NamesSourcing.TV: Tips, Tricks, Videos, News On Name Sourcing, Internet Recruiting, Search

A Non-Veiled Attempt at Getting a "Finder's Fee": Well, At Least He Tried!

2012-01-18T14:24:00.001-07:00

It’s uncommon to actually have people askto be paid a “finder's fee” (unprofessional) for “leads”, but it doeshappen. However, when it does occur, it’susually a little more veiled than this. I’llbe curious to see if the person still provides the names after I tell him we donot pay for leads. You'd think he'd just simply want to help others hear about some great career opportunities, but maybe not. Excuse the spellingand punctuation. I left it exactly as I receivedit:

Justion,

I can provide you 2 contacts who might be helpful to you.

If one of them get selected than what do i get?

Names Sourcing (Telephone and Internet) and Vetting: You’re Still a Sleuth AFTER the Find

2012-01-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

Been spending more time lately telephone names sourcing. Really reminds me just how important it isthat a good name sourcer also be a very good (and intuitive) sleuth. But I’m not only referring to sleuthing in regardto finding names; I’m also referring to sleuthing in regard to finding out thetruth once a person is identified and you begin talking to them.

In this game, it’s not just about creative ways of findingnames (Company Telephone Name Directories, Conference Attendee Lists,LinkedIn, Association Websites, etc.), it’s also about finding out the REAL story behind someone’sbackground and career motivation once you move them from passive to active. When asked about motivation, it’s not unusualto get the PC answer: “I’m very career minded and just open to opportunities.”But is this the genuine and real reason or are they withholding the truth?

In addition, a candidate may say they’ll move, but will theyREALLY take the leap when the offer comes forth? Did the spouse go along withthe process to make the candidate happy but when reality hits will they be tooscared to move away from family, friends, etc.? This is one of the largest deal breakers after all.

Because we often are thefront line in the recruiting pipeline development process we need to make sureour vetting process is as thorough as possible.

There are many tricks to help increase the level of vetting,but at times these tricks still don’t bring out the FULL truth. So, be the sleuthing and intuitive person youare and ask the right probing questions (sometimes repeating them) and readbetween the lines. You may have to once againuse your intuition and your hunches to determine if what you’re hearing overthe phone is really what the truth. Science? No. But, this stuff isn’t alwaysA OR B. And guess what? Even after allof this, you still may not be 100% correct in your assessment. Fun stuff!

The Dilemma: 1 InMail Left and 2 Candidates to Message, but Which One? What Factors Weigh in Here? Roll the Dice on a Hunch? Lesson?

2011-12-14T09:54:00.001-07:00

I’m posting this not as a tongue-in-cheek statement, but toact as a hybrid thinking exercise and as a lesson in regard to the nature ofnames sourcing and recruiting.

So you’re faced with a dilemma. You have one InMail left (because you’vealready done a lot of messaging using the right InMail strategy) and you have two great potential candidates tomessage. But which one? Ahh, decisions. Is there a clear path here?

What factors weigh in here? Does location factor in? Do yougo on a hunch? Real estate prices? Do you assume one owns a house and one doesnot? And, if one does own a house, canyou assume that they can or cannot move due to the market in that area? Whatabout desirable areas to live? Can youassume one will likely not move from sunny and nice vs. one who lives in a coldclimate city? Say one lives in San Diegoand one in Duluth, MN. Maybe you seethat the guy in San Diego went to school up north and the job is in the farnorth. Maybe he WANTS to move backnorth. Of course, you cannot know thisfor sure. Or, do you just assume thatanyone in Duluth would love to get out of there, and, that no one in theirright mind would want to move into or back to Duluth? Wouldn’t that be overassuming? After all, many people who live in the UP area of the U.S. loveit!

Etc. You get it.

If all thing are equal in terms of title, success, companytype, degree, etc., then which one do you message?

Lesson: Sometimes - even to the dismay of many who believenames sourcing is an A OR B Boolean act - it just comes down to weighing allfactors and going on a hunch! Well, I’llsoften the blow so as to not be struck down by the Boolean gods and call it an educatedhunch. So, I’ll keep some logic init! Those of you who have done your fairshare of searches know what I’m talking about! This is not always a straight forward game. Did I burst some bubbles?

16% Response Rate to Recent LinkedIn InMail Campaign: A Significant and Well Above Average Response Rate in Relation to Email / Message Marketing

2011-11-11T13:21:00.001-07:00

16% response rate to recent InMail campaign. A significant, and well above average responserate in relation to email / message marketing. Remember to make it real, relevant, concise, clear and respectful. And,of course, make sure that you respond to every response with a sincere messageof thanks, even if it’s a “no.” Alwaysrespect the time of others.

For more on name sourcing and lead generation using LinkedInInMails, read Name Sourcing and Lead Generation Using LinkedIn InMails: GeneralTips and Make Sure to Keep Your “InMail Feedback Score” at a Five Star Rating!

How Do You Know When You’re Doing Your Job Right as a Names Sourcer? When Google Asks You to Verify that You Are Not a Bot or Contact Scraper

2011-10-19T16:16:00.004-06:00

Ha…get it?! My new saying. It's copyrighted!

You know you’re doing some searches that are very rarelydone (or more complex than average) when Google asks you to verify that you arenot a bot or contact scraper.

Or maybe itshould be: “You’re not doing your job as a names sourcer if you’re not beingasked by Google to verify that you are not a bot.” Sorry folks, that quote is owned by me!

Don’t be so Myopic! Boolean / Keyword isn’t the Only Method of Search: Browsing is Also a Formal Method of Info. Discovery in Library and Information Studies

2011-10-07T12:36:00.002-06:00

Browsing IS a Formal Method of Information / Content Discovery

First, read this: “Browsing is a crucial component of information discovery; it allows an information seeker to expand organically upon an initial vague, often unarticulated need.” This came from the wonderful article Why Browsing Is So Important to Content Discovery at http://mashable.com/2011/09/06/browsing-content-discovery/

It’s Cool to Say You Know Boolean, but Boolean is NOT Always Effective

I know, it’s cool to say you know Boolean. Heck, there are even blogs focusing on Boolean run by the “elite” (self anointed) in this world in which we focus. Plus, Boolean also looks cool. People literally think that once you know or understand Boolean search, that you will then find whatever it is you’re looking for. After all, how could it fail given that every source you search is perfect (sarcastic)?!

Why is Boolean Not Always Effective? A Source is Only as Good as How it Was Created and How it’s Maintained

“Hidden” resources / the invisible or deep web - http://www.namessourcing.tv/2010/11/short-video-tutorials-on-using.html

People are individuals and see things differently, including what industry they would classify themselves as working in - http://www.namessourcing.tv/2010/04/think-big-and-use-linkedin-dynamic.html

People are individuals and see things differently, including what they think their title is (or what they WANT it to be) - http://www.namessourcing.tv/2011/08/when-names-sourcing-using-professional.html

Incomplete profiles / orphan profiles - http://www.namessourcing.tv/2011/05/yes-it-can-happen-use-right-linkedin.html

Different ways of abbreviating titles, companies, industries - http://www.namessourcing.tv/2011/08/when-names-sourcing-using-professional.html

Yes, believe it or not, people make mistakes and misspell - http://www.namessourcing.tv/2011/03/quick-post-for-job-seekers-those.html

Etc., Etc., Etc.

Hopefully you get my point. IN NO WAY WILL YOU COMPLETELY PERFORM AN EXHAUSTIVE SEARCH ONLY THROUGH THE USE OF BOOLEAN / KEYWORD SEARCH!

So, is there any way to perform an exhaustive search? Nope. BUT, you can increase the effectiveness of your search through the use of browsing.

Why Browsing for Content / Info. Discovery? Think Grocery Stores

When you hear the term browsing, you probably think of ineffective searching, or a sort of “Hail Mary” approach that relies on luck. Nope. Just consider this: is every classification system perfect? Ah, no. Is Dewey more perfect than the Library of Congress? Ah, no.

As a real life example, when you’re at a grocery store, are things ALWAYS where you think they’d be? No! You think an energy bar should be in the candy aisle, but Henry thinks they should be in the vitamin section. So, you go to the candy aisle and no luck. Since everyone is on break, you begin to…….BROWSE! You being to think. Ok, where else could they be? Natural foods? Browse there…no. The check out area? No. Wait, wait, where are the Vitamins? You head there, you turn an aisle, and bang…the energy bars. See, now you know what I mean.

Think Taxonomies, Ontologies, Controlled Vocabularies: Even LinkedIn Uses Them

I’m not going to go on too much more because hardly anyone reads this blog and I have 50 things to do.

In the subject of browsing in Library and Information Science, you’ll find the term Subject Headings. You’ve probably heard the words Taxonomy or Ontology, or, perhaps, the term “Controlled Vocabulary.” In short, this is a group of words or terms or even phrases that relate to each other, typically by subject or area of focus and usually organized hierarchically. Example: Engineering – Chemical Engineering vs. Engineering – Mechanical Engineering. Under these “higher” subject headings follow more terms such as professional titles - Process Engineering.

Real Life Recruiting Examples of Browsing: Someone at LinkedIn Knows about Controlled Vocabularies

Someone at LinkedIn knows about subject headings and taxonomies and their relation to browsing in order to find related people and/or companies.

Next time you’re in LinkedIn and you perform a search, make sure that when you open an applicable profile that you look to the right of your screen and scroll down to the section “Viewers of this profile also viewed...” What do you see? Other names, right. Wow. Now, not all are related, but the algorithm behind LinkedIn has done some work for you based on like keywords, industry focus, etc. (Hint: ontology). Now, browse! Open some up and you’ll see that many did not come up in your keyword search due to the factors mentioned above. But, many may still be worth calling. Refine the list if necessary, even by adding keywords!

But it doesn’t stop there. One last example. Open up a profile that fits with your search and scroll over the persons’ professional title. What do you see? You’ll see that it becomes clickable, but you’ll also see the words “Find users with this title.” OR if you scroll over other areas such as “Education” or “Activities and Societies” they too become clickable and you’ll see the words, “Find users with this keyword.” Are you following me? If you follow them, you’re browsing!

Ok, now I’m done. But if you still don’t get it, check out this great article: Why Browsing Is So Important to Content Discovery at http://mashable.com/2011/09/06/browsing-content-discovery/

Note: Justin Sivey holds and MLIS, Master of Library and Information Science. So, unlike most, he finds this stuff fascinating and loves to talk about it!

Idiots Looking at Art and Arrogant Recruiters: If It’s So Easy, then Do it! I’d Love to See You Try

2011-10-04T16:09:00.000-06:00

A while back I was standing looking at a killer painting with my aunt who is an art consultant, and two others walked up. After a second or two, one stated: “Ahh, come on…I could have painted that.” My aunt turned to the idiot and responded, “But you didn’t, did you?”

Of course, the idiot walked away.

Arrogant recruiters are also fond of stating such ignorance when looking at a list or source painstakingly found and made useable (USEABLE, AKA, IMPORTABLE, SEARCHABLE, ABLE TO FILTER) by a researcher or names sourcer. I’ve been around many, one of which was likely making up for his unusual small stature.

“I could have found that.” But you didn’t, did you?

A Reminder: If You Have a Delicious Account, Today – 9-23-11 - is the Last Day to Transfer It to AVOS

2011-09-23T10:04:00.000-06:00

A reminder: If you have a Delicious account that you would like to keep, today – 9-23-11 - is the last day to transfer it to AVOS, the new home.

Need an Email List Quick But No Time (or Ability) to Use The CMS? Your 1st Degree Connections on LinkedIn Often Provide their Email Addresses

2011-09-22T10:55:00.000-06:00

I’m going to make these posts quick as it appears that very few read them and very few give back or share or support. Thinking about killing this blog entirely as I’m putting in more than I’m getting back. People aren’t even clicking on AdSense!

Do you need an email list quick but do not have time (or ability) to use the CMS? Don’t forget that your first degree connections on LinkedIn often provide their email addresses.

You’ll likely want to create a targeted list for this to be effective and to reach the right people.

So, either perform a query in the advanced people search option, and the check the 1st Connections box on the left of the query screen. If you have an applicable people in your network, they’ll be in the results. Open up their profiles and then you should see their email addresses.

You can also create an exportable csv (or vcf) file that can be plugged into an email client by going to the “Contacts” link and then to the “My Connections” tab. Below you’ll see filtering options. Screen by industry, companies, locations, etc. This isn’t as precise as the other way mentioned as you’ll have to judge by title, etc. if the person is right. You’ll then literally move the people over to a list via a click, and then choose the “Export connections” link below the list. You should know what to do next.

Good luck and get to emailing!

Study Exposes Scary Reality: “College Kids Aren’t Good At Searching”

2011-08-23T10:32:00.000-06:00

Food for thought (and to be very frightened by the laziness and ignorance displayed by those in college).

Here is a quote from the story that should make us all very frightened!

“I know there are books but I don’t really know how to find them. Really the only thing I know how to do is go to Google and type in what I’m looking for.”

Well, at least this person knows that there are books. Wow.

To view the article that sums up the study, visit: http://mashable.com/2011/08/22/the-google-gap-college-kids-arent-good-at-searching-study/

To view the study details, visit: http://www.erialproject.org/project-details/background/

From Email to Direct Phone Number: Read Those Out of Office Email Replies!

2011-08-16T11:08:00.000-06:00

Just another in the “it’s so simple but need to be reminded of” category of postings.

It’s easy to either delete or just ignore those out of office email replies. But, make sure to take a quick look at each. MORE TIMES THAN NOT, there will be some juicy clues in them. Many times, it’s “I’m away until…but you can contact Name, Title, Phone, Email for any questions.” That’s not bad. You now have another lead into the company. But, it can get better.

Many times you only have an email that you sourced on-line or maybe even guessed, but you do not have a direct phone. You have a strong hunch that this person would be a great fit for some key searches. Well, go ahead! Email that person! Of course, do it right, and make it legitimate and of value to them. Many times you will not receive a response. Just like with calling, it’s numbers game and you will not always speak to that person.

But, the odds are good that you may get a response, or, if you do not, and the person is out of town or away, that you’ll get some good additional information about the person. For example, I did a highly targeted email last week from some sourced email addresses. One in particular I really wanted to speak to. I was fortune to have received an out of office reply that literally listed in the email signature all I needed to be able to pursue this person further. In particular, the full title, and his direct phone with extension, and the date he will be back.

So, it’s worth taking a second and checking any automatic out of office replies you receive to emails. They do not always contain gold, but many times they do. Make a habit of it!

Google+ a Few Weeks In: Impressions Related to Names Sourcing and Internet Recruiting: For Library Science People, Precision vs. Recall

2011-08-09T09:30:00.001-06:00

Remember, every social tool has its strengths and weaknesses and will change over time.

Google+ (G+) is very new so I hope to periodically note my impressions as they grow and go out of beta. But, for now….

Though (like all other social tools) G+ does not do everything, as one with a library science / research background, what initially stands out to me (and which has already helped me source names), is that G+ does well in relation to the key actions of search, classification, and future (precise) retrieval.

In fact, isn’t that truly what these social tools are about for us? The ability to use them effectively to search, classify, and retrieve? And, to not only carry out these actions, but to do them with PRECISION? Communication is the next step, but without the prior steps, who do you have to communicate with? So, G+ is promising (though not perfect), and, quite frankly, is far ahead of the other social tools in this respect.

So, 1,2,3: Precision Vs. Recall

1, the ability to use the integrated search function of Google to find people is quite easy for those accustomed to it (and who isn’t?!) and is way beyond any other search interfaces for the social networks. And, of course, you can use Boolean queries.

2, once you find the right people, G+ gives the ability to classify people by circles. This is, again, way easier to do with G+ than with the other social networks. Twitter lists are pretty good, and work well, but, if created by others (AKA, lack QC), these can get long and spammy.

3, good classification leads to better precision in relation to the future retrieval of people in specific areas of focus. And isn’t this the ultimate goal of any good closed information system? Anyone who has studied Library and Information Science is well aware of the issue of precision vs. recall. Sure, you can have a query or taxonomy that results in high recall, but how precise is the resulting list? Do you have time to sort through a conference hall of people or is it better to walk into a seminar?

G+ Also Provides a “Door” to Learn More About People

One last note I’d like to add is that G+ is also great for providing a “door” to learning more about people.

For example, when you connect with someone, you’ll immediately see links to their other social networks to the right of the screen. The use of easy to recognize icons helps to quickly gauge just what resources this person has set up, and if you’d like to visit them as well. The other social networks do allow some of this, but they’re not as clear and easy to find in a persons’ profile. By following these links/trails, you can learn MUCH more about people, some of which is very good to know and may not be as clear in their G+ profile. In other words, the ability to follow the clues!

So, is G+ perfect? Nope. But does it offer features that the others do not and that are very helpful in terms of name sourcing and internet recruiting? Yep. Namely, search, classification, and the ability to carry out precise future recall via circles IF the prior two steps were carried out correctly!

We’ll see what happens in the future!

And the Change is Complete. thenamessourcer.com is Now at the Domain www.namessourcing.tv

2011-08-08T15:34:00.000-06:00

And the change is complete. thenamessourcer.com is now at the domain www.namessourcing.tv. Please be patient is your ISP is still not resolving properly - it will eventually happen!

Will be Changing Domain Name from thenamessourcer.com to namessourcing.tv. Due to Your ISP Location you May Experience Some Issues While the Domain Resolve Issues Get Worked Out

2011-08-08T12:20:00.000-06:00

Will be changing domain name from thenamessourcer.com to namessourcing.tv. Due to your ISP location you may experience some issues while the domain resolve issues get worked out. Should be fully settled soon with any access problems resolved in 24 hours. Thanks!

When Names Sourcing Using Professional Titles Think Hard About Possible Alternative Forms People Might Use: Example, Abbreviations

2011-08-08T11:02:00.000-06:00

This should be obvious, but in the “heat of the moment” many forget the obvious.

Remember that not everyone spells out their professional titles in full. So, when attempting to exhaust EVERY possible form of a title (in order to increase search results while maintaining precision), try to think about alternative title formats as well. For example, common abbreviations.

What do I mean by this? Some may use the word Manager where others use Mgr OR Mgr. (note the period). Same with Senior. Others may use sr. OR snr. (again, note the periods) OR snr (without period). Exhaust the options in your queries and your results will expand, while still maintaining precision.

Please, Job Seekers, If You Have the Ability to Complete A Difficult Degree Like Chemical Engineering, PLEASE, for your Sake, Do NOT Put that Your Only Experience Was a “Crew Leader” at Mcdonald's!

2011-07-25T11:09:00.000-06:00

Please, job seekers, if you have the ability to complete a difficult degree like chemical engineering, PLEASE, for your sake, do NOT put that your only experience was a “crew leader” at McDonald's! Come on….what about internships? If you did not work or do any internships, just leave it at that and explain why to the recruiter. A first for me…never seen anyone do this on a resume. And I’ve seen a lot of resumes!

I'm just trying to help you. Yes, it's good you worked. But, you studied chemical engineering!

Nice. Already Names Sourcing and Internet Recruiting with Google+

2011-07-13T12:19:00.001-06:00

Nice. Already names sourcing and internet recruiting with Google+ As Yoda would say...”circles create you do…and, follow them...yes….But, search good first..yes….” I’ll make this (tentative) statement…easier than FB for doing this due to ability to (quickly) classify people into circles (after) better search ability.

Branding Expert (Not a Recruiter) Makes Blanket Statement About the Future of Recruiting Resources: My Rebuke

2011-06-03T11:04:00.000-06:00

By now many of you have probably seen the article titled LinkedIn is About to Put Job Boards (and Resumes) Out of Business I’m not going to spend too much time on this, but this article has bothered me since I read it yesterday. I should just let it go, but I simply need to comment on it, both for recruiters and for potential candidates.

It’s clear the Schawbel knows branding. I’ve actually enjoyed much of what he’s produced. What’s not clear is his experience recruiting in the trenches. I’m fairly certain that he cannot speak as an expert in recruiting as well as the rest of us can.

I’m not saying that this was his intention, but this piece is spoken like a person with a major interest in the product doing well. It is not a thought piece by someone with extensive experience in recruiting who has a vested interest in helping recruiters (and job seekers) do well. To make such a wide and blanket statement while propping up one resource does not add value to the recruiting conversation.

I think this is precisely why I’m writing this and why the piece in Forbes bothered me so much. He isn’t a recruiter. His segment within the writing titled “LinkedIn’s big announcement today” which discusses the “Apply With LinkedIn” button coming out is helpful to know but is extremely myopic. Yes, the button will be great to many HR groups, but will it appeal to 3^rd party recruiting firms, many of which power the recruiting market? Do these firms even have the technical infrastructure and/or support from firm owners to implement this feature? If they cannot or do not want to use this button, is this the end of the firms? Come on.

BTW, I’m a LinkedIn power user via my paid monthly subscription to them. I use them daily and believe in what they offer. So, I want the best for them as well. But, can they offer everything to everyone? Keep in mind that 1. Not all people know how to use or want to use LinkedIn. 2. Many people will not use LinkedIn for fear of appearing to be searching for a job (or appearing to be open to a job). 3. Many people do not have the time to use LinkedIn right, which includes using it to network. 4. etc., etc., etc.

In addition to LinkedIn, I’ve made placements using the following: job boards (posted jobs and found resumes); niche association sites; telephone recruiting; internet name mining (internet recruit – x-ray, etc.); referrals; PPC campaigns; pushing jobs; SEO (for posted jobs on our site – aka pulling in candidates; email marketing; etc. Will these other methods die in the future? Come on again!

I’ll close this out with this final (and timely) real life example: just today I found two gems in a resume database (aka job board) from people that simply placed their resumes into it and then moved on. They didn’t apply to any jobs and one didn’t even add a title to their profile! But, due to good, solid, Boolean-based saved searches, elbow grease, a hunch, and patience by me, they showed up on my radar. Why did they put their resume there at all? Bad day with the boss? Do not have the time to create a profile and network via a social or professional networking site? The reasons are endless. Regardless though, who cares? These are great candidates that simply wait for savvy recruiters to find them. Put another way, the hidden gems that need to be discovered.

I’m not going to slam any resource while propping up others. Not every source works for everyone (candidates and recruiters). In addition, no one resource will kill the others. Yes, they’ll change and adapt, and some will die. But, this isn’t the Super Bowl with one resource standing above the others in the end. Just be creative, know your niche, and use them all as you see fit. There is value in every resource if you know how to use them. Be creative and think outside of the box. Here are two recent articles from my blog that touch on this subject. Feel free to check them out to further understand my points.

Do You Get Higher Quality Active Job Seekers from LinkedInGroup Job Postings than from Posting Jobs on the Major Job Boards?

Names Sourcing: Not Always Static, Repeatable Queries:Sometimes Sheer Elbow Grease, a Hunch, and Patience is All You Need

Which Thing is Not Like the Others? Another Blatant Example Proving Why to Use Caution when Relying Heavily on Industry Classification in LinkedIn Searches

2011-05-24T14:45:00.000-06:00

Take a look at this: Process Engineer at Pilot Chemical Company - Higher Education

Do you see the issue here? Read it again carefully. What seems to be out of place? Going to back to Sesame Street – which thing is not like the others? Hint – look at the industry!

Pilot Chemical Company is not Higher Education.

This was too good to pass up so I just had to post it. It truly drives home my point made in two earlier postings that industry classification can be subjective when people create their profile in LinkedIn. So, you’ll need to be aware of this when names sourcing via LinkedIn. Here are the two articles:

Once Again, Don’t Assume when Names Sourcing! Instead, TrySuch Tactics as Starting Broad and Looking for Clues for Further Specificity

Think Big and Use the LinkedIn Dynamic Search Options WhenSelecting the Industry Classification to Source Names or Leads in LI: NameSourcing Tips and Tricks

The quick lesson - had I only used titles and ONLY selected “chemicals” as an industry, I wouldn’t have found him. So, put another way, I’ll scream it again - DO NOT ASSUME WHEN IT COMES TO INDUSTRY. Though usually this is a clear objective choice, subjectivity can come into play, and one person may choose an industry that they think is clear but that most others scratch their heads over. Or, they flat out make a mistake! My guess is that this person did just that. Either way, to get close to comprehensive results (as much as possible) think large and think creatively. Exhaust all of the options you have available to you!

Yes, it Can Happen: Use the Right LinkedIn InMail Message and a Blank LinkedIn Profile Can be Turned Into a Placement: I Did it

2011-05-24T14:21:00.001-06:00

I did an earlier posting on patience in names sourcing whichincluded the tip to look through profiles in full in order to see if anyinformation can be found below the fold that can be turned into leads. Also, I posted a while back on Name Sourcing and Lead Generation Using LinkedIn InMails: General Tips and Make Sure to KeepYour “InMail Feedback Score” at a Five Star Rating! So, they all tie into this.

The lessons here: be complete, look for clues, and have the right wording and approach when you finally send a message to a blank or near-blank LinkedIn profile. Oh, yes, and also do not assume that because they have a blank profile that they are not active on the system, or that they are not interested in hearing from recruiters.

I say this from experience. Of course, there’s no fully blank profile. But, the profile of the person that we recently placed was pretty darn close. He did list his company and geographic area, but not his name or title. In addition, he had 0 contacts. Most would have moved on from this, but in keeping with the tips I mentioned above, I had a very focused message and I did not assume. Also, I had a hunch, which many times you can trust!! Because this person at least stated his company and location, I had a good idea of his level and fit. I did take a chance, but it paid off! Moreover, he led to another placement of one of his coworkers. So, again, look for clues, trust your instincts, don’t assume, take a risk, and get them with the right message!

Recruiters and Name Sourcers: You Need To Look At Email and LinkedIn InMail Campaigns (Direct Messaging Campaigns) The Same Way You Look At Calls

2011-05-24T13:13:00.001-06:00

A quick note. Recruiters and Names Sourcers: You need to look at email and LinkedIn InMail campaigns (direct messaging campaigns) the same way you look at calls. Just as with calls, the response / conversion rate increases as the number of messages sent out increases. Though I opine that emailing and direct messaging is more efficient in terms of response rates vs. calls, you still need to make a focused effort and not just a few haphazard messages to a few people. Here are some tips on how to do LinkedIn InMails for recruiting or how to have a successful LinkedIn InMail recruiting campaign. The same rules can be applied for direct email lead generation campaigns.

In addition, look at emailing or messaging like networking – not everyone you email is PERFECT for the position. But, they know people!! Treat them right and with respect in your messaging and subsequent responses and they may just help you!

Names Sourcing: Not Always Static, Repeatable Queries: Sometimes Sheer Elbow Grease, a Hunch, and Patience is All You Need

2011-05-24T13:00:00.002-06:00

There’s no doubt there are proven repeatable ways to source for names or find leads – x-ray, LinkedIn, conference attendee lists, professional association / society websites for deepor invisible web leads, simple tailored keyword searches, etc. This blog is dedicated to that! But, sometimes the formulas break down and you need to get creative. At this point you’ll find out if you have what it takes. At this point, all one needs is a strong hunch that a name or lead or resume will be in a certain area of a creation resource, some “elbow grease” and a load of strong patience to find that gold.

Examples:

Everyone who uses Twitter knows that users can create lists based on a focus. You can also find profiles of people and companies and then see who follows them or who they follow (unless the profile is locked or protected). Of course, you can use keyword searches, twitter directories or search engines, and x-ray searches to find people by profile, but these of yet are not fully comprehensive. So, go to where you need to be and start there. Today I found a great list created by a trusted group within our niche. Following the hunch that many applicable people would be followed by such an entity, I decided to tackle the large list, one by one. Yes, there was some serious “spam” or trash in there but I stuck to my hunch and kept going. My patience was rewarded when I noticed a person that had some applicable words to describe himself – not clear or pretty, but enough. A slight click opened up a profile brief and yep, there it was, a link to his visualcv.com resume. Nice. By the way, you can do an x-ray or site search of VisualCV.com and find some good people. Here's a posting on how to do this -

VisualCv.com: You Never Know – Site Search (or X-Ray Search)Just May Provide Leads

The same thing can be accomplished when using a resource like LinkedIn. Yes, you can use x-ray searches and keyword searches to findthose with contact information listed, and, sometimes, even resumes in their LinkedIn profile. Yet, many times this is not accurate. So, go to where you need to be, follow the leads, trust your hunches, and you’ll find gold. For LinkedIn what does this mean? Take the time to scroll down a profile to see if they have any contact information listed, or even a link to their website or blog, or even a link to their resume. More times than not, you WILL find gold.

It’s not always science…sometimes it’s sleuthing, patience, and trusting your instinct!

Names Sourcing Tip: Location of School/s Attended

2011-04-29T11:50:00.002-06:00

Remember, when you’ve run out of local leads and even leads that are not local but are not compelled to move, why not look to find people that attended school/s in the location of the job requisition? Someone from a particular state or geographic area likely has connections there and is MUCH more willing to listen than someone who has no compelling reason to get there. Maybe even start here in order to maximize efficiency.

Quick Post for Job Seekers & Those Updating Resumes: Common & Uncommon Spelling & Grammar Mistakes Found in Resumes & Cover Letters

2011-03-15T12:22:00.000-06:00

I came across yet another mistake on a resume today and finally need to do this blog posting.

ENVIRONEMTALIST What is wrong with this word?

Remember job seekers and those updating a resume – SPELL CHECK YES, BUT GET A REVIEWER as well! Why? Spell check doesn’t work on words in full caps AND, spell check will not let you know of word-use mistakes with correctly spelled words (example – manger instead of manager).

A while back I wrote a quick page titled Common and Uncommon Spelling, Grammar, or Word-Use Mistakes Found in Resumes and Cover Letters: Watch Out for These

Here is a bit from this page that might prove helpful. Funny, but sad mistakes. I’ll add more as I come across them (which is daily) and have time to post about them (which is not daily).

Using lead instead of led - as in "Lead a team of engineers." Very common.

Overlooking spelling of manager - instead using manger . This is quite common as manger is an actual correct word for spell checkers. "Maintenance manger."

"I wish to put froth my resume."

"Position was illuminated as of the first of the year due to downsizing and lack of work."

"I would like to get to a wormer climate."

"Increased sickle time."

"Supervised maintenance screw ."

"Security Clearance: Secrete ."

For a full guide on writing a resume or CV from a guy who looks at resumes every day, visit Resume Writing 101: Free Guide Provides Key Steps, Tricks, and Tips to Follow when Writing a New Resume / CV or when Updating an Old Resume / CV

Google Profiles Enhanced to be More “Social” AKA More Descriptive: Time to Add to Your Names Sourcing / Leads Sourcing Basket

2011-03-03T11:46:00.000-07:00

I actually noticed this a few weeks back as I began sourcing names / leads using Google Profiles but it seems that Google has begun blogging about these changes Essentially, Google has decided to make these changes to help search become more social, or, as they state, "...to make search more personal with relevant web content from your friends and online contacts.”

Sure, that’s the way THEY see it, but as name sourcers / researchers we see it as potential gold!!

Like any source, this can result in a hit or a miss, but if done right, you WILL find names / leads to use in your recruiting. Just as with LinkedIn though, remember that not everyone has a Google Profile set up and hence, this is not a magic bullet killer names sourcing resource.

I’ll make this one simple because, well, it is simple!

You’ll essentially be doing a site search or an x-ray search - site:www.google.com/profiles

You can also do this intitle: search - intitle:"google profile" as this is the generic text assigned to each profile and is placed after each persons’ name. But, you decide…either way will work.

As always, to narrow down the results and filter out noise, add keywords or keyword phrases based on the roles you’re searching - site:www.google.com/profiles “mechanical engineering” autocad "project engineer”

(JUST AN EXAMPLE!!! THIS CAN BE CHANGED IN MANY WAYS!!)

If people have added those keywords to the “About Me” section of their Google Profile, they will show up in the results. In addition, people can add information to such fields as “Companies I've worked for,” and, even better, they can make public a descriptive title that includes what they do and where they do it. So, for example, “Chemical Engineer at …..” Los Angeles. Google makes seeing this easy by providing this information in the search engine results directly under the name of the person AND, in the text of the result. So, you’ll see it fairly easy.

So, because of this enhancement, you can easily add descriptive keywords or phrases, and even locations, companies and titles. In other words – you can quickly locate people to network with (or maybe place) for your recruiting specs. You never know…you may just find the right fit or the right lead!

Good luck!

Need to Get on the Phone (or Send Emails) Now? How to Quickly Find LinkedIn Profiles that Contain Contact Information

2011-02-18T11:32:00.001-07:00

Yep, it’s been a while since my last post. My apologies. The recruiting world is alive and active!

I’m hoping though that you all saw my first posting of the year which I did for SourceCon. In essence, it speaks to what I see will be important in names sourcing and recruiting in 2011. Read it here: The Names Sourcer in 2011 & Beyond: Effectively Create and Grow a Recruiting Firm’s Web Brand Presence via the Efficient Use of the Growing List of Communication Tools.

I have a lot planned this year and I hope to post often. First though, a quick one:

No doubt LinkedIn is great. But, as you all know, there are a variety of ways to use it in order to get in touch with people regarding your searches. I discussed what to keep in mind when InMailing in this post – Name Sourcing and Lead Generation Using LinkedIn InMails: General Tips and Make Sure to Keep Your “InMail Feedback Score” at a Five Star Rating!

In this other posting I discuss the issue of industry selection when using the advanced people search option in LinkedIn - Think Big and Use the LinkedIn Dynamic Search Options When Selecting the Industry Classification to Source Names or Leads in LI: Name Sourcing Tips and Tricks

But, what about using it to literally find profiles that actually list a phone number or an email address, or both? AKA, a quick call list.

Well, there are a variety of ways to do this but time is short so I cannot go into them all. So, here is just one quick method. As always, this is merely a guide, or a spark that can help you in your search, but that can also help you open your mind to using LinkedIn and others in different ways. This query is only one of many, and this method is only one of many. So please (especially to the self-appointed sealed fraternity and power group), there is no need to send me an email asking why I didn’t add this or left out that. I get it. This is only one of many ways to do this. But, feel free to respond to this post with any ideas to share!

But, it’s pretty simple. Here’s the basic string:
site:linkedin.com/pub (("contact me" OR "email me" OR contact OR "reach me" OR "contact via" OR "contact details") (phone OR "cell phone" OR "my email" OR email)) ("quality assurance") -inurl:dir

You also can use (inurl:pub OR inurl:in) and just do site:linkedin.com for much the same results.

Also, you’ll want to use whatever keywords you are searching for. I used “quality assurance” as an example and did find many.

I’d like to add too that if you do not use -inurl:dir you will likely see more results but you’ll have to wade through the directory (hence dir) listings to find the results the search engine listing showed. You probably don’t have time for that.

Give it a try and you’ll see some results. Remember, the more specific the query the less results you’ll see. So, though you can add text like “San Francisco Bay Area” and/or company names, the number of results will drop.

Happy sourcing and good luck!

The Names Sourcer in 2011 & Beyond: Effectively Create and Grow a Recruiting Firm’s Web Brand Presence via the Efficient Use of the Growing List of Communication Tools

2010-12-08T15:08:00.000-07:00

I’m posting this here now for those who may have missed it via the posting in SourceCon last week. My take on the future of Name Sourcing and Internet Recruiting in 2011 (and beyond).

by Justin Sivey

The Names Sourcer in 2011 & Beyond: Effectively Create and Grow a Recruiting Firm’s Web Brand Presence via the Efficient Use of the Growing List of Communication Tools

When I assess what has brought about the most change and will continue to bring about the most change in names sourcing and Internet recruiting, I’d say it’s the staggering growth in the creation of new tools that expand the reach of communication and brand management. In essence, the sourcing toolkit has expanded greatly and the subsequent reach provided helps to increase brand awareness to passive and active candidates.

Yet the increase in the number of tools doesn’t necessarily equate to an increase in efficiency in getting your message to the right people and helping to cut down on your sourcing time. It’s one thing to have a tool and it’s another to learn how to use the tool properly. Hence, the ability to effectively increase the reach of your messages, and to control and expand your firms’ brand, will equal the knowledge of how to use these tools.

For this reason, I’d say that for recruiting firms to survive and thrive in 2011 & beyond, it will be an absolute necessity that the names sourcer / researcher branch out beyond the traditional role, embrace the new tools of communication, and learn how to effectively use them to create and maintain a firm’s web brand presence. This has become clear to me, not only in my current role, but reflecting on past positions, and relates especially to non-corporate, third party recruiting firms.

What is Included in a Web Brand Presence?

When I say web brand presence I literally mean all aspects of communication via the web, from SEO implemented on a website and/or blog (webmaster), to active daily communication and networking via the changing social media web such as that done via Facebook pages and tweeting. In essence, this includes any tool that allows the firm to expand its message and hence, its brand, enabling it to reach a targeted audience.

Though this is not an exhaustive list, I’d include:

RSS feeds
The correct use of LinkedIn and other professional networking sites
Email marketing
SMO – Social Media Optimization
SMM – Social Media Marketing
PPC – Pay Per Click Advertising
The use of sharing and bookmarking widgets on key web properties
Keyword and reputation monitoring/automation
Forum participation
Participation in vertical niche networking virtual communities
Blogging

Why the Names Sourcer?

In each of the firms I’ve been at, there simply hasn’t been anyone with the time, inclination, or personality to initiate and (most importantly) continue these efforts. The names sourcer / researcher typically is an individual that has the personality that leads to the necessary motivation and patience to develop and grow this key part of the firm. New tools come and go and it takes serious patience to take the time to learn about each and to then determine which tools are worth investing time in. As such, these additional responsibilities cannot become secondary, but instead will become part of the names sourcer’s professional duties. Sourcing for the right people and delivering the right messages to them becomes the brand management function. It’s not enough to simply set up some profiles here and there and then leave them at that. They are not organic and they will not grow by themselves. Individuals must fully dedicate themselves to becoming an expert in communication via these means and commit to continual education, training, and development.

The Search Engine Algorithms of the Future Demand this New Type of Recruiting Professional

The search engine algorithms of the future demand this new type of professional so that the recruiting firm will survive and grow. It’s quite likely that the developing social web will become fully integrated into the algorithms of the major search engines and will therefore become part of the official ranking system for web properties. The major engines have already implemented their own form of social search and do show results from Facebook and Twitter within the organic and paid listings.

With time, these will grow in importance in relation to what is returned when a user performs a query. As such, getting your social web presence active, and then working to grow it, will likely pay off in increased rankings, not only when posting jobs, but also when getting the attention of the passive job seeker. The more users who “like” or retweet (or whatever comes next) your postings, pages, or blogs, the more attention you’ll get from the engines. And, of course, this will also increase the viral marketing effect in that your postings will reach more people over time via sharing in your growing network.

Recruiting Firms Need to Take their Web Communication and Brand Control Strategy Seriously

A firm lucky enough to have a researcher or names sourcer on staff should look seriously at having this individual create and grow the firms’ web presence by having them find, understand, and effectively use the growing list of web-based communication tools. Should the firm not see an internal long-term role for the sourcer and be unable to commit to maintaining and growing the firm’s web presence if that individual were to leave, then at the very least they should encourage the individual to use some of the tools in their sourcing and research activities while there. Though this will not lead to sustained long-term benefit regarding brand awareness, it will help to expand the reach of their messages for current sourcing initiatives and may provide some benefit for rankings in the search engines.

Regardless, though, of what a firm decides , 2011 will bring more communication tools that can lead to serious long-term benefits for recruiting firms to expand their message and brand in the mind of their target groups. Why wait when facing the inevitable?

I Just Verified the Legitimacy of a Degree from Romania. Do You Know How to Do this? How Long Would it Take You?

2010-12-08T14:01:00.001-07:00

Took me about 10 minutes. Another fun sleuthing experience. Literally started with just a faxed copy of the degree.

Determined that (aside from forgery which is another issue all together) the degree did indeed come from a RECOGNIZED and legitimate (accredited) university in Romania. Of course, you can search and find a website, but do you know if the school is real or, most importantly, RECOGNIZED in that country? What entity has the legitimacy to accredit institutions of higher learning in another country? All issues to take into account.

Luckily I’ve studied the science of degree verification and decided to help others by writing a guide on how to how to quickly determine if a degree is from a legitimate or illegitimate source. How to not get burned by fake or phony degrees.

To learn about this visit:

Diploma Mills and Accreditation Mills 101: A Concise Introduction to Diploma Mills and Accreditation Mills and how to Quickly Determine if a Degree is from a Legitimate or Illegitimate Source. http://www.thenamessourcer.com/2009/02/concise-guide-to-diploma-mills-and.html

I Found / Sleuthed Out the Motherload! Industry Classifications and Invisible Deep Web Resources Can Help!

2010-12-08T13:31:00.000-07:00

Ah, what a day. So, a client is moving into a VERY specific area of mining related to very specific materials. The property they purchased is in an area that is seen as undesirable. As such, it’s important to really focus on people in that state, or nearby that can tolerate such weather. In addition, the role they are looking to place requires people with a focus in one key material that is mined.

Sure, it’s not overly difficult to find a few names in LinkedIn or some other related resource. But, what about finding DIRECT numbers to those people with a professional focus in the material mined, AND, with the proper background / titles? Nice…found them, complete with numbers directly to their desks.

Hint…NAICS or SIC and Invisible Deep Web Resources…

Short Video Tutorials on Using Professional Association / Society Websites to Find Visible (Crawled) and Invisible / Deep Web Resources Chock Full of Names / Leads

2010-11-11T09:54:00.002-07:00

Invisible Web (or Deep Web) vs. the Visible Web

*Videos Below

First, a very brief look at the Invisible Web / Deep Web vs. the Visible Web. I actually wrote about the invisible web a WHILE back. It’s titled The Invisible Web, or Deep Web: Paper Describes how Google Crawls and then Attempts to Index the Deep Web or Invisible Web

BUT, for those of you who do not want to read great levels of detail on this, I’ve included a simple summary of the visible and invisible web here. In essence, the visible web includes those web resources that search engines are able to access and index and make useable to search engine users. In contrast, the invisible web or the deep web is composed of data resources that have a website gateway, but the gateway is locked down and usually password protected and inaccessible to search engines and unauthorized users. Well, some invisible web resources are technically able to be accessed by search engines but the engine has followed the webmaster’s wish to not index it and hence, it isn’t found in a web index.

My last words on this – typically, invisible web or deep web resources are far superior in terms of data quality (and freshness) than “visible” ones AND, typically, those who benefit from them usually know about them due to being part of a group. It is up to the rest of us to find them!

Association or Professional Society Websites Tend to be Gateways to Invisible Web Data Resources

Association or Professional Society websites or Association Professional Society Chapter websites tend to act as entry ways to hidden / invisible web resources chock full of gold mine-level data. Just today I found an amazing resource that was a non-indexed list of manufacturing facilities in a certain state that also listed names and contact information. But, I had to dig to find it. Remember, never give up.

Yet, keep in mind that even though the resources themselves are not crawled (or the data behind them is not crawled), that doesn’t mean that the entry pages to them are not crawled. Why is this important? Well, the entry page likely is crawled and hence, you can find it using a search engine. Just keep in mind that you must use the proper keywords in your query to find the entry pages.

For example, as you’ll see in the video titled - Find-Consultants-Names-Contacts-by-Focus-And-Or-State-From-Association-Websites, this entry page has many on-page keywords that could be found using queries:

The actual link on the page to the resource which is descriptively titled AHA Consultants Listing.

The terms Consultant’s Listing as a text header.

Another huge text clue just under the header that states in just the right keywords The Premier Directory of OEHS Consulting Professionals.

Unfortunately though, both the page title and the page URL do not provide such clues so doing a search using those parameters wouldn’t have helped (intitle:keywords OR inurl:keywords). In this example, you would have found these pages had you used any of these queries:

inanchor:consultants oehs

allintext:directory listing consultants oehs

Videos: Short, but Get to the Point

I posted 3 videos below that are relatively short but that get to the point. I haven’t added sound and I haven’t really keyword indexed them, but I’ve wanted for weeks to post them so I’m just going to go ahead and do it. Luckily things are busy now so I simply cannot optimize every video and posting I do for this blog and other resources. Still, I think that by watching them you’ll see some tips and ideas that will help you learn how to approach and use professional association / society websites to name source / lead source and generate leads for your internet recruiting efforts.

Good luck and have fun!

Do You Get Higher Quality Active Job Seekers from LinkedIn Group Job Postings than from Posting Jobs on the Major Job Boards?

2010-10-22T10:20:00.000-06:00

This is a question I’ve been considering lately as I reassess where I put my energy into my days.

Of course, name sourcing or lead sourcing or lead generation should be focused PRIMARLY on passive candidates. And, of course LinkedIn is a great way to do this. But, in every pot of active candidates (or active job seekers) there are a few pieces of gold. The trick is to find out how to get to those pieces of gold in the most efficient manner.

Of course, for years this has been done by painstakingly posting jobs on the major job boards and painstakingly going through the responses in hopes of mining out those little pieces of gold. Or, in the same respect, creating saved searches that provide matched results daily of people that place their resumes in the giant job board databases. And, this does eventually pay off. Yes, I’ve been around long enough to make this a qualified statement!

Yet, with the rise of LinkedIn in the awareness of most professionals, and the subsequent increase of the amount of profiles created on LinkedIn, many active job seekers are now using it as their job board. Of course, they’re searching the paid job listings in LinkedIn (which we’re not talking about here), but many also realize the importance of the jobs posted within groups. It may take them time to discover groups, but they eventually do, and with it they discover that many good jobs are posted within them.

This is not a lesson on job posting on LinkedIn so I’ll get to the chase. I’d have to say that as of recent the quality of ACTIVE candidates replying to jobs via LinkedIn group postings has appeared to be better than that of those coming from the major job boards. So, the question becomes…do you get better active candidates from posting this way, and, if so, should you forgo the major job boards and only look at this method? I don’t have a definitive answer to this. And, quite frankly, I’m the kind of guy who goes for being comprehensive. Hence, I’m likely to still use both. But, food for thought as it’s always wise to reassess where you put your energy into the tough job requisitions of these tough recruiting days.

There are a lot of additional tips I can give in relation to this issue, and can list plenty of other side benefits from such activities. But, we’ll save this for another time!!!

Good luck!

Even Bad (or Non Applicable) Resumes from Active Candidates Can Have Good Names / References / Leads Within Them! Turn an Active Candidate Recruiting Situation Into a Passive Candidate Recruiting Situation

2010-10-22T10:08:00.000-06:00

Just a quick tip to keep in mind when you’re sitting there sifting through the piles of resumes received from active candidates to the jobs you posted on the major job boards (automated responses or not).

Though I know that you’d rather just throw them all away and start doing passive candidate name sourcing / recruiting, and though the majority of the responses will not be good for your searches, it’s still worth your time to look at as many of these resumes as you can. Why? Quite simply to see if the person provided any references / names (AKA leads) that you can use for any applicable searches you’re working on.

For example, just this week I was able to use references provided within the resumes of active job seekers to drive leads for searches we’re working on. Many times the people listed as references are in leadership roles which mean typically that they 1 – will know many people and 2 – understand the importance of talking to recruiters. So, what you’ve done then is turn an active candidate recruiting situation into a passive candidate recruiting situation.

Now, of course it isn’t worth your time to scan every resume for references. Obviously you’ll want to be selective in this or you’ll take all day. Use clues such as current job title or current employer industry to determine if it’s worth your time to quickly scan the resume. Should I have even mentioned this obvious point??!!

Yeah, I know that looking at a resume from a recent college graduate with 1 year of experience for a job that calls for 5 years is annoying. But, take a few seconds and just see if you can turn blah into gold!

Good luck!

My Contribution to the Recent SourceCon Newsletter - The Source – Published: “The Value of Library Information Science In Sourcing”

2010-10-11T10:37:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Amybeth and SourceCon for publishing this writing. It's great to be able to show the marriage that I have been lucky to create between names sourcing and my studies and degree in Library and Information Sciences (MS - MLIS).

I pasted in the text below but you can find the article in the SourceCon newsletter at http://www.sourcecon.com/news/2010/10/08/the-value-of-library-information-science-in-sourcing/

The Value of Library Information Science In Sourcing

My journey from the Library and Information Science world to that of the names sourcing / recruiting world has been exciting. Bringing the two worlds together and applying the skills, teachings, techniques and theories to help recruiting firms achieve success has been challenging and rewarding. Though much can be said, there are a few key areas from Library and Information Science that I believe contribute to the bottom line and add value to the future and current success of a recruiting firm. A good name sourcer / researcher is able to find the right names for the right jobs. Implementing these practices into any recruiting process WILL help the sourcer accomplish this goal and WILL contribute positively to the bottom line.

Data Integrity

This important concept is key to any business that relies on a managed data resource (database). The quality of the data going into the database will relate to the quality of the data coming out. In recruiter-speak – candidates, if properly added to the database, will efficiently be retrieved again for applicable searches should recruiters and data entry personnel be trained on the value of data integrity. At its basic, this means knowing what fields in a database are essential to complete in order to help with future findabilty. As your father may have said: “You get back what you put into something!” Understanding this key concept and training others as to its importance will consistently and efficiently lead to having the right people added to the right call list for the right position.

Controlled, Descriptive Vocabulary

Essential to Library and Information Science is the practice of implementing and using a controlled, descriptive vocabulary. This really ties into Data Integrity. In the prior paragraph, I could have easily stated “the quality of the metadata going in…” to more specifically sum up this area. In our case, our database allows the “tagging” (think web 2.0) of attributes to a candidate’s record. The attributes describe a person’s experience and career goals. In essence, descriptive, controlled terms (or, data about data – aka – metadata). What the key is here is the term “controlled.” This signifies that the terms are created in-house, using our descriptive terminology based on our niche. In addition, the database allows for the use of synonyms to relate to the controlled terms, and a tool that can pick out synonyms from a resume. In library speak, this is seen as a thesaurus, or structured vocabulary. Determining the right synonyms for our key, base controlled words can make a huge difference when performing recall (search) in the system for candidates. Much like the Dewey Decimal System, a descriptive, controlled vocabulary gives cohesiveness and integrity to a data system, increasing usability and findablity. In recruiter-speak – finding the right person in the quickest time possible, based on the right keywords.

Recall vs. Precision

This area ties into the last two sections, and has been discussed for years in Library and Information Science. Depending on the nature of a requisition, some searches seek recall where others seek precision. In recruiter-speak – some searches call for a large list of people to network with, and some call for a much smaller list with more specific, targeted individuals for a specific job. Teaching recruiters the difference between these two concepts and understanding the controlled vocabulary of the database and how it affects precision vs. recall will lead to success or failure. This applies not only to an in-house database, but also to such external resources as LinkedIn. In fact, any resource that allows one to create & edit queries through such means as Boolean search applies here. At times, the name sourcer / researcher must consult on the nature of each approach and their applicably to a search, and recommend a course of action.

Information Assessment / Information Literacy

Even in the ancient library of Alexandria, someone was there to determine which resources fit with the mission of the organization. Transport that person to the year 2010, and the same analytical skills and training would apply in a recruiting organization. In recruiter-speak – “Which resumes are good, and worth a call, and should be added to the database?” “Which resumes are decent and only worth a call?” “Which resumes are bad but networkable?” “Which resumes are good, should be put into the database, AND, to which recruiters shall they go?” You get the picture. I refer to responses from position postings and unsolicited resumes via the firm website or email, and when resume or name sourcing via the internet or social media. The library mind is a master at analyzing resources / resumes completely and efficiently to determine their applicability to current and future positions and hence, to the mission of the firm. Having an individual with these skills and training manage this “push and pull” process can contribute to the firm’s current and future success.

Information Resource Training

We can’t end without mentioning the key area of training. Though not all names sourcers / researchers train recruiters and other staff on the use of information resources and search terminology, many do. If we happen to hire new recruiters, and if I am to follow all that I just wrote about, it’s a necessity that I will have to train anyone with access to the database on how to properly use it. This applies to both input and output (search). In addition to managing information assessment / information literacy, the traditional role of the Library and Information Science professional has been to teach others how to use these resources with efficiency. After all, they should know the resources better than most. This may expand beyond the in-house database to such external resources as LinkedIn. Unleashing a recruiter with little or no knowledge of basic query formation and Boolean logic structure on a resource is inefficient. Teaching them how to better structure queries and find more targeted results for a search based on precision will only help the recruiter and hence, the bottom line of the firm.

I could go on, as there are additional key skills, teachings, techniques and theories from Library and Information Science that can bring value to a recruiting process. Finding the right names for the right jobs is the goal of a good name sourcer / researcher. Focusing on the areas just mentioned WILL exponentially increase success with in-house resources and external resources such as LinkedIn. For those looking to take your firm to the next level and drive current and future success, consider these points.

Name Sourcing and Lead Generation Using LinkedIn InMails: General Tips and Make Sure to Keep Your “InMail Feedback Score” at a Five Star Rating!

2010-09-23T09:49:00.000-06:00

First, I’m certainly not advertising for LinkedIn as I know there are still many out there that do not want to use it (for the right or wrong reasons).

There isn’t one right method to sourcing candidates for job search specs. Each job is different and calls for altered strategies. For some roles you need to head straight to the CMS first. For others, perhaps it’s smart to craft a targeted email. Maybe others call for networking within associations. But for some roles the right strategy may be to use InMails in LinkedIn to deliver a very targeted message to specific candidates to let them know of a current search in their niche. If done the correct (and ethical) way, this method can literally provide a jump-start to your names sourcing efforts.

Is Your LinkedIn Account at a Sufficient Level?

I’m sure many of you are already aware of the different accounts offered through LinkedIn and I’m sure many of you have also sent InMails. But, do you have enough InMails to make a difference? If you simply cannot afford to go all the way and go with the Enterprise account, at least ATTEMPT to go for the Pro account. This too is expensive, but what you’re going for here is a greater network reach after you perform a search AND, more importantly, an increased amount of InMails to message people with. I can guarantee that should you be able to persuade an employer (or yourself) to put out the cost, you will see ROI IF you make sure to tighten up your queries and ONLY reach out to applicable people.

I cannot go over every possible way to use this tool and I’m certainly not going to go over every possible template that I’ve successfully used in getting candidates interested that were eventually placed. This is simply a general overview of this tool as you’ll need to be creative in how you attack your niche.

Tip One: Keep Your Messages VERY Relevant to Those You Message as Your 5 Star Rating is Gold!!

Most important here is to make sure that you first absolutely create very targeted Boolean search strings based on experience AND company AND industry, and then tailor a message that brings value to the reader.

Why is this so important?

Do a little exercise: log into LinkedIn, pick any person you want that is open to receiving InMails, and then select to send them an InMail. You’ll be brought to the InMail message screen for that person. Look down at the bottom right of the screen and you’ll see a message – “Your current InMail Feedback Score:” Following the : you’ll see a number of stars. If you have not actually messaged anyone yet you should see 5 stars. I’ll keep this simple – LinkedIn wants to avoid people spamming other people. So, they’ve devised a system where one is allowed to state how appropriate a message is/was for them. Should you start sending out non-applicable messages to people, they will state this back to LinkedIn, and your InMail Feedback Score will start to drop. So, from 5 to 4 to 3 and on. You may even receive a message from LinkedIn to contact them based on your account becoming temporarily suspended.

ALSO NOTE that your score can drop should you fail to notice the other key box right above the star rating that states “(NAME) is interested in:” Just as you did when you signed up, they have selected what type of messages they’d like to receive. Most people are Ok with messages about “Career Opportunities” but some are not. Don’t push it and send career messages to those who don’t want them. Anger the wrong person and you may find consequences. I once worked with a recruiter who had ONE bad report and his rating went from 5 to 4 stars. So, keep your messages VERY relevant to those you message as your 5 star rating is gold!!

Additional Tips

•    In addition, don’t directly solicit the candidate so as to avoid any ethical issues that might arise with current or future clients. Asking “who do you know?” is a way to both entice the person you’re messaging and also to hopefully get leads should the person not be interested.

•    Make your copy strong but don’t overwhelm them with huge paragraphs. Break up your message into smaller paragraphs for easy skimming.

•    Make sure the title you create for the message is strong and littered with keywords that the person would quickly see as relevant to their professional experience and goals. Tell them concisely what’s in it for them so that they are more likely to open it!

•    Make sure you let them know that you are open for further conversation should they require it. Include your email address as many will want to email you outside of a work address. PLUS, remember that your message may be passed around the organization including to HR and Hiring Managers. Don’t be surprised if you get a call or email looking for assistance on a search the company is needing help on. Make it easy for these important people to find you.

•    Though the links you provide in LinkedIn messages – including those you post in groups – are of the No Follow kind and therefore will not offer DIRECT SEO benefits, they nonetheless should be used. For one, they offer the person the opportunity to find out that indeed you are legitimate. But, you also may receive secondary benefits such as gaining additional exposure via people sharing your message (aka: Link Bait.)

Using LinkedIn InMails can lead to a HUGE ROI is you decide to upgrade your LinkedIn account. For this to happen though, you must learn how to use the system properly. Keep your queries precise and make sure to respect the wishes of users and you WILL get leads.

Good luck!

It’s Simple! Professional Niche-Based Social Networking Sites CAN Lead to Name Sourcing Gold IF You Have the Time to Use them Properly

2010-09-07T14:42:00.003-06:00

Let me first say that I’m not referring to social networking sites such as Facebook. Even though you can use Facebook in much the same way that the larger niche professional networking sites can be used, this posting only refers to them. I’m speaking about interactive web sites that act as communication and networking portals that are focused ONLY on one profession or industry. For example, projectmanagers.net, maintenance.org, or landmancommunity.com. For the recruiters out there, in additional to many others, one such site is recruitingblogs.com. The URLs alone speak to the specificity of the sites.

Many of these sites were built on the .ning platform. Though these were free, as of recent Ning is beginning to charge communities to maintain their sites. Though many good sites died with such an announcement, those with serious owners and users have survived and grown.

I’m sure this is obvious to most, but I always like to remind myself of the importance of such sites as I believe that many overlook them or haven’t yet tried them. Plus, in order to truly take advantage of them for lead generation, names sourcing, or networking, you really either have to have a lot of time, or have someone on staff to work them properly. Recently, they have led to gold for my sourcing efforts for fairly tough roles and that is why I am writing about them. For those who have the time, it will pay off.

Of course, you’ll need to find these communities, yet very likely you already know of some if you’ve been active in your area of recruiting focus. There are many ways to do this, including starting with a simple keyword search using the niche keyword/s and adding on words used to describe such meeting places. So, maintenance AND (forum OR community OR discussion OR society OR association OR “networking group” OR “networking site” OR ning OR etc.).

You might also try searching by keyword/s in the URL - inurl:maintenance and then tie in with words used to describe such meeting places (forum OR community OR discussion OR society OR networking OR ning) You might also do a search for sites with the word ning in the url by doing a url search - inurl:ning OR by doing a site search or x-ray search: site:ning.com and add applicable keywords.

You can also skip the search stuff and try looking through association sites for links to forums for members. This can be a great way to find forums that allow posting and networking. Use the great directory of associations produced by Weddle’s at http://www.weddles.com/associations/index.cfm to find associations to search.

Make it Fun and Use the Real Time Search Options Provided by the Search Engines to Find these Communities

Yet, if you do search by keyword, make it fun and use the new options the search engines offer in relation to REAL TIME search. So, do a keyword search like above, but then use the real time options to find these communities. As of now Google does the best job of making this easier.

Run your search and then select “Everything” on the left of your screen. This will open up the search options. Choose “Discussions” in the list of options. Right away you’ll see applicable results. But, you don’t need to stop there. Scroll down and you’ll notice this:

    * All discussions
    * Forums
    * Q&As

Obviously you can then choose these options to further refine your results. Obviously “Forums” offers just what you need. Great stuff and it really makes it easier to find communities to begin to name source from. Of course, the other engines offer this type of option but in a different way. Feel free to use them as well as I do not endorse one over the other.

Once you find the right sites, you’ll likely need to apply and wait for entry. This can take time but be patient and you’ll likely get in.

I won’t go into details about what you should do once you are allowed in as creativity is called for and it will be up to you just what you’ll be open to doing once there. Just keep in mind that most offer keyword search of profiles, so be creative here. You usually can message members directly, but again you’ll have to decide if you are OK with this. Posting links to jobs on your profile page is also an option as is by posting in groups based around career growth. I just want to emphasize that you can be kicked out so don’t be an annoying recruiter and solicit everyone you find with a general message. Also, don’t go posting links in EVERY group. If you do this mass posting you’ll appear as a spammer and might get kicked out. Be respectful and plot a reasonable course.

Let me say though that it’s not unusual for people to provide direct contact information and/or a link to a site or blog they’ve created. You know what to do from there!

As I said, I recently found gold in these groups and if done right, you likely can to.

Good luck!

Once Again, Don’t Assume when Names Sourcing! Instead, Try Such Tactics as Starting Broad and Looking for Clues for Further Specificity

2010-08-20T13:19:00.001-06:00

I wrote a while back on the subject of thinking creatively when using LinkedIn (or any related resources) to attempt to exhaust most of the possible options when name sourcing by industry - “Think Big and Use the LinkedIn Dynamic Search Options When Selecting the Industry Classification to Source Names or Leads in LI: Name Sourcing Tips and Tricks” at http://www.thenamessourcer.com/2010/04/think-big-and-use-linkedin-dynamic.html

But, based on a current search I’m working on, I wanted to again bring to attention this important issue. In summary, when looking at searching by such key factors as what industry a type of professional is in, do not assume! Instead, try such tactics as starting broad and looking for clues that can then be used for further specificity.

For example, one Hydrogeologist tagged himself as being in the industry of Civil Engineering, whereas another selected Environmental Services. Adding to the confusing, yet another decided on Mining and Metals.

Perhaps the most discrepancy can be found with consultants. Many consultants specialize in an area of focus once they join a firm. For example, some firms have a strong focus in mining but with various subsectors such as Geology. So, how would a geologist who joined such a firm “tag” themselves in LinkedIn? One may choose Mining and Metals since they come from that focus. Yet another may choose Building Materials as they are currently working on a project for a client in cement. Still, another may go broad and choose Management Consulting to match the type of company they view their current employer to be. What about the geologist who tags themselves as being in Real Estate? After all, geologists do consult for home builders or even act as inspectors for home buyers! So, even though they’re trained technically as geologists, they still may decide that it’s best (rightly or wrongly) to “tag” themselves based on the industry they are currently consulting in.

I think you get the point. The main point here is that as name sourcers or internet recruiters or researches or whatever you’d like to be called, you’ll need to think beyond what YOU think someone should be tagged as and look for clues on how people ACTAULLY “tag” themselves. Sometimes the easiest way to do this is to not choose an industry and instead use keywords in the Title box and/or in the Keywords box. You’ll then need to take note from the results on just how people are tagging themselves. This should provide clues on other ways to take the search which oftentimes will be in places you hadn’t thought of!

Good luck and have fun!

Running Short on Local Leads When Name Sourcing? What About Finding and Targeting People who Attended School in the Client Location?

2010-08-11T15:21:00.000-06:00

With any resource you use to source names it’s always important to not get too comfortable and continue doing the same old thing. Not to say that you should stop doing what works, but it’s good to reassess your strategies and see if you can do anything to help increase effectiveness.

Using LinkedIn as an example (mostly because most people are familiar with it), you’ve searched extensively in a variety of resources using very localized criteria such zip code, state name, region, etc. and you’ve developed a fairly good InMail and/or call list. Yet, you’re not naïve and know that there are plenty of people who live outside of the local area you’ve searched in that might want to hear about the job. But you have a limited number of InMails left to send (or maybe a short amount of time to make calls) and so you need to be efficient and strategic in who you message and/or call.

We’re currently recruiting for a position in the Gulf region. Those of us who have been in recruiting for a while know that this can be a challenging region to recruit in as not everyone is a good fit for the gulf or the southern-type lifestyle. And, sadly, not all who WANT to fit into it will be accepted!! Even though it’s heaven for many, for many it would be hell!

You’re not magic or psychic and can’t simply always tell by reading words on a profile just who would be open to looking at a position in a specific geographic region.

In a situation like this, a number of keyword search strategies and/or group search strategies can be employed. But, how about start with a strategy that ensures that you’re at least contacting those who are from the area or have at least spent a few or more years there? One sure way to do this is to focus on those who went to school – preferably college or university – in the area. Though it isn’t always the case, many times people attend school in the same state they grew up in. Yet, even for those who came in from another state to attend school, they at least have familiarity with the climate and culture, two very important factors. You get the point I’m sure.

There are a variety of ways to do this, but start simply by putting the names of local colleges and universities (in quotes) in the “School” field in the search interface of LinkedIn. You can start easy and simply use the term university followed by the word of and the state name – “university of texas” But, make sure you go beyond this, perhaps even referring to a list of schools in the state you’re searching. For example, in the search mentioned above, “university of texas” worked, but I also searched on Baylor, Lamar, “university of houston”, “texas a&m university”, “texas tech”. Actually, you could even just search using texas AND (university OR college) but this would be fairly limited.

Keep in mind too that once you perform your initial search and get to a results page, you can scroll down to the dynamic options on the left of the screen (or what they call “Premium Filters”) to the “School” box and click on the cross. You will then see a list of schools that you can deselect or only select in order to focus by school. I should note that you can also do a site or x-ray search of LinkedIn.com or even use the “Keyword” field in LinkedIn and use the same school phrases as above, but this tends to bring in more noise as you’ll find those who work/ed for the schools.

I definitely found success with this method as it enabled me to save valuable time and resources by targeting those MORE likely than others to find a particular area attractive. Again, not the only way to do it, but a decent place to start.

Have fun and good luck!!

Fun with Finding Phone Numbers: Creativity Sometimes a Must when Names Sourcing

2010-08-05T11:38:00.001-06:00

Another short but hopefully sweet posting.

Sometimes using the typical sources to find phone numbers just will not work. Even great tools such as Argali can’t do it all. Or, sometimes they can’t do it all, but can provide clues.

For example…I sourced quite a few names via LinkedIn the other day for a particularly challenging search. The specs on this one are very tight and the client very picky. It’s safe to say that the number of people in this world with this particular experience is very low. For this reason, talking to everyone that remotely fits the specs is important.

After review of the list of names I found, my co worker asked for phone numbers. Most were pretty easy to find. But, two of the names no longer worked for large companies with a good public presence. One now consulted on his own (in a very new start up) and the other had been out of the industry for some time and had done everything from writing to blogging to self help consulting.

The company name for the consultant was too new to have a good public presence. Searching on the name provided no clues as to how to contact the owner. All I had was a personal name and company name. In fact, he didn’t even provide a link to his website from his LinkedIn profile and didn’t appear to have a site at all. But wait, a clue. As a registered LLC, I knew that information on this company legally had to be provided in the state he registered the name in. This typically is with the Secretary of State which are typically deep web resources (those sources on the web that are not crawled or allowed to be crawled by the search engines but which can be searchable via the site itself). So, in other words, you will not find information from these gold mines unless you visit the site. Long story short…yes, it was registered, and yes, there was personal information there. I found his home address, which was then used to find a phone #.

To find contact information for the other individual who had been out of the industry for a while also called for some digging. She of course was unlisted, and, the web address she gave via her LinkedIn profile led to an expired parking page. Her twitter profile also left no clues. I suppose I could have DMd her, but I needed the number that day and not later. So, I went to one of the main meta people search engines (to be unnamed) and put in her name and location. You have to weed through these sites, but I did eventually find a link to her Google profile (which curiously did not come up with a search on her name – hum). It was here that she listed her most recent endeavor, a coffee shop! I then did a search on that name and found a Yelp listing that did provide contact information. In addition, a few of the reviews were recent so I knew this business was still alive. A simple call for the owner will finally get us in touch with her.

So, yes, the traditional number finding resources do often work. But, other times there simply may not be enough public facing information to find a phone number or email address for an individual. Don’t give up though. Look for clues and keep in mind that the non-traditional resources (many which may be deep web resources) may be the best way to find out how to get in touch with key leads.

Internet Sourced 500 Email Addresses from Public URL of Association. Too Many to Use in a Targeted Email Campaign About Jobs? Tough Call.

2010-07-28T14:03:00.001-06:00

Hummm.....I'm not a spammer, so.....

Internet sourced 500 email addresses from public URL of association. Too many to use in a targeted email campaign about jobs? Tough call.

VisualCv.com: You Never Know – Site Search (or X-Ray Search) Just May Provide Leads

2010-07-15T10:16:00.001-06:00

A short but sweet posting.

Played around with visualcv.com yesterday and found a great lead. Even without a log in name, you can do a site (x-ray) search (what is a site or x-ray search? - http://www.thenamessourcer.com/2010/03/x-ray-search-or-site-search-very-basic.html) of visualcv.com (site: visualcv.com keyword/s) to find names and/or resumes for any open reqs. Of course, the names you find may not be good themselves for the search, but may provide valuable leads.

I guess I was lucky yesterday because I indeed found a great direct lead for a very tough req. we’re working on. Though no phone number was provided, an email address and a place of work was provided aiding in our ability to track down the person.

So, like any site, you never know if you’ll find gold or a dead end. But, it may just be worth your while to perform a quick site or x-ray search of visualcv.com to see what you might find!

Great Article: “15 Competitive Intelligence Tools for Recruiting”

2010-07-14T11:21:00.000-06:00

I highly recommend everyone read the article “15 Competitive Intelligence Tools for Recruiting” located at http://thetalentbuzz.com/2010/07/15-competitive-intelligence-tools-for-recruiting/ Though I can’t say that every tool is useful for every recruiting niche, the benefit of this article is that it shows the importance of creative thinking in regard to internet recruiting and name sourcing. I’m a fan of attempting to find use in the majority of tools one comes across. I attempt to find the most use from the free tools, but, as you’ll see from the list, sometimes it makes sense to pay a little.

On a related note, we wrote a while back about using Simply Hired, LinkedIn and Zoom Info to gather quick and dirty competitive intelligence. In relation to recruiting the article shows another way to size up who is doing what (or who is hiring what) in a quick way using open resources. - http://www.thenamessourcer.com/2008/01/3-punch-relationship-to-free-quick-and.html

Happy sourcing!

Start at Associations or Professional Societies and You’ll Find Names / Leads to Call: You Might Even Find Email Addresses and Phone Numbers!

2010-06-23T16:15:00.000-06:00

Yep, simple rule and quick posting, but sometimes simple is best.

Had a great time today making my way through a major industry association in order to names source. Of course, I prefer to not only have a name, but also a company, a title, and, if the universe is in my court that day, solid contact information, preferably phone AND email. Well, actually, preferably I’d like to find an attendee list to a conference (From Conference Attendee Lists to Tailored and Targeted Call Lists: Names Sourcing Strategies, Tips, & Tricks located at: http://www.thenamessourcer.com/2010/03/from-conference-attendee-lists-to.html ) that has all of what was just mentioned, but that can’t always happen. So, I’ll take the next best.

Today was such a day.

Hint – find an association in your focus , then look to see if there are links on the association site to either (or all) of these kind of pages – Chapters, Sections, Divisions, Board, Governance, or any of the like. Also, quickly see if you can find a link (or x-ray for it later - “X-Ray” Search or Site Search: A VERY Basic Introduction and Why Use it in Internet Recruiting and Names Sourcing - http://www.thenamessourcer.com/2010/03/x-ray-search-or-site-search-very-basic.html) to a member directory, or even a member company directory.

If you do not see any such links in the main navigation menu, go to the About Us page, or About, or any similar page. Don’t give up. You may have to sleuth here as most member-based groups provide pages that allow members to find each other, many of which are public pages. Sometimes, yes, you’ll find an association or society that limits such information to members only, but it’s worth your time to check all available “doors” to see which ones are open.

When I come across the right pages, to save time I prefer to open each page in a separate tab. Once you are satisfied that you’ve found and opened the main pages, begin to go through each. You might see the names right there on each page. Yet, sometimes, you may need to follow additional links to get to the actual names.

You may even have to leave that site to go to separate sites, many times which happens when visiting geographic chapters or sections of the main parent group. The point being, don’t give up and as you go through each page look for clues as to where the names are. If you have to leave that page, don’t get discouraged as there may be more around the corner.

For example, I was scanning the chapter page of a major association. The page itself merely served as a description page that provided a link to a URL for that geographic chapter. Many would stop here, but don’t. When I visited the other page, I noticed a very (almost hidden) link to what turned out to be an actual spreadsheet file of Professional Engineers in Chemical Engineering. This list not only contained names, but location and, even more importantly, email addresses. Since it was found in spreadsheet format, it was easily imported for a tailored networking email.

So, my persistence paid off. I sensed a clue and followed it. Now I have (with the added names and contact information I found within the association), a tailored email list for a targeted networking campaign. Ah, the joys of names sourcing!

Have fun!

Found 3 More Conference Attendee Lists Today while Name Sourcing: Open to Trades

2010-06-23T14:47:00.000-06:00

Yep, another good day names sourcing.

Have 3 new great conference attendee lists, all 2010.

One in particular lists professionals to a major annual conference in relation to grease and lubrication products and technology that includes not only name, title, company and phone, but also list fax and email!! Wow.

I have a very strong list of professionals in Six Sigma and Lean, all attendees to the recent annual conference. This is also a very good list that lists name, title, company and even city and state. Not bad.

I have a few great 09’ lists as well, mostly technical engineering focuses and a killer list of doctors/physicians to a recent event. Very handy for any physician recruiters.

I’m always willing to trade or sell! Let’s talk!

Killer Week Name Sourcing: Found 3 Great Conference Attendee Lists: Lean / Six Sigma Pros.; Adhesive and Sealants Technical Staff; Titanium Technical Staff & Management

2010-05-21T13:01:00.000-06:00

Love weeks like this!! The Lean and Six Sigma list is especially current and offers name, title, company, city and state! Perfect for those Lean, Six Sigma, and Continuous Improvement jobs we are currently working. Love it when the lists are highly relevant and offer “out of the box” lead generation.

For those wanting quick tips and tricks to finding conference attendee lists for lead or name generation, visit a writing I recently put out titled From Conference Attendee Lists to Tailored and Targeted Call Lists: Names Sourcing Strategies, Tips, & Tricks located at: http://www.thenamessourcer.com/2010/03/from-conference-attendee-lists-to.html

This is a quick (but in no way comprehensive) guide which can be used to get you started finding attendee lists when names sourcing. Remember to be creative and edit your search as you notice clues in web page titles, url keywords, page text, etc.

Have fun!

A Names Sourcing, Internet Recruiting & Competitive / Business Intelligence Brief Video Tutorial. How to (and why) Follow a Company in LinkedIn

2010-05-12T10:44:00.001-06:00

With the recent announcement of LinkedIn to allow users to track companies, I wanted to put forth a brief posting. Many of you may have already begun using this great feature. I have, and it’s already paid off in relation to internet recruiting. I’ve attached a brief video that shows exactly how to follow a company in LinkedIn. Please take a look below.

Why set this up in your LinkedIn account? In summary, this is a great way to track new hires, to know of new job postings, and to know who has recently left a company. For us in internet recruiting, this equates to a must have aid for name sourcing, lead generation, business development, and competitive & business intelligence. This literally allows you to track current and potential clients.

I mentioned that it’s already paid off for me. How so? I’m tracking a lot of our current clients. One client recently posted a job of which I was notified about. We actually knew of the job a while back, but were told that they put it on hold. This update signified that the hold apparently had been lifted which prompted us to reengage with the client. Huge time saver in that we found out the job was reactivated not by having to call every week or so, but via an automated process! Good stuff.

I think you get the point. Please view the video below for a very brief visual tutorial on how to follow a company. Not very difficult and you’ll be happy once you get it set up.

One quick note: this is not an exhaustive solution to tracking a company. Not every company posts ALL (or any) of their jobs on LinkedIn and not every employee of a company has a LinkedIn profile. So, this should never be thought of as an exhaustive solution for following a company.

Real-Time Image Search Engine Nachofoto Reviewed

2010-05-04T10:49:00.001-06:00

Many of you may have already seen this article. I’ve long been interested in image or media search. It’s not a clear cut subject. In fact, I wrote a paper on it when completing my MS - MLIS, Master of Library and Information Science degree. I’m hoping to post that soon. What’s important to keep in mind in regard to image or media search via the web is that the web is not built on a controlled vocabulary. So, in other words, images can be put on the web with little or no identifying information about them. Even worse, in relation to spam, images can be put on the web with incorrect identifying information! This may include either embedded metadata or just contextual information (information giving clues that surround the image such as a title or text).

That said, I hope to post more on image search in the near future. But, in the mean time, it’s good to keep up to date on new web image search technology. Nachofoto focuses on “real-time” image search. So, great for news and trending topics. I’ve pasted in some text from a great article from Search Engine Watch at: http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/100503-131819. Make sure you check out the full article!

Article:

Nachofoto Real-Time Image Search Lives Up to The Hype

http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/100503-131819

Nachofoto is a real-time image search engine that allows you to sift through the web for the most recent and relevant results for popular search queries, i.e. "fresh" pictures of trending topics. SEW puts the new search engine through it's paces on a very recent event, the "Times Square bomb alert".

How it works

Nachofoto's tool relies on four factors:

    * What the company calls "recency factor" or "freshness" (much friendlier term, I agree) of an image that the semantic text analysis algorithm can determine

    * The image density of a webpage that allows for prioritizing in favour of highest quality pictures

    * The inward links - yes, watch your inward links anchor texts as they will weigh substantially in the choice

    * Domain authority, defined by Nachofoto as "domains with fresh, family friendly high density images".