Ok, Breaking News…More details to follow – but I am SUPER STOKED to have just found out that I will be doing a session along with David Peck at South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive this spring targeted to job seekers and hr pro’s that will be there titled “Using Social Media to Score” – we’ll be talking about linkedin, twitter, facebook, mobile and whatever else we feel like!!  With more than 2500 submissions for slots – I was honestly not expecting to actually be going!!!

That’s right – I had the pleasure to talk with the cool crew over at Recruiter Earth and share my take on the HR Technology Conference and the future of technology.  Well, as much as can be done in a 4 minute segment.  So make sure you head on over and check it out!  (Just click on the picture!)

And yes, I know I sound like I am 12. And no, I don’t think this picture will ever go away.  I’m stuck with it forever.

I was in a generous mood apparently as I gave shout outs to Hirevue, SmartSearch, GreenJobsInterview, Rypple, Jobing via Joel Cheesmanvia mjobs Mobile Technology (which you all know I am a fan of and if you don’t read my post What Happens in Vegas Doesn’t Always Stay in Vegas or I got some Joel Cheesman Love) and  HRMDirect and more.  I also said the phrase HR Geeks and that our industry keeps repackaging the same crap and adding new marketing.  I’m not sure if Recruiter Earth will have me back after my 12 year old sounding interview – but it was fun!

In a late night posting (10:49 pm) ERE released an article about the financial results of both Monster and Careerbuilder/  Both job boards saw major drops in revenue in the 2nd Quarter – Careerbuilder by an astonishing 31% but still looking better than Monster’s 37% drop.  On the plus side – even with the loss, Monster still beat analysts expectations.

Want to read more about the details and financial information – Click here to read the ERE article by John Zappe.

After reading the posting a few days ago on the HR Technology Vendors increase in revenues – it makes you wonder a little bit about what is going on with the job boards.  At first glance you can blame it on the basics – economy, high unemployment rates, companies not hiring…But the reality of the situation is that the traditional job board model is likely going to be phasing out in the coming years.

What makes me think that?

1.  Job Board Aggregators – If they can fix some of the ease of use issues they have – sites like indeed.com and simplyhired.com will undoubtedly be the best resource from a candidates perspective.  No more having to search a number of individual job boards and company career site.  Simple. Effective.  From a company perspective, these aggregators run on a more PPC cost model and so for many organization they can be listed on this site at no charge to their company.

2. Social Media -Sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn have become the new place where people can be found.  For companies, the cost to advertise & brand is next to nothing.  New middle-man products (and some ATS’s) that are on the market allow for quick distribution to a number various social media sites for less than a fraction of a traditional job board posting.  With this market (or any market, actually)  you are more likely to reach the passive candidates on this route than the traditional job board.  Why does that matter? Because you can target more specifically and waste less time on people you don’t really care to look at anyway.  (In the slightly further future – it will be transition to mobile recruiting and the interaction via SMS that will make the difference - read my thoughts on that here)

3.  Customer Experience – Just like with our own branding and candidate experience programs we implement in our organizations – the customer experience at some of the other, niche boards is well, better.  They are more responsive and more forward thinking than many of the big guys.  Stop focusing on how to add more sales and revenue – instead look at the value you can bring to the community you are working in.  Building the trust and value in your brand will lead to better sales.

Don’t believe me?  Lets take a look at Jobing. I first came across Jobing.com in Phoenix while I was working on a Consulting Project with a major Financial Institution.  I was brought in to design a recruiting process separate from human resources and roll it out to the various regional HQ’s.  My roll out in Phoenix happened to coincide with the Jobing.com job fair that attracted thousands upon thousands of candidates.  No big deal you are thinking – but at the time, the Phoenix market had close to a 2% unemployment rate.  So, how were they able to do that?  They provided value to attendees by offering interview training, resume review (complete with computers & printers to make new ones if needed) and more.   One thing I also was alway intrigued with by their strategic plans was to build a relationship with one market at a time – don’t try to take on the whole world at once.  It worked.

So – what else is Jobing doing that is keeping their clients coming back and using them as the main resource?  (Hey – Monster & Careerbuilder, you may want to take note)

1. Social Media – I think it is because of the nibleness and entreprenurial spirit of the company – but they adapted social media fast and furiously.  In fact they have close to 1000 twitter accounts – including the CEO @jobing, all 38 of the regional markets they are in, and a variety of other employees.  (I follow @thatpassionguy their social media manager, myself).  In itself – that is no so new and different – but this is:  They have created twitter accounts that tweet out jobs based on location & industry so confidential job seekers can just follow a particular twitter handle and get information real time!  (Ex. @phxhealthcare would be healthcare related jobs in Phoenix)
2. Blogs. Jobing.com offers members of the community the ability to blog on their website – creating a built in market for smaller organizations (the majority of ones that actually hire)
3. Superior Customer Service – They stay individual market focused with a full team at each location so you talk to people you may actually meet.  In today’s crazy online world – it is a unique characteristic.  They also LISTEN to suggestions from both their companies, employees and the candidates as to what they are looking for and then try to implement change QUICKLY.

But, if  you are so inclined – let’s keep up the conversation that the major job boards biggest issue right now is the economy.

Maybe it is only because he wasn’t hugged enough as a kid or because I pimp whitepapers out better than Jane Adams on Hung or he wanted to make sure I show up to his mobile recruiting panel at OnRec/Kennedy in November, it doesn’t really matter – I appreciate the mention on the mjob blog all the same.

If you want to read the blog posting that Joel actually was intrigued by enough to quote here it is: What Happens In Vegas Doesn’t always Stay in Vegas posting.  If you read that and wonder “wow, she’s weird” – Its true.  I am.  But I can honestly say I was completely enamoured leaving Vegas this year.  There are only about 10 people in this industry that I have met and found to be true innovators and really passionate about what they do.   Joel Cheesman is one of the few that have actually intrigued me when I met in person and I been following (not in a stalkerific way) for years.   So – if you want to know my thoughts on mobile recruiting check out my Vegas blog post & then download mjob’s white paper for some expert details.

Since leaving Vegas there has been something on my mind and I just can’t stop thinking about it. It was new and exciting and different – it made my heart pound, my thoughts race and now, when I am in webinars or reading a newspaper or when I was on vacation last weekend – it doesn’t go away. 

(And before your mind goes racing – I was well behaved and spent most of my spare time at the Poker and Craps tables – leaving vegas with $500 of their money)

The IT is Mobile Recruiting.  I know it isn’t a totally new concept – but it was like for the first time the bigger scope of what could/will be slapped me across the face.  It was like my freshman year of college when I realized that had to be a recruiter because of the impact it has on an organization, or 2002 when I went through CareerXRoads ATS Evaluation & Selection training at Cornell and fell in love with the business impact of ATS and KNEW it was an industry I wanted to be a part of.

But you probably are a little lost so let me back up a bit…

Last month the team at Kennedy Information‘s Recruiting 2009 Conference was held at the gorgeous Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas.  Even though I didn’t speak this year, I had a great time with the somewhat smaller crowd learning how different organizations were overcoming the challenges of the economy and reconnecting with and learning from the great minds that shared their insights.  I am probably one of the few people that REALLY loves conferences.  I love meeting new people, and hearing different ideas and perspectives on both the industry and the world.  I love knowing that I am smarter when I walk out then when I walked in.  There is just something so mentally fulfilling about learning.

As usual, the first day I dabbled between conversations with facinating people, general sessions, breakout sessions and walked around the vendor space to see what was exciting a new with everyone this year.  Dinner was amazing (I tried something new!) and the Fremont Street experience was twice as nice since they were testing out a new show and we got to see both.  All in all it was a great day with informative events.

On the second day, I knew I had to leave early after lunch so I made sure to hit a few of the sessions that had really seemed interesting to me and I am glad I did.  By far the best session of the event was Joel Cheesman’s breakout session on mobile recruiting.  Not because it was particularly showy, but because I appreciate the laid back presentation style and loved the topic.

Mobile recruiting is a totally new world that we have not even started to grasp here in the US – yet is a world that seems so obvious to anyone that knows anyone that is under the age of 35.  (I used to say 30, but I turn 30 in a few weeks and now must say 35)  I tried as hard as I could and can not think of anyone I know that doesn’t have a cell phone.  In fact, I don’t know anyone that doesn’t have a smart phone.  As he talked, my mind started racing about all of the potential that is untapped and quickly trying to come up with strategy’s that could be easily integrated with out ATS.  I honestly felt stupid for not getting it before this point although that was not his intention at all.  

There are those of you who are going to totally disagree with this and that is fine.  To you I ask you to read Maren Hogan’s great blog posting this morning on why social media use isn’t really about today at all, rather it is about knowing what we are doing and being on the cutting edge when the time comes. I can’t help think that mobile recruiting is any different.

I can see a day where there really are no longer job boards – peoples matching jobs are simply texted/messaged to their phones instead of the email and they can automatically submit their interest – no online job search needed.  I can see marketing and recruiting in consumer product organizations finally actually getting together on something instead of just talking about it. I can see…. 

There are so many more things I could say and go on and on about my ideas of the future and where this could lead – but I invite you to check out the free (no registration needed) whitepaper by mjob and see if your mind goes through the same crazy process mine is going through after about this.  (The odds are no – but you will likely still find it really interesting, I promise!)