The Team at Infoworks is organized by region. Beneath their web interface lies a human strategy to plumb the differences between regions in the United States. This strategy deserves your clear attention. While the site occupies space on the so-called "World-Wide-Web", the company recognizes the key truth about Recruiting. The bulk of the work in our business is inherently regional. The development of results for your recruiting requirements is handled with a clear emphasis on available candidates in your region.

Building regional focus directly into their organization clearly discriminates InfoworksUSA from the competition.

You might take a quick look at their "help" page. Most services assume that candidates will readily understand search logic. InfoworksUSA has gone to great lengths to provide an easy to use facility.

As the marketplace continues to devolve into discrete niches, keep your eyes on players like these guys. They don't wave their arms claiming "global dominance". Rather, they provide focused services with a clear marketing path to the candidates you need.

Everyone knows just how competitive the IT/IS Recruiting marketplace has become. Given the InfoworksUSA marketing strategy and sleek operations, they're liable to be a useful weapon in your advertising arsenal.

How Long, How Short?

For the first two thirds of this century, technical training was provided through the mechanism of forced conscription in the national military. The draft gave millions of men and women direct exposure to the use of contemporary technology. The military was the fundamental supply point for mechanics in the 1940s, the early wave of computer programmers and many of the prior generation's managers. We're simply feeling the pinch caused by military downsizing and an all volunteer force.

Although the decision to modify the supply of trained technical professionals was executed in Washington, it happened with a large degree of popular support. We're just paying the long term price for that decision.

The IT problem will solve itself. The salary differentials alone are adequate to move the right quantity of workers into the right positions. Experienced white collar professionals make adequate IT workers with a minimum of training. Smart firms, recognizing this fact, are developing in-house worker conversion programs that solve the problem profitably.

Smart staffing firms (Manpower and Matrix resources) solve the problem by using training as a recruiting tool.

The real problem comes after the IT shortfall has been addressed. Migrating workers to fill the slots left vacant by new IT recruits is a more decentralized issue. How do you recover the expertise when your marketing talent is earning their living in IT? Who do you replace them with?

Recognizing the source of the problem is only a part of the question. While the military could have been harnessed to solve the IT shortage, it wasn't. It's not likely that replacement sales people will ever be produced by the Armed forces.

The training bill, due from a decade old decision, is coming due.

Remember Stagflation?

The problem with Economics is that it is a science of "winning the last war". It focuses on history as a method for predicting the future. While reasonable in its approach, it's doomed to failure.

In hindsight, stagflation was the direct consequence of the "baby boom" generation entering the workforce and buying housing. Current economics are driven by the beginning of their departure from the workforce, changes in retirement planning and declining birthrates. Heads will be scratched again.

The current 4.3% unemployment rate will be remembered by recruiters as the end of an era of good times. Like Seinfeld's final episode (which signals the real beginning of the web era and the end of Network TV), recruiting based on candidate abundance is over. O V E R.

High end recruiting operations (who can "cherry-pick" with higher marginal compensation packages and status) will continue to have more applicants than opening. Even their overall numbers will begin to decline shortly. For the other 95% of us, the game has to change to a more strategic model. Any market driven by shortages does.

During the remainder of this year, recruiting effectiveness will become a rapidly increasing issue. Placement productivity as a function of outbound calls will decline as current employers increasingly match offers. They'll have to to stave off massive attrition. This year's margins in third party recruiting will be unprecedented. But, they will be derived from the first and second quarters' performance.

Inside HR departments, hours and cost per placement will take a steep move upward. Even the cherry pickers will be competing more aggressively.

You can expect these forces to drive the Internet cost-per-hire up correspondingly. The net cost per candidate is rising now. You'll experience it as declining resume quality and lower response rates.

Take a look at the back issues of our newsletter. We offer a variety of tips and examples for coping with this change. Essentially, the long term future of recruiting will involve network building and a constant stream of value shipped routinely to candidates you may never hire. A shortage is 180 degrees different from abundance. So are the strategies and tactics.

Email

At the simplest level, Email is the most powerful potential tool in your arsenal. But, you have to meet some basic parameters to use it effectively:

1. Always spell check your mail....nuff said
2. We recommend using Microsoft Outlook because it uses the grammar checker from Word
3. Always "sign" your email. A signature file (which all emailers support) allows you to include the contact information required in business correspondence. Use it! Any email you send for business purposes should clearly identify:
   • Your Name
   • Title
   • Company
   • Address
   • Phone and Fax Numbers
   • Web URL If it doesn't, why do you suppose anyone would bother to answer you (except your mother, of course).

Seminar I: Management, Strategies and Tactics
Don't jump on the bandwagon to be cool. Don't use technology without a clear view of the payback. This intense seminar addresses the questions any manager, owner or director should ask before continuing to invest in Electronic Recruiting. It is designed for owners, managers and section heads. We're offering it in 3 cities this Spring.

Schedule For Seminar I

May 12: New York City		May 15: Chicago, IL

Seminar II: Advanced Searching and Sourcing
Learn how to mine the data fields. This one day presentation covers spidering, flipping, and depth searching...all of the tools required to unearth the passive candidate. The course includes a A CD Chock-Full Of Net Software and Tools.

Schedule For Seminar II

May 11: New York, NY May 13: Austin, TX May 15: Atlanta, GA May 18: Irvine, CA		May 18: Princeton, NJ May 20: Boston, MA May 20: Seattle, WA

Graduates receive:

Enroll today, seats are still available. There is a discount available for early registrations. The seminars have a retail price of $995. If your payment is received by April 15, there is a $150 discount. For Payments received by May 1, the savings is $100. We offer an additional discount of $100 for each member in a group of 2 or more.

You can learn more about the seminars, register online or call us at the office (415.377.2255 or 800-358-2278) to register.