We're not surprised.

The growth of the net is quite obviously limited by several factors. The most important is personal computer "penetration", now stalled at about 40% of American households. Other limits to growth include ease of use, pricing and availability of interesting progamming.

The current growth lull provides investment opportunities and a good moment for reflection.

With 30 Million users (the current conservative estimate), the web offers amazing sourcing opportunities. We tend to think of it as a difficult to use resume database that includes an embedded contact method. Since all of the users are clearly computer literate, it's a highly qualified pool. The recruiting research job is as simple as figuring out where and how to look. This livelier and more complex research tool requires mastery of a new search technique: candidate attraction.

The investment opportunities are straightforward. Growth lulls, part of the way that technology always enters our society, are the leverage points. When it became clear that the interstate highway system was a sure thing, many fortunes were made by purchasing real estate at critical locations. Other infrastructure investments were particularly succesful at the lull points in the introduction of the airlines, television, radio and the telephone.

The growth plateau also offers a moment to consider the importance and direction of your current efforts. The early days of the Web were a "land grab". Profitable web recruiting will have to include a very focused (and quantified) assessment of your motives and expected return. The shift in dynamics offers a powerful opportunity to revisit your original assumptions.

Good PR

We got to thinking about Good PR when we received the current issue of Microsoft's Office News (an occasional email newsletter). This week's issue features pointers to Bill Berg's Cool Works. We've been fans of Bill's venture for years now. It is a solid example of the power of niche based recruiting. The site is the centerpiece of a recruiting thrust for employment in the National Park System (and related seasonal work). Bill grabbed the attention of the Microsoft people with some simple uses of MS Office.

The resulting article, Create a Web Site and Spend the Rest of Your Life in the Great Outdoors will very certainly bring a large increase in the traffic to Cool Works.

Take a moment to think about the mechanics of grabbing this attention. It is as simple as letting people know what you're up to, delivered in the form of a press release.

(Now that we think of it, it's probably useful to mention how receptive we are to a well written press release.) Who's Recruiting?

The Olsten site also includes a report on the use of a "blended worforce". (A workforce of regular, full-time workers employed by a company plus temporary workers employed by third parties working on site at the host company.)

Olsten suggests the following 8 point strategy for managing a blended workforce:

• Establish clear boundaries and skill requirements for the temporary/assignment workforce and the scope of involvement.
• Establish human resource policies and practices to support the Blended Workforce strategy.
• Institute parallel selection criteria for core and assignment employees.
• Establish an integrated communications program for the core and assignment workforces.
• Use an on-site manager.
• Integrate assignment employees into teams.
• Conduct job training for assignment employees.
• Establish specific metrics to monitor productivity and quality.

The full report is available in an Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format. You'll need a copy of Acrobat to read it.

In general, the Olsten site presents a solid and very readable alternative to the run-of-the-mill staffing site. It is heavily focused on customers and the information they need to effectively use a staffing firm.

Net Demographics By Profession

Recruiters will find the statistics concerning the distribution of professions quite interesting. The three largest occupational categories are:

• College student (13.7%)
• Programmer (8.8%)
• Manager (4.0%)

Accountant	0.61%	Admin/Secretary	2.02%
Advertising	0.28%	Architect	0.20%
Artist/Musician	0.64%	Attorney/Judge	0.81%
Broadcast/Media	0.53%	CEO	0.93%
CFO	0.18%	CIO	0.68%
Civil Servant	0.72%	Clerk	0.07%
College Educator	2.86%	College Student	13.70%
Consultant	1.54%	Counselor	0.54%
Designer	0.79%	Engineer	3.35%
Entertainment	0.14%	Health Care	1.18%
Homemaker	1.64%	IS	2.02%
Investor	0.24%	K-12 Educator	2.67%
K-12 Student	3.78%	Laid off	0.09%
Looking	0.47%	Manager	4.04%
Marketing	1.03%	Military	0.28%
Mircocomputer	3.21%	Networking	1.67%
Not looking	0.27%	Nurse	0.80%
Other	27.02%	Performer	0.13%
Physician	0.81%	Programmer	8.76%
Religious Occupation	0.12%	Retired	2.47%
Salesperson	0.71%	Self Employed	1.35%
Service Industry	1.54%	Technician	0.92%
Vice President	0.80%	Writer/Journalist	.38%

This data shows the broad spectrum of professional recruiting that is possible using the Net.

The GVU website also includes pointers to other sources of Net Demographics

PEOs Online

Since PEO employees work on site, you'd think that the web would be a significant portion of the generic strategy. A quick survey of these firms shows no particular emphasis on the use of the web. We imagine that the level of web-quality represented by these companies is about to explode. Online time cards, benefits packages and recruiting are the most obvious areas.

A.B.P. Able Staffing Administaff Archco Bakersfield's Edwards The Cura Group Certified Systems, Inc. CheckMate Systems Continental Benefit Admin EMI Human Resources, Inc. Inter West Personnel Inc. ISI Modern Employers Inc. National Employee Leasing Co	NovaCare Pay + Benefits, Inc Personnel Remedies PCI Staffleasing People Lease Professional Employee Mgt Professional Staff Leasing Professional Staff Mgt, Inc SCI Solution Management, Inc. Staff Management, Inc Stone Mountain Group, Inc. Sunshine Companies Synadine United Staffing Alliance

"Recruiter's Resolutions For 2003:

1. Finally, clear the resumes off my desk
2. Take a speed-reading course to get through resumes faster
3. Find three new places to source good people
4. Lower cost-per -hire (make that, determine cost-per-hire...then lower it!)
5. Find a talent Management system to help with all of the above.

We know what you're up against. And we've got the answer.

Hodes iQ, brought to you by Bernard Hodes Group. From adopting our talent management system or enhancing your own system to providing new sourcing strategies on the web, we have proven solutions to make your recruiting enterprise better. Find out how Hodes iQ and Hodes iQPost can help you in the new year and beyond.

Put Hodes iQ to the test.

Call 888.438.9911 or visit http://www.hodesiq.com today.

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