May 2013
3 posts
7 tags
3 Reasons eHarmony's Job Matching Will Suck
Look who’s getting into the job matching game.
Popular algorithmic dating site eHarmony went mainstream last week that they have their eye on the job search marketplace.
“It seems like there’s a social problem here that needs fixing, much in the same that when we started with relationship matching, there just seemed to be a problem,” said Grant Langston, eHarmony’s vice president of...
3 tags
Jobfox Founder Returns via Cobrain
Doostang acquired Jobfox in October last year. I interviewed the buyer’s CEO, Jeff Berger, at the time to find out more. And although he was relatively open about the purchase and what they’d do with the property, there wasn’t a lot know about the future of company founder Rob McGovern (photo).
The silence was deafening, since the new ownership was stuck dealing with some brutal...
4 tags
LinkedIn Gets Facebookier, Indeed Rejoices
LinkedIn didn’t listen to a word I said.
Jumping onto the resume reinvention bandwagon, LinkedIn introduced ‘visually enhanced” portfolios last week. As the name suggests, LinkedIn users are now empowered to add even more eye-candy to profiles.
According to the release:
This means you can illustrate your greatest achievements in the form of stunning images, compelling videos,...
April 2013
4 posts
3 tags
Is the Future of Job Search in Video?
It probably started with the cavemen.
The more visually acute among us were more likely to escape saber-toothed tigers and catch Sunday brunch. Stop signs and help wanted shingles didn’t come along till much later.
In short, we’ve evolved as visual beings.
MRI in Indianapolis was an early adopter of online-video-as-job-posting. I’m talking 2006 early. At the time, posting...
6 tags
This Ain't Your Daddy's LinkedIn
Not that long ago, I used to say, “Unless you’re a sales person or a recruiter, LinkedIn sucks.” I doubt the powers-that-be were listening, but since going IPO, it sure seems like they were.
The first significant move away from being “your father’s LinkedIn” came in 2011 with the launch of LinkedIn Today, This offering “delivers the day’s top news,...
3 tags
This 'Reinventing-the-Resume' Thing Needs to Stop
There are certain things in life that have become commonplace for everyone’s benefit. Red means stop. The sun sets in the west. The Browns will never win a Super Bowl.
So why companies are still hoping to reinvent the resume is beyond me.
And speaking of beyond, Beyond.com released a new “visual resume” last month. According to the news release, it “provides a new way...
4 tags
The Incredible Shrinking Sales Person
Have you ever heard someone say, “I can’t wait to talk with a sales person today”? Yeah, me neither.
People may love buying stuff, but they sure hate being sold.
I’ve spoken to a number of business owners over the last year or so and a growing number of them are doing everything they can to rid themselves of reliance on sales people.
That’s bad news for sales...
March 2013
4 posts
4 tags
Twitter is a Serious Recruitment Advertising...
Time to start getting comfortable pimping your stuff in 140 characters or less. With an upgrade to its marketing platform this week, Twitter is now a legitimate advertising medium for employers.
From a recent email,
Great news! Today, we announced more targeting options for your Twitter advertising. Based on your feedback, we added new features to connect you with the Twitter users most...
3 tags
Yes, Google Glass will Impact Recruiting
Augmented reality is becoming reality.
If you’re not yet familiar with Google’s new pet project, eyewear that brings computing to your cornea, here’s an introduction:
Like it or not this is happening. Go ahead and argue how broad the acceptance will be, but you’d better be prepared as a marketer.
To quote augmented reality pioneer Steve Mann, “There will be Apple...
6 tags
Facebook Needs to Buy Monster, Embrace 'Boring'
Facebook is in the enviable position of being able to pretty much launch anything and get it in front of a billion human beings. And over the years, they’ve done a good job at throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks.
Their most recent foray into search (a good move, in my opinion) is one such example. Others, such as deals, check-ins, chat, Poke and classifieds exist too.
They’ve dabbled...
4 tags
Is Groupon Too Much Like a Job Board to Succeed?
News broke late Thursday that daily deals pioneer Groupon’s founder and CEO, 32-year-old Andrew Mason, had been canned. A 75 percent decrease in IPO stock price will do that sometimes.
The company is a mess - complete with disgruntled employees - and Mason is taking the lion’s share of criticism. Fortunately, he’s taking it all in Groupon-style stride.
But Mason’s model...
February 2013
3 posts
5 tags
Mobile Recruiting Done Right: Google, Inc.
Google owns Android, the most popular mobile operating system on earth. That’s probably not news to you. What may be news, however, is realizing Google has a window into mobile usage that few could ever dream of as a result. So, when they focus on getting mobile right on one of their many properties, you should take note.
Enter their redesigned mobile career center.
It’s awesome....
1 tag
A few new job boards
We’ve added 5 new 1 click job posting options to JobScore - a little something for everyone.
With 4M+ monthly visitors Job.com is among the most visited employment sites on the web. Exclusively for JobScore customers postings are 20% off in February 2013 ($79 instead of $99) Click to log in and give job.com a try
You likely know glassoor as an employer rating and review site - but you...
3 tags
Recruiting, Millionaire Matchmaker-Style
Some of Siilcon Valley’s best and brightest shared hiring strategies at HireCamp in San Francisco. The war for talent in the world’s tech hub is fierce and is increasingly demanding out-of-the-box thinking and creativity.
You’ve probably heard of Box and their brilliant young CEO, Aaron Levie. If you haven’t, his Twitter account is a must-follow.
Enter HireCamp presenter Kenny Mendes,...
January 2013
2 posts
3 tags
Rethinking Video Recruiting at HireCamp
There was a bevy of thought leadership on display at last week’s HireCamp in San Francisco, a new recruiting unconference. This will serve as the first of a handful of posts I expect to deliver over the next few weeks.
Of the most intriguing topics showcased was video recruiting. Presenting the topic was Jason LaBarbera of Sunol Group. Now, when the term “video recruiting” gets...
5 tags
Chat w/ Joe Stubblebine, Beyond Buys JobCircle
Recruiting’s buzzword for 2013 just might be consolidation.
Setting the table last year, Indeed was acquired in September. Then, another intriguing buy came in December when Beyond bought JobCircle.
Intriguing, because this wasn’t an established player gobbling-up a hot, new startup. Both companies have a long history in the online employment space. So, it smelled more like News Corp...
December 2012
6 posts
5 tags
2013 Predictions
It’s that time of year again. So here are my predictions for 2013:
Monster finally gets acquired. With its growth days behind it and an economy that should remain challenging - as in recession challenging - Monster’s stock dives enough to be too juicy for a bigger fish to gobble-up.
LinkedIn buys Simply Hired. If you think Monster and CareerBuilder are LinkedIn’s biggest...
2 tags
Nope, .jobs Isn't Going Anywhere
Like it or not, .jobs domains aren’t going anywhere.
A letter republished by DomainIncite shows how a recent breach notice by ICANN had been rescinded. The breach allegation was originally set forth by a lobby of job board interests in 2010 known as the .JOBS Charter Compliance Coalition.
It included the likes of Monster and CareerBuilder.
“DirectEmployers Association is pleased...
3 tags
WatchLast week, I helped Recruiting Trends put on their latest webinar featuring mobile recruiting and marketing strategies. A hot topic for sure. This is the end result. Enjoy.
2 tags
Developing: Hundreds Laid Off at Monster Today
Multiple sources are telling me a lot of people were laid off at Monster today. The axe fell at around 3 p.m., EST. Apparently, all departments, worldwide, were hit, with the exception of sales.
The number of workers who were cut is being quoted at 800, which is said to be about 7 percent of the company. In January 2012, 400 employees were terminated, so this is a significant increase from that,...
3 tags
Love for Monster Returns in Latest Yahoo! Redesign
About a month ago, Yahoo! started playing around with a homepage redesign.
In one of the iterations, the link to Monster.com job content from the main navigation - which has been a staple since Monster acquired Yahoo!’s HotJobs a few years ago - was absent.
But if you thought the love affair, or maybe the contractual requirements, were over, you’d be wrong. The latest version of the...
2 tags
¡Adios! Monster Exiting Latin America
Monster is shutting down its Latin American operations.
“Consistent with our previously announced plans to concentrate our resources on our core business in North American and key European and Asian markets, Monster has decided to close its operations in Brazil and Mexico,” said a company spokesperson. “Monster remains committed to providing talent recruitment solutions to our...
November 2012
6 posts
2 tags
JobEscrow Aims to Bring Recruiting to the Masses
For employers, it reduces the risk of hiring a recruiter and makes it more affordable. For recruiters, it creates a differentiator and spreads out payments to reduce the highs-and-lows so commonplace to the business.
Or at least that’s how co-founder and CEO Ken Winters hopes prospects and customers see his Silicon Valley start-up, JobEscrow.
Here’s the explainer video:
“The...
3 tags
Did Time Simply Run Out on Simply Hired Founder?
Venture capital is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it means ammunition to take your idea or product to heights it wouldn’t otherwise go. And on the other hand, someone owns your ass.
Swimming with sharks can be as exciting as it is deadly. And the clock is ticking all the time. Enter Simply Hired. Launched in 2003, it was part of the vertical search engine phenomenon that was happening...
2 tags
Legalized Marijuana Won't Change Employer Habits
Unless you’ve been stoned since Election Day, you’re aware that Washington State and Colorado have legalized recreational use of marijuana. So, aside from The Feds coming in and spoiling the party, what could go wrong?
How about employers firing users and passing on potential hires?
“Companies are going to mitigate risk,” said Jason Morris, president and COO of...
This week only: $299 of clicks on Indeed for just...
Indeed is the #1 source for candidates across all of JobScore. Indeed isn’t just #1 in total candidates, they are also #1 in total screens and total interviews generated.
The truth, however is that indeed is likely even better than what most of you experience today with $0 organic listings - and the team at Indeed is willing to step up to prove it.
Exclusively for JobScore employers...
2 tags
JobScore + email are now best friends
A lot of recruiting happens in email.. and cutting & pasting information from email into your ATS feels like a big waste of time that slows you down.
Our new Email Tracking feature empowers your team to add information to JobScore by simply sending an email. Email Tracking includes 3 email “inboxes” to add resumes, track candidate email correspondence and add notes.
Email...
2 tags
Indeed.com Co-Founder Downsizes Job Title
Where would you go after selling your company for a bucketload of cash? Maui? Disney World?
For Indeed.com co-founder Paul Forster, that destination is jolly ol’ London, England. But wait, there’s more. The new destination comes with a brand new title - Senior Advisor.
So long, CEO.
“Co-founder Rony Kahan is now CEO of Indeed,” said Anne Murguia, Indeed’s senior...
October 2012
9 posts
3 tags
Is Branchout On Its Way Out?
If you quietly wanted to change the direction of your business and were in the recruiting space, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better time than the past few weeks. With conferences like HR Tech, LinkedIn and TRC, most pundits were enthralled with anything other than the latest pivot.
Enter Branchout. Earlier this month, they announced some big changes to their business. Silicon Valley...
4 tags
Industry Vet Chad Sowash Joins RecruitMilitary
Chad Sowash has been part of the online recruiting landscape for a long time in Internet years. Those familiar with “OCC” will appreciate just how long. Think 1998.
The bulk of that time has been spent in business development with Direct Employers Association. For a lot of folks - me included - Sowash was the face of the organization and heir apparent to taking the reins at the...
3 tags
2 tags
Monster Getting Fired from Yahoo! Redesign?
Since, well, they bought HotJobs in 2002, there’s been a job search link of some sort on Yahoo!’s main navigation. Since 2010, that link went to HotJobs’ acquirer, Monster.com.
Enter new CEO Marissa Mayer and the link goes buh-bye thanks to a redesign. Here’s a screenshot:
Go there today and you’ll see a pretty prominent link to “Jobs” with the Monster...
6 tags
RemarkableHire Interview [Video]
On the heels of the HR Tech Conference, it’s fun to finally see start-ups in the recruitment space again. The Great Recession had put most of the ideas (and money) on hold.
One of those startups is RemarkableHire, who exhibited. Here’s their explainer video:
It’s essentially a people search engine where recruiters can source candidates from a wide variety of destination sites...
3 tags
WatchJobfox was acquired by Doostang today. I chat with ‘Stang CEO Jeff Berger about the deal. I was particularly interested to hear what he planned to do with the embattled brand. Enjoy.
3 tags
Notes in JobScore just got radically better
Note alert emails
JobScore can now let you know when your colleagues add notes to candidates.
Here’s how it works: we’ve added a “note alerts” control for each member of the hiring team for every job. When you turn on note alerts that person is notified every time someone else adds a note to a candidate.
Click here to adjust your note alert settings »
Add...
3 tags
Ethan Bloomfield Sets Sights on New 'Target'
Recruiting industry veteran Ethan Bloomfield is leaving longtime employer JobTarget to join ZipRecruiter. He was JobTarget’s VP of business development.
“Obviously the decision wasn’t easy,” Bloomfield said. “JobTarget and I have grown a lot over the years and I have enjoyed the ride. When I started there were only 15 people – and today I am saying good bye to something...
6 tags
Here's Why the Indeed.com Deal Sucks for Monster
In all the hoopla last week surrounding the Indeed.com acquisition, most pundits overlooked how bad it was for Monster and its job board brethren.
According to a source who wanted to remain anonymous, Recruit Co., Indeed’s buyer, had a deal with Monster on the table as well. Indeed’s pricetag was rumored to be $1.2 billion while Monster wanted $1.4 billion.
So, a measly $200 million...
September 2012
4 posts
4 tags
Recruit Co. to Acquire Indeed.com [UPDATED]
Trusted sources are saying LinkedIn Recruit Co. Ltd will announce the purchase of Indeed.com this week. Maybe as soon as Tuesday. The dollar amount being thrown around is $1 billion. LinkedIn’s market cap is roughly $13 billion.
If true, it would certainly squash the rumors of LinkedIn buying Monster, bypassing the job board model in favor of vertical search. LinkedIn has its own job...
5 tags
Jobvite 'Approves This Message'
The vitriol of the presidential campaign is apparently spilling into the usually pleasant world of recruitment technology. Instead of targeting tax policy and national defense, however, acquisition uncertainty is in the crosshairs.
Enter Jobvite’s most recent email marketing campaign sent via ERE’s LinkedIn Group. In it, the company goes for Taleo’s jugular by highlighting its...
7 tags
Monster Rumors Heating Up Again
Someone might be close to acquiring Monster - finally.
The who’s-going-to-buy-Monster rumors have come and gone over the years - LinkedIn being one of the most recent - but the buzz this time ‘round may be more than a ploy to pop the stock.
Sources have been pointing to Fall as the time it’s all supposed to go down. Only time will tell, but here are a few of the players in the...
12 tags
They're heeeeeere. Again.
Remember itzbig (see pic)? Trovix? Climber v1.0? The original Jobfox? It’s sort of like remembering your first iPod and its navigation wheel. These were the original “eHarmony for jobs” players.
Similar to the popular dating service, these solutions hoped to magically pair candidates with employers based on sophisticated algorithms.
It didn’t go too well.
Trovix, the...
August 2012
6 posts
8 tags
Kenexa Deal Proves It's All About Tech Now
Aaaand, IBM buys Kenexa.
In 2005, when I launched a SEO agency dedicated to helping employers and the companies that serve them, it was all about distribution.
Job boards ruled the day because job seeker traffic was in such high demand and - mostly thanks to SEO - the boards knew how to get it.
As a result, more than 80 percent of my clients were job boards. Because employers could barely...
2 tags
Mobile Recruiting Still Getting Poor Reception
Can you hear me now?
A friend recently emailed me the following question:
Why do you think mobile recruiting isn’t getting the traction which you and I anticipated years ago?
My answer was immediate, which tends to be the best kind of answer. Here it is:
It probably boils down to:
Disparate technologies. Your career center might be mobile, but your ATS isn’t.
Jumping through hoops....
2 tags
CEO Says He'd Help Fund a Lawsuit Against Jobfox
A few weeks ago, I uncovered some information about Jobfox that seemed to indicate the company was on the skids, noting their founder had left and comments on Glassdoor about employees not getting paid.
Since that post, a few reputable contacts have come forward with insight, although nothing concrete on the future of Jobfox has surfaced.
One confidant said the end of Jobfox was way overdue,...
2 tags
This Just Happened
Fine. Call it a comeback.
Although I’ve been pimping a newsletter for the past year or so, full-on blogging has been something I’ve stayed away from - for good reason. Blogging is hard. Those who do it will know what I’m talking about.
So I’ve stayed away. Until now. Here’s how it went down:
A month or so ago, I added a P.S. to one of my newsletters basically,...
2 tags
JobScore welcomes 'the Cheez'
We’re 5+ years into building JobScore. We’ve grown a lot… but we’ve largely flown under the radar. That’s about to change.
Starting today Joel Cheesman will begin blogging here. For those of you who don’t know his work, Joel ran Cheezhead from 2005-2009, which some described as the TMZ of the recruiting industry.
Joel’s company was acquired 2009 and...
1 tag
JobScore helps power $2.2+ Billion in tech...
Recently a few technology employers that use JobScore were acquired, notably Wildfire Interactive and The Bleacher Report. A hearty congratulations to everyone from these firms for a job well done.
Hiring is a huge part of what makes start ups go and we’re proud to have played a small role in the success of the following ventures:
$1 Billion | Instagram acquired by Facebook
$300 Million |...
July 2012
2 posts
2 tags
Status Update: DDoS Resolved - Infrastructure...
[update: As of 7pm Friday Jul 20 systems are humming along faster than ever. Systems have been stable since Sunday the 15th. There was an issue with jobsco.re shortened links starting Thurs the 19th but those should be resolved now.]
Status Update:
This is a followup to the Distrubted Denial of Service (DDoS) attack that began in the afternoon of Wednesday July 11th. As we mentioned in our...
2 tags
[updated] JobScore availability
JobScore is under a DDoS attack (distributed denial of service) by someone outside of JobScore who is flooding our servers with requests.
Your data is safe and things are okay. We are doing everything in our power to keep the service available and are putting in place measures to avoid this in the future. Here’s the play-by-play update:
Since ~3:30 PM Pacific time on July 11th 2012...
June 2012
1 post
3 tags
New Job Widgets
Our new Job Widgets make it easy to add an attractive list of jobs to any webpage: your company careers page, corporate blog —- even your team’s personal websites.
We’re so excited about how much better the new widget makes you look that we’re turning off our old iframe careers site integration option.
Easily make JobScore match your website
Job Widgets are...
