Jason Gorham - Founder & CEO CareerMetaSearch.com - Sharkstrike.com

CareerMetaSearch.com™ (www.careermetasearch.com), first in the career services industry to reach passive job seekers throughout the Web with its proprietary patent-pending Push Posting™ technology, today announced it has joined the International Association of Employment Websites.

“We feel it was important to join such an esteemed organization as the International Association of Employment Websites and to be able to work with other companies within the organization to develop online employment industry strategies and relationships in order to further the online job board industry .” said Jason Gorham, founder and CEO of CareerMetaSearch.com™

“The global online employment industry has swelled to over 40,000 job boards and growing every day. By aligning ourselves with the International Association of Employment Websites, we will be able to distinguish ourselves to our passive job seekers and potential employers.” said Gorham. “As our Push Posting™ product evolves, it’s our goal to move to a licensing agreement with other job boards and our membership will allow us to make such seamless introductions.”

“Push Posting™ continues to evolve, and we now have the capability to license our job posting keyword extraction engine to other job boards and job engines to give their clients an opportunity to reach passive job seekers where they spend time online. As employers are using the internet more and more to open up a dialogue with passive candidates, more companies are grasping our solution, and the need for our products and services.”

About IAEWS
Formed in 2005, the International Association of Employment Web Sites (www.employmentwebsites.org) is the first global trade organization created specifically for the online employment services industry. It serves employment sites operated by commercial enterprises, publications, associations, societies, colleges, universities, radio, television stations, affinity groups worldwide, representing over 700 sites, offering employment opportunities in every occupational field, industry, and location in the world. It truly represents the Sources of Success for job seekers and employers everywhere.

About CareerMetaSearch.com™
Founded in 2004, and with corporate offices in Boca Raton, Florida, CareerMetaSearch.com™ is a first-of-its-kind passive candidate portal that helps companies maximize recruitment results through its revolutionary combination of a pay-per-click advertising model with a "quality of candidate approach" for employers via customized job postings. This approach leverages the company’s proprietary patent-pending Push Posting™ keyword extraction technology to turn passive job seekers throughout the Web into interested, highly qualified candidates for relevant postings on its site. Current and past clients include an array of Fortune 1000 companies, including eBay®, Motorola, Inc., General Dynamics®, Hewitt Consulting and other industry leading organizations. For more information regarding CareerMetaSearch.com, contact pr@careermetasearch.com or 800-897-7016 or visit us online at www.CareerMetaSearch.com.

Posted by Jason at 6:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In the competitive world of recruiting it is always a challenge to find the very best talent for your company. There are primarily two classifications of candidates that you will encounter when trying to fill your open positions,
“Active and Passive”. The active candidate has already made up his/her mind that they are leaving their present company (or they have been laid off). They are reading the newspaper want ads, they are looking at the on line job boards, and they are networking with colleagues, etc. The active candidate will usually send their resume to not only positions that they qualify but also some positions that are a stretch for their skills and experience. The passive candidate is generally happy in his/her present position, is so busy doing his job that he has no time to look around for the next career move. The passive candidate in the majority of cases becomes the best employee. You can attract the active candidate by posting on job boards and running news paper ads, but you spend hours sifting through the “Want a Be’s” and may end up with a hand-full of candidates to interview. When you find that good active candidate, you seem on many occasions, to be competing with six other companies to see if you can get them to accept your offer. The secret to finding some of the best employees is to locate “open minded” passive candidates with the specific skill sets that fits your company. Sounds like a “needle in a hay stack” type task and in many ways it is. Many of the passive candidates will come through networking, leads from current employees, associations/company directories and from quality search firms. When you work with a search firm, whether on a contingency or retained basis, make sure the firm deals in passive candidates.

As a candidate passes through your interview process, it is important to know where the applicant came from. If the candidate is an active candidate meaning you found him/her on a job board, or he sent you his resume through your web site, then the majority of your interview process can be spent in screening his skill set. But if the candidate is passive meaning he/she came as a referral from an employee or through a recruiter, etc. then at least 25% of your interview process should include recruiting the candidate to your company. You need to spend this 25% of your time having the interview team explain the advantages of working for your company and their excitement to have the candidate be part of your team. If the 75% portion of the interview that was used for screening of skills and potential fit for the position shows the candidate is not qualified, then no offer is extended. What you don’t want to happen is to spend the whole day having your people grill the potential candidate to find out that he/she is a prefect fit and then have your offer turned down because the candidate doesn’t see any advantage of joining your company. Happy recruiting and good luck in finding the passive candidates which will turn into the best employees.

About Superior Search Consultants, Inc.
Superior Search Consultants, Inc. is a small, industry specific,
search firm. We specialize in recruiting experienced engineers
and management for the Electronics Industry. This narrow focus
helps us to quickly identify the candidates that you are most
likely to hire, and cuts your interviewing time down to the bare
minimum. Our sole objective is to provide you with the very best
candidates on every search that we conduct.
We attribute our overwhelming success to our unique method
of recruiting. SSC is a true “search” firm in the sense that we
do not run ads in trade journals or newspapers. Recruitment
advertising tends to bring you the “best” of the unhappy, the
unwanted, and the unqualified. We have found that the highly
skilled, successful candidates that you seek are in great demand
and they don’t read employment advertising. We take positive
steps to identify top performers and we actively recruit them.
This yields an incredible response when compared, looking on
job boards or running advertisements and waiting to see whom
responds. Employees are your greatest asset and it pay’s to go
out and find the very best!

Contact Milt Jensen
milt@super-search.net

Posted by Jason at 3:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

By Robert McMillan, IDG News Service

September 09, 2005

Microsoft may be softening its rhetoric against Linux and open-source software, but that doesn't mean the company is ever going to be able to hire Eric Raymond. Earlier this week, a recruiter from the software giant tried to lure Raymond, one of the open-source movement's most visible boosters, Raymond said in an interview Friday.

On Thursday, Raymond received an e-mail pitch from a Microsoft recruiter asking him if he'd be interested in discussing a position with the software company.

The open-source advocate said he never gave the offer any serious consideration. "I thought it was an utterly ludicrous offer that deserved nothing but a ludicrous response," he said.

Raymond, one of the founders of the Open Source Initiative group that defined the term "open source," has been a constant and very vocal critic of the software vendor. He has also published a number of confidential Microsoft memos, dubbed the Halloween Documents, which have shed light into Microsoft's campaign against Linux and open-source software.

In an email to the recruiter, later posted on Raymond's Web site, the open-source guru rejected the offer with glee.

"What were you going to do with the rest of your afternoon, offer jobs to Richard Stallman and Linus Torvalds? Or were you going to stick to something easier, like talking Pope Benedict into presiding at a Satanist orgy?" he wrote. "I’ve in fact been something pretty close to your company’s worst nightmare since about 1997."

Torvalds, the creator of Linux, said he has not been approached by Microsoft recruiters, but he was critical of Raymond's response, which he said would discourage dialogue between Microsoft and the open-source community.

"It probably was just a mistake on the part of some headhunter who just didn't know who (Raymond) was," he said via email. "It just makes it even harder for people to even approach the other side, when they then end up having to worry about... public humiliation."

In fact, Microsoft has had some success hiring from within the Linux community. Earlier this year, it hired Daniel Robbins, the founder of the Gentoo Linux distribution, and in 2003 it hired Bill Hilf, a former IBM Corp. executive with an interest in Linux, who now runs Microsoft's Linux lab.

Though Raymond actually spoke at Microsoft's Redmond, Washington, campus about open-source software in 1998, he said he has had very limited interaction with the company since then, and had never before been approached by recruiters.

Apparently, Microsoft is not the only company interested in talking with Raymond, who said he was also recently approached by Microsoft rival Google Inc. "I was much nicer to them," he said. "I wouldn't mind working for them."

The open-source advocate is still waiting for Google to follow up on their earlier conversation, he said.

Microsoft declined to comment.

Posted by Jason at 6:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

I wanted to say thanks to Dave Mendoza for allowing me to join him at the Jobster dinner as well as sharing value throughout the ERE show.

Dave was the well known Neil Bruce assassin that was at my recruiting technology table that I was the moderator for. Dave was also kind enough to share numerous bookmarks with me about recruiting and sourcing technology and information. If you get a chance to be at a show grab Dave and get his insight about the networking and sourcing world.

Posted by Jason at 6:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Florida's hot job market cooling

By Jeff Ostrowski

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Unemployment rates continued to rise in August as the job market cooled from a record-breaking run, but employers say it's not getting easier to find workers.

Palm Beach County's unemployment rate rose to 3.9 percent from 3.8 percent in July, the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation said Friday. St. Lucie County's jobless rate rose to 4.7 percent from 4.5 percent, while Martin County's rate remained at 3.6 percent.

Statewide unemployment remained at 3.3 percent, well below the national average of 4.7 percent. However, that gap has been narrowing in recent months. In January, for instance, Florida's jobless rate was 1.7 percentage points below the national average, compared with last month's 1.4 percentage points.

One observer calls the uptick in unemployment a return to normalcy rather than a sign of weakness.

"You would think that a rate below 4 percent wouldn't really be sustainable," said Randall Holcombe, an economics professor at Florida State University. "So I don't look at this as a negative for Florida's economy."

Area jobless rates remained below those of a year ago, and companies looking for employees say rising joblessness hasn't made it easier to find workers.

Jason Gorham, founder and chief executive of Careermetasearch.com in Boca Raton, has struggled to hire five to 10 employees for his start-up firm that links employers and potential employees.

"It's getting harder to find skilled professional people," Gorham said.
Manufacturers also see a shortage of workers.

"They're still saying their biggest challenge is finding a qualified workforce," said June Wolfe, president of the South Florida Manufacturers Association.

And accountants remain in short supply, said Dan DeNisco, a manager at Robert Half International, a financial staffing firm, although he said the hefty signing bonuses that were the norm a year ago no longer are common.

"Employers were doing anything and everything to get people," DeNisco said. "The frenzy is over."

Holcombe said economists have a simple solution for employers who can't find workers: Pay more.

"When you say, 'I can't find people,' what you're really saying is, 'I can't find people at the wage I want to pay,' " he said.

Professional and business services continued to lead the state in new job growth, creating 64,800 positions in the past year, the state Agency for Workforce Innovation said.

The state's lowest jobless rate last month was in the Panhandle's Walton County, at 2.2 percent. The highest was rural Hendry County, at 9 percent.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/business/content/business/epaper/2006/09/16/a1f_jobless_0916.html

Posted by Jason at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I define a passive candidate as the following:

Passive Candidates: One who is currently employed and not actively seeking a new job, however when engaged and or presented a new job opportunity would entertain and or consider taking a new job and leaving their current position.

These people are also considered passive job seekers, semi-active job seekers and or semi-active candidates. Other peoples definitions consist of

Passive" candidates, those candidates who are satisfied and doing great things in their current position
They are happily employed, passive candidates are thought to be much more loyal and more stable than professionals who are employed but not actively pursuing a new position.

Passive candidates are not actively seeking a new position, the belief is that there will be less competition for the attentions of a passive candidate.

What ever the definition of a passive job seeker maybe this has been an elusive candidate for candidates for years, however our with the invention of new technologyh and the introduction of our product Push Posting now allows recruiters and hiring managers are able to reach these people. Passive candidates don't spend time on job boards but they do spend time online reading about their job and their industry and this is where we reach them.

What's your definition of a passive candidate?

Posted by Jason at 9:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I am just now recuperating from the ERE show and would like to share my thoughts and experiences. I was asked to moderate a round table on recruiting technologies so I didn't get a chance to view any speakers or see any tracks. A majority of my time was spent meeting partners vendors and attendees.

I would like to start with the Thank you's.

Thank you to Gerry Crispin for wielding the cards at the poker tournament. Gerry two words....Vegas Baby

Thank you to jobster for allowing me to take part in your offsite dinner, the food was tremendous

Thank you to Dennis Smith for keeping me sane while we toured all of Hollywood Beach trying to find the restaurant for the jobster party

Thank you to Doug Ries for the intellectual conversation, insight and discussions about the market, our product and the synergies that we have together

Thank you to Lisa Grinde as I was impressed with the value you bring to your clients and taking the extra steps including off site tours, entertaining kids and luncheons with potential candidates wifes. We all have a lot to learn.

Thank you to ERE for allowing me to moderate the recruiting technologies round table as their were a lot valuable discussions and insight brought out by amazing people

Moving on to new knowledge gained from the show....

I learned that HR Smart has partnered with Monster to allow Monster users the option of having an applicant tracking system. I'm not familiar with the HR Smart product but I think this is a wise move for monster as we currently get a lot of requests from clients on this and I can image that they do as well.

I had the opportunity to meet with the CEO of HRMC and learn more about their product. They have an interesting product that we can add value to their offerings.

One thing that was interesting to me was the fact that everyone in my round table had the same problems, which included so many recruiting technologies and where to begin. Also what is working and what is not working, as well as vendors not being upfront in their sales pitch versus what is implemented.

So that's it. Hopefully if you went to ere that you gained knowledge, value and made some new friends. If not there is always Kennedy.

Posted by Jason at 5:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm pleased to welcome Protech Technical Staffing as a new Sharkstrike.com client. The have purchased our names sourcing services from us. If your looking for technical jobs in south florida feel free to check them out.

An intelligent approach to staffing

We believe that matching talent to specific IT needs should be done by professionals with an in-depth understanding of today’s technology and the specialized skills they require.

That’s why we’re staffed exclusively by people with extensive, first-hand experience in the deployment, staffing and management of today’s leading technologies.

Partnering with IT and HR leadership

PROTECH acts as a knowledgeable and discrete resource. We help IT and HR management meet their objectives by securing quality candidates, expertly matched to the demands of their technical environment and corporate culture.

PROTECH locates, interviews, checks employment references, conducts background checks and submits qualified candidates that are suited to your organization’s demands, whether for permanent placement, consulting or contract-to-hire.

Posted by Jason at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As we are competitors to all these companies and I have just completed a presentation about where we stack up against these companies I thought I would put in my two cents.

Careerbuilder is growing and quickly, however this isn't a good thing and here is why. The currently have over 1million jobs posted on their website which is leading all three but have you seen some of these jobs? Remember that Careerbuilder has an alliance with the papers so they get every 3 line classified ad that you would see in the paper.

Monster has just sold off their TMP division as they are losing a lot of ground to Careerbuilder. They are now focusing on the international market and because it's growing at a clip of 62% quarter over quarter.

Hotjobs is in dead last. It's funny because out of the three they have the best branding partner and the best technology by utilizing the yahoo platform.

In summary none of these guys will help you with job postings. They all mass market, and this model doesn't work according to numerous reports including Careerxroads. When you post a job with these guys they take your money and brand themselves not your company and not your job.

These boards are "active candidate" boards, thus giving you quantity not quality. Have you ever searched your job on Monster? They use your money to get traffic and then make more money by advertising companies like University of Phoenix while you pay for it. I would be on the horn with monster and asking them why this is, after all you payed for their marketing dollars. As the candidate pool thins, the baby boomers retire and less and less degreed candidates take their degrees and go home you will need to get faster and smarter to compete....and to do this you will call us.

Just my 2 cents.

Jason Gorham
CEO
CareerMetaSearch.com
Reaching The Passive Candidate

Posted by Jason at 5:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I was just invited by electronic recruiting exchange to be a round table moderator at their ERE Expo on September 13 2006 4:30pm Westin Diplomat Resort in Hollywood Florida.

I believe my topic will be recruiting technologies including but not limited to:

Recruiting Blogs
Social Networking
Recruitment Videos
Search Engine Marketing

and another technologies that people would like to speak about and or having trouble understanding and looking to move into.

Come and join me as we take the round table to a new level.

Posted by Jason at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)