Now that you’ve picked your jaw up from the floor, we can get back to the serious business of making your online recruiting even better. Seriously though, there’s a lot of data demonstrating the worldwide significance of online recruiting. For instance, Reuters reports today that

Overall, 15 of 20 industries and 20 of the 23 occupational categories tracked by the Monster Index increased their online recruitment activity in March.

However, that doesn’t mean that online recruiting is necessarily getting any easier. For instance, David Jackson, CEO of the investment agency Istithmar says that “If there is one thing that keeps me up at night it’s hiring.” According to an article on The Business Times, “Last year, Istithmar missed its hiring target by 15, with 70 employees on the books by year-end rather than the planned 85.” Does that mean that viable talent went unplaced or that there was a lack of talent to be placed?

When we were figuring out how to best put together our new network, we asked recruiters what kinds of problems they’ve had in their searches. 62% said they would like to see a higher quantity of candidates online, and 85% said they wanted a higher quality of candidates. Only 8% of the recruiters we surveyed said they liked the quality of the talent they saw on existing job-boards. We take those numbers seriously. We’re confident that our new network will help alleviate some of the problems recruiters face, and over 78% of the recruiters who tested it agreed. As we get closer to launching, you should come check out the new face of itzbig and let us show you how great your online recruiting can be.

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News You Can Use: A Daily Round Up of Links for Recruiters, Job Seekers and Quiet Working Professionals

[Daily Post from itzbig] The itzbig Blog: Number of “Job Haters” on the Rise

“A recent survey conducted by Conference Board’s Consumer Research Center revealed that more Americans are fed up with their jobs than perhaps ever before, as less than 39% of those surveyed were satisfied with their current employment. Determining factors for ‘job-hate’ include everything from age (workers under 25 are the least satisfied right now), location (sorry New Yorkers and New Jerseyites or Jerseyians), and income (it seems that large salaries can keep the hate away at least for a while.)”

Secrets of the Job Hunt: Executive Job Market Looking Good

“Execunet is bullish on the job market for executives. I wish I could say the same for the stock market after yesterday’s plunge.

“Recruiters short-term outlook improved in February, as 80% said they are confident or very confident the employment market will improve in the next three months – up from 78% in January. This bullish forecast is well supported by the search industry’s own growth.”

Recruiting: I Source, Therefore I Am…… PART IV

“Myth #1: ‘The researcher will find you candidates.’

“You may think, ‘O Research Goddess, how is this incorrect? That’s what researchers do isn’t it? Source candidates?’ Not exactly….as I’ve mentioned in prior postings, a researcher’s duty is to source leads. YOUR job, as a recruiter, is to turn them into candidates.”

Gautam Ghosh: On Sourcing and Recruiting

“Again our experience has taught us that advertising is not all that effective an avenue to fetch us (or our hiring managers rather!) the kind-of pool we are looking for.
Sourcing also becomes particularly difficult when we are hiring in tight labour market conditions.

“Any recruiter would agree all sourcing tricks don’t yield results for all organizations.
Posting your openings on job portals also doesn’t guarantee you the expected yield in terms of the the kind/breed of candidates you are looking at.
It may give the recruiter a ‘feel-good’ of so many clicks/views and it does only as much.”

Recruiting Animal: People Who Provide Value

“1. Constantly give you the feeling that you’re getting more than you’re paying for
2. Worry about the long term quality of their service
3. Are reliable”

Gautam Ghosh: US job satisfaction levels going down

“Sudhanshu points to an interesting report that states that younger American workers are least satisfied with their jobs.

“Satisfaction is important, but I believe that the higher thing to aspire for is engagement with the job.

“Satisfaction focuses too much on the external factors that an organization can tinker with. The pay, the benefits, the overtime, the job titles. I am not saying that these are not important, but focusing on these factors takes away the energy from focusing on the really important bit: the work and the innate talent of the person.”

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News You Can Use: A Daily Round Up of Links for Recruiters, Job Seekers and Quiet Working Professionals

[Daily Post from itzbig] The itzbig Blog: Breaking Down the Recruiter Bill of Rights

“There’s no question that much of that tirade is justified. There are recruiters that simply don’t do their jobs well, just as in any industry. However, a skilled recruiter can make a candidate’s search faster, easier, and more effective. Candidates have the right to demand respect when respect is warranted, and talented recruiters should have the same right.”

Yahoo News: Americans Hate Their Jobs More Than Ever

“Americans hate their jobs more than ever before in the past 20 years, with fewer than half saying they are satisfied.

“The trend is strongest among workers under the age of 25, less than 39 percent of whom are satisfied with their jobs.”

Recruiting Animal: Bad Networking

“Too many people think that networking is sticking out your hand to shake another person’s hand and simultaneously giving her your business card.

“Immediately, she says who she is and what she wants. Real relationships are built over a long period of time.

“You need to build trust and that takes time and effort. Don’t try to trade on relationships too soon.”

Talentism: Coach Luke or Embrace Darth?

”’Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker: who would qualify for a career coach?’ That was the interesting question posed at a meeting I attended the other day. After some quick conversation, most of the participants agreed that Luke was the better candidate for a career / personal development coach. The reasoning was straight forward: Luke has trouble controlling his emotions and is a bit of a loner.”

…from the trenches: Confession of a Corporate Recruiting Blogger – I’m In A Rut

“I’m not sure what to write about anymore. I’ve had this blog up-and-running for several months now, and have enjoyed expressing myself, and hopefully enlightening and/or educating some people here. I’ve written alot about current trends, my job change, recruiting technology, job reqs, job boards, and of course, my beloved Terps. But now, I’m in a rut.”

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News You Can Use: A Daily Round Up of Links for Recruiters, Job Seekers and Quiet Working Professionals

[Daily Post from itzbig] The itzbig Blog: The Adventures of Job Boy

“His personal belongings in a small cardboard box, Job Boy walked out of the office for the last time. He was worried, but optimistic. He’d landed an interview with a company that just might be the right match. At least he thought it sounded that way. After all, his Plan B search on the Big Boards had led to a variety of posts that weren’t quite clear on the companies or positions involved.”

Instigator Blog: 9 Signs the Online Job Market is Broken

itzbig gets a mention here:

”#9 Lots of money and time is going into the online job market space. The job market is hot. SimplyHired. Jobster. itzbig. Indeed.‘And let’s not forget – people are talking about the problems in the online job market. Steve Poland wrote: Online Job Hunt 10 Years Later – Still Sucks.’

[…]Lots of money, lots of energy.

Guerrilla Job Hunting: Q: How can you tell a sincere job posting from a fluffed up job posting?

“A: It’s more than 25 words long. A sincere ad will as much try to screen people out as in. For example minimum requirements often means exactly that. If you don’t know the difference between thermal underwear and a thermal coupler – you shouldn’t apply – chances are your transferable skills won’t be enough. Sometimes it really is rocket science.”

Recruiter Magazine: What’s in a name?

“Some people regard job titles as crucial, and this applies in the status-driven industry of recruitment more than most.

”’If you think about job titles, it is the second thing you are asked after somebody meets you,’ points out Robert Myatt, business psychologist with Kaisen Consulting.”

About: Human Resources: Big Shift Is Occurring in the HR Role

“In keeping with yesterday’s blog, I’ve been thinking about the future role of Human Resources staff today. With much more focus on outsourcing the administration end of the business, HR staff members are challenged to remain relevant. Most HR people that I know understand that a huge shift in how they think about their role needs to occur.”

MBS Progress: Top 10 Reasons for failing interviews.

“How well do you think you do in an interview?

“You can read book after book on how to interview well but the truth is in the telling, and on the day it’s about how the interviewer sees YOU. Not your skills, not your knowledge, not your education or qualification, not even your experience – YOU. All these others might get you an interview in the first place, but they don’t win you the job.”

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When we last left Job Boy, things had gone from bad to worse. His job search had been discovered by The Boss, and it was clear that his days at the office were numbered. Job Boy packed up the picture of his family and the catalog that featured the HD flat screen TV he’d once dreamed of owning. It had all happened so fast. They brought in a replacement, a plucky young go-getter straight out of school, and sent Job Boy on his way. Well, they did ask him to stay on to train his replacement, but that didn’t sound too appealing.

“You’d really be doing us a solid, Big P,” The Boss had said, but Job Boy declined.His personal belongings in a small cardboard box, Job Boy walked out of the office for the last time. He was worried, but optimistic. He’d landed an interview with a company that just might be the right match. At least he thought it sounded that way. After all, his Plan B search on the Big Boards had led to a variety of posts that weren’t quite clear on the companies or positions involved.

At first, Job Boy thought the Big Boards may have unleashed a ray of some kind that left him unable to fully comprehend the things he read, but when he checked with his intrepid reporter friend, she told him this was a common feeling among job candidates. She said that like the classifieds of old, many Big Board postings were pretty vague:

”They may offer little or no description of the job, working conditions, or pay. Some ads do not identify the employer.” (From Careers Near Me)

Despite this, Job Boy felt good about his interview. He put on his best tie and the glasses he used to cover up his secret identity and made his way downtown. Once inside the office, things quickly turned ugly. Job Boy was ushered into a room where a panel of HR people waited. They stared at him as though he were wearing a clown wig or had something on his face. Finally, one forced a smile and started talking. Job Boy used his keen listening abilities to discern that the HR person was talking about the position. Only, something was wrong.

“Is something wrong?” The HR person asked, sensing Job Boy’s dismay.

“The posting. It said salaried position. And benefits.”

“Oh, yes,” The HR person said, “That can be a bit confusing. It’s a salaried position…but the salary is based on the number of hours you work, which could vary from week to week.”

Job Boy was stunned. He felt the room start to spin. Again, he’d found himself unprepared on the job search. He thought he heard the panel laughing at him. He was struggling to breathe. Without thinking, Job Boy leapt from his chair and flew out of the room.

When he returned home, his wife and child could see the pain on his face. They comforted him.

“What happened?” They asked.

He didn’t really know. It was like some interview horror story he’d read 1,000 times:

”Despite the fact that it is mentioned nowhere in the advert or the job description, through the interview discourse it became apparent that a “key requirement” (their words) of the role is the ability to be able to sometimes work 10 hours a week, and sometimes work 37 hours a week, in accordance with how much work there is. How much work is there? They don’t know, because this is a new role. I’m something of an expert in the field, and based on the job description I’d say it’s a full-time role. I’d also suggest (ho!) that they don’t want to pay for a full-timer because they’d rather fudge the issue and save money by using time off in lieu.” (From Another Day, Another Job Interview)

Job Boy collapsed on the chair in his office. He was in trouble. The Big Boards, The Boss, and the HR People had outmaneuvered him. As desperation swept over our fallen hero, the phone rang.

“Hello,” Job Boy said absently. The voice on the other line was quiet and unfamiliar.

“Corner of Hazel and Buena. There’s something you need to see…”

Join us next Friday for the final installment of The Adventures of Job Boy.

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