I was so captivated by Tagxedo today, that I spent a few hours spinning words, colors and shapes into mentally stimulating confections – when I really should have been writing my annual self performance review. Leung’s presentation, 101 Ways to Use Tagxedo promised that using a tool like this would allow me to view my resume from a different perspective, gain instant feedback on the use of keywords, tone and focus of how I have presented my accomplishments. When he said that a simple “scanbot” test would be a good approximation of what recruiters will see, I had to check it out.

Leung is right of course when he says, “If you are not impressed by the top words, neither will be recruiters”. Today that would probably be after the ATS chews them up and spits them out. It’s important to have a look at the weight of your keywords and how they are distributed. Tagxedo shows you the top 150 (or whatever parameter you set) keywords you use and how many times they appear in the document. One thing I learned about myself was that I overused the word “include” in my résumé and that gave me the opportunity to replace it with some synonyms.. The last thing I want is to sound like a broken record!

I chose a hand from the 100 shapes available (though you can customize by uploading your own shapes) to visualize my resume as a tag cloud. I thought a hand print was the perfect fit for a unique career that hasn’t possibly been identical to anyone else’s.

If a candidate submitted an image of what I’m calling a “tag résumé” to me in the body of an email – if the competencies matched what I was looking for, I would call her for the details…

If this were turned into a QR code, printed on my business card and attached as an image to my Vcard, anyone who scanned it would have a very simple – yet comprehensive snapshot of my professional world.

Is this the future?

Tagxedo Break the Ice was my second favorite use for this application. Make a gorgeous word cloud for new hires, party guests, new students, etc., as a brief introduction about you, your company, class, etc. Print it on invitations or announcements! – I better stop, I could go crazy here.

If nothing else this makes an awesome poster… but feel free to send the my tag résumé image to anyone you like as an ecard – maybe I’ll be “discovered”.

Working on a project to find the preferred web sites/resources that people use to search for jobs. What are your favorites or those that you recommend ??

What I found in the handful of answers was that many of my peers across the country dwell within the federal or state systems (one-stop shops) and don’t often peek their heads out – however, to their credit they are beginning to use LinedIn. Besides one-stop shops, answers ranged from LinkedIn, Jobcentral national labor exchange, following Jim Stroud (rock on buddy-great advice for felons today!) and AARP WorkSearch, to DOL’s Job Search Challenge where one must search through over 16,000 responses listing over 600 resources  (slightly overwhelming?) many of which really could use a good weeding out.

The question was asked in earnest by someone conducting research for a Workforce Investment Board. I cringe at the fact that with the information he was provided, the government is actually going to receive feedback that  the products they designate our dollars to  are  highly effective…. And so the vicious circle continues.

I could not help but to fight the good fight… and so I contributed this:


Whether true or not, the corporate perception is that state one-stop system and its job boards are for labor, blue collar and low paying jobs. Therefore, many employers of white collar and well compensated jobs do not use the system – they do not wish to attract what they would perceive to be unqualified candidates.

Other obstacles for employers are that state systems tend to be cumbersome (it could be compared to filling out a US Census American Community Survey) and not user friendly to post and market jobs, do not tie in with applicant tracking systems (ATS), and are not linked with social media sharing tools. Good recruiters have so many creative and effective free ways to make their job postings viral and wide reaching they prefer to use those tools.

Companies with slashed recruitment budgets are posting less and less on big job boards because of the cost and avalanche of untargeted, unqualified resumes that pour in from all over for any job due to the high amount of unemployed. When a company is not prepared to pay relocation costs it makes little sense and is not cost effective to conduct a national search on a big job board.

Our solution in northeastern PA was to create a free to post regional job board supported by chambers of commerce, business and industry and other economic and workforce development agencies, in 2004. The platform became outdated and it became time for a new look, updated functionality and features.

I took over project management from another organization and relaunched the new WorkNEPA last week. It is well branded in our region and employers and job seekers know to use it. From all indications since the relaunch last week, with the incorporation of web 2.0 and mobile features and functionality (now powered by Job Rooster), it will have more success than ever. Even the smallest employer now has access to free job posts that aggregate to Indeed, pre-qualifying questions, text SMS capability and social media sharing, to ensure jobs are promoted widely. We have a Facebook Fanpage and Twitter account that repost all jobs into the far reaches of cyber job search and also repost on the appropriate targeted LinkedIn local group job boards – all nicely indexed on search engines like Google.

I also recommend to job seekers that they use LinkUp – a job board aggregator that scrapes corporate career pages for jobs that are often unadvertised on external job boards. Additionally, when I speak to job seekers, whether it is at a local job club or networking event, I refer them to my own website for job search tips and techniques (OK so I self promoted a tad LOL).

I’m interested in knowing your take on government sponsored job boards. Whether you’re a Recruiter of Job Seeker, do you use them, and if so, which ones and are you happy with the results?

The 80′s

I remember photocopying my résumé, folding it along with a carefully typed cover letter and stuffing into an envelope, addressing it to a PO Box number – company unknown, licking the minty glue to seal it and the yucky government glue on the back of the stamp to send it and depositing it into oblivion in the cavernous corner US Postal Service metal repository… never to know what became of it. No way to know if it was delivered, no way to follow up. Discussing this very topic the other day with others who sought employment when big hair was in style, we all agreed that back in the day you didn’t question. You either got a call or you didn’t. That was the answer. Occasionally you got a letter which you didn’t want to open because you knew it was going to say that you had many of the skills and qualifications to do the job but someone else was more qualified so thanks, but no thanks. You wondered why they wasted the stamp.

So why does it matter in 2010?

Candidates have always wondered why they didn’t get a call, didn’t get the job and how they could have performed better at the interview but unlike in the disco days, today anyone interested in knowing about the candidate selection process, how recruiters work and how companies make their decisions, only has to consult a search engine to happen upon recruiter social media networks, blogs and industry white papers telling them. They can self educate and they do. The workforce is no longer an outsider to the selection process.

As the gap widens like a crater on a fault line during an earthquake between industry needs and workforce skills, with 3.2 million job vacancies unable to be filled, regardless of the unemployment rate, those who are prepared are in higher demand then ever. Recruiters and candidates now treat skills, abilities and track records of success as sought after commodities to be brokered.

Candidates are learning to be savvy, to use technology not only to look for jobs but to go through the front doors and back channels. To brand and market themselves. That they are the media. That they can buy pay per click to get noticed.

Companies are learning that filling ever increasing technical positions requires searching in an ever decreasing skilled candidate pool  which is becoming ever more demanding as it becomes ever more elite. The elite (in anything) quickly gain micro celebrity status and everyone wants them so they can be demanding.

In the era of social transparency, we in the industry have helped to provide job seekers with more tools, tips and assistance then they have ever had before. We have enabled anyone who can conduct a basic Internet search to dig past the gatekeeper…

That’s why it matters in 2010… Oh, and then there’s that nasty little detail about it being the right thing to do.

What does your candidate service level agreement look like?

“I left a message and no one called me back.”

“They said I would hear feedback on my interview in 2 weeks and it’s been 4.”

These are the comments frequently heard from job applicants and candidates. Sure, it’s an employer’s market and a gazillion people apply for every position out there. Many of those who apply have no applicable experience and you feel they have wasted not only their own time but yours as well.

Sign of the times, people are desperate. They think if your company is hiring for that position maybe one is coming up they would qualify for and they’re doing the smart thing by getting their resume to you now. You know, being proactive, beating the crowd, showing initiative. Most people who aren’t recruiters don’t know how it really works and that secretly (or not so secretly) you are cursing them, calling them idiots for applying to jobs they’re not qualified for.

It’s often brutal on the job seeker’s end; the hunt, the wait, the rejection… and I have observed on many occasions, a holier than thou, I’m in charge here and your future depends on me attitude - from recruiters, that is far from professional. We could be on the other end of an ATS in a heartbeat.

We should always remember that…

Yes, it is highly irritating when someone overkills with follow-up to the point of being within 1/10 of an inch of being an official stalker. It’s horrid when someone files an unfounded EEOC claim of discrimination because they were not selected. It’s worthy of hazardous duty pay when a candidate didn’t deal well with being turned down and becomes verbally abusive or goes off the deep end of desperation and confronts you loudly in public, keys your car, or any number of illegal acts of vengeance (which always provide ample validation of your decision making skills).

But, none of that should desensitize us to the point of dehumanizing a process which should be just the opposite; engaging.

Here are 5 simple customer service tips to help ensure you’re not hurting people or the employer brand you’re representing:

Screening calls is fine, if you don’t want to speak with the person, send an email – but send the email.

In your communication use time lines so applicants know when they’ll hear by and that if they don’t it’s because they weren’t selected.

Be organized enough to use calendar reminders, post-it notes – whatever – to remind you it’s time to make those updates you promised.

Tone – Don’t ever show or express frustration or irritability with applicants.

Remember to thank candidates for thinking of the company as a prospective employer.

Check out what Microsoft does to make candidates feel special when they come in for an interview in their candidate experience lobby. Just imagine how relaxed and psyched for an interview one must be after a hands on experience playing with all the toys. Granted, not every company has that to offer. But, even a warm greeting and scrapbook of good times in the lobby to provide a glimpse of the culture is better than staring at 4 walls.

What candidate experience tips do you have to share?

That was my disclaimer, how I started the bare all session for 7 job club members who were facing the end of unemployment compensation.

They had all sent countless resumes, received calls and attended interviews. They were turned down every time during more than a year of searching. After longevity ranging from 7 – 30 years, and one odd duck that had never held a job more than 2 years, they were hurt and confused why no one “wanted” them. They had been loyal and hard working and considered themselves “lifers” at their jobs. They felt put out on the street even though they all acknowledged that it wasn’t personal.

“I go in, they look at me, see I’m in my 50′s and I can see it in their faces… they’re thinking, what are we going to get out of her, she’s old”.

“What happened to paper applications?”

I asked each of them what they considered to be their profession or career and how long they had held their longest job for. I found that they felt it necessary to manufacture resumes that look like lengthy to do lists rather than career marketing pieces with examples of strengths and accomplishments because they were proud of every single thing they did well.

“How do I know if they got my Internet application, there’s no name of anyone to call?”

“The job was taken down off the site a week ago and I still haven’t heard anything. How long should I wait to call?” Call about what,” I asked. “To see if I am being considered”, the professionally dressed 50 something asked. She wanted to know before she went on vacation so she could stop thinking about it.

“Here, let me help you”, I said.  I let her know that if the job was taken down it meant the search was over and a decision had likely been made or at the very least final candidates selected. She didn’t get it because she continued on. “What if I am one of them and I’m not home to get the call because I’m on vacation?” I tried to be gentle as I explained it was over… I asked if she needed to hear the rejection.. She said yes. I saved her the call and suggested she enjoy her vacation and get excited about new opportunities that might be available upon her return.

The patriotically dressed woman who was concerned about her age had difficulty coming up with her most important career accomplishment. After all, she was just an Admin Clerk who maintained hospital departmental records and administered the database over the past 30 years. “I don’t know you”, I said, “but let me guess what your strengths and accomplishments were and you tell me how accurate I am”.

• You have superior time management skills
• Your can learn on the fly and implement new processes and technology rapidly
• You are good at training and working well with others
• Attention to detail and accuracy are finely honed skills you possess
• Your attendance record is excellent and your personnel file lacks disciplinary action

And I went on… And her face lit up. Her demeanor changed as she agreed with what I was saying. “Yes, that’s me”, she said. I asked how many records the department maintained and the policies for record retention. I talked about converting the to do list into an achievement oriented resume that captured her skill as a repository specialist with great capacity for knowledge management.

She asked me to slow down so she could take notes. She was getting it…

There are people who need your help my friends. They are good people but they do not understand what we look for. It’s not their job to understand and we really shouldn’t expect them too. We’re out there looking for expertly crafted resumes and polished presenters. Fortunate individuals do not spend a significant amount of time between 18 – 65 searching for work. Why should they be expected to be experts at job search, resume writing and interviewing?

The light bulb went off for me the first time I was invited to speak at the local job club. I felt the questions were from far left field. Each time I go back I hear the same or very similar questions. So if it’s a bunch of people that do not know each other, at different times and places with the same questions… is it them or us?

It’s us. We’re expected to do more with less, we look for the perfect candidate on paper. It’s easier to put a resume in a no pile than the maybe pile and pick up the phone to help make that determination. We pop out the job postings electronically and sit back for ATS alerts that there are incoming. We don’t think about the effort and time put into each web application filled out, each resume and cover letter crafted.

We look to disqualify candidates, not qualify them.

I challenge you to pick up the phone. Call a local job club, state employment agencies (one stop job shops) all have them. Volunteer to speak. You’ll learn from them as much as they learn from you.

Dorothy Beach, MBA CIR PHR got me thinking. She posted a question on the discussion board of the LinkedIn Social Media Recruiting Group asking for opinions on the effect of social media on recruiting in the far future, 5-20 years down the virtual highway. My mind immediately took a journey to Wish List Lane and Technology Square. If you repeat something enough times and really believe it that makes it reality, right?

In my vulcanesque way of thinking, most everyone on Earth will be digitally literate and have their own domain which will seamlessly be linked to the various networks they choose to participate in. Job seekers and passive candidates  open to opportunities will be able to open their networks to candidate searches so they can be found. Job seekers will no longer need to proactively apply to openings.

Companies will conduct searches not job seekers. Recruiters will be consultants to companies hiring and perform more of a job profile / company fit identification role, write the job keywords and parameters and set up the newfangled ATS which will be on a cloud. Software will be coded to meet the requirements of highly specialized queries and it will crawl to find candidates profiles base on the distance you wish to search and import them into your database where you will be able to further refine your search. Boolean strings will be old fashioned and systems will be user intuitive and friendly.

Recruiters will narrow the candidate pool by refining matches and conducting 1st virtual screenings, recommend the top 3 candidates to hiring managers, co-conduct the interviews and assist in the decision making ad placement process. Recruiters, in their expanded consultant role may see new hires through their first 3 months taking an active role in the new onboarding process.

What’s your vision?