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It's useful to think of networks as the structure along which atomic particles align themselves to form matter. In other words, the network scientists are making a solid case that network structure and the quantifiable, predictable behavior associated with it, is a way of looking at things that is as powerful as biology, chemistry or physics. It promises to make much of what is not understood in the social sciences intelligible and accessible.

In yesterday's piece, we began a discussion of one of the fundamental principles of network science: fitness. Fitness is still being defined by the scientists. It is the quality that secures a dominant player (or hub) as the center of a network (or industry). Google, the current leader in the search-engine market, achieved its astonishing rise because it is more fit than the alternatives.

We'll return to the concept of fitness several times over the coming months. In our industry, fitness is a combination of suitability for a specific task, the relative visibility of the player (linkages) and traffic volume (in the niche). As is the case with all markets, innovation and excitement play key roles in the maintenance and development of fitness while lengthy contracts slow the migration from one competitor to another. If a radically fit new entry joined our market, it would take several years to displace any of the players who are dominant in their niches.

Yesterday, we rattled off a list of industry players who had achieved market dominance in their niches. Clearly, each of those companies needs a different kind of fitness, based on their niche. They also need sustainable financial performance and the ability to grow. Their grasp of the fitness variable differs from company to company. Some are solidly dominant, some are quite tentative.

Clearly, a solid focus on Customer Service (and the business of delighting both candidates and paying customers) is a critical piece of the equation. Monster is light years ahead of anyone else in the industry in any niche. Customers are the determiners of fitness.

You might remember the way that Google came to dominate what might well have been seen as a closed market. Word of mouth circulated wildly: Google seemed to know just what you wanted. The other players had turned their attention to revenue at the expense of user delight. Google, delighted users and then won the revenue.

This bodes ill for bare bones, zero development operations. It bodes ill for anyone who has let the economic environment win at the expense of customer-experience. It bodes ill for anyone who grows beyond their means to support it (remember iSearch?).We have no doubt that we'll be able to measure, quantify and predict aspects of fitness as soon as the end of this year. 

It's important to underline the fact that fitness (and network theory in general) apply to the recruiting efforts of individual companies and recruiters as well. In these troubling times, it's critical to be a part of managing your company's image and credibility lest you be tarred by stink associated with simply being a corporation these days. Recruiting happens through networks and reputation management is a critical component of fitness.

 -John Sumser

"Hodes iQ is an elegant product that makes great strides in the automation of online recruiting. Finally, an ad agency is playing as if the web were a reality."   - John Sumser

Our clients think John Sumser is right on the money. Month after month, companies big and small are installing Hodes iQ to post jobs, manage career websites, and manage their talent. Our clients post thousands of jobs per month and manage thousands of responses using iQ technology. And now, with the new Hodes iQ v3.0 ready to ship, there's even more to talk about. Here's just one example of the many new features that await you:

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Discover what else the new Hodes iQ v3.0 has in store for you. You could even win a cool online gift certificate.

http://www.hodesiQ.com/sneakpeek/

Real Recruiting. Real Answers. Real Time.

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