Someone elses database!

I am listening to Socialnomics (again, tried to read it but the book was too big) by Erik Qualmann

... and apart from doing the usual stuff on about new media and what it is and the same old stories about Dell Hell and the Huffington Post etc - they hit upon something that is really made me think and especially about how the traditional recruitment owner treat their databases and the interactions with new media.

In the old days when I was running business development for Spherion (FSS and Crone Corkhill) one of the core questions on any tender or RFI was what was the size of you database. It was one that you always answered differently depending on what you thought the client wanted to hear. And I am trying to work out what would I write now! I can think of 2 options

Option 1

"Our database encompasses all the candidates that we have worked with on assignments in the past 2 years. Our candidate search methodologies involve searching the whole internet and job board databases via sophisticated search tools. Therefore the size of the database is irrelevant!"

Option 2

"We have invested heavily in building our reputation within our niche market using all the new media sources to create our own networks of skilled XX professionals. By engaging in new media conversations in the social networks we are able to reach the complete population of XX talent."

Option 2 means we you have need to have done your homework and created our own pools in someone elses databases. Then you need to work it and and advertise it and then SELL it.

Software Showcase for APSCo SME

I attended the APSCo SME Forum last night where the topic was a Technology Showcase.



The products on display were

- FLR Spectron - who do phone stuff and will save you money

- Broadbean Stream - who search accross CV databases and the web at the same time

- iProfile - who make searching an updated version of you own database look easy



No I am normally a tough judge but I think that the Stream may have finally come of age and is now in a position to fit well into the workflow process for recruiters. I also have had a very strong reference on how well it works in one instance, from someone whose opinion I hold highly that it has made a difference in a very short time to his business.



No longer will a consultant be able to say, I covered the market! and XX competitor found them somewhere else!

Worth a serious look

Leading recruitment leaders should blog our way to recovery!

I attended the Recruitment Unconference last week and it is like nothing I have seen since the days of First Tuesday back in 1999/2000. Its totally different and not for everyone but there are loads of take aways for me to share over time.

It was amazing the people that Bill Boorman had brought into one place in the UK, I am sure over half the people there were from overseas, including Jim Stroud, Peter Gold, Rayanne Thorn, Matt Alder, Alan Headworth and Laurie Reuttman and many many others famous on line who I had never heard of

It was full of converts and highly committed people who have made Social Media work for them and therefore are full of the biggest and best ideas and things that we should all be doing.

For me it was hard as I play in a different world that anyone else there (maybe 2 other real recruiters from UK companies there). The bridge from this conference to talking you MD or Ops directors into spending money is too far at the moment. There is no ROI and it is a new toy for the Marketing department or a reason to give Social Consultants some money.

HOWEVER - every consultancy who thinks that they are leaders in their niche need to prove it by BLOGGING about it and showing why the are what they claim to be!