Technology and Social Media Archives

Everything #HR Needs to Know About Boolean Search

June 22, 2017 by Sharlyn Lauby Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago, I attended the SHRM Talent Management Conference and TAtech Spring Congress. Both events are very heavily focused on talent acquisition, which isn’t a surprise given all of the media attention on “full employment”.

But it made me realize that there are some fundamental tools human resources professionals might not have focused on over the past few years. Like Boolean search.

You know, when organizations were getting hundreds of applications, I can see how refining Boolean search skills wouldn’t be tops on my to-do list. But now, being able to find qualified candidates fast is a priority. So, I wanted to share some information.

To help us know more about Boolean Search, I reached out to Jim Durbin, social media headhunter and founder of Sourcing Worklab. Over the last decade, he’s trained over 9,000 recruiters on the effective use of digital recruiting tools. In addition to his role at Sourcing Worklab, he manages a B2B marketing firm, develops startups in the artificial intelligence (AI) and recruiting space, and takes as many full desk searches as he can get his hands on. I’m thrilled he agreed to share his expertise.

Jim, let’s start with a definition. What is Boolean search and why should HR departments have an interest in it?

[Durbin] Boolean search is a method for searching websites to limit your results. The method uses Boolean “operators” which are simple words to define relationships between keywords, resulting in a more focused search result.

Boolean operators are useful in sorting through the large number of profiles, resumes, and pages available online. These operators are used on websites, in our databases, and in much of our software. HR departments should be aware of Boolean because it gives the control of a search to the human being, and not the developers who created the search function.

Just so everyone is on the same page, what are the 4-5 classic Boolean operators that everyone should know?

[Durbin] SITE, INURL, INTITLE, AND, OR and NOT. I had to go with 6. Here are examples of each:

SITE – The SITE command restricts the search to results within just one website. [site:linkedin.com]

INURL – The INURL command restricts the search to characters in a specific website address. [site:behance.net inurl:resume returns only resumes]

AND – The AND command restricts the search to all of your conditions. [“business development representative” AND “medical sales”]

OR – The OR command broadens the search for multiple terms [“sales representative” OR “account manager”]

NOT – The NOT command narrows your search by deleting unwanted terms [Java Developer NOT:recruiter]

Another thing to note: Quotation marks count too. You can use them to limit multiple terms. [“Sales representative” (in quotes) brings less results, but better ones, than sales representative (not in quotes).

For readers looking for more Boolean operators, Dean Da Costa has shared an extensive roundup of resources on RecruitingBlogs.

I’ve been in HR a lot of years. Now that we have more advanced technologies and social media, do people still need to be skilled in Boolean search? Why or why not?

[Durbin] Boolean is a method. Even within most social media platforms, Boolean search is the method we use to search social media. Recruiters still need to be able to control their searches, so yes, they must be skilled at Boolean.

I’ve read a few articles recently about “long” Boolean being outdated and “short” Boolean being better. First of all, what’s long and short Boolean? And in your expertise, does it matter?

[Durbin] Long Boolean are just long sentences. When you searched through the internet, long searches helped you quickly find the few resumes you were looking for.

Short Boolean is a method that is closer to active search. Short Boolean gets you close to your final results, allowing you to make changes. Think of short Boolean as a way to point a ship in the right direction, and long Boolean as the full map of your journey. If you know where you’re going, long Boolean is useful.

Today, you have to be very good to use Long Boolean correctly. The reward is not always worth that effort. I do think the days of long Boolean are over, but short Boolean will continue to be needed to help us guide our steps.

Last question. We’ve talked before on this blog about search engine optimization (SEO) and how a Google algorithm change impacts career site marketing. Do activities like Google changing their algorithm change Boolean search? Are there things that HR pros should watch for?

[Durbin] Absolutely. The Google search algorithms updates like Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird have completely changed career site marketing, and HR has to be aware of this when building career portals, posting jobs, or purchasing software.

Those changes have one major effect: Google specifically is now focused on recent results. This makes research very difficult without using Boolean. This is a general problem, not a specific thing to look out for. What HR pros need is to be able to quickly access information from any database or software as quickly as their competitors. This means becoming expert at searching the internet – and Boolean is still the dominant form of that kind of search.

I want to thank Jim again for sharing his expertise with us. If you want to learn more, be sure to check out Jim’s blog – Digital Marketing Headhunter. Also, you can check out Sourcing Worklab, they are providing live action sourcing, where you learn how to use these kinds of searches on real jobs.

To find the best talent for the organization, HR professionals will need to step up their game. That means trying new things and brushing off some skills we haven’t used in a while.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby after attending the 2017 BetterWorks Goal Summit in San Francisco, CA

Tweet25

Share28

Buffer33

Shares 114

Quick Shots for #Recruiting and #HR Pros – Boomerang Employees Edition

June 16, 2017 by Sharlyn Lauby Leave a Comment

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve received several notes about boomerang employees. In a nutshell, boomerang employees are basically rehires. They worked for the organization, left, and have boomeranged back.

It’s a good time to talk about boomerang employees. There’s been a bit of a rise in boomerang employment. I attribute it to the increased challenges in finding talent. The last U.S. jobs report started the conversation about “full employment”. I recently heard a senior vice president of human resources say that the “war for talent” is child’s play. Candidates were showing up for interviews with 6, 7, 8 offers. Organizations have to start thinking about how they will differentiate themselves.

One way is to consider “Adding Boomerang Employees to Your Recruiting Strategy”.

When you think about boomerangs, it might be tempting to only think about employees who leave for another job. First off, not everyone who resigns is unhappy with the company. It’s possible that employees might leave to attend school. Or maybe they’re an intern. It’s also possible that a boomerang could be an older worker returning to the industry at a later point in their career.

I know it would be awesome if employees never left in the first place. Organizations do need to have retention strategies. Turnover does happen. Sometimes though, it can be good for the employee (and the company) to let the employee leave and gain skills they would never have exposure to otherwise. Then the company can welcome the employee back.

A first step in letting boomerang employees know they’re welcome is the exit interview. Use exit interviews as a way to let employees know they can reapply for jobs.

The next step, and a really important one, is then making sure boomerangs actually feel welcome. It’s one thing to say it and another to actually do it. I had the pleasure of discussing the advantages (and cautions) of hiring boomerangs with Joyce Maroney, director of the Workforce Institute at Kronos, and John Hollon, award-winning journalist and talent management expert, during the podcast “Boomerang Employees: Can you Go Home Again?”

Boomerang employees can bring a lot of value back to the organization. They already know the company’s strengths and weaknesses. The one thing that must be resolved is the reason for the employee’s departure. Will the same annoyances happen again? The employee and company need to have their eyes wide open and discuss matters honestly.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby somewhere on the back trails of Walt Disney World, FL

Shares 125

Don’t Overthink Your Data – Friday Distraction

June 9, 2017 by Sharlyn Lauby Leave a Comment

The purpose of collecting data is to take some action using the data. And, taking action is often one of the most challenging steps in any type of data collection process. Obviously, it doesn’t make sense to collect data and not do anything with it. Taking action is implied. The data might help us make a decision, notice a trend, or monitor our effectiveness.

But when we get lots of data, it can be tempting to spend ridiculous amounts of time studying it. Today’s Time Well Spent from our friends at Kronos is a reminder that sometimes technology can help us analyze the data. So, we don’t need to overthink it.

To avoid overthinking the data (sometimes known as “analysis paralysis”), consider these three things:

Have a target in mind. I often think that this step isn’t given enough attention. There’s a reason that the data is being collected in the first place. It might be to understand where the best recruiting sources can be found. Or how to schedule employee coverage that meets customer needs. Before getting into the weeds with data, understand the goal of collecting the data.

Realize you might never have all the data. Alas, as much as we love technology and its capabilities, we need to cut technology some slack. Technology is only as good as the data we give it. Which means, if we give our systems incomplete information, we should expect incomplete data analysis. The good news is that we can identify these empty pockets of data and figure out how to fill them.

Be okay with making a wrong decision. I’ve worked with a couple of people in my career who thought the way to never make a wrong decision was by never making a decision. Simply not true. One of my favorite quotes from John F. Kennedy says it best. “There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long-range risks of comfortable inaction.”

Data brings tremendous value to business. But only if we do something with it. Overthinking the data can stop individuals and organizations from moving forward.

Shares 179

Job Seekers: Use Games to Find Your Next Job

June 6, 2017 by Sharlyn Lauby Leave a Comment

(Editor’s Note: Today’s post is sponsored by Criteria Corp, a leading provider of pre-employment testing services. Their testing system, HireSelect, is a SaaS (software as a service) solution that enables organizations to increase recruiting effectiveness using state-of-the-art technology. Criteria Corp has clients in all 50 U.S. states and 30 countries. Enjoy the post!)

Let’s face it. Looking for a new job isn’t always fun. It takes time to send out your resume out to lots of companies (aka “spray and pray”.) It involves waiting. Lots of waiting. So, what if I told you that it was possible to have a bit of fun while trying to find a new job?

Our friends at Criteria Corp have launched an app called JobFlare (iOS, FREE) that allows users to play “brain games” that are scientifically created to test the cognitive abilities that every employer wants AND are considered the key predictors of job success. Let me explain how the app works.

Cognitive Ability Correlates with Job Success

I don’t want to get too far into the weeds, but there is scientific research spanning the course of almost a century on the predictive validity of hiring methodologies. The research has found that cognitive aptitude is one of the most predictive factors of job performance, just after work samples (which is obviously hard to beat). So JobFlare allows users to play games that are highly correlated with cognitive aptitude tests, which have been consistently proven as one the most predictive factors of job success.

JobFlare offers six games. Each game in JobFlare takes 90-seconds. Users can play the games as much as they like.

Math games (Infruition, Weigh Station)
Verbal games (Words of a Feather, Mumble Jumble)
Mental Fitness games (Robot Inspector, Expert Witness)

While JobFlare isn’t designed to improve cognitive function, Criteria Corp did share with me that candidates who are playing the games can regularly improve their scores. I believe using brain games in this way could reduce or eliminate some of the common apprehensions about job-related test-taking like “I was nervous so I didn’t do my best.” Or “If I could take it a second time, I’d do better.”

In my experience, employers really aren’t looking for employees to be perfect on a test. They do want employees who can think, reason, and improve with practice. And it’s important to note, employers don’t have direct access to see scores, so if a person starts out with a lower score, they don’t need to worry about anyone seeing them.

JobFlare Partnership with ZipRecruiter

Josh Millet, CEO of Criteria Corp, says that JobFlare takes the best of gamification to help users find a job. “Brain games are already a popular activity on smart phones. JobFlare uses games to measure the specific cognitive traits – problem-solving, learning ability, critical thinking, and attention to detail. These traits have been shown to best predict work outcomes and are coveted by most employers. We’re excited to partner with ZipRecruiter to deliver relevant job postings to JobFlare users.”

Here’s how the job posting feature works. Once an individual starts playing games, they can set up a user account including the job positions and industries they have an interest. Play all the games as many times as you want. After you play at least one of each game, you will start to receive email notifications from ZipRecruiter based on the information you provided. Now, let me offer a couple of caveats:

Please remember that every job in the universe isn’t posted on ZipRecruiter. That’s not a ding against them. They have thousands of job postings. But there’s no one site with every open job.
I talked with the JobFlare app developers and they gave me a high-level overview of how the job posting algorithm works. Basically, the emails start out very broad – meaning you will see lots of jobs – and get more focused over time based on the job openings you express an interest in (i.e. the ones you click on to learn more).

Flexibility Sets JobFlare Apart

I’ve been test driving this app for a few weeks and the thing I really like is its flexibility. When we’re looking for a job, we need to be flexible and the app provides it. JobFlare users can engage with one or both parts of the process as you wish.

If you want to play the brain games and receive job postings, great!
If you want to just play the brain games but aren’t ready to receive job postings, fine!
And if you want job postings but don’t want to deal with the brain games, that’s okay too!

Some of you might still be wondering about brain games, cognitive ability, and validity. Criteria Corp also offered to send me the nitty gritty correlation coefficients and more, but as much as I love statistics, I didn’t really think it was necessary. I did ask Millet to set the record straight about brain games. “Let’s be clear: our games aren’t designed to be ‘brain training’ games, they are gamified ways to measure cognitive aptitude. No doubt they do play a role in sharpening your skills a bit, but they don’t increase your cognitive abilities. We designed the games with this in mind – all of our games are strongly correlated with our cognitive aptitude tests, which are designed specifically to predict job performance. We believe JobFlare represents a unique vehicle for connecting undiscovered talent to opportunity.”

Job Seekers: Use Games to Find Your Next JobClick To Tweet

Adding a Few Fun Games to Your Job Search Isn’t a Bad Thing

While anyone can use JobFlare, it’s an ideal app for professionals at the beginning of their career, people considering a career or industry change, and individuals looking to downsize their work commitments (i.e. retirement). It provides an opportunity for self-awareness and education, which is always a good thing. Check out the JobFlare iTunes page for more details and to download the app.

Shares 276

Quick Shots for #Recruiting and #HR Pros – Google Hire Edition

June 1, 2017 by Sharlyn Lauby Leave a Comment

In case you missed it, Google has introduced a new product called Hire. As the name implies, it’s focused on recruitment. I heard people talking about it during the TAtech Spring Congress as well as the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Talent Management Conference. It’s still very new, but worth keeping your eye on.

Personally, I’m always a little torn when I hear about new offerings from Google. And this is no exception.

There’s been very few specifics released about Google Hire. I did find a couple of articles like this one from Mashable “Google tests Google Hire, its own jobs tool”.

Workology put together a round-up of information titled “What You Need to Know About Google Hire“.

If you Google the term Google Hire, you’ll discover that the launch had a bit of a challenge. This article from Fortune “Relax—Google Won’t Share Your Browsing History with Employers” explains what happened.

My hesitation with Google is their tendency to abandon projects. Computer World put together a list of products and services that have gone to the Google “Graveyard”. I believe recruiters want to build long-term sources. Searching for a new talent source takes time and resources. Short-term sources are fine, but it’s important for organizations to establish a clear sense of brand.

That being said, I don’t want to be a complete downer. There are some definite advantages. Let’s face it, Google is already in the search and advertising business. Not to mention, candidates start their job search on Google.

It could also be helpful to understand how Google Hire will impact the recruitment industry.

In the end, it’s possible that Google is going to use Hire as a way to share resources. Similar to their blog re:Work. I found this article on Inc. Magazine further emphasizing Google’s willingness to share information – “Here Are All the Documents You Need to Hire Like Google (for Free)”.

It’s no secret that recruiting is a challenge. New companies are going to enter the market. Existing companies – like Google – are going to offer their services. Regardless of our feelings, we have to do our research and possibly give them a try. They could be exactly what we’re looking for.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby during the SHRM Annual Conference in Washington, DC

Shares 118

Logic Is Not Always Linear – Friday Distraction

May 26, 2017 by Sharlyn Lauby Leave a Comment

(Editor’s Note: Today’s post is brought to you by our friends at Kronos, a leading provider of workforce management and human capital management cloud solutions. The company was named of the 2017 Best Workplaces for Giving Back by Fortune Magazine. Congrats to the Kronos team! Enjoy the post.)

I like to think of myself as a logical person. One of the definitions of logical is “(of an action, development, decision, etc.) natural or sensible given the circumstances.” Notice it didn’t include linear. Something can be logical and not necessarily linear.

An example is PowerPoint versus Prezi. Both provide users with the ability to create digital presentations. PowerPoint does it in a linear fashion. Prezi in a non-linear one. But that doesn’t mean a presentation created on Prezi isn’t logical.

I was reminded of the importance of logic when I saw today’s Time Well Spent from our friends at Kronos. Going from Point A to Point B isn’t always linear.

When organizations are trying to connect the dots, they have several tools at their disposal.

People. Sometimes we need to step away from challenges to see the logic or the connection. Sometimes we need co-workers to help us see the pattern or a different way of thinking. Each of us must be willing to say, “I don’t see it.” Or “Help me see it.” It takes self-awareness and trusting relationships with the rest of the team.

Technology. This is one of those moments where technology can be our best friend. Technology is about logic. Organizations need to be willing to use technology to help them see trends and themes. However, I would add that technology needs people to recognize the need for tech and to use it effectively. Great technology used badly isn’t going to provide accuracy and efficiency.

Data. Speaking of accuracy and efficiency, for technology to play its role, it needs good data. We’ve all heard that old phrase “garbage in, garbage out”. It applies here too. People need to know good data when they see it. Otherwise, they could make decisions based on false assumptions. And that’s not logical.

Organizations should use their people, technology, and data to make sensible decisions. Logical decisions. Because logical decisions are easy to explain and understand. When everyone is on the same page, and working toward the same goal, the company is able to accomplish its strategy.

Shares 139

How to Find Bottlenecks In Your Talent Acquisition Process

May 25, 2017 by Sharlyn Lauby 2 Comments

Being able to deal with constraints is an important part of business. Constraints are stages of a process that causes the entire process to slow down, be less effective, or stop completely. In the book “The Goal”, Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt outlines The Theory of Constraints as well as how to identify and manage them successfully. It’s a good read that HR pros should have in their library.

A logical first step in successfully dealing with constraints is identifying them. We know in problem-solving that, if you only deal with a symptom then you never really fix the problem. Same applies here. It’s about getting to the root cause of the constraint. Take talent acquisition as an example. When the talent acquisition process is broken, everybody knows it. And in my experience, everyone blames everything on recruiting being broken.

“We can’t finish the project on time because we don’t have enough employees.”

“We can’t deliver good customer service because we don’t have the right employees.”

“I really need to fire Leonard, but if I do I’ll never find his replacement.”

Problems (or constraints, bottlenecks etc.) in recruiting isn’t something to ignore because finding top talent is essential to the business. The question becomes, how do you identify the constraint?

Let’s continue using the recruitment example and focus specifically on resumes and applications. Since talent acquisition is a process that involves multiple people: human resources, hiring manager, payroll, and possibly other individuals, we can start with an analysis of how the process works. Does your organization who is responsible for each part? When it comes to resumes and applications:

Who should spend the most time reviewing resumes? Should it be the hiring manager? Or HR?
What does each person involved in the hiring process actually do with a candidate’s resume? More importantly, what should they be doing?
Does each person know their role and responsibility? Do they know what the other members of the recruiting team are responsible for?
Is each person capable of successfully completing their role in the process?

In order to identify the potential constraint with applications and resumes, these questions must be answered. Organizations need to know that the process they’ve designed on a white board is the process that actually happens. They need to know that each person involved in the process knows their role and is capable of doing it. And that each person knows their role in the context of the other people involved in the process.

To minimize constraints, organizations might want to consider making investments in developing high-performance recruiting teams. Many companies invest in team building for departments. Sometimes in team development for project teams. According to Dr. Eduardo Salas, companies that invest in team training can see as much as a 20 percent increase in team performance. Recruiting teams are the group tasked with identifying and selecting the individuals who will service customers, create the next company innovation, and become the future leadership. It only makes sense to create a development initiative for this team.

Find the bottlenecks in your talent acquisition processClick To Tweet

Which brings us back to constraints. Is it possible that, if a company asked themselves those four questions, they would find the source of their constraint? Once the constraint is identified, then it can be appropriately managed. Here are three action steps that could correct the bottleneck:

Role reinforcement. Make sure each person who has a role in the process knows their tasks and accepts responsibility for their completion.
Training. Any individual who needs skill development should be provided the opportunity to become proficient.
Process communication. To make sure that steps in the process are not being duplicated or accidently forgotten, the process can be communicated to all stakeholders.

If organizations want to hire the best talent, they have to create effective processes and troubleshoot those processes to keep them the best they can possibly be. It starts with the recruiting team.

Image of Sharlyn Lauby captured while speaking at the Flora Icelandic HR Management Conference in Reykjavik, Iceland

Shares 287