check all the facts. Make sure you verify a potential employee’s education and employment history, try to speak to a few references about the candidate, and maybe even conduct a thorough background check so you can be assured the person is who they say they are.
Pick the person that’s best for the job. Once all the interviews are complete and your fact-checking is done, you might be left with several candidates that you think have enough experience and are qualified for the position. This is where you need to use your gut instinct to pick who will be best for the job at hand, not necessarily who has the most experience or the most education.

A huge number of Americans are currently looking for new job opportunities – is your recruiting team ready?

Earlier this week, Jobvite released its Social Job Seeker Survey 2012, which found that a whopping 75 percent of Americans in the workforce are looking for new job opportunities. This is a 6 percent increase from last year.

The survey polled more than 2,100 adults – 1,300 of which are considered to be in the workforce, meaning they are either employed or unemployed and looking for a job. Of those who are employed, 69 percent are looking for a new job, up from 61 percent last year.

Some other interesting findings of the survey include:

About 33 percent of job seekers are less optimistic about finding a new job this year.
61 percent of job seekers think finding a job is more difficult this year.
41 percent of job seekers think they are overqualified for their current positions.
83 percent of job seekers use Facebook to look for work, a slight jump from 82 percent in 2011.
The number of job seekers using Twitter to look for work increased from 37 percent to 46 percent over the last year.
The number of job seekers looking for work on LinkedIn grew from 32 percent to 41 percent between 2011 and 2012.
88 percent of all job seekers have at least one social media profile, while 64 percent have two accounts, and 44 percent are using three or more networks.
24 percent of job seekers have been asked for social media info when applying for a job.

“With fierce competition for jobs, which now includes a majority of employed people on top of active job seekers, social media has become a critical tool for job hunting and career growth,” Dan Finnigan, President & CEO of Jobvite, said in a press release. “One in six job seekers polled credited a social network for leading to their current/most recent employment.

“Maintaining your online presence and keeping employment top-of-mind at all times are vital to professional success,” he continued. “With technology and social networking rapidly evolving, those who don’t engage through Facebook, LinkedIn and/or Twitter will quickly find themselves falling behind.”

A new employment community in Australia – Insidetrak.com.au – recently launched. The service links job ads and workplace reviews by employees with the aim of helping Australians find the jobs that fit them best.

The combination of tens of thousands of live job ads with answers to the big question, “what’s it really like to work there?” makes a convenient location and information-rich experience for people considering a change of employer.

“InsideTrak will give job seekers a more complete view of a potential workplace and also allow employers to participate in the conversation about their company,” said founder, Mike Larsen. “Ultimately, we see InsideTrak helping to achieve an Australian workforce better suited to their place of work and reducing staff turnover.”

InsideTrak’s founding principle is anonymity – a safe place where anyone can give their honest, no-holds-barred opinion of their current or former employer.

“We see InsideTrak as a community, since we ask members to provide a review before they can see everyone else’s. We want people to feel comfortable about giving their honest opinion and we are asking people to think about how they can help others to find the workplace they deserve, and that fits their specific needs.”

Employers and recruiters are encouraged to join the conversation. “We are looking for candidates to socialise with employers and recruiters directly – we don’t recycle jobs from traditional job boards, rather we connect them directly to the advertiser’s own site,” Larsen explained.

And, naturally, InsideTrak can accept the RSS 2.0 feeds that PCRecruiter offers, thereby allowing InsideTrak to automatically update its site with the current job listings from any PCRecruiter database. PCRecruiter users can ask their trainer or consultant for info on setting up the feed.

For more info, see http://www.insidetrak.com.au or follow on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/InsideTrak

The Human Resource Executive’s HR Technology Conference & Exposition is coming up next week, October 7-10. We’re excited about the event and want to make sure that everyone can check out the conference schedule on their phones or tablets, so here you go:

Sunday, October 7
5 – 6:30 p.m.

The HR Technology Connection Reception

Monday, October 8
8:45 – 10 a.m.

OPENING KEYNOTE – Rethinking The Cloud in Human Terms
- Tom Koulopoulos, President and Co-Founder, Delphi Group — the 20-year-old consulting group focused on innovation, knowledge and process management; author of seven books, the latest published in May — Cloud Surfing: A New Way to Think About Risk, Innovation, Scale and Success
  - With technology changing at light speed, how can we possibly predict what the future holds for us and our organizations? While predicting the future of technology is never easy, the harder part is actually predicting how technology will change behavior. Tom Koulopoulos, recognized by InformationWeek as one of the world’s six most influential consultants and author of his just-released seventh book Cloud Surfing: A New Way to Think About Risk, Innovation, Scale and Success, opens this year’s conference with his keen insights on The Cloud, one of our major themes. Weaving a tapestry of storytelling and expertise, Tom will explore what The Cloud really is and what it means for today’s employers. And why taking the human element into account as you shape and execute your HR technology strategy matters more than ever. Tom will debunk some of the more common myths surrounding The Cloud and shed much-needed light on specific steps organizations can take to maximize its value as a platform for attracting, retaining and growing talent.

11 a.m. – 12:15

Sixth Annual Talent Management Panel (SV1)
- Moderator: Jason Averbook, Co-Founder & CEO, Knowledge Infusion
- David Adrian, Senior Director, Global Talent Management, Walmart
- Vicki Colaneri, Director, Global Workforce Technology, Motorola Solutions
- Dan Guaglianone, Global Leader, HR Operations, Merck
- Heathre Moler, Global Director of HR, ETS-Lindgren
  - The world of Talent Management has never been more confusing but at the same time more important to the business. During the life of this annual panel, we have gone from best-of-breeds leading the way to a focus on the Talent Management suite to the more unified HCM focus we are living with today. Now let’s add some game-changing solutions to the mix, including gamification, Big Data, and radical new rewards and incentive systems. Panelists are using each of the methods mentioned above to deploy Talent Management to more than 2 million employees in 74 countries. What have they learned? How can you avoid their mistakes? These questions and more will be answered by some of the world’s most influential HR operations and technology practitioners.

Neiman Marcus Helps a Loyal Workforce (TM1)
- Nina Kern, VP, Associate Relations & Associate Development, Neiman Marcus Group
- Keith Meyerson, Director, Learning & Development, Neiman Marcus Group
- Adam Miller, President & CEO, Cornerstone OnDemand
  - With over 15,000 associates, the iconic Neiman Marcus Group is recognized not only for its exemplary customer service, but also for having some of the lowest turnover in the retail industry. Based on shifting demographics and the impending exodus of the Baby Boomer generation, the organization realized there was an opportunity to leverage technology to both capture the vast knowledge of its tenured workforce, as well as empower associates to share best practices. Nina Kern, a 29-year veteran and Keith Meyerson, with less than 3 years tenure, partnered to leverage their diverse experience to navigate the selection of an integrated Talent Management Solution and the implementation to a very tenured workforce. Come learn how they navigated this minefield of challenges to introduce new technology that was readily accepted and demonstrated immediate impact.

Marsh Transforms Itself With Social Technology (SE1)
- Laurie Ledford, CHRO, Marsh & McLennan Companies
- Ben Brooks, SVP & Global Director, Enterprise Communications & Colleague Engagement, Marsh Inc.
  - After five years of jawboning about social technology (mostly for recruiting and learning), some companies are stepping up to use it throughout the enterprise — finally — to get other real work done. Amazingly, a prime example comes from the world of insurance, probably the most conservative industry vertical. Hear how Marsh, the world’s leading insurance broker and risk advisor with 25,000 employees in 100 countries, is leveraging state-of-the-art social technologies to harness the expertise, networks, resources and ideas of all its employees and how it now “delivers the whole company” to clients, rather than just the local office. Plus, what you always suspected — that technology was the easy part and getting employees to collaborate in new ways was the most challenging. But if an insurance giant can do it?

Relieve the Guilt! A Starter’s Guide to Workforce Analytics (WFA1)
- Brian J. Kelly, Partner, Global Commercial Leader of Metrics & Analytics, Mercer
  - Normally our breakout sessions are not labeled “beginner, intermediate, advanced.” But after offering Workforce Analytics solo presentations, case studies and panels since 2005 — without a notable increase in corporate adoption — we’ll try anything. So consider this Workforce Analytics 101. Brian Kelly will outline a comprehensive roadmap and practical guide to getting started and achieving success. He will share, in very practical terms, how to engage senior business leaders to support analytic initiatives, how to choose the metrics and analytics appropriate for your organization’s objectives and strategies, whether to purchase or develop enabling technology solutions, and how to deliver all this insight across the organization. All just to help you stop feeling guilty about not seriously doing Workforce Analytics!

Four Seasons Consolidates to One HR & Talent Management System (HCM1)
- Mary Sullivan, SVP, Corporate HR, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
- Dave Duffield, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Workday
  - As companies expand globally, sometimes it seems that consolidating all the acquired HR systems is the last thing thought about. And in the hotel business, chains often don’t own the buildings but have management contracts to run (and brand) properties for private individual owners — sometimes with their own IT infrastructure. Last fall, Four Seasons had 86 hotels in 35 countries, about 50 different HR systems with plans to add 55 more… hotels, that is. By conference time, SVP Mary Sullivan is hoping her final phase of consolidation onto one HRMS and Talent Management solution is complete when it goes live in Arabic for Egypt, Jordan, Beirut and Ryadh. Naturally, the goal isn’t just to have one HRMS but to be better at managing the talent of 36,000 employees. And maybe also to stay on Fortune’s “100 Best Places to Work”; list for the 16th year in a row.

McDonald’s Modernizes Corporate Recruiting (RR1)
- Mike Chernesky, Talent Acquisition Director, Corporate HR, McDonald’s
- Ray Bixler, President & CEO, SkillSurvey
  - McDonald’s operates over 33,000 restaurants circling the globe in 119 countries serving nearly 68 million customers every day. At global corporate headquarters 45 minutes west of McCormick Place, Mike Chernesky is responsible for keeping 2,500 positions filled with a small team to help him do it. Last year he hired 400+ people. This year, he expects 500+. Strictly by the numbers, he’s working for an small-medium business with the resources to match! Since he started six years ago, he’s been modernizing Talent Acquisition, just as the company has been modernizing its restaurants. He’ll tell you about all the challenges and roadblocks he’s faced, including adopting automated reference-checking that, like self-service, puts it in the hands of the person who cares most: the candidate.

Cisco Uses RPO to Help Hire Up to 15,000 a Year! (OS1)
- Mark Hamberlin, VP, HR Global Staffing, Cisco
- Rebecca Callahan, President, RPO, Randstad Sourceright
  - Cisco continues the endless acquisitions that first made it famous, still doing two or three a year. The 64,000 global positions that VP Mark Hamberlin worries about can bump up by 5,000 or more at any time. He already fills 13,000 to 15,000 positions a year (3,000 to 4,000 each quarter) in Cisco’s hugely competitive networking market. Come hear about the flexible and adaptive model he’s devised to manage changing recruiting volumes and the changing role of RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) in it. Sometimes he uses RPO in a traditional manner to get more recruiters for sourcing and selecting applicants; other times as a supplier of sourcing data. And now he even has his RPO provider actually hire some candidates he selects, rent them back to him and pay them for him!

Mobile (ED1)
- Josh Bersin, CEO, Bersin & Associates
  - Four of the world’s “Most Powerful HR Technology Experts,” selected by Human Resource Executive® magazine, host small group discussions on their favorite topics. Together, they have spent about 120 years working in and advising others about HR technology. They are facilitating un-conference group discussions where you should expect to participate. And learn.

12:15 – 2 p.m.

Top HR Products of 2012 Awards Luncheon
- Sponsored by Epicor
- Luncheon Entertainment from Mike Rayburn: “What If …?”
  - For 23 years, Human Resource Executive® magazine has annually recognized excellence and innovation in the HR vendor community with its Top HR Products Awards. Don’t miss this year’s selections and why they made the cut at Monday’s luncheon – it just might include the exact solution you’ve been looking for.

3:15 – 4:30 p.m.

Public Debut of the 15th Annual CedarCrestone HR Systems Survey (SV2)
- Lexy Martin, VP, Research & Analytics, CedarCrestone
  - Lexy has always tracked the adoption, the planned adoption and the value companies have received from 30+ HR technologies. For the 15th anniversary of her Survey, she will also review adoption trends over the past 15 years and forecast adoption for the next three years. Lexy believes this year may mark an inflection point for users switching from upgrading their core systems of record to replacing them, not to mention the increasing impact from all things social and mobile. So she will share an emerging blueprint to sit alongside the blueprint provided for the past five years. In addition, the survey has begun tracking three new technologies: Big Data, collaborative knowledge sharing and work management software. Lexy also will attempt to answer Co-Chair Bill Kutik’s nagging question: Just how pervasive is social, mobile and analytics in enterprise HR technologies?

Come Back to the San Diego Zoo Six Years Later! (TM2)
- Tim Mulligan, CHRO, San Diego Zoo Global
- Paul Loucks, President & CEO, Halogen Software
  - Lots more than names and titles have changed since Tim Mulligan first presented at the conference about the world-famous San Diego Zoo. The former Wild Animal Park has become “The Safari Park,” which better describes what you do there. With research and conservation activities, the organization is a $300 million non-profit with 1,800 full-time employees and 3,400 at its seasonal peak. Tim started with paper, like many SMBs, but now has six years of experience to share with you about getting every employee onto Performance Management, Goals and Pay-for-Performance — and getting them all aligned. And that’s with half his full-timers and all his part-timers being in the Teamsters!

Third Annual Social Media Panel: The Rise of Collaboration Tools in the Enterprise (SE2)
- Moderator: Kris Dunn, VP, HR, Kinetix
- Todd Chandler, VP, Learning and Performance, Helzberg Diamonds
- Ben Brooks, SVP & Global Director, Enterprise Communications & Colleague Engagement, Marsh Inc.
- Phoebe Venkat, Director, Digital and Social Media Communications, ADT
- Oliver Marks, Founding Partner, The Sovos Group; Industry Analyst; Collaboration 2.0 blogger
  - Social media sure was cute, and the corporate Twitter account and the recruiting blog were fun, but they had no scale. In this panel, four experts will discuss the role of collaboration networks (think Yammer, Chatter, custom platforms, etc.) deployed across the enterprise with an eye toward adoption and getting real work done. The panel will consider why organizations decide to deploy collaboration tools, how to drive adoption once a network is launched and the role of social functionality in the success of any tool used. They will also explore the role of recognition and how organizational expertise can be featured and enabled via collaboration tools. The session will wrap up with notes on the elephant in the room — the need for transparency and tolerating dissent and sharp opinions as the use of any collaboration network grows.

CH2M HILL Explains Workforce Planning 101 (WFA2)
- David Sutherland, Director, Workforce Insight, CH2M HILL
- Jay April, Chief Development Officer, OptTek Systems
  - Global construction and engineering giant CH2M HILL has been doing advanced Workforce Planning for years. The complexity of its business — delivering some of the most challenging projects around the world — coupled with an aging workforce, shrinking talent market and retention challenges absolutely requires it. David Sutherland, a leading workforce analytics expert and enthusiast (after his time as an FBI Special Agent), is helping CH2M HILL effectively plan for these challenges With a passion for educating others on this business imperative, he has agreed to KISS. Probably a good idea to attend Brian Kelly’s WFA1, since you can’t do Workforce Planning without Workforce Analytics first. But maybe you don’t need an introduction to Analytics before diving into Planning with David.

How Aeropostale Manages Teenage Employees and Customers (HCM2)
- Kathy Gentilozzi, SVP, HR, Aeropostale
- Stuart C. Harvey, CEO, Ceridian
  - What would you do if you had to help schedule almost 20,000 17- and 18-year-olds (many part time, of course) working in nearly 1,000 stores across the country selling clothes to teens not much younger than themselves?!? You’d put it all on a smart phone, right? That’s what Kathy Gentilozzi did after she arrived at giant Aeropostale and saw paper schedules covering literally an entire wall at some stores. She also knew Workforce Management software would be a big win because it enabled Aeropostale to pay employees through cash cards, thereby eliminating the need for them to drive to their store to pick up a paycheck and then dash to the bank to cash it. Employees now even have the ability to see how much they’ve earned so far each week at any time. How awesome is that?!?

The Second Annual Candidate Experience Awards — The CandEs! (RR2)
- Elaine Orler, Co-Founder & President, Talent Function
- Gerry Crispin, Co-Founder, CareerXroads
- Ed Newman, VP Strategy, iMomentous
  - Fortune has its “Best Companies to Work For.” The Candidate Experience Awards are for the “Best Companies to Apply to Work For.” Everyone knows, especially the three recruiting experts who founded this competition and are presenting this session, that most companies treat job applicants awfully. In an attempt to make that better, find role models and identify best practices, last year 59 companies entered the competition by filling out a lengthy questionnaire. Many agreed to have their candidates surveyed (11,000 surveys in all!), and 25 companies got awards at the conference, five with distinction. Those top five included PepsiCo and State Farm Insurance. This year getting an award will be a lot tougher with triple the number of companies interested, especially after three articles in The Wall Street Journal. Certainly attend to find out this year’s winners, but more importantly to hear how they do it so well, so maybe you can too. And this may be your last chance because in 2013, the CandEs may have to move to the former Kodak Theater!

Ericsson Outsources Global Payroll in Manila (OS2)
- Mark Howes, HR Director Asia/Pacific, Ericsson
- Mary Sue Rogers, Global Managing Director, HR Managed Services, Talent2
  - HR people used to complain about the complexities of dealing with 700+ taxing authorities in the 50 American states. But with every company going global, now the challenges are paying workers in Brunei, Sri Lanka, Manila and their neighbors, in this case, 14 countries altogether. Coupled with this is dealing with allowances in developing countries as compared to the allowances of industrialized countries. These are the challenges Mark Howes faces as the Australian head of HR for the 4,500 people communications giant Ericsson employs in Asia Pacific. “We manage the cultural HR complexities and global standardization requirements that arise when working across First, Second and Third World countries,” he says, “all within a professional services environment and varied change management expectations.” Howes will explain how he took on a managed service partner to outsource payroll with a focus on the implementation issues, governance and, of course, languages.

Big Data (ED2)
- Thomas Otter, VP Research, Gartner
  - Four of the world’s “Most Powerful HR Technology Experts,” selected by Human Resource Executive® magazine, host small group discussions on their favorite topics. Together, they have spent about 120 years working in and advising others about HR technology. They are facilitating un-conference group discussions where you should expect to participate. And learn.

6:30 – 10:30 p.m.

No Boundaries – SAP & SuccessFactors Better Together (Evening event at House of Blues)
- Join us on Monday evening at the House of Blues® for a fun filled evening of food, drink and great music! We are excited to announce the entertainment will be “The Gold Coast All Star Blues Revue” featuring Jerry Depizzo from O.A.R. on sax, Big Head Todd from Big Head Todd and the Monsters on guitar and vocals, Rob and Jim Bonocorsi from the Freddy Jones Band on guitar/vocals and bass respectively, Nick Kitsos formerly of the Bodeans on drums, and Danny Chaimson (formerly of O.A.R., Jem, Solange Knowles and many others) on keys and vocals. It’s an all-star group of big name musicians who come together through their mutual love of the blues.

Tuesday, October 9

8:45 – 10 a.m.

Bringing HR Into The Cloud – Naomi’s Master Panel
- MODERATOR: Naomi Lee Bloom, Managing Partner, Bloom & Wallace
- Steven Miranda, SVP, Applications Development, Oracle
- Sanjay Poonen, President Global Solutions, SAP
- Stan Swete, CTO, Workday
- Mike Capone, VP for Product Development and CIO, ADP
- John Wookey, EVP, Social Applications, Salesforce.com
- Adam Rogers, CTO, Ultimate Software
- HR technology moving to The Cloud is no longer a question. The momentum — sales, investment, M&A, new product delivery, customer preferences, and more — is clearly on the side of subscribed, hosted, cloudy (and, ideally, real SaaS) applications. But getting the full business benefits of The Cloud — for vendors, their direct customers, and your entire workforce — is going to take considerable effort on everyone’s part. To sort this all out for you, our world’s favorite expert, Naomi Lee Bloom, has assembled an elite group of senior industry executives together for the first time on any stage. They are ultimately in charge of making the technology, business and product decisions shaping the future of HR in The Cloud, as well as your own. Will they have differences of opinion? Given how they compete for your business in the marketplace, they certainly will. Join them to learn how we all will collectively pioneer this next frontier in HR technology.

11 a.m. – 12:15

SaaS Contracts: How Not to Get Ripped Off! (SV3)
- Thomas Otter, VP Research, Gartner
- Industry Analysts exist because the hardware/software business is too complicated for anyone to have the time to understand adequately while holding down another job! While their focus most often is on competing products and technologies, Thomas Otter (four years at Gartner after many at SAP) is going to focus on something often overlooked these days: the SaaS contract. So different from the old on-premise model of a large perpetual license fee paid upfront plus yearly maintenance, which has held sway for 40 years! Gartner experience indicates SaaS contracts signed by HR leaders without IT procurement support are usually at least 30 percent more expensive and lack adequate provisions for renewal, changing user numbers, new functionality, data retrieval and much more. Come learn the typical blunders SaaS buyers make and how to avoid them.

Learning Systems: Where Are We Now? (TM3)
- Josh Bersin, CEO, Bersin & Associates
- The Learning and Development industry has changed dramatically — traditional LMS vendors have been gobbled up by Talent Management and ERP providers – while attention has rapidly shifted toward informal, social and mobile learning. Training, leadership and employee development continues to be the single biggest challenge CEOs (and thus HR) face. In this research-based presentation, Josh Bersin will give you the absolute latest on the learning-technology landscape, an area he knows better than anyone. He will discuss today’s vendor marketplace for LMS platforms, social and mobile learning systems, and the fast-growing market for integrated learning and talent platforms with examples and solutions from some of the world’s leading companies. Don’t miss your chance to find out how best to develop a modern, integrated learning technology strategy.

Salesforce Recruits on Social Steroids (SE3)
- Brad Warga, Former VP, Corporate Recruiting, Salesforce.com
- Social technology first penetrated the enterprise in recruiting. For years, many companies have experimented using various technologies, some doing little more than throwing them against the wall to see what stuck. (Doug Berg will be more specific about the risks they created in RR4.) But if you want a role model for how the modern VP of Recruiting uses social technology, come hear Brad Warga. It’s not just that he works for a cool software company (Salesforce.com) in the most competitive tech recruiting city in the world (San Francisco). No, it’s that he has organized his team of 50 into five roles and built a virtual hiring machine, with each staff member sitting in a cockpit that includes every appropriate technology lever at their command. If he doesn’t tell the story about the 10,000 Oracle salespeople, ask him!

Demystifying Predictive Analytics Panel (WFA3)
- Moderator: Jac Fitz-enz, Ph.D., CEO, Human Capital Source
- Laurie Bassi, Ph.D., CEO, McBassi & Company
- John R. Mattox II, Ph.D., Director of Research, KnowledgeAdvisors
- Eugene Burke, Chief Science & Analytics Officer, SHL
- Natalie Tarnopolsky, SVP, Analytics and Insights, Wells Fargo Bank
- Blame it all on Jac Fitz-enz. He was the first, nearly three decades ago, to say HR had to measure what it did. Now, of course, he (and his panelists) have gone way beyond “What should we measure?” They each have at least a dozen years of practical experience in metrics and analytics. Their focus is no longer on what has already happened, but on the predictive side, examining analytic applications around Performance Management, engagement, retention and the predictable effects of human capital investments on business outcomes. Yes, with three doctoral degrees on stage, this session would have to be considered “advanced,” but Jac will be distributing a template for conducting predictive analytics so at least there will be a cheat sheet to what they’re talking about.

McAfee Protects Its Customers But Focuses on Its People (HCM3)
- J.C. Herrera, SVP, Global HR & Learning, McAfee
- David Ludlow, Group VP, HR Line of Business Solutions, SAP
- For a company of 7,000 people, McAfee, the famous maker of anti-virus software, is astoundingly global. It sells its McAfee All Access and other products in 120 countries with sales and development employees in more than 45. Every department in the company has people in India. It still operates on its own after being acquired by Intel last year and is still very acquisitive, buying one or two companies a quarter. A very early adopter of SAP HCM, McAfee has since added a line-up of Talent Management best-of-breeds: SuccessFactors Performance, Taleo Recruiting and SilkRoad Onboarding. Despite being tech-savvy, SVP J.C. Herrera is more concerned about how these applications will all enable his “Focus on People,” a strategic initiative to create a global, comprehensive hire-to-retire process for employees while building talent from within. With lots of emphasis on analytics. Should he get a suite instead? He’ll tell you.

Informatica Modernizes Recruiting and Takes It to Russia (RR3)
- Brad Cook, Global VP, Talent Acquisition, Informatica
- Robert Hohman, CEO & Co-Founder, Glassdoor
- If you feel that your company doesn’t have all the latest technology to meet its recruiting needs, Brad Cook has been in the same boat. After working at Cisco, he arrived at Informatica, a provider of data integration software, and found eight recruiters with no ATS, no employment branding, a website that didn’t sell, no SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and (now) nearly 2,600 employees spread around 27 countries. Join him to learn how he modernized his recruiting organization, expanded his group to 38, and drove up awareness and visibility for his company among potential candidates. And how Informatica is one of just four foreign companies permitted to recruit at the Saint Petersburg State University, one of the oldest and largest in Russia!

Benefits in a Time of Uncertainty – A CHRO Panel (OS3)
- Moderator: Mark Stelzner, Principal/Founder, Inflexion Advisors
- Artell Smith, CHRO, Aon Hewitt
- Brian Johnson, EVP, HR, Fidelity Investments
- Norbert Englert, CHRO, Mercer
- Gail McKee, CHRO, Towers Watson
- Tom Maddison, Corporate SVP & CHRO, Xerox Corporation
- As a nation, we spend more on health care than food, clothing and national defense combined. As employers, we constantly strive to balance the physical well-being of our employees against the fiscal realities of rising health care costs. To address these challenges, your company may lean on one of our panelists’ organizations for a variety of benefits consulting and outsourcing services. Despite their firms supporting tens of millions of your employees and retirees every single day, have you wondered how they collectively care for their own employees across the globe? Mark Stelzner has collected a panel of senior HR leaders to candidly explore the changing role of benefits amidst a backdrop of unpredictable legislation, increasingly complex regulatory compliance, the rise of consumerism and the question on many employers’ minds: What would happen if we stopped offering benefits to our employees? Whatever the Supreme Court decides about the Affordable Care Act, this panel is not to be missed.

How to Deploy Software to Achieve Your Strategy (ED3)
- Jason Averbook, CEO, Knowledge Infusion
- Four of the world’s “Most Powerful HR Technology Experts,” selected by Human Resource Executive® magazine, host small group discussions on their favorite topics. Together, they have spent about 120 years working in and advising others about HR technology. They are facilitating un-conference group discussions where you should expect to participate. And learn.

1:45 – 3 p.m.

Awesome New Technologies for HR
- Technology for HR has remained incredibly innovative for 15 years. What everyone calls SaaS started in Recruiting at least that many years ago. Silicon Valley may love its new consumer apps, but we think it’s way cooler to come up with a new enterprise application (or recreate an old one) that might change the lives of hundreds of millions of people at work. That’s what you’ll see here: live demonstrations of the most awesome new software and tools from every corner of HR. We spend July and August watching online product demonstrations. Send us new companies: use the LinkedIn group or email bill@kutik.com. We don’t end the search until early September, when the final products will be announced. Some may be bleeding edge, but others will be available immediately to help you get the job done in ways you might never have imagined.

4 – 5:15 p.m.

Going Global Panel: Executives on Route (SV4)
- Moderator: Karen Beaman, Founder & CEO, Jeitosa Group
- Cory Scott, Corporate Manager, Global HR Technology, Corning
- Nicole Radil, Senior Business Leader, MasterCard
- Kathleen Kennebeck, Global Payroll Operations Lead, Monsanto
- Leon Kenny, Director Global HR Shared Services, InterContinental Hotels Group
- Being successful in a global environment requires striking a careful and creative balance between local needs and practices and global goals and strategies. While there is no one right approach for doing business globally, there are leading practices that can be learned from other organizations at different stages in their global journey, which is exactly where these leading executives find themselves. Moderator Karen Beaman will begin with a brief description of the four global business models and how they apply to the HR technology landscape. The panelists will then focus on questions in three key global areas: Talent Management, Payroll and Metrics & Analytics, and of course your questions. Learn from their real-life examples demonstrating solutions to some of the global HR technology challenges all companies face as they pursue business opportunities abroad.

Aligning the Workforce at The Dow Chemical Company (TM4)
- Cathy Brubaker, Global Director, Human Capital Development, The Dow Chemical Company
- Jason Blessing, SVP, Talent Management Applications, Oracle/Taleo
- When you’re Dow, you have special problems as a result of selling 5,000 products in 160 countries, making them in 36 and having yearly sales north of $60 billion. At the end of 2010, the company decided to transform itself from a focus on producing and selling commodities (what do we make that we can sell?) to a focus on the market (what do people want to buy now and in the future that we can make?). Cathy Brubaker saw that perceptions outside and inside the company were different. She needed to get the almost 53,000 employees aligned. She took the company’s existing core competencies and changed them so they could be applied to selection and later assessment. She admits the project was “hugely difficult,” and she’s ready to show you how she changed the course of an oil tanker.

eHarmony Finds Compatible Employees (SE4)
- Kristen Martin, VP, HR, eHarmony
- Dan Finnigan, President & CEO, Jobvite
- Even popular internet companies face the same challenges you do. Headquartered in Santa Monica, CA, where a growing number of them are putting down roots, eHarmony finds itself in a highly competitive market for recruiting top talent. The company’s famous matching methodology to determine compatibility for love does not extend to recruiting new employees. Instead VP of HR Kristen Martin has her team focused on generating referrals from her 270 employees and says the social aspects of recruiting are a natural evolution for finding high quality, compatible candidates. With expansion into international markets, the stakes are rising. Come hear her plan.

Workforce Planning Goes Global at International Paper (WFA4)
- Quinn Thompson, Director, Global Talent Acquisition, International Paper
- Peter Louch, CEO, Vemo
- International Paper, the global leader in paper and packaging, made three failed attempts at Workforce Planning, says Quinn Thompson, because it never had a strategy. Now two years into its latest effort, IP has pilots working around the world from the U.S. to Russia, Morocco to China and Brazil to India around its 60,000 employees. Come learn how to launch a similar program to drive better talent acquisition and management, which can change HR’s game and impact across the organization. The steps to be outlined are hardly easy – try reaching consensus on a particular job in a dozen countries – but success can result in more revenue directly to your company’s bottom line.

ConAgra Foods Becomes One Operating Company; HR Gets Modern Tools (HCM4)
- Tim Jones, VP Talent Management, ConAgra Foods
- Sheryl Johnson, Director & Fusion HCM Practice Leader, PwC
- Steven Miranda, Applications Development, Oracle
- With a history going back more than 90 years, ConAgra Foods fills your pantry and freezer with prepared foods, including its famous brands Orville Redenbacher, Hunt’s and PAM. In building the food giant, dozens of companies were acquired, creating many independent operating units. They were stitched together by an ancient PeopleSoft Ver. 8.0 system so heavily customized by consultants, no one internally knew how to support it. In 2005, new CEO Gary Rodkin demanded one integrated operating company, and HR eventually upgraded to Version 9.1 in a new implementation. Then in 2008, Rodkin (the CEO!) asked for a Talent Management strategy and a system to support it! That process led to Tim Jones becoming VP of Talent Management, and the decision to purchase new Fusion SaaS applications. Come hear the best part of Tim’s story: how they tested the strategy first before buying!

Social Recruiting 2.0: Avoiding the Shipwrecks (RR4)
- Doug Berg, Chief Recruiting Geek, Jobs2web/SuccessFactors
- Companies have had five years to make mistakes with social recruiting and have even created a new set of problems for employers not using social networks! Just about everyone agrees that Doug Berg gets social recruiting like no one else. Now come hear how it might get you! Doug will explain how the social networks will impact your employer brand, create social spam among your employees and candidates, and surface radioactive referrals. Also how social APIs will be hijacked by people pirates, causing you new worries about your own social assets being stolen. Plus new issues that will come into play with Facebook’s IPO. And naturally, what you can do about it all. Anybody want to place a newspaper classified ad?

Whirlpool Leverages RPO to Transform Talent Acquisition (OS4)
- Lynanne Kunkel, VP, HR, Whirlpool North America
- Rudy Karsan, CEO, Kenexa
- VP Lynanne Kunkel will be the first to tell you she’s no recruiting expert. An engineer by training, she spent 21 years earlier at Procter & Gamble, where her only brush with recruiting was entry level. Appliance giant Whirlpool still has nine manufacturing plants in the U.S. and four in Mexico, so only 5,000 of its 23,000 U.S. employees are exempt. Part of her strategy for a new HR operating model was taking transactions off HR generalists in the operating units and centralizing processes and functions (like recruiting) with experts. She has been experimenting with the various uses of RPO: first for early-to-mid-career exempt hiring, then with managing her internal hiring process, either through the conversion of contractors to permanent or the use of internal talent sourcing instead of external job postings. By conference time, she’ll be able to tell you what has worked.

HRMS Upgrades & Replacements (ED4)
- Naomi Lee Bloom, Managing Partner, Bloom & Wallace
- Four of the world’s “Most Powerful HR Technology Experts,” selected by Human Resource Executive® magazine, host small group discussions on their favorite topics. Together, they have spent about 120 years working in and advising others about HR technology. They are facilitating un-conference group discussions where you should expect to participate. And learn.

Wednesday, October 10

9 – 10:15 a.m.

The Social Enterprise: New Tools Transform How Work Gets Done (SV5)
- Yvette Cameron, VP & Principal Analyst, Constellation Research; Founder, NextGen Insights
- Our newest Industry Analyst has seen HR enterprise software from many sides. Yvette Cameron first held senior leadership positions with PeopleSoft, then JD Edwards (after it was acquired), Oracle (after it acquired them both!), SAP and Saba (twice). All this after being an HR person for more than 10 years! Yvette’s experience is perfect for her new role of telling us what to think. With her research focusing on next generation HCM processes and technologies, her conference debut subject is, appropriately, about using new social tools for the management of work. She’ll explain how core business processes are being transformed, and how “Work Management” tools are changing work in every department while changing the game for HR. She’ll also cover the roles of mobile, gamification and workforce analytics in the new social enterprise model.

NASDAQ OMX Supplements TM Functionality with On-Premise Core HR (TM5)
- Michael Neglia, Senior HRIS Director, NASDAQ OMX
- Roy Altman, CEO, Peopleserv
- How many on-premise HRMS customers have dismissed their vendors’ Talent Management offerings to buy the applications from a suite vendor? Certainly more than the big HRMS vendors would like. Witness SAP’s acquisition of SuccessFactors and Oracle’s purchase of Taleo. Michael Neglia bought a suite, too, at NASDAQ, which four years ago went from 1,000 to 2,500 employees while on an acquisition spree, culminating in the merger with Sweden’s OMX exchange. But then he reconsidered. He carved out what he needed from his core on-premise system, and supplemented with point solutions that best fit their needs – regardless of vendor. If this describes your situation – or perhaps your dearest wish – come find out how and why he did it.

HRevolution: How Social Tools Can Empower a Global Organization (SE5)
- Trish McFarlane, Director, HR, Perficient
- Steve Boese, Director, Talent Management Strategy, Oracle
- Help create the conversation about how organizations can use the commercial social networks – Facebook, Twitter, Google+ – inside their firewalls to get more work done, more efficiently and with fewer resources. Tell us your experiences using those networks for idea generation, information discovery and collaboration, including both your external and internal ecosystems of partners and suppliers. Has your organization moved from understanding the potential of these networks to actually using them? Come share your experience with your colleagues, who are also looking for meaningful examples and suggestions.

Bissell Now Cleans the World! (HCM5)
- David Dart, VP, Global HR, Bissell Homecare
- Shafiq Lokhandwala, CEO, NuView Systems
- For 136 years, family owned and operated Bissell Homecare has been famous for its carpet sweepers and now for a full line of floor care products. For us, it is the classic example of an SMB (fewer than 1,000 employees, just shy of $1 billion in revenue) having all the same HR challenges as much larger companies, but without all the resources. From its base in Grand Rapids, Mich., Bissell Homecare manages employees and contractors in 31 countries with a goal of moving its global revenue from 8 percent to 51 percent of its yearly total. “The technology we had was simply holding us back,” says VP David Dart, who looked at systems both large and small that would eventually meet his needs to manage both efficiency and scale. By conference time, his process mapping will be finished in Russia, Germany and China.

What’s Next? What Talent Acquisition Challenges Are Seeking Technology Solutions? (RR5)
- Moderators: Gerry Crispin, Principal & Co-Founder, CareerXroads
- Sarah White, Principal & Founder, SW & Associates
- Reginna Burns, VP, Workforce Strategy, People Analytics & Global Talent Acquisition, Lockheed Martin
- Mike Grennier, SVP Talent Acquisition, Key Bank
- Sheila Stygar, Senior Director, Talent Acquisition, PepsiCo
- Frank Wittenauer, Associate Director, Global Talent Solutions, Deloitte
- Talent Acquisition is HR’s tip of the spear on the 21st century battlefield for the best and the brightest. The most successful recruiting teams have had the best technology to take into the field, but they are the first to admit that Shiny Objects aren’t the whole story. In recent years, all the attention has been on the hottest technology tools ranging from “proprietary search & matching algorithms” and “candidate experience platforms” to “mobile-enabled career sites” and “social recruiting aggregation strategies.” Have these advanced capabilities made a difference … or not? What is missing? What is needed? Join staffing leaders from some of the most competitive and best-known global corporations to discuss the context and merits of their technology investments and, equally important, to hear their insights into the next generation of technology solutions they want.

Talent Management & Social (ED5)
- Lisa Rowan, Program Director, HR, Talent, and Learning Strategies, IDC
- Four of the world’s “Most Powerful HR Technology Experts,” selected by Human Resource Executive® magazine, host small group discussions on their favorite topics. Together, they have spent about 120 years working in and advising others about HR technology. They are facilitating un-conference group discussions where you should expect to participate. And learn.

10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

CLOSING KEYNOTE: How HR Can Drive the New Social Business
- Marcia Conner, Best-selling Author, Industry Analyst and Expert on Collaborative Business Culture
- Organizations are finally adopting social media tools for new collaborative practices and relationship-oriented work. You’ll hear about this from many presenters at the conference. But in many companies, HR is not even included in the conversation, let alone driving the strategy. You’re in a position to change that. Marcia Conner has shown some of the world’s largest companies how. She’ll help you understand the power of social tools to refocus on people as the pivotal source of prosperity and value in organizations that have functioned like machines for too long. HR leaders are in the catbird seat to demonstrate how people and organizations can be business-minded and interconnected at the same time. Her forward-looking and interactive keynote examines emerging trends, looks at their impact on every organization and addresses how HR leaders should react. You’ll walk away knowing how to overcome objections and feeling ready to actively drive social business as the ultimate expression of HR.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PC RECRUITER

A lot of things can affect an employee’s happiness, but some cities just seem to have happier employees than others.

CareerBliss recently unveiled its list of the “Top 20 Happiest U.S. Cities for Young Professionals for 2012.” This year, six California cities appeared on the list, with three taking hold of the top spots.

The list is based on data from more than 38,000 employee reviews completed between 2011 and 2012 by young professionals, or those with less than 10 years of experience, throughout the country.

Employees were asked to rate 10 key factors that affect workplace happiness (including: work-life balance, compensation, company culture, overall work environment, company reputation, relationships with managers and co-workers, opportunities for growth, job resources, daily tasks, and job autonomy) on a scale of one to five.

The 20 happiest cities include:

Los Angeles, Calif.: 3.952
San Jose, Calif.: 3.951
Sunnyvale, Calif.: 3.950
Indianapolis, Ind.: 3.942
San Diego, Calif.: 3.884
Irvine, Calif.: 3.866
Atlanta, Ga.: 3.857
Boston, Mass.: 3.845
San Francisco, Calif.: 3.833
San Antonio, Texas: 3.828
Las Vegas, Nev.: 3.820
Seattle, Wash.: 3.784
Irving, Texas: 3.783
Philadelphia, Penn.: 3.779
Orlando, Fla.: 3.763
Pittsburgh, Penn.: 3.743
New York, N.Y.: 3.716
Plano, Texas: 3.705
Miami, Fla.: 3.679
Houston, Texas: 3.679

If you need some help recruiting happy employees, check out PCRecruiter.

If you’re not using social media to complement your hiring efforts yet, then you’re seriously falling way behind the trend.

Earlier this summer, Jobvite unveiled its annual Social Recruiting Survey, which found that social media has become an essential recruiting tool for successful HR teams. Currently, 92 percent of companies are using social media to recruit new employees, which is up from 78 percent five years ago.

Survey results are based on answers from more than 1,000 human resources and other recruitment professionals who were asked about their social media recruiting activities and intentions.

Some key findings of the survey include:

LinkedIn remains the most popular social network among recruiters, with usage increasing from 87 percent in 2011 to 93 percent in 2012.
66 percent of recruiters are using Facebook, up 11 percent from last year.
54 percent of recruiters are using Twitter.
73 percent of employes have successfully hired a candidate through social media, up from 63 percent in 2011 and 58 percent in 2010.
89 percent of recruiters have hired through LinkedIn, 25 percent through Facebook, and 15 percent through Twitter.
49 percent of recruiters have seen the size of their candidate pools increase since adopting social media.
43 percent of recruiters think social media leads to better quality candidates.
20 percent of recruiters say hiring through social media is quicker than through traditional channels.
71 percent of recruiters consider themselves moderate to exceptional social recruiters.
48 percent of recruiters always check a candidate’s social profiles.
80 percent of recruiters like candidates who belong to professional organizations.

“The rise in social recruiting has allowed both candidates and employers an easier way to find the best match,” Dan Finnigan, president and CEO of Jobvite, said in a press release. “We continue to see social recruiting gain popularity because it is more efficient than the days of sifting through a haystack of resumes. It also increases quality referral hires, which our own data on Jobvite proves are hired faster and last longer.”

How does your small business recruit? Recruiting can be filled with endless requirements that can eliminate some of the dynamic potential of the process.

Taking a look at advice from Johnny Laurent, vice president and general manager for the Sage Employer Solutions business unit, there are “six rules of wise recruiting” that can help small businesses manage such an important process:

Look back to go forward: Take a look at how your business used to hire talent. What did and didn’t work? These lessons can help you learn from the past, improve what’s broken, and move away from what needs to be forgotten.
Hire for attitude, train for skills: Laurent advises businesses to observe the dynamic potential of an interested employee. After all, you can always train an employee on the changes in software, but their attitude toward work probably won’t be so amenable.
Past performance does predict future behavior: Take a deep look at the prospect’s background and remember that “unclear answers from former employers shouldn’t be accepted.” Laurent also advises you to ask what the person was like in a particular situation.
Become the employer of choice: The “number one recruiting strategy,” according to Laurent – is a goal that your business should strive to be recognized for in recruitment. When resumes start coming to you, Laurent says, you know you’re on the right track.
Put them in the book – it’s important to keep a reference guide: Pay attention to who’s in your business right now. Keep tabs on your current employees and the directions they’re moving. You can keep tabs on your own organization as well as others.
Hire hard, manage easy: Laurent uses this quote from Alan Davis, chairman and co-founder of Alan Davis Strategic Recruiting. If the right amount of energy is put into the recruitment process, the rest “is a breeze,” in Laurent’s words.

Take these tips from Laurent and use them in your own recruitment process. Blending dynamic potential and conventional wisdom, the advice merges the best of both worlds for organizational success.

Recruiting those really exceptional, ‘extraordinary’ people won’t ever happen if you stick to legacy notions of simply matching skill levels to the company’s job description.

What’s important is what Geoffrey James, a staff writer for Inc’s SalesForce column, came away with from a leadership conference attended by numerous “CEOs and sales execs.”

“How to Hire Extraordinary Employees: 7 Rules” is not a randomly acquired list; the thoughtful tips go beyond the traditional skill-matching process to incorporate a deeper understanding of the applicant’s desires, wants, and even disappointments.

Define your “Extraordinary Employee” – This step requires you to focus on the successful employees in your organization and understand their “talents and skills.” Interview questions around these traits will bring out any skills and character attributes that look to be “exceptional in your specific organization.”
Always be Interviewing – Instead of waiting for the day you need to fill that opening, always be looking ahead and creating an inventory by “interviewing candidates all the time.” Use this along with your social media channels – and email – as a way to find applicants who look like they have that something “extraordinary” to contribute.
Ask Questions That Reveal Character – Don’t throw them the ‘ol soft-ball question, like “What was your greatest achievement?” Get deep-in-the-weeds with this one and ask them to bring up “achievements from grade school, two from high school, two from college … ” and make sure they can tie-in a business-related achievement as well.
Seek People Who Have Overcome Disappointment – You’re looking for those telling and “defining moments” that show they possess resiliency, which is crucial to assessing how they will cope in your business environment.
Don’t Confuse Success with Motivation – How many times have you heard that almost-cliché-type phrase, “self-starters”? Make sure the “self-starter” mantra is only working when heavily supervised.
Hire for Attitude, Not Experience – Hiring based on the applicant’s past track record is not enough; instead you should decide if they have the right mojo and the right attitude to contribute to the company’s future.
Get a Real Reference – Step away from the candidate’s resume when checking references and do your own sleuthing to find the references you need … ”rather than simply calling the ones on the … resume.”

HR departments are historically considered to be boring and conservative, but some of the cutting-edge policies being created in big companies are giving recruiters a new reputation.

It’s hard enough to find – and keep – good employees in today’s world, and having a good recruiting team and good recruiting software (https://www.pcrecruiter.net) is no longer enough, so a lot of companies are going above and beyond the ordinary tactics to draw potential candidates. From unlimited vacation to bolder branding ideas, employers are pulling out all the stops to bring new people on board.

Here are five of the craziest policies that are setting some companies apart:

Extraordinary benefits – Most companies offer some form of medical, dental, and vision insurance, but some companies are going way above and beyond to make sure their employees are well taken care of. Take Google for example – if an employee dies, the company’s life insurance policy will pay their spouse or domestic partner 50 percent of that employee’s paycheck for the next 10 years.
Unlimited vacation – Employees of most companies – especially the bigger, more corporate ones – typically only get a couple weeks of vacation each year. However, newer companies like Netflix and Foursquare allow their employees to take an unlimited amount of vacation. These companies realize just how much emphasis the younger generations place on the importance of work-life balance and how much they value their time off.
Better health incentives – A lot more companies are focusing on the skyrocketing cost of healthcare and are finding new and innovative ways to keep their employees healthy. Some of the top companies have employee exercise spaces or group classes on-site, while others offer monetary incentives for employees who improve their health and in turn drive down the company’s overall insurance costs.
Intrinsic benefits – We’re seeing a lot more companies acknowledge the importance of intrinsic benefits and implement new ways to appreciate their employees – including everything from setting up game rooms and snack lounges where employees can take a much-needed break throughout the day to offering telecommuting opportunities so employees can work from the comfort of their own home.
Referral bonuses – Some of the best new hires come from the networks of your existing employees, and companies are beginning to place a higher value on this. It’s not unusual for companies to offer a referral bonus of $100 or so, but some companies are offering bonuses in the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.

It takes a lot of work to find the best employees for your company, but that goal can be met a lot easier if you have a great recruiter on your HR team.

So what makes someone a great recruiter as opposed to a mediocre one? In fact, there are several qualities that set high-performing recruiters above their lesser-performing counterparts.

Here are four essential qualities of a great recruiter:

Good salesperson – Part of your job as a recruiter is to sell your company and your company’s job openings to potential candidates. You have to sell the idea of working for your company in the same manner that you’d sell someone a new product or service, which means you need to have the ability to prove why your company is so great and why someone will want to work there.
People person – As a recruiter, it’s inherent that you’ll be dealing with people on a consistent basis, so you need to be comfortable interacting with all different types of people day in and day out. Since you will most likely be the first point of contact for a potential employee, your attitude and demeanor will essentially provide a first impression of the company, meaning that you need to be able to put on a happy face regardless of what might be going on in your personal life.
Organized – There is a lot going on in the world of recruiting, from writing up job descriptions and reading resumes to calling people for interviews and conducting background checks on potential hires. So as a recruiter, you need to be extremely organized in order to keep track of all of these things, so you can ultimately get the job done.
Technologically inclined – As we mentioned above, there are a lot of tasks that fall at the feet of recruiters, but luckily there are some great technologies out there to help them stay on track. Whether you’re using your company’s applicant tracking system (pcrecruiter.net) to review resumes, scheduling interviews through Google Calendars, or conducting a background check, you need to know how to use the latest technology in order to make your job more efficient.

Keep these important qualities in mind when hiring your company’s next recruiter. With any luck, you’ll snag someone who can entice some of the best employees out there to join your company.

Sometimes employers become overly egocentric when it comes to recruiting, deciding that in a weak economy they have the pick of the litter when it comes to job seekers. However, job seekers are often no better at focusing their resumes around the old-fashioned idea of an objective and expecting employers to meet their personal needs by offering them their dream job.

The fact of the matter is that recruiting needs to be a give-and-take situation. That doesn’t mean one side gives and the other takes. It means there should be a balance on both sides.

In the article, “The Importance of the Give-and-Take Job Interview,” writer and human resources consultant Deborah S. Hildebrand suggests
that:

… job seekers (and employers) should focus on creating the type of give-and-take environment that naturally lends itself to a quality fact-finding session. Because that is what job interviews are supposed to be all about. It’s just business professionals gathering information.

In a truly idyllic job interview, both sides would feel confident in what they bring to the table and be able to discuss openly the benefit of what they each offer. It would be, as Hildebrand suggests, a more level playing field.

For employers, writer and speaker John Picoult sees it this way in his Monster.com article, “Does your Hiring Process Sentence Applicants to Hard Labor?” Employers need to consider how their company treats customers and apply these same rules to job seekers. After all, customers are just job seekers on their day off.

Consider this: if you make the shopping experience uncomfortable or difficult for customers, they are likely to stop patronizing your business, right?

The same principle applies in the recruiting arena. If it’s unreasonably difficult and onerous for candidates to interact with your firm, they’ll be inclined to look elsewhere for employment. (And no matter what the state of the job market, talented people will always have other alternatives.)

Making the recruiting process as free of stress and friction as possible should be your goal. It’s our goal. That’s why we offer a complete recruiting software solution for your applicant recruiting, sourcing, and tracking needs. Check out PCRecruiter for more.

If you’re not using social media as part of your recruiting efforts yet, here’s some motivation: revenue from social networking sites is expected to rise a whopping 43.1 percent this year, hitting a total of $16.9 billion.

That’s according to a new forecast on social media revenue from Gartner, which examined past revenue from sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and asked analysts how that revenue will grow over the coming years.

What does this have to do with recruiting? It means that more people are going to be using social media sites and more companies are going to figure out how to monetize the actions from those users.

So it only makes sense that you establish a presence on all the popular social media sites now, so you can interact with the online community and find some great candidates by advertising your jobs or tapping into your networks’ connections.

Here are some interesting facts from the report:

Social media revenue is expected to rise from $11.8 billion in 2011 to $16.9 billion this year, making for an increase of 43.1 percent.
Revenue from social networking sites should reach $34 billion by 2016.
Advertising accounts for the largest portion of revenue from social media sites, expected to hit $8.8 billion this year, followed by social gaming at $6.2 billion, and subscriptions at $278 million.
The number of people using social media will grow at a moderate pace as competition and new technologies keeps people engaged.
Marketing departments are going to spend more of their advertising budgets on social media sites.

“New revenue opportunities will exist in social media, but no new services will be able to bring significant fresh revenue to social media by 2016,” Neha Gupta, a senior research analyst with Gartner, said. “The biggest impact of growth in social media is on the advertisers.

“In the short and medium terms, social media sites should deploy data analytic techniques that interrogate social networks to give marketers a more accurate picture of trends about consumers’ needs and preferences on a customized basis,” she added. “In the meantime, however, they should also continue to exploit other channels of revenue like mobile advertising and social commerce.”

We live in a society where the line between work and free time is too easily and too often blurred, but most employers still don’t have a policy in place to deal with working after hours.

“Technology and Its Impact on Employees During Nonworking Hours,” a new report from SHRM, found that a large majority of employers don’t have anything in writing dictating what their staff members can and can’t do when working outside of the office.

However, most typical employees still feel guilty if they don’t respond to emails at night or on the weekend, even if doing so is not technically part of their job description. That’s because most companies rely on organizational norms, not written policies, to dictate such behavior.

“Employers are not creating policies that delve into employees working outside of the traditional workday,” Evren Esen, manager of SHRM’s Survey Research Center, said in a press release. “Whether an employee responds to email at night or during the weekend is usually linked to organizational norms. If there is such an expectation, then employees are likely to follow suit.”

Some highlights of the report include:

Only 21 percent of companies have a formal policy in place regulating the use of wireless communication devices during non-working hours.
About 26 percent of organizations have an informal policy in place, while 81 percent of those rely on managers to relay rules to employees.
Of the companies that don’t have any policy in place dealing with working after hours, 87 percent allow employees to set their own limitations.
Employers are more concerned about how much their employees are working after hours if the work is being done on a company-owned device.

Ultimately, employers should make it a priority to develop an after-hours working policy, whether the employee is using company-provided equipment or not. Companies that have no policy in place could be leaving themselves open to lawsuits for not paying proper overtime.

As everyone anxiously awaits tomorrow’s employment numbers, a separate report is showing that companies are making the lowest number of layoffs in over a year.

The most recent report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas found that employers made 37,551 layoffs during June, a whopping 39 percent decrease from May, and marking the lowest number of job cuts in the last 13 months.

Although we’re not out of the woods yet, this is a huge step in the right direction, and offers a glimmer of hope at a time when many people are predicting that the economy is still getting worse.

“Even with recent signs that the economy is headed for another summer slump or worse, including the first contraction in manufacturing activity in three years, employers appear reluctant to shed too many workers,” Challenger CEO John A. Challenger said in a press release. “While it does not take long to shrink payrolls, it can take a significant amount of time to rebuild them, particularly as reports of the growing skills gap becomes more widespread.”

Even more encouraging is that the biggest job cuts in June were in education, just in time for schools and universities to wrap up things for the summer. And even that industry’s 6,569 layoffs were down 36 percent from last year.

“Continued weakness in the recovery will further delay hiring, which will, in turn, further delay the full recovery,” Challenger said. “Whether or not we see an increase in job cuts depends on the length and severity of the recovery’s slowdown.

“However, barring some major economic catastrophe, companies in the U.S. are likely to hold steady for the remainder of the year,” he added. “We probably will not see a major ramp up in hiring or firing; certainly, not before the November elections. Even after the election and regardless of who wins, it could be several months until companies understand the full implications of the outcome and how to plan for the future.”

Check out the full report for more info on what industries and states are seeing the most layoffs, the top reasons companies are letting people go, and the industries planning to hire in the coming months.

The Olympic Games are a time-tested tradition enjoyed throughout the world, but beyond the athletes and the competition, it’s the employees behind the scenes who keep the event running smoothly.

Traditionally, the Olympic Games are held every two years, alternating between summer and winter events. The host city changes for each event as well, with this year’s games being hosted in London.

The Olympics regularly attract participants from more than 200 nations around the world, which means there is a huge influx of visitors to the host city. It is estimated that the London games will cost $14.8 billion.

But that cost is well worth it for the city, which will see plenty of business before, during, and after the games take place. Obviously, Olympic Park itself will see most of the business, but patronage will flow all throughout the city as guests book rooms at local hotels, make reservations at local restaurants, and tour around local landmarks.

Given the amount of business the games will bring to the city, it’s imperative that local businesses ramp up their hiring efforts in order to meet demand. That means figuring out a way to hire a large number of talented employees within a small period of time.

To help with the hiring efforts, game officials have established a program that will help unemployed people and students find a job related to the games. A total of 100,000 people are expected to nab paid positions in catering and hospitality, cleaning and waste, event services, retail, and security.

“The vision of London 2012 is to use the power of the Games to inspire lasting change. Part of that vision is inspiring lasting change in London’s communities, particularly in the east of the capital where much of the Games is being held. Getting people into work – some of whom might have been unemployed for a long time or may have never had a job before – is a key element of the area’s regeneration.”

Opportunities are also available with the ceremonies department, which is in charge of putting together the actual opening and closing ceremonies, and the London 2012 Organizing Committee.

The unemployment rate in 2010 for veterans who have served since September 2001 was at 11.7%, while the August 1, 2011 TIME.com article, “More Young Veterans Jobless,” put the current unemployment rate for veterans at around 13%. Both numbers exceed the current national average of 9.2%

The most recent unemployment rate, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, is 8.2%. Yet, that number is higher for veterans.

In the article, “Veteran-Friendly Job Resources to Ease Vets Back into Job Market,” writer and human resources consultant Deborah S. Hildebrand notes that the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

Unfortunately, the unemployment rate in 2010 for veterans who have served since September 2001 was at 11.7%, while the August 1, 2011 TIME.com article, “More Young Veterans Jobless,” put the current unemployment rate for veterans at around 13%. Both numbers exceed the current national average of 9.2%

The experts say that the most likely reason is that many companies don’t make the connection between military experience and recruiting candidates for their open positions.

Granted, much of the problem has to do with how veterans view themselves. When they develop their resume, they often use military acronyms and a government formatted resume that is foreign to private human resources professionals and hiring managers. Veterans need to learn how to translate their years of experience and skills into the right words.

Beyond that, employers need to rethink how they look at the men and women who served this country. Defense contractors, for instance, often hire veterans with security clearances who can work on top-secret projects.

For other employers who are not as sure about recruiting veterans, there are tax benefits as well as government funding for training and worker relocation, such as VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011.

This initiative made changes to the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) by adding two new categories. It allows for-profit employers to claim a credit of up to $9,600 for qualified veterans who begin work before January 1, 2013 or up to $6,240 for qualified tax-exempt organizations. For more information, visit the IRS website.

Additionally, the Employer Assistance and Resource Network (EARN) offers resources to assist employers in hiring veterans including a Veteran’s Hiring Tool Kit and no-cost consultation and technical assistance.

What this country needs is more small businesses. So the U.S. Department of Labor recently announced it was providing $35 million for states to help develop, enhance, and promote Self-Employment Assistance programs to encourage unemployed Americans to realize their dreams of business ownership.

The program allows “participants who are currently receiving or eligible for federally funded Emergency Unemployment Compensation and Extended Benefits” to receive “financial assistance equal to their Unemployment Insurance benefits while they receive important entrepreneurial training and resources to help launch their own businesses.”

Small Business Vital to Recruiting

Small businesses not only create opportunity for their owners, but they create opportunities for other small businesses, as well as job seekers in the community. As the Small Business Administration suggests:

“… The overall importance of the small business community has been well documented and the importance of new venture creation is widely recognized.”

And nowhere is this more important than in the creation of new jobs. In fact, as of 2010, the SBA reported that small businesses (fewer than 500 employees per the SBA) accounted for 75 percent of net new jobs in the U.S.

Additionally, a study conducted by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) suggested that entrepreneurship is a major factor in any country’s well-being in both economic and job growth.

Technology Makes Small Businesses Competitive

However, the difficulty for many small businesses and entrepreneurs is in competing with larger organizations. That’s where technology can provide an advantage.

Technology makes small businesses competitive. As Stephanie Faris suggests in her article, “Technology Helps Small Businesses Restore Competitiveness to U.S. Economy”:

“Thanks to technology, those smaller companies can now compete with the largest corporations in the country. Cloud services are leveling the playing field, allowing small and mid-sized businesses to tackle larger projects …”

And one such large project is managing the recruiting function. That’s where PCRecruiter can help.

We offer tools that enable human resource and other business professionals to manage the entire recruiting process, from requisition approval and submission to resume database management and diversity tracking. Whatever you need to streamline staffing, we have the recruiting software tools that are right for your current needs.

Is the economy headed for another meltdown or are we just experiencing a hiccup in the national recovery?

That’s what experts are asking after after the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its latest employment numbers for May at the end of last week, which were much lower than the anticipated addition of 150,000 jobs.

Overall, the nation added only 69,000 jobs, while the unemployment rate rose slightly to 8.2 percent. There were a total of 12.7 million unemployed people, with the number of long-term unemployed people rising from 5.1 million to 5.4 million.

Lawrence Creatura, a stock portfolio manager with Federated Investors, told the Associated Press:

“The jobs report was just bad … What we’re seeing is that the job market, post-financial crisis, has not been able to reignite itself. It hasn’t been able to set off that chain reaction where an improving economy creates more jobs, and more jobs improve the economy, creating more jobs. That hasn’t started yet.”

Most major industries didn’t see a lot of movement in terms of employment, with employers in the healthcare, transportation and warehousing, and wholesale trade industries being the only ones to add a significant number of jobs. On the downside, the construction industry took a turn for the worse.

Unimpressive Numbers

Including the May employment numbers, the U.S. has added an average of 96,000 jobs during each of the last three months, which is down from the 245,000 average gain between December and February.

In addition, experts point out that the main reason the increase in unemployment was so small is because a lot of people stopped looking for work, so they’re no longer counted among the unemployment rolls.

And even worse – the BLS revised its employment numbers for March and April, dropping them from 154,000 to 143,000 and from 115,000 to 77,000, respectively.

Sheila Dewan at The New York Times notes:

“Economists can explain away a month or two of dismal numbers, but a three-month run is difficult to ignore. The economy now seems to be following the spring slowdown pattern of the last two years — a bright spot of accelerating growth followed by a slump. The news on Friday even raised mentions of a possibility that dogged last year’s forecasts but did not come to pass: another recession.”

Of course, the weak employment figures are having an effect on the entire global market as well, especially since they came shortly after other data that points to weakening economies in Europe and Asia. Financial markets from Wall Street to Germany took a dive today.

A Few Positives

The good thing is that a few key industries did continue adding jobs during May:

Transportation and warehousing – The industry added 36,000 jobs over the month, with ground passenger transportation accounting for most of that gain.
Healthcare – With an addition of 33,000 workers, the healthcare industry continued its ever-growing trend, with much of the employment gain coming from the ambulatory healthcare services sector.
Manufacturing – One of the most important industries to our economy, manufacturing added 12,000 jobs last month, with employers in fabricated metal products and primary metals hiring the most workers.

Mostly Negatives

Aside from the overall paltry employment figures, the BLS report found that most industries saw little to no change in employment, while one of our most significant industries actually lost workers.

The construction industry, which along with manufacturing has long been a primary indicator of the overall health of the economy, lost 28,000 jobs during May. Payrolls were cut in specialty trade contractors and heavy and civil engineering construction.

Most of the other industries that we pay close attention to on a monthly basis – professional and business services; mining and logging; retail trade; information; financial activities; leisure and hospitality; and government – all saw little or no change in employment last month.

Looking Ahead

In reality, the economy sways back and forth so much that it’s hard to predict what effect the May employment numbers will have in the next several weeks and months.

As Tim Duy wrote over at Forbes:

“Two thoughts come to mind. First, I have said it before and I will say it again: If you become either too optimistic or too pessimistic about the path of the US recovery, you will almost certainly be slapped down in a matter of months.

“Second, this summer is looking like a carbon copy of 2011. The US data is turning softer just while the European saga is heating up. This time, we have some additional icing on the cake, with emerging markets faltering as well. And that black box that is China could be in free fall for all we know – commodity prices and cash outflows are pointing to some real distress.”

Many experts think that if legislators in Washington, D.C. don’t do anything to help the economy improve at a faster rate, the Federal Reserve will be forced to step in

Sandra Pianalto, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, told the Wall Street Journal:

“Right now I feel that our accommodative monetary policy is appropriate given my outlook. I always want to balance the risks and costs of doing more. I have an outlook for inflation to remain close to our 2% objective through 2014. It’s important to take a balanced approach on what more we can do for broader economic growth. We need to make sure that we maintain our stable price objective so you have to balance those two objectives.”

Do you have your hands on the resume of that promising candidate that came in last month? Are you buried in paper trying to wade through all those resumes and applications you have collected? Are you just crossing your fingers and hoping that the really sharp guy whose resume came too late for your last posting will respond to your new ad?

So how many job candidates have you lost because of an inefficient processing system in your personnel recruiting office?

Every business can probably point to cases where they have lost potential employees because of processing issues in their personnel management operations. HR staffs try to keep on top of things by keeping resume files on promising candidates and using resume files as a key sourcing tool when job vacancies arise.

Now there is a way to use technology to bring order and structure to your HR recruiting operation and make it more reliable and efficient. Check out PCRecruiter for more information on this.

“Hiring fundamentals that include a systematic process for hiring and consistent execution of the hiring process result in superior employee wins for your organization,” Susan M. Heathfield said in a post at About.com.

Putting an automated recruiting system to work in in your HR department will give you the tools you need to customize a systematic process for your hiring.

The right system will allow you to track and manage contacts, compile a searchable database of prospects, compile candidate profiles, collect required information from candidates, and put your application process online.

With the right systems in place to collect and organize information on your applicant pool, you will have a much better chance of attracting and recruiting the best candidates for your company.

Is your staffing software helping you find the right employees, and more importantly, is it helping the right employees find you?

Recent research finds that employers are able to hire the best candidates when they advertise their job openings in a small number of places. That being said, it’s important for companies to make sure that their staffing software programs allow easy integration with most or all of these sources. Check out https://www.pcrecruiter.net for more info.

Today’s state-of-the-art staffing software solutions are capable of doing much more than just making the recruiting process easier and cheaper for your company. The best solutions will have the ability to integrate your job openings in the places where candidates are looking most, mainly job boards and social media sites.

According to Weddle’s 2011 Survey of Recruiting Trends, a majority of employers still prefer to post their jobs on commercial job boards – more specifically, targeted niche job boards – because that’s where the highest quality candidates are found.

The survey revealed that employers find the best candidates in the following places:

40.7 on job boards
12.9 percent through an employee referral program
11.1 percent by posting jobs on their own websites
9.3 percent on social networking sites
5.6 percent through staffing firms
5.5 percent by advertising job openings in newspapers

Furthermore, 77.3 percent of employers are posting more than half of their job openings online, while only 6.1 percent aren’t using the Internet at all for recruiting. The results have been great, with 50.8 percent of employers hiring more than half of their new employees online. And those employees are pretty talented, with 54.1 percent of employers labeling new hires found online as above average or among the company’s best workers.

So what’s the reason that employers are having such good luck finding high-quality candidates in these places? The answer is simple – because these are the same places job seekers are turning to in order to find work.

When it comes to job seekers, the survey found that:

69 percent find the Internet helpful in their job search
69.7 percent think they will find their next job through an online job board
34 percent found their current job online
58 percent visit at least one job board up to eight times per month

So, if your staffing software provider doesn’t allow easy integration with job boards, social networking sites, or other popular recruiting sources, it might be time to think about finding a new provider.

The applicant tracking system market is continuing to grow, and as providers offer newer and better solutions, many companies are thinking about switching the service they currently use.

That’s the most important information to come out of “Talent Acquisition Systems 2011: Market Realities, Implementation Examples and Solution Provider Profiles,” a report released last year by Bersin & Associates. The report looked at survey responses from HR professionals and recruiters from organizations of all sizes and in all major industries.

According to Sarah White, who works as principal analyst of talent acquisition for Bersin & Associates, a lot of companies are choosing to work with providers that offer better support and a higher level of integration, and ATS companies that offer a large selection of products are doing the best. It’s commonly accepted that applicant tracking systems are just as important to the recruiting and onboarding process as interviewing and social networking.

Here are some key figures from the survey:

The ATS market increased by 11.1 percent to $837 million during 2010, which was slightly lower than the $861 million originally predicted by experts. The difference can be attributed to the slowing economy.
The survey predicted that the ATS market would grow by 12 percent to $937 million by the end of 2011, as high-end companies consolidate and low-end companies continue to expand.
About 50 percent of companies were planning to switch to a new ATS provider over the year, as new options and new technologies emerge.
The amount of time it takes to convince a company to commit to an ATS provider has increased from six months to up to three years.
A large majority of ATS providers offer a mobile solution in order to keep up with growing popularity.
More and more ATS companies are merging in order to offer a more robust suite of solutions to customers, such as search engine optimization or video services.
As social networks continue to become more and more popular, most ATS companies are offering the ability to integrate with LinkedIn, Facebook, or other sites.
Analytics have become more important than ever in evaluating a company’s application, interviewing, and hiring process.
Learning Management Systems are growing by 10 percent per year, while Performance Management and Succession Management Systems are increasing by 12 percent.

So, as you can see, applicant tracking systems and other similar technologies that make the recruiting and onboarding process easier, cheaper, and more efficient aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. If you’re not already using this technology, now is the time to jump on the bandwagon!

It’s common practice for employers in certain industries to place a strong emphasis on a potential candidate’s work history in order to prevent high turnover numbers. It’s long been thought that candidates who have held several positions in a short period of time will make worse employees and will be more likely to quit.

However, a recent white paper by Evolv shows that work history has very little effect on a candidate’s abilities or likeliness to stay in a position. That means one of the factors employees place a strong emphasis on – in their applicant tracking systems, in the interview process, and in the hiring process – is mostly wrong.

The white paper, entitled “Does Previous Work History Predict Future Employment Outcomes?“, looked at applicant data and employment outcomes of 21,115 call center agents.

Key findings of the white paper include:

Almost half of all applicants had two or three jobs in the last five years, while 45 percent had none or one job, and 7 percent had four or more jobs.
56 percent of applicants said they hadn’t held any jobs for less than six months.
Survival curves, or the probability that agents reach a given point in time, were almost identical for all groups, regardless of the number of jobs held in the last five years or the number of short-term positions.

“These results indicate that an applicant’s previous work history is actually a poor predictor of employment outcomes,” the white paper notes. “In fact, there is other assessment content that is much more strongly predictive of both attrition as well as performance on the job.

“Clearly, a more nuanced understanding of the applicant as well as his or her personality, aptitudes, work style, technical skills, and fit for the position are necessary to make more informed recruiting decisions,” the paper continues. “Previous work experience must be viewed holistically and placed within a much broader context in order to ensure that a given employer is recruiting the best possible talent.”

Sometimes small-business owners feel at a disadvantage when recruiting new employees because they don’t have the budget to offer big benefit packages and large salaries to attract candidates. Therefore, they wind up with a small pool of candidates.

Whether or not your small business is at a hiring disadvantage all depends on how you use what your firm has to offer.

The Best Candidate Doesn’t Always Have the Most Experience

It is important to remember when recruiting employees it isn’t all about hiring the one with the perfect education and work experience. It is equally important to find job seekers who fit with your company’s culture and value system.

In the April 28, 2011, Fortune article, “Is it better to hire for culture fit over experience?” writer Ethan Rouen suggests that because workplace culture varies within organizations the skills employees learn at one company may conflict with those of another. How many times have you told a new employee, “That’s not how we do that here?”

Don’t waste time breaking bad habits. Instead, find candidates that demonstrate the qualities that will make them successful in your firm.

Market Your Firm’s Attributes

Before you spend hours recruiting, first determine what it is your organization has to offer job seekers. Talk to your staff to get their input. Sell these as benefits on your website and in your recruiting literature.

Continually Network to Attract Candidates

If you’re like most small businesses, your recruiting budget is tight. Finding inexpensive, yet worthwhile sources of candidates requires networking.

Post jobs on your website; network with local groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, non-profit organizations, and professional associations; contact federal and state resources for assistance; and utilize social networking – Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter – to its fullest.

Your company may not be in a hiring mode right now, but you should always be recruiting.

By now, most companies know how important it is to have a good recruitment software system in place. But how does your company value that software’s ability to integrate with social media?

Last year, Jobvite released its annual Social Recruiting Survey and introduced the new Jobvite Index, both of which unveil how recruiters are using social media. The data prove that social media is becoming more and more important in the recruiting process.

Overall, the number of companies planning to recruit through social media increased from 83 percent to 89 percent last year. At the same time, 64 percent of companies were using at least two social networks for their recruiting efforts.

“The data show that recruiting departments, like marketing departments, are reaching and engaging their targets in multiple social networks,” Dan Finnigan, Jobvite president and CEO, said in a company press release. “The fastest moving companies increasingly use the richness of profiles in LinkedIn, the power of online connections in Facebook, and the instant reach of Twitter to develop valuable talent pools and make new hires.”

Some other key findings of the survey include:

The number of companies that have hired through social media increased from 58 percent to 64 percent between 2010 and 2011.
Although companies still claim referrals bring the highest quality candidates, only 30 percent were planning to increase their referral budget, while 55 percent were spending more on social recruiting. Only 16 percent were paying more for job board postings.
As we previously noted, 64 percent of companies use at least two social networks for recruiting, while 40 percent of companies use at least three.
About 73 percent of social hires come from LinkedIn, while 20 percent come from Facebook, and 7 percent come from Twitter.
The fight for jobs isn’t expected to die down anytime soon, as 77 percent of companies anticipate an increase in competition, and 61 percent plan to recruit from their competitors.

“Jobvite’s new data confirms our research that social recruiting has become an essential element of today’s corporate recruiting strategy,” Josh Bersin, president and CEO of Bersin & Associates, said. “The data also points out that referral-based recruiting is a new ‘secret weapon’ for talent acquisition. Companies that focus heavily on referral strategies, enabled by social networks, are delivering the highest quality of hire at the lowest overall cost.”

It should be common sense by now, but it can’t overemphasized: Don’t scrimp on sourcing candidates, no matter what position you’re looking to fill.

Brad Remillard made the point again just the other day.

“I believe you should conduct a background check on every employee you hire — from the janitor to the CEO,” he wrote in a guest column for the Orange County Register.

It’s cheap insurance considering what’s at stake, says Remillard, who has 30 years as an executive recruiter.

His advice rings true. Once you bring someone into your company and hand them the keys to the front door — maybe even the safe — you’re counting on that person to be honest, ethical and dependable.

How you handle the information you find is up to you, but most employers would at least want to know if a potential new hire been arrested or had money troubles in the past.

“At a minimum,” Remillard counsels, “you should conduct a criminal background check going back at least five years and in multiple counties. Check the Department of Motor Vehicles, verify degrees and pull a credit report. If it’s a public company, depending on the position, do a check with the Securities and Exchange Commission.”

He also suggests requiring candidates to sign release forms when they fill out applications — it lets them know right away that you’ll be checking their background. It might even save you time by discouraging some who know you’ll turn up issues.

Facebook’s Chief Privacy Officer, Erin Egan, recently put business bosses on notice that the world’s largest social network is prepared to take legal action against the “distressing increase” in employers demanding employee’s Facebook passwords. This is an interesting position for the social network to take, since most of the time it is fighting off criticism for its own privacy violations.

This is an interesting position for the social network to take, since most of the time it is fighting off criticism for its own privacy violations.

“Facebook takes your privacy seriously,” said Egan in an online statement. “We’ll take action to protect the privacy and security of our users, whether by engaging policymakers or, where appropriate, by initiating legal action, including by shutting down applications that abuse their privileges.”

The timing for Facebook’s warning came almost simultaneously as Senator Richard Blumenthal (Dem) of Connecticut released details of a bill that he is preparing to address this privacy issue. The senator’s bill would address the policies of some employers who make requests that amount to an “unreasonable invasion of privacy.”

“I am very deeply troubled by the practices that seem to be spreading voraciously around the country,” Blumenthal said in an interview with Politico.com.

Both the senator and Facebook seem to be responding to a series of reports by the Associated Press that outline several employers asking job seekers for log-on credentials to their email and social networking sites; where the goal is clearly to check-up on the candidates online behavior.

With the advent of social networks, many employers began to examine the social profiles of prospective and current employees; investigating comments, photos and other data available on a person’s “wall” or “profile”. Many job-seekers have caught onto this trend and have begun setting their social settings to private, making it more difficult for employers to gain access. However, due to the tight job market, many candidates are complying and divulging this private information as they weight thoughts of continued unemployment or under-employment.

Currently, these employer policies and actions violate Facebook’s terms of service. But the reality is that those terms of service have no real legal weight and many legal experts feel that the legal waters surrounding this issue are murky.

The Department of Justice does regard these types of violations as federal crimes. Yet, in recent congressional testimony, the DOJ stated that is has no plans on prosecuting any such violations. The DOJ may be force to reconsider its position in light of Facebook’s aggressive statement and Sen. Blementhal’s proposed privacy bill. There will certainly be more to follow as this recruiting issue is moved further into public view.

Nabbing that perfect hire reflects well on your employees. For sure, an ambassador affect kicks in as employees tout your organization as top-notch to work for.

You’ve spent a lot of time pouring over the resumes for a critical job opening at your company. Some fit well, others are the proverbial square-peg-in-a-round-hole applicant.

Time to ramp up the recruiting process.

Approval comes from above to initiate a spiff to company employees for referring apt candidates.

Granted, relying on employee referrals is a great starting point: like-minded people can reduce the unknown factors of the new hire immensely.

However, an article in the Canadian HR Reporter, Problems with Employee Referrals, puts forward a few pluses-and-minuses in “using the workforce” to search for a candidate.

THE GOOD …

… existing employees are unlikely to recommend someone they wouldn’t personally vouch for.

… candidates who aren’t necessarily applying to every online job posting available.

Nabbing that perfect hire reflects well on your employees. For sure, an ambassador affect kicks in as employees tout your organization as top-notch to work for.

THE BAD …

… organizations…can become “inbred” with employees who are too much alike.

… Some people feel employee referral programs are more helpful to employees’ friends and relatives than the organization.

SOLUTIONS …

Set a policy regarding the referral bonuses that says the new hire must stay put for a given period of time before payouts are made.

Also, it only makes sense to give some feedback to your employees if some of their referrals aren’t meeting your requirements.

Oh, and in keeping with full transparency, make sure you tell a referral that your employees are being paid a bonus for rounding up candidates.

In the end, it’s probably best not to fire up an employee-referral system as your only recruitment method. On that note, be sure to check out our web-based recruiting software; it’s by over 2900 companies in more than 60 countries.

Human Resources professionals at most companies are always faced with the challenging task of finding just the right candidates for any open position and that task is even more difficult in today’s economic environment.

High unenployment has dramactically increased the number of job applicants for many firms and created a larger pool of possible candidates on targeted recruiting searches.

Many larger companies aleady employ recruiting software to help them sort, categorize and evaluate potential recruits. That software has been too expensive for small and mid-sized companies. Until now. Smaller companies can now get the same HR recruiting, tracking and organizing packages through web-based services for a fraction of the cost.

The advantages are obvious. If smaller companies have the same tools as the big companies, they can take advantage of the larger pool of talent that is currently seeking work. By being able to access and assess more potential employees, the smaller company has a much better chance of finding the right person to fill any vacancy.

Using web-based employment recrutiing software, enables smaller companies to post jobs, accept applications, evaluate and sort candidates and more.

The Internet has become the go-to source for job seekers. With web-based recruiting software, it will soon be the primary source for job recruiters.

Twitter and LinkedIn are the most popular tools for the recruitment of top company executives. However, twitter sourcing has more benefits than LinkedIn. First, LinkedIn is not as popular as twitter. In the US, the number of twitter users is approximately 14,031,985 while LinkedIn users are approximately 12,699,785. Second, Twitter gives you access to some basic information that is not available on LinkedIn.

Twitter sourcing is one of the recent staffing developments in the world. Human Resource strategies and techniques are changing fast to catch up with hard economic times as well as utilize the most recent technology in the market. Recruitment is one of the most affected practices.

With the social media being the meeting place for job seekers and students, recruiters are using the various social networks to source for the most suitable candidates to fill vacancies in their organizations. The internet has made it possible for employers to carry out background checks for all candidates seeking to for an opportunity to work with their organizations. The following are some of the tools that employers are using to accomplish this goal:

Facebook

This is a social networking tool used to share ideas, and exchange photos. Facebook profiles are usually accessible publicly by those who have your email address. In Facebook, people post an observation, comment on posts by other people, upload photographs or videos and publish notes. The type of content you post on your Facebook wall, the comments you make on the walls of your Facebook friends, the types of images you upload and the notes you publish say a lot about you. For instance, posting confidential information on Facebook shows that you cannot keep secrets. Sharing useful links on a specific subject says that you can educate, inform and lead. Censoring the information you post on your wall and the comments you make shows that you are reliable, responsible, open minded and mature.

In addition, the frequency at which you update your status is also of great essence to the recruiter. If the job you are interested in a sales or marketing jobs, then you need to show your networking expertise. You should be able to reach out to many people. Warm personality and strong negotiation power is demonstrated by the number of comments your wall posts receive. Employers use this tool to recruit employees for entry level jobs.

LinkedIn

This tool is used to recruit executives. LinkedIn users are people who understand the meaning of professional networking and have a solid career path. This network enables employers to view your complete profile and recommendations from previous employers in order to establish your credibility. The types of groups that you have joined and people within your network say a lot about your career goals and ambitions. Employers use this platform to recruit middle level managers.

Twitter

Twitter is the best tool for carrying out employee background search. Twitter sourcing gives the employer access to information about all your internet engagements, including your publications. The employer can view what you do, and when. Twitter only links people who share interests, profession or those whom you know personally. Therefore, the number of followers and retweets can tell how influential and authoritative you are. In addition, Twitter uses a very compact language, and this is enough to tell people about your temperament and suitability for a certain post. Employers use Twitter to recruit company executives.

Tips for Twitter sourcing

In order to obtain the most appropriate information about a candidate, employers have to refine their search skills. All internet background checks begin at Google. Open the browser and then type the name of the candidate. Google will display all the internet engagements, photos, account information, blogs and publications. The results against the Twitter account are usually accompanied by a brief bio.

Twellow, TweetDeck, TweetGrid, Advanced search, X-Ray searching, and Power Twitter are some of the Twitter sourcing tools used to identify the right candidates for specific positions. The tool you use to search is determined by the kind of information you require. For instance, X-Ray search is the best Twitter sourcing tool for employers who wish to view tweets, location and the bio of potential employees.
Benefits of Twitter sourcing

Twitter and LinkedIn are the most popular tools for the recruitment of top company executives. However, Twitter sourcing has more benefits than LinkedIn. First, LinkedIn is not as popular as Twitter. In the US, the number of Twitter users is approximately 14,031,985 while LinkedIn users are approximately 12,699,785. Second, Twitter gives you access to some basic information that is not available on LinkedIn.

This information includes your previous tweets, some of which are links to your blog, articles or favorite content. Employers can follow links and see whether your interests match the expectations of the position you are applying for. Finally, employers can view geo data, personal information, tweeter activities and the skills of any user who fits within their search criteria. Of all the internet recruitment tools available, Twitter sourcing is the most convenient and efficient.

With the countless number of job seekers looking for work in today’s economy, it’s more important than ever for recruiters to pick the perfect person for the position.

In the past, it was easy for companies to publish their job openings in the newspaper or even hang a sign in their storefront window. We all know those days are long gone – so what should recruiters be doing to keep up with the changing times and find the best candidates?

With the countless number of job seekers looking for work in today’s economy, it’s more important than ever for recruiters to pick the perfect person for the position.

The answer to that question is simple: recruiters should be using web-based recruitment software.

The recruiting process itself has drastically changed throughout the past several years. First, recruiters kept track of potential candidates by keeping massive files filled with resumes and interview information. Then, the first-wave of recruiting software came along, allowing recruiters to download recruiting programs onto their computers so they could more easily keep track of candidate pools. Today, web-based recruitment solutions are more intuitive and efficient than ever before, making it easier for recruiters to do their job and do it well.

Here are some major benefits recruiters will find when using web-based recruitment software:

Cost-effective – Hiring the wrong person can cost an organization tons and tons of money, not to mention the emotional stress placed on the employee and their higher-ups. By allowing for the use of pointed, personalized questions, keyword matching technology, and other high-tech features, web-based recruitment software all but eliminates a recruiter’s chances of hiring the wrong person.

Customization – It’s easy to customize the interview and hiring process, but nearly impossible to find the time to schedule a personlizaed, one-one-one interview with every single job candidate. Most web-based recruitment software makes it easy for recruiters to pinpoint the questions they want to ask candidates, as well as the qualifications and experience they want those candidates to have.

Easy Upkeep – Unlike software that you have to download to your computer and update periodically, web-based recruitment software usually updates on its own without taking away from your time or interrupting your workflow. In addition, web-based software in general is faster, more secure, and easier to handle.

Integration – Long-gone are the days of newspaper classifieds. Most companies today advertise their jobs through an online job portal or a similar third-party job board. Most web-based recruitment software makes it easy to integrate your online job advertisements so potential candidates can simply answer a couple of questions or upload their resume, making it easier than ever for your to see whether they’re a good fit for the position.

Mobility – In today’s corporate world, there’s no such thing as a 9 to 5 job. It’s just as inevitable that you’ll spend time responding to work-related e-mails while sitting down to watch your favorite evening show as it is that you’ll be taking calls from your kids’ school while you’re sitting at your desk. As a recruiter, being able to move flawlessly between your work computer, laptop, and mobile phone is a must when it comes to getting the job done – and you’ll only find that kind of flexibility with web-based recruiting software.

Better collaboration – As opposed to older recruitment software, which had to be installed on every recruiter’s computer, web-based recruitment software makes it easy for the recruitment team to work together anytime, anywhere. This means one recruiter can review a resume and highlight it for another recruiter to read and call the candidate in for an interview.

Build a more productive organization – By using web-based recruitment software, recruiters will be able to do their jobs more quickly, more easily, and more efficiently – all contributing to the overall productiviness of the organization. And hiring the right person for the job the first time around will further enhance overall productivity.

High-tech candidates – The candidates that your company needs to recruit in order to succeed are already online. They’re working, socializing, and looking for jobs on the Internet, so it only makes sense to use a savvy web-based recruitment software that will place your jobs in front of the right high-tech candidates.

So regardless of whether you work for a small mom and pop business or a multi-million dollar corporation, finding the right web-based recruitment software will make your job easier, save your company money, and result in a better company overall.

Recruiting software makes the application and hiring process easier for both job seekers and employers. However, sometimes the process seems so easy that potential candidates are led to make critical mistakes, which may in turn prolong the hiring process for the employer.

Most recruiting software applications allow candidates to quickly input their information and either create a new resume or upload an existing document. Sometimes the process appears to be so easy that job seekers forget to go back and double check exactly what it is they’re submitting to their potential employer.

Simply typing in a bunch of nonsensical information or uploading an old, out-of-date resume can easily get you thrown out of the candidate pool.

Continue reading “Recruiting Software Doesn’t Prevent Resume Mistakes”

If you like working with technology and connecting job seekers with available positions, a career as a personnel recruiter may be right for you.

Personnel recruiters work to find, interview, and screen applicants capable of filling existing and anticipated job openings within their company. They also are responsible for promoting career opportunities within the organization.

There are a number of ways a personnel recruiter might find potential candidates, but one of the most popular and efficient ways is by using a company ATS, which allows job seekers to apply for specific jobs and provide information the company wants to know.

Continue reading “Job Description of a Personnel Recruiter”

As if we needed more proof that supplementing your typical staffing software (Click here) with social networking is a good idea, a new report suggests just that.

The Jobvite Social Recruiting Survey 2010 found that the majority of companies are using social media as their primary recruiting tool. The report was based on an online survey of 600 participants between May and June.

The majority of companies have learned how to use social networking sites effectively, as 58 percent of survey respondents said they have successfully hired employees by using some form of social media.

Continue reading “Staffing Software Via Social Networking Still a Success”

If your business is continuing to grow and add employees you may want to look into using staffing software.

Staffing software is one of the most efficient and technologically advanced ways to manage employees. According to an article by wiseGEEK, staffing software is a series of applications that automate cleriecal and bookkeeping tasks that would normally be completed by people.

“Letting a computer perform these tasks not only gets them done more quickly – given a computer’s natural ability to multitask to the nth degree – but also frees up the people who formerly did those things for other tasks,” the article notes. “This is an important way for companies to get ahead, by letting technology help them create more time for new challenges.”

Continue reading “Staffing Software Benefits”

While applicant tracking has become a mainstay for many companies’ HR departments, users should beware of systems that don’t work properly.

Nicheboards.com, the world’s largest alliance of employment Web sites, recently conducted a study that found many applicant tracking systems don’t accurately record what job boards are sending candidates to their clients. This means companies that rely on applicant sourcing reports often have inaccurate information when making online recruiting decisions.

Many of Nicheboards’ clients find applicants through ATS, which are designed to help screen candidates and track their progress through the hiring process. ATS also can record information about hiring trends, including where the best employees come from.

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If you’re at all involved in the recruiting industry, you probably know what ATS is. If not, here’s a simple explanation.

An ATS, or applicant tracking system, is a software application that allows companies to electronically handle recruiting needs.

The purpose of an ATS is to help companies manage their recruiting efforts, including better management of resumes and applicant information. ATS information can be collected from internal applications on the company’s Web site or from job boards, according to an article by Wikipedia.

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If you’re looking for an information technology job, recruitment software could be working against you.

It’s becoming increasingly harder to convince resume screening programs you have the required skills for an in-person interview, especially in the IT field. According to an article by Network World, while recruitment software makes it easier for those in the HR department, it also may overlook some qualifications that would be noticed on traditional resumes.

Many recruiting software companies offer capabilities that range from recruiting to hiring to employee career development and training. The software, usually an SaaS model, allows recruiters and hiring managers to search out ideal candidates and allows job seekers to search listings, submit resumes and learn about companies.

Continue reading “Recruitment Software a Disadvantage to IT Job Seekers?”

We know that candidate tracking is extremely beneficial and cost effective for companies, but how does it affect job seekers.

While applicant tracking systems have a large number of growing features, it’s easy to focus on those that benefit companies and employers the most. The software helps HR departments consolidate their tasks and keep track of potential hires, as well as save time and money.

However, according to an article by The ATS Guy, it’s also important to remember what features benefit the candidates themselves. Although some candidates feel ATS take away the personal aspect of the hiring process, there are some upsides, such as reassurance that a company has received your resume.

Continue reading “Candidate Tracking – Benefits to Job Seekers”

If you’re a green company looking to hire, or a company looking to go more green, having a good ATS can make all the difference when it comes to finding the right candidates.

There has been a big push on going green lately, with the thought that doing so will not only help to improve the environment, but also will help to create more high-paying and sustainable jobs. Most recently, world leaders met at the International Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen to discuss how each nation can become more green.

In the meantime, President Barack Obama outlined a new strategy to stimulate job creation, and one of the central points to his plan is to generate green jobs by building environmentally friendly infrastructure and by providing citizens with the incentive to become more energy-efficient.

Continue reading “ATS Can Help You Go Green”

Most companies that are just beginning to invest in recruiting software usually purchase a “core HR software program.”

Core programs provide basic HR services needed by a company, regardless of whether they’re a small business or large corporation. These programs are used to streamline processes typically completed by the HR department, increase accuracy in information and reduce the amount of work required to update employee personnel files.

Several manufacturers have created core HR software programs for businesses, so it’s often hard to choose. But keep in mind that most companies need software that will focus on payroll, employee benefits and attendance tracking. Most core software programs will allow you to add expansion programs later on.

Continue reading “Recruiting Software at its Core”

If you’re an IT job seeker and are soon planning to look for a new job, you should make sure your resume is ready to go through the applicant tracking system gauntlet.

A new study from Spherion Pacific Enterprises found that almost half of the American IT workforce plans to change jobs during the next year. The study further found that IT workers have a higher job-seeking confidence than the overall workforce.

This means that plenty of IT workers are currently polishing their resume in preparation to begin applying for new jobs. For the most part, job seekers in the IT industry run into the same resume issues as other candidates, mainly how to fit all the information on one page and how to know what potential employers really want to see.

Continue reading “ATS for the IT Resume”

Trying to attract the suited employees to get to work for you might be massively difficult. Many extremely intelligent and coveted job seekers find several job leads, fashioning it even added essential that your personnel not overleap out with the prospect towards your succeeding excellent worker.

Since all, you’d detest for any suited employees nearby to go off to work for your challengers, wouldn’t your business? HR software can serve to ensure that you are cognizant about the desirable methods to fulfil a department opening. Although, with so countless options out at hand, how should you uncover the accurate platform?

First, appraise your business to specify its necessities and however you fancy to manage your recruitment. That which can be of use at a big corporation can represent exceedingly much for a smaller business. Regard where you envision your company heading in the near years in order to make certainly that you could not rapidly outgrow the recruitment package selection you determine to move on. package providers prevail that cater to employers in a kind of career industries with all assorted workforce sizes.

Continue reading “HR Software Can Find the Best Candidates”

If you’re looking to brush up your ATS (Click here) and other HR skills, an upcoming workshop may be just the thing.

Ultimate Software recently announced that it will host a complimentary Interactive HR Workshop on June 17 at The Plaza Hotel in New York, N.Y. The workshop will offer step-by-step solutions that other companies have developed in order to solve their toughest organization problems.

“Have you ever wondered how other HR executives are dealing with the business challenges you face every day?” Ultimate Software notes. “What are their secrets for aligning HR concepts with the business strategy, developing a workplace environment that encourages employee collaboration, and maneuvering through a maze of thorny legal compliance issues?”

Continue reading “ATS Pros Can Attend Workshop”

For most companies, one of the main goals of implementing staffing software is to save money, so you should make sure the software itself isn’t going to cost you an outrageous amount.

The majority of companies can reduce their software costs by up to 20 percent without changing vendors, according to an article by Personnel Today. This can mainly be done by only paying for what you need and working with what you already have.

“We’re spending more than ever on technology, but we’re not paying attention to where that money goes,” Andy Kyte, a research fellow with Gartner Group, said.

Continue reading “Staffing Software Questions to Ask Your Vendor”

Many companies today use recruitment software, while many job seekers use social media, so doesn’t it make sense to supplement one with the other?

Every employer wants to find the perfect candidate on the first try, but because there are so many talented job seekers out there, it’s tough to rely on just one source and expect to reach that end result. Therefore, companies that are already using recruitment software to target potential candidates can do the same through social networking sites.

Here are six tips on using social media for recruiting, as compiled by Mashable:
1. Create an online presence that reflects who you are – Just as you would create a career center and application portal that’s easily recognizable by job seekers, you want to create a social media profile that will clearly show who you are make people want to contact you.
Continue reading “Recruitment Software Supplemented with Social Media”

Implementing a great HR software system is just one of the ways that companies – and small businesses in particular – can use technology to save time and money. Visit http://pcrecruiter.net/site to learn more.

Business of all sizes are always looking for new and different ways to save money, but small businesses have a more vested interest in doing so, because they typically have less money to spend. Fortunately, according to an article by Mashable, there are some technology-related steps small businesses can take to save time and money.

“By its very nature, technology is intended to make complicated things simple and expensive things affordable,” the article notes. “Think about sending a bill to a customer; back in the day, it took paper, correction fluid, a stamp and a trip to the mailbox to accomplish this task. These days, it can be as quick and cheap as sending an e-mail.”

Continue reading “HR Software and Other Tech Tips to Save Money”

If your company is looking to implement an applicant tracking system (Click here), or if you have an ATS but are looking to make upgrades in order to keep up with changing technology, an upcoming Webinar might help you out.

“Talent Acquisition Systems in 2010: The Game Has Changed, have You?” – a one-of-a-kind free Webinar for HR executives and other technology decision makers – will take place from 2 to 3 p.m. May 19th via GoToWebinar.

The Webinar will discuss how, despite the recent economic downturn, the ATS market is experiencing growth and innovation. At the same time, however, many new ATS providers have cropped up, making it harder for companies to decide what software they should use.

Continue reading “Applicant Tracking System Changes Covered in Upcoming Webinar”

As the economy begins to recover and businesses think about hiring again, now is the time to implement an ATS if your company doesn’t already have one. Visit http://pcrecruiter.net to learn more.

There is a lot of advice out there as to what type of ATS you should buy, and all the options can make it quite a daunting process. A recent article from Onrec provides some great advice from business professionals as to how you should go about selecting and implementing an ATS.

Most experts agree that you should first consider what size and scale of a system your business really needs, so that you don’t end up paying for features and solutions you’re not even going to use. In that same respect, the hiring needs of a small business will differ from those of a large company, so each may benefit from using different ATS.

Continue reading “ATS Tips”

Small businesses today are relying more and more on the Internet and online resources to do their work. Employers use the Web for everything from recruiting to marketing and promotions.

On the recruiting side, most companies are already using online HR software (Click here) solutions, and those that aren’t are planning to do so sooner rather than later. Overall, the power that Internet-based resources give a small business are making it easier for most to emerge from the economic downturn.

A new report from Easynet Connect found that 79 percent of small businesses think the Internet is making the road to recovery easier this time than during previous recessions.

Continue reading “HR Software Growing Among Small Businesses”

The changing face of the manufacturing industry is causing employers to adapt their hiring processes accordingly. Mainly, employers are focusing more on people than anything else, which is a step in the right direction. There are many tools, such as an applicant tracking system, that are making this move possible.

The nation’s manufacturing industry as a whole has been coping with a decline in resources as fewer graduates are learning the basic technical skills that are necessary to fill replacement positions. That, coupled with the increasing technology in production, is requiring manufacturers to invest more in their employees.

These changes, along with the rising cost of making a bad hire, are reiterating the value of finding the right candidate for the job. With that in mind, employers are working to provide a standardized process that screens a candidate’s skills and behaviors against company requirements.

Continue reading “ATS for the Manufacturing Industry”

Any recruitment software users or professionals could benefit from an upcoming workshop.

Ultimate Software will offer “Essential Strategies from Industry Leaders in an Era of Change,” a free interactive HR workshop, on April 27 at the Hartford Marriott Downtown in Hartford, Conn. The content of the workshop will be most beneficial to companies with at least 200 employees.

The workshop is ideal for leaders in HR, talent management, recruitment, compliance, training and retention who want to interact with peers in an intimate setting, identify short and long-term business drivers, share proven ideas, and learn from others.

Continue reading “Recruitment Software Pros Could Benefit from Workshop”

If your company is in the process of purchasing and implementing HR software, it’s important to know how to navigate your pricing options.

There are many key pricing methodologies when it comes to recruiting software, but the three most common are per recruiter/manager pricing, per employee pricing and per hire pricing. According to BrightMove, each methodology has its own implications.

Although many vendors no longer offer a per recruiter/per manager pricing option, it’s usually the ideal option for companies that don’t intend to implement an employee portal. The price of this methodology is lower than other pricing models, as you only need to license recruiters.

Continue reading “HR Software Pricing Options”

If you’re in charge of selecting your company’s ATS, a new Webinar will help keep you up on the industry.

“Workforce Planning and Talent Management: What Your CEO Wishes HR Would Do,” is a one-of-a-kind free Webinar for HR executives and other technology-decision makers presented by ERE and Taleo. The Webinar is scheduled to take place from 2 to 3 p.m. on April 14.

The Webinar will benefit any HR executive or technology decision-maker who is in charge of ensuring their organization selects the right ATS. It also will be useful to: staffing directors and vice presidents, recruitment managers, corporate recruiters, CEOs and top HR executives in talent-driven industries, and other HR professionals who are responsible for evaluating and selecting an ATS.

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In order to better compete in a changing marketplace, some companies are making their staffing software offerings too complicated, making it more important for companies to know how to choose and implement the right software.

When it comes to the emerging talent management technology expansion, employee performance management has become a clear focal point. As the popularity and usefulness of automation has grown, so has the number of vendors offering various staffing software solutions.

Unfortunately, this has caused some companies to try to “out-feature” their competition, causing vendors to sacrifice ease-of-use and system stability in favor of additional features, modules and integrations. This only increases complexity, implementation time and cost, resulting in more dissatisfaction and system replacement.

Continue reading “Staffing Software Becoming Too Complex?”

A recent survey detailing the trends the recruiting industry will see this year may help ATS (Click here) providers and users.

“Optimism Abounds: Staffing and Recruiting Industry Expectations,” a new report from Bullhorn, revealed the results of the company’s 2010 trends survey of what recruiters expect for the staffing and recruiting industry.

The report also outlines key statistics and ideas to increase job orders and turn a greater profit margin this year. Among those ideas are a grater concentration in sales and social media networks, especially with LinkedIn.

Continue reading “ATS Companies, Users Should Benefit from Recruiting Upswing”

There is a lot of advice out there about what you should consider when implementing HR software, but what about the things you should avoid? Visit http://pcrecruiter.net/site to learn more.

Here are five common mistakes to avoid when choosing your company’s HR software, as compiled by compareHRIS.com:

1. Not determining your needs upfront – Make a list of what you need the software to do for you, and refer to the list as you go through the selection process. It can be easy to lose sight of your goals if you don’t set them in the beginning.

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Another report supporting the addition of Web 2.0 into your staffing software (Click here) strategy has come out.

“Health Care Recruiting and Social Media Report – Prognosis: Optimistic,” a new report from Hodes iQ, found that most healthcare recruiters believe Web 2.0 is a good fit for their industry, but that few recruiters have fully adopted leading-edge social media and interactive tools for recruiting and talent management.

The report found that social media has an impact on all industries – not just healthcare – and that many recruiters and companies are still not sure how to begin using it to their advantage. Healthcare recruiters should take this as a sign to begin adding social recruiting enhancements to their overall hiring strategy.

Continue reading “Staffing Software with Web 2.0 Integration Benefits Healthcare Recruiting”

If your company uses an ATS during the hiring process, as most businesses these days do, what should you consider when renewing that system? Visit http://pcrecruiter.net/site to learn more.

Authoria recently released a report detailing the seven key considerations companies should keep in mind when renewing their applicant tracking system. As technology has dramatically changed the recruiting game, with everything from Web-enabled application and talent pool systems to business intelligence tools, it’s important for companies to stay at the forefront of the game.

“A wide array of applicant tracking systems (ATS), at different stages of maturity, now compete for the opportunity to help your organization meet its staffing and recruiting needs,” the report notes. “But with over 100 vendors to choose from, where do you start? If you are responsible for renewing your company’s applicant tracking system, there are many factors to take into account.”

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If you know how to use HR software (Click here), and are looking for a career in which to use those skills, your future looks bright.

A recent report from HRGuru found that there is currently not enough talent to meet demand to fill positions dealing with Human Resource Information Systems. HRIS products that help companies manage their personnel have become increasingly important as technology is now a key part of any HR department.

“As HRIS systems have become more sophisticated, the demand for experienced professionals in this area has risen,” the report notes. “HRIS professionals are often involved in product selection, systems customization, implementation and ongoing administration. If you are extremely detail-oriented and enjoy working with computers, this might be the job for you.”

Continue reading “HR Software Knowledge Can Lead to a Promising Career”

Recruiting and staffing software are among government entities’ top needs. Visit http://pcrecruiter.net/site to learn more.

A recent report from BidPrime.com detailing state and local government contracts found that software is among the top needs of those entities. This provides a great opportunity for staffing software, recruiting software and other software companies.

BidPrime.com is an online subscription service providing government bids and contract intelligence to businesses. The organization’s most recent report lists each state’s most commonly requested items or services and the number of bids and RFPs issued by state agencies, cities, counties and school districts.

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Recruiters are increasingly using social networking sites as part of their ATS.

There have been a number of studies on how social networking affects job seekers during the hiring process. Microsoft recently threw its hat into the ring by releasing a study conducted by Cross-Tab that delves into the subject of online reputation.

For the report, about 275 recruiters, HR professionals and hiring managers, as well as 330 consumers, were interviewed in the United States, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The end result explores the attitude these people have about online reputation, how it impacts hiring and how people manage it.

Continue reading “ATS and Your Online Reputation”

The appeal of third-party providers will cause many banking companies to reduce IT staff during the near future, but that will result in an employment increase for financial tech vendors, including those that provide recruitment software.

A recent report from Celent, a consultancy firm, predicts that European banks will spend $18.5 billion on IT staff this year, a decrease from $18.9 billion during 2009. That number is expected to decline by another 3 percent during 2011 and and an additional 6 percent during 2012.

“It’s more expensive and less efficient to undertake development in-house rather than work with a third-party,” Axel Pierron, senior vice president of Celent, said. “It’s clear that IT budgets are still in a very uncertain phase.

Continue reading “Recruitment Software in the Banking Industry”

More companies are now using human resources and staffing software in the form of Software as a Service.

The most recent InformationWeek Analytics survey found that 47 percent of companies are using SaaS, and of those, three-fourths consider the service to be extremely or critically important to their organizations. SaaS requires the software to be maintained by the provider, which frees up resources for companies to focus on other projects.

Companies no longer solely use SaaS for sales force automation and customer relationship management, but also for purposes related to human resources, Web presence, e-mail, service desk, collaboration, financial and backup.

Continue reading “Staffing Software Use through SaaS Increasing”

If you own a business or work in an HR department, you may already know about the benefits of recruiting software. However, if you’re looking for a way to make the recruiting process easier, there are many reasons you should look into using recruiting software.

Recruiting software not only makes life easier for those in the HR department, but makes the company as a whole function better, be more focused, more organized and make better and more informed decisions. Recruiting software also helps companies save a considerable amount of time and money, according to an article by Ezine.

Most recruiting software is capable of handling employee information, such as names, addresses, income tax withholdings, available vacation days, holiday pay, child support payments, garnishing and retirement savings. Most software also allows employers to better use direct deposit and print statements, forms and reports.

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With 2010 already in full swing, companies should include HR software as part of their plan for the new year.

Just as individuals often make New Year’s resolutions, companies across all industries also often make resolutions for the year ahead. Focusing on the right resolutions can help your company do what it takes to succeed and ultimately come out ahead.

The most important thing to focus on during the new year is your most important asset: your employees. By focusing on hiring intelligently all the time, your company can continue to see an increase in employee stability.

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Most HR managers believe their companies would benefit from recruiting software.

The most recent HR Challenges Survey from Taleo found that the top three challenges facing HR managers in the United Kingdom this year are succession planning, employee retention and providing leadership with better management information and reporting.

Unfortunately, it does not appear as though HR departments will have the additional funding to help them manage talent and support business leadership. Of the respondents, about 70 percent predict that less than 10 percent of their company’s technology funding will be used on tools to help them manage talent.

Continue reading “Recruiting Software Benefits HR Managers”

It’s no surprise that the current economic recession has had a negative impact on business, and during times when companies are hiring fewer employees, ATS (Click here) and recruiting software companies also begin to suffer.

Fortunately, however, the opposite also is true. That means as companies begin to feel more financially stable and want to start hiring new employees and creating new jobs, recruiting companies can expect to see a surge in business. According to a new report, that is already beginning to happen.

Bullhorn, a staffing and recruiting software company, recently released “Recovery: Are We There Yet?” For the report, the company asked staffing and recruiting professionals about their expectations for economic recovery and its effect on the industry.

Continue reading “ATS and Recruiting Software Companies to See Business Increase”

As the current economic recession has caused many companies to cut call center jobs, managers at those call centers could greatly benefit from staffing software (Click here).

Managers often face the challenge of how to accurately schedule the correct number of agents based on call volume. That means company money is wasted if the manager schedules too many agents and there are not enough calls coming in. At the same time, customer satisfaction can decline if there are not enough agents and hold times increase.

While it is difficult to predict what call volume will be, managers also must find the right agents to fill positions in each shift. Most call centers today handle phone calls, e-mails and Web chats, and some agents are better at handling one technology than the others, so it is important for managers to assemble a team that represents a good balance of skills.

Continue reading “Staffing Software Helps Call Center Managers”

As the current state of the economy has led many people to start their own businesses, chances are there is a small business owner in your life who you might be considering buying a gift for.

While the holidays mean family time and relaxation to many, they often mean an increase in production and hiring for small business owners, especially those who want to take advantage of the time when larger companies shut down. There are some gifts you can give to make this time of year a little easier on the small business owner in your life, including gift certificates, office essentials and ATS. Visit http://pcrecruiter.net to learn more.

Here are the top five gifts for small business owners:

1. Applicant tracking software – When a small business begins to grow and needs to hire more workers, the person in charge of that business will be responsible for finding the best applicants and keeping track of them. ATS makes this process a lot easier while increasing efficiency and decreasing the amount of money and time a small business owner must invest.
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Most companies today use some form of recruiting software (Click here), as well as software for human resources, payroll and staffing purposes. However, those companies may not know how much more they could benefit from Software as a Service.

Software as a Service, or SaaS, is a fairly new business model that allows companies to use the software applications they rely on every day in a whole new way. There are currently thousands of SaaS applications that can handle a variety of tasks.

New technology is allowing SaaS companies to provide their services to clients at a low cost by using cloud computing, open development and flexible software models. In addition, SaaS allows companies to choose their own pricing plan so they can get the most for their money.

Continue reading “5 Reasons to Use Recruiting Software Via SaaS”

Companies that are worried about staffing could stand to benefit from implementing HR software (Click here).

A recent survey from SWC Technology Partners looked at the technologies, strategies and tactics generating the biggest impact for mid-market companies, as well as less vital projects those companies are putting off until next year.

When asked about staffing, the number of respondents who said they are looking to boost application development in staffing levels was 13 percent higher than last year, while the number turning to outsourcing was 6 percent higher than last year.

Continue reading “HR Software Could Benefit Companies with Increasing Staffing Needs”

Most private businesses know that using an applicant tracking system, or ATS, during the hiring process can be extremely beneficial, especially in terms of saving time and money. Lately, however, that trend seems to be working its way into public sector businesses, such as governments and schools.

Most recently, officials in the United Kingdom announced that the use of an ATS or other recruiting software could reduce the country’s national cost of advertising for school teacher and support staff positions by almost two-thirds.

In response, a new Schools Recruitment Service was created, which offers schools a faster and more efficient and standardized application system. About 52 local authorities representing more than 8,000 schools and 32 academies have already signed up to use the new software.

Continue reading “ATS Saves Schools Millions”