Volume 2, Issue 1
January 6, 2001

by Bret Hollander
NETRECRUITER

SOURCERER'S APPRENTICE
Cutting Edge Tools for the Internet Recruiter

Circulation: a big number between 100 and 1,000,000
_______________________________________________

HELLO FROM YOUR EDITMASTER

December is always remembered as the food binge month, the unloading
of my wallet month, and the endless walks through the shopping malls
month. But, it's also one of the more neighborly months when many
colleagues, clients, and/or friends get together for fun and festive
cheer and leave their business cards at the office. I took a small
respite early in the month with my wife and kids, and my parents,
sister and brother-in-law for a four-day cruise from Miami to the
Bahamas and back. Along the way, we got caught in a photo shoot
(http://netrecruiter.net/sa/2001/01/rc1.jpg) on the line's private
island.

I hope the New Year has started well for all of you.

In this month's issue, besides the fact that this newsletter never
seems to get smaller, I've included a digested version
(http://netrecruiter.net/sa/2001/01/usaf.html) (765K) of the many
comments, suggestions, and criticisms made by both active duty
military, reservists, retirees, civilian military, and HR
professionals on ways to improve recruiting and retention in the
armed services, specifically the US Air Force. Many of the insights
are directly relatable to the commercial sector so I hope all of you
take the time to read through these threads.

In the late part of December I also took the liberty of inviting many
HR professionals who may never heard about this newsletter, to either
visit my web site and read past issues, subscribe, or look at another
free beneficial site I created for assisting recruiters tapping the
Internet. What I wasn't prepared for or didn't know was that any
e-mail address that had invoked an autoresponder or as some of you
personally know it better, "your vacation message", sent a
confirmation message to my eGroups mailing list invitation to
subscribe. Hence, your autoresponder automatically opted you into
something you may not have wanted had you been able to see the
offering before the auto agent did its job. This can cause a lot of
bad feelings for folks who may have felt that someone subscribed them
without their express wishes. To that end, I am also devoting some of
this issue to showcase many of the autoresponse messages I received -
many of which are very good in possibly assisting your organization
in responding to candidate resume submittals.


Bret Hollander
NETRECRUITER


SITES


Here is an entire site devoted to helping you to navigate the
Internet using advanced tools and techniques that experts use. A
generic search for the word "resumes" reveals a hyperlink, entitled
"How do I...Find a new employee?" What follows are several search
steps for addressing this question.
http://www.lookoff.com/guru/guide.php3?id=103

ProFusion beta - search over 1000 authoritative sources including
over 200 invisible web sources.
http://beta.profusion.com

MetaCazar is a newcomer displaying all the better search engine sites
and allowing you to put in your search string and apply it
individually to any one of the sites. There's a ton of other useful
information on learning about search engines.
http://www.metacazar.com/

Headlines allows you to search the news headlines from over 350+ news
sites in 80+ countries. Every 60 minutes the sites in their database
are re-indexed thereby giving you access to the freshest possible
news.
http://www.nickelnews.com/headlines/

Imagine a Web site that averages over four hours a visit, according
to its press release. Before you sign up to advertise, you should
probably know that most of these visitors don't have a lot of
disposable income... but their parents might. Yes, in a society where
childhood passes in 30-minute, television-defined increments, NeoPets
has figured out how to get kids to sit in front of another screen. At
the site, visitors can adopt a critter, feed it, and play with it to
make it happy - like an online tamagotchi. Could this be an
innovative to prospecting for candidates through their offspring?
http://www.neopets.com/

Tracking Your Shadow - there's a neat trick you can play on the
companies that manage your free magazine and newsletter
subscriptions. When you fill out the subscription form for Bathroom
Rebuilding Monthly, instead of your full name you could use a
different first name - say, "Sourcerer O'Shea". Thus if that company
happens to sell your address for others to pester you, you'll know
who is ultimately responsible for that junk mail. Sneakemail models a
similar concept in the digital realm. You generate a disposable
e-mail address, which will (quietly) point at your real address. When
you give that Sneakemail address to a Web form or some other online
business, you avoid the risk of having your real e-mail address
abused or bought and sold. Instead, this pseudo-address works as an
extra guard, protecting you against unwanted solicitations. Messages
will still reach you, but in a way that you maintain; toss the address
away once trash starts to appear, and start afresh with a new
Sneakemail address.
http://sneakemail.com/


SOFTWARE


This freeware application is ideal for researchers and students or
anyone who wants to have a more systematic approach to web surfing.
You decide on the topic and the subtopics related to the topic. You
then look for the URLs related to the subtopic. Your topics,
subtopics and URLs are stored in application's database.
http://www.orgasurf.itgo.com/

Do you find yourself clicking the Refresh button in your Web browser
frequently to check for updated information on sites? If there's
nothing new, you will have refreshed unnecessarily. But if you wait
too long, you won't see the new information right away. Worse, new
data may replace the data you want before you've seen it. With this
utility, your browser is refreshed automatically if and when needed.
Options let you control how frequently to check for updates, and
whether refreshed browser windows are activated.
http://www.zdnet.com/downloads/stories/info/0,,001DA1,.html

AOL recently unleashed the first non-beta release of Netscape 6.0,
built on open source technology developed by the Mozilla browser
project. Not to be outdone, the Mozilla developers themselves have
released Mozilla 0.6 with the express purpose of copying the look and
feel - and the features - of the commercial Netscape. If you love
netsurfing on the bleeding edge, give it a try. Compare and contrast
with the latest Netscape and see which you like best.
Mozilla 0.6: http://www.mozilla.org/releases/mozilla0.6/
Netscape 6.0: http://www.netscape.com/browsers/

Opera is a nice alternative browser notable for its small size and
zippy performance. If you're tired of the terminally bloated Netscape
and Explorer, give Opera a try. The free version of Opera displays
ads. This latest version has an integrated search facility and an
instant messaging client compatible with ICQ.
http://www.opera.com/

Trust Me, I Was Working at Office (err, the Movies…) - this
freeware makes your computer act like you're in front of it but
you're not. It makes the mouse move and your browser surf alone. You
can stay connected on the Internet as long as you want.
http://pages.infinit.net/fouz/download/MoveThis.exe


TECHNIQUE OF THE MONTH


It is often said that imitation is the highest form of flattery. If
you are perplexed by how to develop an autoresponse to engage your
prospective applicants or think you need some tweaking on your
existing message, then consult over 100 autoresponses provided by the
HR community.
http://netrecruiter.net/sa/2001/01/autoresp.html


ARTICLES


Do's & Dont's on Using Search Engines
http://www.lookoff.com/tactics/queries_dosdonts.php3

Culture Chic - corporate cultures are all the rage when it comes to
attracting and keeping technology workers.
http://www.computerworld.com/cwi/story/0,1199,NAV47_STO54918,00.html

Killer Copy: Words That are Like Magnets to Money
http://www.roibotlibrary.com/articles/00apr13.htm

Internet recruiting expert reveals top 10 online recruiting techniques
http://www.hrimmall.com/html/whitepapers/gutmacher_top_ten_for_2001.ht
m

Cold Calls
http://www.inc.com/articles/details/0,,ART19732_CNT56_REG46,00.html

Take This Job and Love It: PC Magazine evaluated six of the most
heavily trafficked job sites and opined their views.
http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/stories/reviews/0,6755,2667183,00.html

What Makes an Ad Bad?
http://www.BadAds.org/

Networking In Discussion Groups
http://www.NewsForRecruiters.com/index.cfm?tid=Issue1206&news=art1.cfm

Unchaining the Net
http://salon.com/tech/feature/2000/12/01/wireless_ethernet/index.html

Raw RECRUITS: Readers Grumble about Pricing, Emphasize Relationships
in Executive Recruiting
http://www.bizforward.com/archives/2000-12/buzzguide/index.shtml

Why Recruiters are Worth What They Charge
http://www.recruitersworld.com/articles/fordyce/worth.asp

Beware recruiters in sheep's clothing
http://www.computerworld.com/cwi/story/0,1199,NAV47_STO46806,00.html

Dirty Tricks - opportunity and a competitive job market are pushing
recruiters to new lows.
http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,19727,00.html

AltaVista drops free Net access - Only NetZero, Juno and
BlueLight.com remain as the major free Internet service providers,
with BlueLight's giveaway potentially coming to an end.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/invest/ina405.htm

Brave New World - self-publishers lead the way online
http://www.hocmag.net/texis/scripts/vnews/newspaper/+/ART/2000/09/01/3
a199fc19?inarc=1


ODDS & ENDS


The FBI has noticed a recent increase in cracking attempts against
e-commerce sites. The advisory states that most of the recent
attempts have been against systems running Windows NT, though Unix
systems are not exempt from danger. The crackers are exploiting
relatively old and well known vulnerabilities, several of which are
detailed here - along with fixes.
http://www.nipc.gov/warnings/advisories/2000/00-060.htm

Tutorials on web design and promotion with a particular emphasis on
how authors can take advantage of search engine and directory
listings for the web pages they create to promote their books. The
site also carries news headlines of interest to the publishing and
e-publishing industries.
http://www.epubnews.com/

The Reputation Database - A potential disaster for rogues,
scoundrels, and villains around the world, This searchable database
will record any submitted information about anyone and deliver it to
you at the touch of a button. Services include: RepAlert, which
notifies you of any changes to a specified person's records;
RepSearch, which lets you locate professionals with strong
reputations; and RepMatch, which helps you get together with others
of your own sterling reputation.
http://www.repcheck.com/

Software for Techies or HRIS Types - BRL (Beautiful Report Language)
is a language designed for server-side WWW-based applications,
particularly database applications. Its facility for generating
output from databases makes it a report language. It hides powerful
semantics behind a simple syntax, resulting in code that is easy to
write, read and maintain.
http://brl.sourceforge.net/

Here are the seven TLDs (top level domains): .info (any site), .biz
(businesses), .aero (airline sites), .coop (cooperatives), .museum
(museums), .pro (professionals), .name (personal web sites) that were
chosen out of 47 applications, all of which were backed up by a
non-refundable $50,000 entrance fee.


BOOKMARKS


Job Search & Career Sites
http://webcruzr.www2.50megs.com/jobsearch/

Human Resources Free Tools - don't create human resources forms and
policies from scratch. Use ours. Among our wide selection are sample
personnel management forms and human resources policies, as well as
bookkeeping aids and OSHA forms.
http://www.inc.com/freetools/0,,AGD3,00.html

The Wireless Developer Network is an on-line community for
information technology professionals interested in mobile computing
and communications.
http://www.wirelessdevnet.com/

555 Job & Resume Boards
http://www.recruitersworld.com/directory/DirectoryResults.asp?Searchin
g=1&X=1,2,3

Non-Immigrant Visa Information
http://www.recruitersworld.com/AllAboutVisas/VISAS/visas.asp


FREEBIES


Here is a risk-free offer to place unlimited job postings for 30 days
and not have to supply any financial information (other than a
billing address) to qualify. This offer is the same as their standard
Corporate Package that includes:
1. All jobs on their site in full detail either faxing them,
e-mailing them, or having their folks "pull" them from an existing
site. They do the work.
2. A detailed company profile that is linked back to every posting.
3. Free links to your home page in every listing.
4. Company logo in all postings and company profile.
5. Your own Custom Jobs Page (a mini-web site that they build for you
listing all your open positions, etc.
6. Featured Employer status on any one of theirr 31 current Specialty
Web Sites; (more are planned). A complete list can be viewed at
http://www.nationjob.com/frqsrc.html.
7. All positions will be cross-posted to America's Job Bank, Yahoo!
Classifieds, etc.
8. All positions will be e-mailed out weekly to their P.J. Scout
subscriber base who automatically receive your jobs if they're
qualified. P.J. Scout is one of the longest running Personal search
agents now totaling over 500,000 members!
NationJob was named the #1 job board in Overall Customer Satisfaction
in the Electronic Recruiting News 2000 Survey of 3,000 H.R.
professionals & recruiters.
http://www.nationjob.com/netrecruiter

Free 30 day trial account for recruiters.
http://www.aotjobs.com/

Free 30 day trial application
http://www.recruitersonline.com/members/members_add.phtml

Free resume search with more than 10,000 H1B qualified candidates for
5 days (IT and non-IT resumes)
http://www.h1bsponsors.com

Free resume search and job postings.
http://www.militaryhire.com/

Free resume search and 1 job posting.
http://www.latpro.com/

Free Resume Database
http://www.searchresumesfree.com/

Free Resumes & Job Postings - a niche site for Linux professionals.
My extraction uncovered 61 resumes of which 14 were overseas
candidates.
http://mojolin.com/index.php?sa

Lycos has individual user homepage resume listings
http://pagebuilder.lycos.com/resume/gallery/

Colorado Independents has just opened a no-cost "Contract Jobs and
Opportunities" forum. Talent hunters, agencies, company recruiters,
and anyone wishing to list contract-oriented job openings for
Colorado independents may do so for no charge and with no member
registration required.
http://www.coloradoindependents.com

Free mailing list to post jobs for sourcers and sourcers can post
their resumes.
http://www.egroups.com/group/sourcer-jobs

Employers looking to hire recruiters and recruiters looking for new
positions will now find it easier to locate each other through a new
online service devoted exclusively to bringing recruiters and
employers together. This web-based connection offers employers a
faster, easier and cost-free way to find experienced recruiters
specializing in their specific industries. Similarly, this service
provides recruiters a free, consolidated source of available
recruiting positions. The site also maintains a real-time recruiter
compensation survey, and additional information of interest to
recruiters.
http://www.recruiterseek.com/

EEO Applicant Survey - if you do business with the Federal Government
and are required to provide some sort of EEO report concerning the
candidates who you either source or receive electronically, consider
this MS Word template that can be attached to your autoresponse
message.
http://netrecruiter.net/sa/2001/01/eeo.rtf

Dialpad members can make free outbound international calls to South
Korea and national calls to any of the fifty states. Other
international calls can be made for a fraction (cost is cents per
minute) of normal Ma Bell rates, i.e. (Australia, Canada/3.9;
France/Germany/8; Japan/6)
http://www.dialpad.com


EVENTS


College Networking Resource Group meeting, Thursday, 1/11/01,
3:30-5:30pm, Freddie Mac, McLean, VA
sethfeit@...

Internet Recruiting Strategies - Techniques I, 1/25/01,
8:30am-5:30pm, UVA Northern VA Center, Falls Church, VA
http://netpreneur.org/calendar/event1_detail.cfm?EventID=3925

IQPC's 10th Annual College & University Recruiting Congress,
2/12-14/01, New Orleans, LA - This conference will provide concrete
strategies, tools, and techniques on how progressive organizations
are developing, implementing and managing alternative college
recruiting programs to broaden the pool of "quality" applicants and
meet long term business needs.
http://www.iqpc.com/inhpcollege

The Electronic Recruiting Expo 2001 - Future Directions in
Recruiting, 3/8-0/01, Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina, San Diego,
CA - join the Internet's largest community of recruitment
professionals for two days of exciting speakers, lively panel
discussions, informative exhibitions, and valuable networking
opportunities!
http://www.erexpo.com/expo/agenda.asp?f=E3


ADVERTISERS


These are all the firms that have asked me to showcase their services
or post an announcement. This is for your information only. I do not
support or represent any of these firms.

Orajobs.com is the career and recruiting portal focused exclusively
on the Oracle marketplace. Orajobs.com is not designed to benefit the
headhunter or staffing firms, but rather be a tool designed for
employers looking to fill specific positions.
http://www.orajobs.com/

The Big Five professional is known for bringing a unique array of
talent and experience to the most critical business functions of an
organization. The Big Five alumni team is the largest, most-talented
pool of qualified professional resources - and the most sought after.
The issue is -- what's the best way to find them. Introducing
exBigFive.com - a confidential recruiting website created by former
Big Five employees.
http://www.informationweek.com/812/bigfive.htm

As a recruiter, you are looking for the most convenient, reliable,
and timely method of finding qualified job seekers that match your
open job positions. This site is the undisputed leader in niche-ing
the cleared world of U.S. citizens with high-level clearances. They
maintain over 20,000 active resumes in their database and are
continually adding many more each day.
http://www.clearedjobs.com/

ReviewNet - the leader in high performance IT candidate sourcing,
screening, and interviewing solutions
1) Candidate Screening & AssessmentWare---Profiling, IT skills
assessment, & remote online interviewing tools;
2) Tech Interviewer's Console---(new for 2001) in-depth, real-time,
interactive remote technical interviewing on the internet covering
over 1000 topics in 200 technical disciplines with 9000 quality
questions to choose from;
3) WizardHunt ChallengeWare---Creative contests and guerilla sourcing
of passive IT talent thru private label experienced-hire and college
competitions, and employee referral programs branded and launched on
employment and career web sites;
4) Creative candidate sourcing partnerships with key national and
regional IT & technical communities and local job boards such as
www.challenge.techrepublic.com and www.philly.com
5) Custom, integrated, built-in sourcing, screening and skills
assessment technology for job boards, applicant tracking/staffing
automation & human capital management (HCM) software, HRMS and
workflow management systems, and HR consulting services vendors.
http://www.inc.com/articles/details/0,3532,ART21124_CNT53,00.html

The Recruiter's Bible organizes and presents web links to the sites
most important to you: free-resume banks, job-posting sites, college
career centers, associations, resume distribution lists, employment
mailing lists and newsgroups, sourcing directories, and much more! As
the Internet continues to evolve, depend on this proven resource to
guide you.
http://www.therecruitersbible.com/recbib1.html

College Recruiter Magazine Goes National - growing to a yearly
circulation of 10 million on 869 college campuses in 37 cities, with
an estimated readership of 30 million.
http://www.collegerecruiter.com

Best Practices In Online Recruiting - join ITworld.com for their
second Internet Recruiting Masters webcast featuring Peter Weddle.
http://www.itworld.com/itwebcast/masters_weddle

JobsInLogistics.com is the first and largest online recruiting website
serving people in logistics related fields (customer service,
distribution, inventory management, supply chain, transportation,
warehousing, etc.)
http://www.jobsinlogistics.com/

Placeum 2000 offers a database of thousands of technical resumes that
are maintained on a daily basis. For a limited time, Placeum 2000 is
offering a 25% discount for new subscribers who join before January
31, 2001. Call 1-866-PLACEUM or email ljclark@....
http://www.placeum.com

Build a Benefits Web Site - in just 20 minutes from now, you could be
looking at your company's own employee benefits Web site using Online
Benefits* Complete HR.
http://www.inc.com/tools/details/0,,CNT61_TOL13929,00.html

______________________________________
Letters to Editor -----> sourcerers_apprentice@...
Back Issues ---------> http://netrecruiter.net/resource.html
Home Page ---------> http://www.egroups.com/group/
SourcerersApprentice
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SOURCERER'S APPRENTICE (c) 1999-2001 NETRECRUITER, All rights
reserved.
SOURCERER'S APPRENTICE is a trademark of NETRECRUITER
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