The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is conducting a challenge to find online career and search tools. This is a perfect challenge for CareerScribe as we are a free, ongoing virtual career management system for individuals to develop their personal brand.
The DOL has created a website for this challenge, that allows a company in enter information about its solution. After a company enters into the challenge, it is up to the public to vote (and comment) on entries. CareerScribe has already submitted our application and would love your help in securing a top spot in this challenge, as we provide opportunities for both individuals and companies to utilize our online platform and services for career management and development.
One vote already cast for us summarized our tool in a great comment:
"As a Career Coach, I find this tool to be extremely useful in two primary ways.
1. Information -
While preparing my clients for a job search, this tool gives them the ability to collect all of their valuable information about their career in one place.
2. Presentation-
The CareerScribe system allows for a through and organized presentation of their skills to potential employers.
I am confident that this system has helped many of my clients in the acquisition of their next opportunities, and I intend on using it for years to come."
To cast your vote and help us continue the CareerScribe movement, and grow our community, follow these steps:
1) Visit the U.S. DOL Challenge
2) Click "Login/Signup"
3) Enter unique email address (each email counts as 1 vote) and create password
4) Answer the 2 questions and click "post data"
Here's the important part!
You are now logged in and can submit your vote.... to do so:
5) Visit the CareerScribe entry page
-
Be sure it says "CareerScribe" before you vote!
6) Click "Recommend Tool" to vote
And your done!
We appreciate all your help, and look forward to helping more individuals develop their personal brand and manage their careers! For more information on how CareerScribe works with companies for quality hiring and our applicant tracking system, you can find more information here.
A resume tells me what you've done in the past. Yips.
A bio or cover letter tells me the process that took you from point A to point B. Yeah.
A portfolio shows me the artifacts from your past. Mmm Hmm.
Have you ever noticed the irony of using your past to change your future. Which is fine, except most people do it badly. See, they are so focused on the past when creating their career marketing tools (including, of course, online career portfolios), they forget to keep their eye on the prize i.e. where they want to go. Simply detailing your duties at previous or current employers will not attract future employers. Potential employers want that information AS IT PERTAINS TO THEM. If you used a proprietary system at your last employer, you next employer won't care...it was proprietary for crying out loud! There is no chance that skill is meaningful to them. BUT if you streamlined that proprietary system and saved the company 100K, now a potential employer cares. See the difference? You have to show results and relevant information, not just a list of the facts. But if you like facts, here's one for you - they are going to train you on their way of doing things, so even if you already know how to oil a widget, you're going to be trained on their widget oiling method. Better to demonstrate a history of quick learning and adaptability. So go back through your professional portfolio and make sure it projects you forward, rather than holds you back.
There seems to be a real opportunity out there for recruiting and staffing firms to reinvent the recruiting process for their customers. The old processes that have been around for years, which involve presenting resumes to companies for their open positions, is dying a slow death... significantly increased by the events of the past year.
The staffing firm of the future, must be able to present their candidates in a much more progressive way than resumes, if they want to beat their competition by helping their clients screen employees more efficiently. Thinking you have a better database of candidates than the next guy, and that is your competitive edge.... has been over for at least 3 years now.
Staffing firms should be considering the use of candidate profiles, which isn't entirely a new concept.... but the content and look/feel of the profile has changed. Profiles should likely include portfolios of documentation that prove the accomplishments, experience, education and certifications a candidate has. Furthermore, video should be considered to introduce presence, professionalism, passion, enthusiasm, etc. A profile might also include background verification and personality/skills assessments. Essentially, you are eliminating a first interview through the use of a professional portfolio.
CareerScribe offers this type of candidate evaluation tool. An application that allows professionals to develop an online personal brand.
I was speaking with someone about their job search today. They were frustrated by their job search. They were being selective about the jobs they were applying to through the big boards and not receiving any calls back.
This caused them to stop and reflect. The result of that thought, though, produced some interesting results.
Instead of concluding that he needs to find a way to seperate from the rest of candidates that are sending the same cover letter with the same resume attached to an email, the conclusion was that they were not sending to enough jobs. The odds were not in their favor.
What we are proposing is a change in philosophy. What a lot of people do not understand is that for good jobs, they are not entering a pool of 20-30 candidates. They are entering a poole of several hundred or more inside of a talent management system. They usually just use the big job boards for candidate sourcing.
Every hiring manager knows the secret to quality hiring is getting past the several hundred into a manageable amount. There are many different ways that different managers use, but obviously, someone that sticks out as interesting or deserving of more attention gets included in this.
The short story is most professionals are only beginning to realize they have to market themselves just like any other product a company buys. CareerScribe is a great tool that allows people to do just that. It allows you to market all of your skills and value in a professional and dynamic way and share a rich amount of information beyond a boring resume/cover. If you want that first interview, you can still be selective. It's just time to start being your own biggest fan and spend some time with CareerScribe.
You hear "You're being let go" - now what? Time to dust off and update the 'ol resume, draft a few versions of a cover letter, scour the job boards, apply online, and connect with and leverage new and existing contacts.
Raise your hand if you've caught yourself saying or emailing something like, "Hello Mr. Hiring Manager. I’m calling about the open sales position that is posted on your website. I have over 10 years experience in sales, account management, and territory management in the manufacturing industry. Based on the job description, I’m a perfect fit and know I would bring value to your team/organization. Can I send you my resume for review and call you next week?"
When you call or email a networking partner, hiring manager, recruiter, or HR rep, they know you need something…a job. In order to shift the power, you must demonstrate that a company needs you. How do you do that?
Don't ask for anything. In today's job market, you have to give to get. Ask questions, do your research,
offer solutions. Due to the economic downturn, companies' hiring practices evolved. Organizations are inundated with 100s of resumes for each open position, so how do you avoid falling into the applicant black hole?
The prevailing prejudice of hiring managers today: "You are just like all the other candidates, competent but nothing special. Good, but not great." What significant skills, knowledge or competencies do you possess? How can you help a company save money, make money, or increase efficiency/productivity? Most importantly, how are you presenting that information to decision makers?
If you don't have an online career portfolio, get one. Based on my experience as a job seeker and hiring manager, a resume if not enough. With CareerScribe (
http://www.careerscribe.com), you can share your story in the most provocative and disruptive ways in order to differentiate and distinguish yourself:
- personalize and share your story in the "About Me" section
- document your accomplishments in the "Career Tracker"
- disrupt hiring prejudices by presenting your solutions in a 1-3 minute video where a hiring manager can experience your communication skills, presentation style, behavior, and personality
Jobs exist because problems exist. When you find a company with a problem, invest the time to create and present your solution(s), and I guarantee you'll get some attention.
GOOD LUCK!
When I coach clients through the task of finding new employment or moving ahead in their career, my first question is, "How are you unique?" Very few job seekers answer that question well. And I'll admit, it's tough; we spend so much time trying to fit in to the organizations we belong to, being unique rarely gets a second thought. But as a candidate in the market for a new or better job, it should be your first thought.
Every step of the employment process is potentially fatal - a rotten resume lands you in the trash can, a poorly executed interview drops you from consideration, lackluster follow through and ill managed salary negotiations thwart even the best of candidates. I'm stressed out even writing about it! What is a job seeker to do?
How about thinking and acting like a unique candidate. Present a resume in a non-traditional format - CareerScribe Profile - and start off on the right foot. Embed a resume that laughs at medocrity, shoot a video that screams, "I can think, act, and perform in a way that will bring in a profit," and proactively reach out to potential employers with enough included information to earn an interview. Online emlpoyee screening and applicant tracking sytems are time consuming and often fruitless. Give them something to really sink their teeth into.
And while CareerScribe can't hold your hand in an interview, it can buy you some confidence. Your potential employer, who is focused on effecient and quality hiring, has already met you through your video introduction. That dreaded first impression has already been made, on your terms, so you can relax and foucs on demonstrating your value and expertise.
Don't just send off your resume (yawn) and hope for the best. Send your career profile and knock their socks off when they begin candidate evaluations. Good luck!
Have you ever met someone who lacked the experience, but made up for it in enthusiasm, professionalism, and drive? Those candidates are often some of the best hires, but they rarely make it through applicant tracking systems. Level the playing field for quality candidates and ask for CareerScribe Profiles.
Candidates in the Indianapolis job market know how tough it is get in front of the decision makers, especially if they lack one or two qualificaitons. Perhaps there is a sales person who misses the "3-5 years of experience" by 6 months, so your applicant tracking system omits them. But a tenacious, driven rep who is a little green is usually preferred over the guy with 10 yrs of experience in beating the system. On online career portfolio that includes video will help you include those candidate who lack some skill/experience without spending the time, energy, and money to bring them in for an interview.
So I really want to know...do you prefer experience or enthusiasm? Your comments are requested!
I had to share this. People are going to great lenghts, both good and bad to get noticed in today's job market. With an overwhelming candidate pool, companies are posting less jobs because of the impossible-to-manage volume of applications (another area CareerScribe helps, but I digress).
Eric in Austin, TX decided he would standout in a very very expensive way. I'm not sure how familiar you are with billboard advertising, but it's not cheap. Eric decided he would create an online presence, himself, since he's an IT guy, and market it...big time.
No targeting and it's more a PR stunt than anything probably, but hopefully he gets a job. Instead of focusing on a quality online portfolio or targeting jobs that really make sense for him and sharing information in a rich and meaningful way, he bought a billboard.
I hope he finds this blog and contacts me. We at CareerScribe would love to help him market himself, get a great job, and save an annual salary in marketing costs.
I am totally hooked on technology. That's right, hooked. I am not a techie (in fact, I majored in English largely to escape the continually morphing and encroaching gadgets, software, and the like). But now I can appreciate the amazing difference technology, once one embraces it, can have on the quality and efficiency of life.
Those college friends who would have otherwise been scattered like seeds in the wind - Facebook.
Keeping up, in real time, with the latest and greatest - Twitter.
Sharing pictures for download and print on demand (because Grandmas demand it!)- ShutterFly.
Getting intimate access to the daily thoughts and struggles of thought leaders and corporate gurus - Blogging.
And, duh, managing one's career with an easy to use, innovative, and sharable application - CareerScribe.
Do you think that it's strange that you'll manage your friendships (that you would have otherwise let dissolve) with a fervor, but let your career flop around like wet cardboard? Get online, create your free professional portfolio, and get noticed during candidate evaluations. You agonized for hours over which photo to use for your facebook profile, perhaps you should direct some of that energy into managing your career!
For awhile now, I've been telling professionals that doing a good job managing your career is like dieting and excercise. No one can argue that you should be doing it, but unfortunately, our educational system is only now starting to incorporate(require) students to learn some of the very basic skills/habits, such as maintaining a career portfolio as a routine.
State workforce development offices are starting to recognize the importance of these skills. Realizing it's only a bandaid to provide resume services and certain types of training. These things may help the person at the time, but you're not equipping them with skills to help them throughout their career. Professional portfolios are the way to go when it comes to candidate evaluation.
The bad news is, like dieting and excercise, many of the career management skills and habits being taught to professionals with 5-10+ years of experience, likely won't stick. The employment pool has been so negatively reinforced with their habits, i.e. "I only update my resume when I'm unhappy or been told I'm going to lose my job", that it's very tough to unlearn that way of thinking, and realize the good career management habits can be fun. Documenting your successes and accomplishments, which ultimately creates more value and can help you further your career, should be fun. If you own a house, doesn't it make you feel good when the house has been freshly painted, you've planted flowers, mulched and just mowed the lawn? All these things add value, and you feel that inside.
Hopefully, the current employment market issues will translate into long term changes to our education system and the services our tax dollars provide through regional workforce offices.
I'll admit, I hesitated for a moment to join twitter - but I'm glad that moment has passed. I'm following Chuck Gillespie, and I recently viewed a tweet that stated, "Amazed at how orgs worry about their applicant experience ten times more than employee experience. Why?" (http://crgillespie.wordpress.com) OMG, LOL!
But it's true, right? Firms wine and dine potential, but neglect assets? You'll knock yourself out to create a quality hiring process, spend countless hours screening potential employees, and endure long meetings to discuss candidate evaluations. But once you have found your golden boy, he's just another cog in the works.
Create an experience that's meaningful and lasting for candidates on both sides of the process. Those who want in should create a professional portfolio through CareerScribe so your evaluation is effecient and successful. Once that candidate is on board, they utilize that same application to create an on-going talent mangagement system that allows you to easily recognize and promote high performing employees. In the end, you're creating an environment that's attractive to people inside and outside of your organization.
Tweet, tweet.
I attended an unconference today sponsored by Catalist Jobs (catalistjobs.com) where experts (including our own Jeff Bockelman) spoke to candidates regarding strategies to a successful job search. So I was curious, does the information being given to your potential candidates match up with what companies are saying they want?
yes and no.
There was a consistent message of uniqueness, creativity, and professionalism in the tone and content of today's speakers. And companies say they want a stand out candidate to fill the position. But are companies utilizing opportunities in candidate evaluation, beyond just an applicant tracking system, to screen employees and get the result they are looking for? Not unless they're using CareerScribe.
A resume is a good start, but it's just a start. If someone handed you a yearbook and asked you to pick a spouse, you'd laugh, right? But you'll get about as much info from a yearbook as you will a resume. A general understanding of the person, but hardly enough info to make a smart commitment. Ask for more.
Ask for a professional portfolio through CareerScribe. This online employee employee screening tool brings you a giant, efficient step forward in the commitment of hiring an new employee, teammate, bottom-line impacter!
Give candidates the (mutually beneficial) opportunity to present themselves in a unique, creative, and professional way.
So I was reading my yahoo email and this teaser caught my eye:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090506/ap_on_re_as/as_australia_world_s_best_jobPretty amazing. In short, this guy submits one of 35,000 video applications to be the "caretaker"of an island off Australia and write a blog to promote the area. Skill assesments included swimming, eating, and relaxing. I'm now consdering a change in career - Professional Relaxer.
Seriously, though, how in the world do you fill the best job in the world (this lucky Aussie will pull down six digits this year)? It's hard enough to fill jobs here in the Indianapolis area with all the hopeful applicants who apply.
In a phrase, ONLINE EMPLOYEE SCREENING. Notice the story does not indicate that resumes were requested, but online videos were mandatory. This Queensland organization knew whoever they choose needed to represent them well, be well spoken, have a great personality, and strong writing skills. And make sure you check out the picture of this guy - obviously there were not looking for just another pretty face!
That's why CareerScribe is such a great choice when you consider improving your process for quality hiring. Asking candidates to complete their free online porfolio, which gives you the opportunity to conduct candidate evalutations earlier in the process, can make your hires quicker (fewer face to face interview with dud candidates), more in-depth (you already have good understanding of their background, expectations, preferences, etc), and ultimately more successful (better information, better hiring success).
So even if your open position does not require long hours by the pool, it is
someone's "best job in the world." Make sure you find them - the right person, not just a warm body.
I saw this great article about folks looking for a job leveraging the power of a video job interview.
Check it out:
http://bit.ly/JbRQRHere's a quote from the article.
“Of all the 55 or so applications we received, Ryan's was the only one who had a video resume attached,” says Jossie Orense, who was an assistant to the dean at the time he applied for the job. The video resume definitely helped get him in the door, she says. “It was our first time to ever receive a video link, we were curious about what he had to say.”
The time for sharing video as a position / candidate evaluation tool is certainly at hand. Now add to that the ability for candidates to share their online
professional portfolio with prospective employers. It really changes much of what we know about conducting a job search, for the candidate and for the company. And for candidates ... it's free.
Here's a final quote from the article, “I can’t say I got the job because of it, but I think it made me seem more legit."
No question about it.
So, I just met with a client who is now using CareerScribe in three distinct ways.
Numero Uno | Candidate Evaluation
Despite the current economic conditions, this company is hiring. Lots. There method prior to CareerScribe was quite conventional. Lots of resumes. Hours of phone interviews, most ending without enthusiasm. They are now working alongside their current applicant tracking system to invite all promising candidates to connect with their open positions via CareerScribe. Now they've got 5X the information on all interested candidates and plan to review the candidates' professional portfolios as a team ... before the synchronous phone call.
Numero Dos | Intern Assessment
This organization is actively employing interns over the summer and intentionally giving them a comprehensive, working tour of the organization. Their asking all of the interns participating in this program to build their profiles on CareerScribe. This will give hiring managers throughout the company a deep sense of the interns' accomplishments and where they may fit best in the company in the long run.
Numero Tres | Internal Performance
One group within the organization is asking all of their individual contributors to track their accomplishments on a week by week basis in CareerScribe. At the end of the year, the manager will have all of the detail and insight necessary on each individual.Performance reviews and merit increase conversations will be very informed.
Wow. Pretty Cool.
Need more money? Work harder.
Want to look/feel better? Lose 10 pounds.
Need more time? Tough luck.
Time is the one factor we cannot replace, create, change, store, borrow, loan, or renew.
Time - it is what it is. Even as you read this it slips away...
What we can do, however, is assign a value to our time. You probably get paid X number of dollars per month, right? And based on X numbers of hours per week, you can say within a few dollars what your time is worth. And how many of those valuable (and your organization would likely say expensive) hours do you spend trying to recruit, identify, and hire quality applicants? If I told you that you could save the ONE thing you cannot create by making a simple request of your candidates would you do it?
By requesting a professional portfolio, you can weed out 25-40% of candidates you would initially consider bringing in for an interview. CareerScribe allows you, at your convenience, to view a broad, yet detailed, picture of candidates and offers the ability to conduct candidate evaluations before conducting time consuming interviews.
Candidates complete their free online portfolio, your talent management system runs like a well oiled machine, and you find the right fit quickly and effeciently.
Father Time would be proud.
Isn't it overwhelming? Your focused on quality hiring, but are challenged at every turn. Applicants seem to seep in from every crack, but identifying the best ones can be elusive. Applicant tracking systems help, but it's a blind process that can leave out great candidates. And there's no way you're going to thumb through the 2,000 resumes you received to see if you're golden boy didn't make the cut. But it's all you've got, right?
No.
Welcome to 2009, where technology conqueors and innovation reigns. Applicants who are creative and proactive can create profiles that sell their skills and expertise, document those claims chronologically, and provide the proof. Candidates even have the opportunity to provide a brief (less than 3 minutes) video for you to view at your leisure. Which means you don't have to sit through 2 hours of interviewing to get a broad picture of the candidate.
Having a tremendous number of candidates respond for each position lessens the chances of you finding your needle in a haystack. So ask for more than just a resume. Simply requiring more than the bare minimun will dissuade many candidate from even applying. If all I have to do to apply is click "send" it's a piece of cake. Spray and pray, right? That makes finding quality candidate more challenging on your end.
But a system that allows you to understand the candidate in a dymanic way, and requiring thought, effort, and proof from their end, makes a better match. And that's the goal here - quality hiring and talent management.
Check out Craig and Jeff's profile on our home page and then ask yourself these questions - How much more do you know about them vs. having had only a resume. Would that type of knowledge be helpful in considering candidates to fill your vacant positons? How much more effecient is this than inviting a dozen candidates in for an interview?
Here's the last question - How much better can you hire if you have a career profile for each of your candidates?
Better people = better outcomes.
I hope this has given you something to consider as you move forward with your organization and cadidate sourcing. Have a great day!
Susan
The resume database. Drop it in. Spray and Pray. Yours among thousands of others.
It just doesn't work that well, right?
In contrast to databases that house a Candidate's resume in static state, CareerScribe Profiles can be continually updated to account for new activities, goals and experiences. Just as a Facebook account can be continually updated and modified, the CareerScribe Profile permits Candidate to continuously refine their Profile, adapting to the needs of specific industries and employers, and adding new experiences and skill sets to your professional portfolio.
It's a dynamic professional profile, it can endlessly updated and shared with whomever you wish.
Think how much value this could bring. Companies conducting candidate evaluation, probably won't find your resume. But what if you send them you CareerScribe profile? Now we're talking.
This is a great way to bypass the applicant tracking system. Heck, you're going to get lost in there anyway.
It was encouraging to see CareerScribe featured on some pretty major blogs and news sites this past week. For example, here's what appeared on Yahoo Finance:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/CareerScribe-Launches-Beta-bw-14713461.htmlHere's some of the CareerScribe features most talked about:
- Sharing - Candidates can load their entire career portfolio into CareerScribe and, with the click of one button, share it with anyone they choose, even if the recipient is not a member of CareerScribe.
- Candidate Sourcing - For companies, the big benefit is being able to screen potential employees in a dramatically better way. Rather than look through a stack of resumes, companies are conducting online screening by looking at CareerScribe Profiles. So much more information, so much more quickly.
- Quality Hiring - Companies have all the chips on their side of the table now. And yet struggle is still present: the challenge now is to work around the applicant tracking system and find good candidates in a more meaningful way. There's just too many resumes to wade through.
CareerScribe continues to gain momentum. Perhaps this truly is the "resume of the 21st century."
I was watching tv this weekend; something I rarely do, but it's March Madness; and TheLadders commercial came on where they are chasing chairs on a wild safari.
It made me think about the whole concept of quality hiring and candidate marketing and the current state of the matter.
TheLadders has a good idea, but it's not fully baked. The notion that a service fee will keep the clutter down of qualified candidates is noble. Reducing volume is something many companies with great jobs try to do, but reduing volume through a service fee is the wrong plan.
CareerScribe allows candidates to use their career portfolio to keep someone alive when companies do a search. Through the use of this free online portfolio, candidates that have no business being in that search are eliminated. Also, companies can then use CareerScribe as an applicant tracking system that updates itself. No stale information.
So it brings me back to the commercial. If they want a high-back executive chair, they should get a sight that filters out the low-back chairs instead of only looking for chairs at a golf course
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