Semantic Search: Future or Hype?

We all know the “Big 3″ search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing) are pretty effective at retrieving search results based on keywords. However, if you have narrow search requirements and need specific answers, then it’s important to have a good command of how to construct your queries using the proper search syntax and format. For the average (non-technical) person, learning search syntax is often confusing and not always practical. It’s problematic.

So what is Semantic Search and why the hype?

There’s a lot of buzz around this thing called Semantic Search, and for good reason. The real goal behind semantic search technology is to essentially enable the retrieval of accurate information via concept or meaning match. Semantic search doesn’t replace the traditional web but has the power to enhance it. I don’t deny that today’s major search engines do a good job at answering most search inquiries. However, the great hope with semantic search is that it may one day be able to go beyond the keywords that we type, and find exactly what we mean. This is good news if you are a recruiter and in the business of search. If your job is tied to sourcing on the web, hop over to Boolean Black Belt with Glen Cathy and check out his fantastic post on Semantic Search for Sourcers and Recruiters. One look at his site and you will quickly see why I believe Glen Cathey is a search rock-star.

Oh, and of course, definitely make sure to grab a copy of the amazing whitepaper authored by Shally Steckerl and Bryan Starbuck (CEO of TalentSpring). You can download a copy of their whitepaper on semantic search by clicking here. If you’re on Twitter, and like their whitepaper, make sure to follow @Shally and @BryanStarbuck and let them know your thoughts!

Here’s a great video explaining Semantic Search (in plain English). Enjoy!

A Brave New Resume

For years people have been sounding the death knell of the resume. One of the more interesting arguments in favor of this comes from noted author Seth Godin, in his post “Why bother having a resume?” The post suggests that the resume is dead because we should all be “spectacular,” by which he means have a blog or letters of recommendation or something more to show about ourselves. Unfortunately not everyone is spectacular and I can unequivocally say that not everyone should have a blog, including many who do. But there is a core truth underlying Godin’s perspective: in a world where we are constantly creating digital footprints, the static and reductive nature of the resume is more evident than ever. Nevertheless, although it should be, the old-school resume is not dead.

Now let’s take a look at the future. Your resume is not about where you’ve worked, but rather what you’ve produced. So, for example, your Twitter tweets, blog comments, forum discussions, YouTube videos, Flickr images, Facebook status updates, LinkedIn recommendations, Amazon book reviews, and any other content you choose are all aggregated. But here’s the key: This brave new resume, the cloud resume, doesn’t include everything you generate, just the specific granular items you choose to be included. Each time you leave a digital impression you decide whether or not you want to tag it for inclusion in your cloud resume.

Of course, challenges exist with this concept. Two come immediately to mind. First off, even if the aggregation website assigns a unique identification tag to each user, how will this be implemented on individual, non-affiliated sites? Obviously you can’t just put some visible code at the end of each thing you want included. If you did, anyone could use your code and threaten the integrity of your cloud resume. Though still in its relative infancy, the answer probably lies in an implementation of a technology called OAuth. At the risk of oversimplifying, OAuth allows an aggregation site to access some, but not necessarily all, of a person’s online data.

Second, how can you package this sort of cloud resume for distribution and subsequent storage in applicant tracking systems? Let’s face it, while some might claim that social media is fast supplanting the resume as the primary currency of the employment trade, that’s just not true. So, do you just send the standard biographical data with the links? Do you convert to PDF? Neither of these options is a very satisfying solution. Our systems will need to evolve.

Challenges aside, the cloud resume solves a number of difficulties with presenting oneself in a Web 2.0 world. Imagine never having to actually sit down and ‘write’ a resume again. We’re already documenting the sort of information that goes into a resume when we create each social networking profile. More important, we’re demonstrating our career knowledge each time we generate work-related content for the web. What we need is a site that can aggregate only the content we want, as we create it. While standard work and educational history can be included if desired, the cloud resume is certainly a more holistic and dynamic way to represent ourselves.

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Guest post submitted by Scott Hajer.

Scott Hajer, lives in Chicago and is a Senior Recruiting Professional formerly employed by Aquent IT Solutions. He is the Chicago Coordinator for Rope with Hope, a site dedicated to “assisting job seekers in finding meaningful work…” Scott is exploring new career opportunities in the Chicago area. Click the following link to view Scott’s Linkedin profile.

Questions on the post? Please contact Scott.

Fistful of Talent: FOTv kick-off with Kris Dunn and crew

Did you happen to catch the FOTv kick-off video a month ago? If so, then I am sure you will agree when I say “Mastermind” Kris Dunn, along with two members of his talented crew (Jessica Lee, and Josh Letourneau) rocked the show! The show was simply entertaining. There was no shortage of energy, humor, and of course great content. You can expect more of the same quality in future episodes.

If (by chance) you are new to Fistful of Talent, you can catch a re-run of their 1st show here…

FOTv - Show #1 from Fistful of Talent.

The future of mobile is strong and vibrant.

Ok, so if you haven’t already heard, mobile is the future.

Why do I make this claim?  Consider this, there now 4 billion mobile phone subscriptions on the planet, with an estimated 6 billion subscribers expected by 2013.  According to Tomi Ahonen, six-time bestselling author and consultant on digital convergence and mobile telecoms, the future of mobile is strong and vibrant.  Not convinced?

Here are the latest stats on mobile usage:

• 4 billion worldwide mobile subscribers (vs. 1 billion PC’s).
• 3.4 billion actual mobile phones are in use and connected (vs. 1.2 billion fixed landlines).
• 3 billion users of SMS text messaging (vs. 1.3 billion eMail users, and 600 million IM users).
• 1.9 billion cameraphones in use.
• 1.7 billion consumers of various premium data services on mobile.
• 1.35 billion users of MMS 1.05 active users of browsing (”mobile internet”) on the phones.
• The total content industry on mobile is worth 71 billion dollars.
• Messaging on mobile worth 130 billion.
• Total data on phones worth 200 billion.
• Total mobile services, voice and data, worth 800 billion and the total annual revenues of the mobile industry including handset and network equipment sales, worth one Trillion dollars.
• Selling 1.18 billion new phones and adding 650 million new subscrptions last year, when the rest of the economy is in a downward spiral, mobile telecoms is a strong vibrant and healthy industry.

Source: Tomi Ahonen, 7thMassMedia.com

The U.S. Mobile landscape…

As we can see above, mobile continues to dominate across the global landscape. It remains the most widely adopted of all the other mass media channels (e.g., print, recording, cinema, radio, tv, internet).  While the U.S. continues to lag behind Asia and Europe in mobile usage, we are finally seeing an increase in overall mobile adoption throughout North America. In fact, the U.S. currently has over 262 million mobile subscribers, contributing to 75 billion text messages per month. However, as ubiquitous and well entrenched as mobile has become in the U.S., some uses still have yet to catch on.  Such is the case with mobile recruiting through SMS.

Think SMS and Mobile Recruiting…

Online sourcing has become increasingly mobile, so has the need to use more targeted means of connecting and attracting qualified candidates.  There are clear advantages to leveraging mobile in recruiting. One of the most effective ways to quickly connect with a target audience is through Short Message Service (SMS), also known as Text-Messaging.  SMS (text messaging) is by far the most widely used data application on the planet.  For those who do not have the budget to invest in mobile marketing through Short Codes, there are many web-based SMS/texting applications on the market today.  A few of the more popular apps include Joopz, 3Jam, networkText, Tatango, and Trumpia, all do a good job of delivering group SMS messages either free, or, for a small fee. For Outlook 2007 users, there’s even SMSOfficer which allows users to send SMS messages directly from their Outlook inbox.  See video on How to use Outlook to send text messages.

That said, these are all basic examples and it’s important to remember that using SMS alone is not the answer.  An integrated approach that includes email, online ads, phone, SMS, etc., can help to maximize your recruitment campaign. Think of SMS as not a replacement for the email or phone (voice) but as an additional tool within a recruiter’s toolbox.  Recruiters, more than ever, are often connecting with professionals who are unable to answer their phones, huddled in team meetings, commuting, at the airport, away from their PC’s or laptops, etc. Using coordinated SMS updates, recruiters are able to seamlessly and non-intrusively manage multiple candidates through the recruitment process. Bottom-line, SMS is an effective tool for connecting with candidates anytime, anywhere, when email and voice are not convenient.

Mobile is our second shadow.

Morgan Stanley reported that now 91% of the planet keep the mobile phone within arm’s reach 24/7. Literally we take it to the bathroom with us and we literally sleep with the phone. As its our alarm clock, it is literally the last thing we look at before we go to sleep and again the first thing we see when we wake up.

Source: Tomi Ahonen, 7thMassMedia.com

The mobile phone is no longer just a phone; it’s our lifeline to the world.  Rarely does it leave our side, and rarely is it shared - even with our spouse.  Mobile is our second shadow, always ready to provide 24×7 access on demand, and it’s here to stay.  While I am not convinced mobile will reach a tipping point in 2009, I do believe mobile recruitment strategies will have a greater role in the way recruiters connect with new talent. Given the advantages and ubiquitous nature of mobile, doesn’t it make sense to consider mobile recruitment options?  For those in the talent acquisition business, does your company currently engage in mobile recruiting?  If so, I would love to hear about the creative ways in which mobile is being used as part of your recruitment strategy.

You’re hired! Cross-media job search nets qualified applications

We often talk creative ways in which we can leverage mobile marketing in the recruitment process.  More Mobile Relations utilized an integrated solution that included print, ad, SMS, MMS, and email to recruit qualified candidates.  Here’s a case of a company truly “walking-the-talk” with great success.

This from More Mobile Relations:

The challenge

Attracting the best employees is a challenge in the best of times. A new generation of job seekers is more inclined to focus on value-based issues rather than a fancy title or fat paycheck. Corporate social responsibility (CSR), company values, environmental policies and so on are increasingly important factors in attracting employees. For these job seekers, company information and the way the company expresses its brand can be deciding factors.

More Mobile Relations Norway was hiring new employees in cooperation with Orion Search International AS. The first job recruitment ad (Dagens Næringsliv, on July 4, 2008) was very traditional in approach and had very low response, resulting in no qualified applications.

You can read the solution here: You’re hired! Cross-media job search nets qualified applications | More Mobile Relations.

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