Recruiter News Line

JobDig, a leading employment focused media, advertising, and technology company, has introduced four new subscription packages for their applicant tracking system (ATS) – JobDig Tracker. The new packages have been developed to offer greater flexibility and availability to clients with demanding business requirements and tighter budgets caused from current market conditions.

The new packages continue to deliver businesses the ability to post positions, organize candidates, and improve the hiring process, however, are offered in tailor fit solutions starting at $49 per month. Adopting from past JobDig Tracker subscriptions, the new packages are available on a month-to-month basis with no required contracts with training and support included. Implementation time also remains consistent with clients being able to start working with their new system in less than one business hour.

“JobDig Tracker’s new subscription packages offer organizations the opportunity to implement the best valued solution in the applicant tracking system industry” said Jake Stupak, Product Specialist for JobDig Tracker. “JobDig strives to continually develop and redefine our solution to incorporate the latest in cost saving technology to provide a positive impact to our clients at a truly affordable price.”

JobDig Tracker is available with a competitive range of features including an applicant portal, job order tracking, reporting, resume parsing, candidate ranking/searching, online application builder, email tracking, audit trail, matching agent, calendar scheduling, and source tracking. Each is designed to reduce hiring campaign costs while helping HR professionals hire the most qualified candidate

Employment Screening Resources (ESR), a leading U.S. background screening firm has announced that it has entered the ninth year of publishing the industry leading ESR Newsletter and Legal Update, the monthly newsletter that summarizes new trends, legal developments and best practices for employers.

The newsletter is available at no charge to employers, hiring managers, human resources and security professionals at http://www.esrcheck.com/newsletter/

“The purpose of the newsletter is to ensure that anyone responsible for due diligence in hiring can keep up with all of the complicated legal developments in the area of employment screening background checks,” stated Lester Rosen, an attorney and founder of Employment Screening Resources. ”It also helps keeps employers up to date on key trends and development, all in a manner that is easy to read and utilize.”

The Newsletter is written entirely by the ESR staff, and is part of the firm’s mission to provide real background checks as an employer’s professional  safe hiring partner, and not merely a “data vendor.”  The firm’s website is http://www.esrcheck.com

About Employment Screening Resources:    Employment Screening Resources (ESR) combines human resources, public records, and legal expertise in providing employers with fast, accurate and cost-effective employment pre-screening nationwide.  ESR’s mission is to bring professional consulting resources to an industry that largely focuses on providing data as a commodity.  ESR specializes in criminal records, reference checking, drug testing, international backgrounds and legal compliance. From its national headquarter in Novato, California, ESR serves employers across the United States from start-ups to divisions of Fortune 500 companies through its state of the art ESRnet system. ESR is also the firm that literally wrote the book on safe hiring and background checks, The Safe Hiring Manual.”   http://www.backgroundchecktraining.com/Safe-Hiring-Manua …

Mr. Rosen is a recognized expert on background checks and has addressed conferences worldwide on background checks and legal compliance, and has testified as an expert witness on the topic in American courts. He has authored two books on employment screening, “The Safe Hiring Manual: The Complete Guide to Keeping Criminals, Terrorists, and Imposters Out of Your Workplace,” and “The Safe Hiring Audit — The Employer’s Guide to Implementing a Safe Hiring Program.” Rosen chaired the steering committee that founded the U.S. National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) and served as the organization’

s first co-chair.

MBO Partners, the leading provider of independent contractor compliance and engagement solutions, announced today that they are creating a new Staffing Alliance program to reach out to the troubled industry. The Alliance would empower approved staffing companies to use MBO Partners as an independent contractor engagement vehicle, allowing them to expand their scope of services and earn additional revenue.

“Having served independent consultants for more than 20 years, our solution is the perfect bridge between independent contractors and the businesses that need to work with them,” says Gene Zaino, President & CEO of MBO Partners. “Increasingly, talented consultants are finding their own work without intermediaries. Now, staffing suppliers can leverage MBO’s capabilities to engage this sector of the workforce that is growing even in this economic downturn, while helping their clients reduce cost and independent contractor risks. The staffing industry is suffering through a massive contraction, and they need new business models to capture additional revenue and position themselves to survive and thrive.”

MBO Partners uses a proprietary online accounting and payroll system, MyBizOffice™

, to enable independent contractors - including SOW consultants — to operate their own businesses inside MBO’s corporate infrastructure. The solution not only empowers sole proprietors and small businesses to operate efficiently and take advantage of big company benefits, but it also ensures that contractor classification and tax compliance regulations are upheld.

Through the Alliance, staffing companies will be able to deliver MBO’s proven compliance results to their clients. “Organizations using MBO Partners are able to capture 11% more contingent labor spend inside their program than organizations not using MBO, according to the research performed for the Aberdeen 2009 Contract Labor Study,” said Chris Dwyer, Aberdeen Group. “They are also driving an independent contractor compliance rate that is 30% higher than the average enterprise.”

On March 18, at the Staffing Industry Executive Forum, Zaino will be an expert panelist for, “The Other Contingent Workers: What You Need to Know about Independent Contractors,” a session targeted to help staffing companies understand the requirements for independent contractor engagement.

Ella Koscik, CEO & Owner of MDI Group, one of the nation’s top professional services firms, will be among a select group of the staffing industry’s top CEOs discussing “What’s Next for Staffing?” on March 18 in Miami during the 2009 Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) Executive Forum.  The discussion, moderated by SIA managing director Ron Mester, will look at how the economy is affecting the industry and the positive role staffing can play in making companies more efficient and profitable.

What:

 Keynote CEO Panel: What’s Next for Staffing?
Date/Time:   March 18, 2009, 2:15 – 3:30 p.m.
Where:    Loews Miami Beach Hotel, Miami

Panelists:
•   Ella Koscik, CEO & Owner, MDI Group
•   Jon E. Barfield, Chairman and President, The Bartech Group
•   Tig Gilliam, CEO, Adecco North America
•   Jonas Prising, President of the Americas, Manpower
•   Moderator: Ron Mester, Managing Director, Staffing Industry Analysts

The staffing industry continues to evolve rapidly, with new ways of serving customers and new services. This session will engage top CEOs from some of the industry’s largest and most successful staffing firms in conversation and discussion.

The discussion will look at:
•   The ongoing impact of the economic crisis on the industry
•   The changing landscape facing the market
•   The important role staffing plays in enabling a more flexible and efficient workforce for organizations
•   Career and skill development for workers

“It’s vital for professional services firms to adapt quickly to these economic challenges and to demonstrate the value that contingent staffing offers companies as they struggle to remain competitive,” said Ella Koscik, CEO, MDI Group. “I’ve attended the SIA Executive Forum for five years, and am honored to be invited to participate in this panel with my peers.”

Sanford Rose Associates-Cleveland East is proud to announce its partnership with national Sanford Rose Associates offices to offer personalized, affordable outplacement services to small and medium-sized companies in north and central Ohio.

Like many professionals, the changing economy has Ginni Garner, managing director of Sanford Rose Associates-Cleveland rethinking her business. As an executive search and recruitment professional, Garner spent the last 15 years helping companies find, recruit and hire talent. Today’s economy presents a different challenge. Client companies have shifted their focus from hiring and growth to cost-cutting and stability. Companies are now in a situation where they are facing staff reductions and right-sizing.

“While the lay offs and spiraling economy has been alarming, it has allowed me to examine how my business could continue to provide value to my clients and the Northeastern Ohio business community,” says Garner.  “We are utilizing our years of candidate coaching, resume writing and interviewing to help displaced employees.”

Outplacement or career transition services make good business sense. First, companies can reduce their exposure to litigation. A former employee is less likely to search for a reason to sue if they are treated well when they leave the company. Second, companies will forge stronger community relations. Employees are more likely to talk favorably about a former employer if they are participating in an Outplacement program or given career assistance. In addition, employees often continue relationships with former colleagues. Positive communication will influence current employee engagement and retention.

“As my colleagues and I surveyed the market and spoke with executives who used outplacement in the past, we noticed a high cost and minimal personal attention given to the displaced employee,” notes Garner. “Our typical outplacement program costs half the price of some of the larger firms. It includes six hours of one-on-one work, and while our contracts call for three months of service, the reality is that we continue to help people indefinitely.”

SRA outplacement consultants coach and mentor displaced employees through a career evaluation and help them gain essential job search skills.

With the job market changing daily, the high volume of job losses has created a huge demand for outplacement, and Ginni Garner and Sanford Rose Associates-Cleveland East team of consultants is here to help small businesses effectively right-size their workforce. Learn more about SRA-Cleveland East outplacement services at www.srexecutivesearch.com.

It is no longer theoretical. The Employee Free Choice Act, commonly known as EFCA, was introduced in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate on March 10, 2009. EFCA had been introduced last year, but never gained enough support to bring it before then-President George Bush, who had promised to veto EFCA.

The tides have now turned, and current President Barack Obama has pledged that he will sign EFCA if it comes across his desk. Recently, President Obama told AFL-CIO leaders that, “[t]o me, and to my administration, labor unions are a big part of the solution. We need to level the playing field for workers and for unions that represent their interests – because we cannot have a strong middle class without a strong labor movement… And as we confront this [economic] crisis and work to… pass [EFCA], I want you to know that you will always have a seat at the table.”

A vote on EFCA could come as early as late spring or early summer. However, there is presently a great deal of speculation as to whether or not EFCA will pass in the Senate. Some Senators who supported EFCA last year are now, particularly given the current economic crisis, wavering in their support of the legislation. Accordingly, it remains to be seen if President Obama will have the opportunity to sign the Act into law.

If EFCA were to pass in its current form, which is the same form as presented last year, it would represent the most dramatic change in labor law over the past 30-plus years. EFCA would essentially eliminate secret ballot elections, which are currently used to establish a union, and replace them with a card check process. Further, EFCA would require that all the terms and conditions of the collective bargaining agreement be determined by a federal arbitrator (or panel) if the parties cannot reach agreement within 120 days of negotiations. The contract imposed by the arbitrator would be in place for two years. Finally, EFCA provides for greater penalties than current law if employers engage in certain unfair labor practices during a union organizing drive or during contract negotiations.

Employers should act quickly to prepare for the possible passage of EFCA. ELI®’s Strengthening Employee Relations™ course addresses managerial responsibilities for maintaining positive employee relations in order to appropriately recognize and respond to signs of union organization. For more information, visit www.eliinc.com.

OptimalResume.com, an innovator in online career services used at more than 600 career centers nationwide, is now offering its private label virtual career platform to the human resources community to help streamline corporate outplacement efforts. At a time when companies and HR departments are facing unprecedented challenges, the need for cost-effective outplacement services for transitioned employees is essential.

Optimal Resume is a customized, scalable solution that can provide transitioned employees at all levels with 24-hour access to a complete suite of self-directed career tools for creating resumes, cover letters, ePortfolios, video introductions and professional networking websites. Job seekers can practice interviews with a state-of-the art virtual job interview practice module, as well as conduct career research and assess their marketable skills.

“Optimal Resume fills the gap between traditional severance and outplacement services,” said David McNasby, COO of Optimal Resume.com. “We can help organizations that are facing significant layoffs reduce their overall outplacement liability while maximizing the delivery of outplacement services.”

Optimal Resume helps job seekers create a compelling presentation of their skills and abilities, facilitating rapid workforce reentry and promoting more efficient and useful interactions between job seekers and outplacement professionals. Through this service, employers can maintain connections with transitioning personnel in a rapidly changing business environment.

“Our solution empowers displaced employees by providing them with vital tools to make the best impression possible,” McNasby said. “Offering Optimal Resume to exiting employees of all levels is a clear demonstration of corporate goodwill that has a tremendously positive brand impact.”

CKR Interactive has released ExCELLerate™

, its complete, mobile recruitment marketing solution. ExCELLerate provides several customized campaign options, allowing for enhanced mobile marketing versatility, to enable employers to target, attract and maintain ongoing communications with prospective candidates. This innovative solution brings together CKR Interactive’s recruitment advertising expertise and CellForce’s tried-and-true mobile marketing capabilities, bringing the power of mobile marketing to clients’ recruitment efforts to help employers attract the top talent they need.

The Mobile Marketing Association and MediaPost have reported these recent mobile use trends:
• Approximately 4 billion cell phones worldwide by the end of 2008
• 53% of US cell phone subscriber base (or 138 million people) use text messaging
• More than 76% of consumers aged 18-24 communicate via this medium
• The average response rate to a mobile call to action is 12%, versus 2% for traditional media, open rates are three times that of email (over 90% of text messages are read by the recipient), click through rates can be up to 25 times higher than email, and the average time to open a mobile marketing message is 30 minutes while email’s average is 24 hours.

ExCELLerate enables instant message delivery to motivated prospects who are interested in your company, and makes it easier to attract both active and passive candidates. This solution is scalable for companies of all sizes and is very well suited to global companies or organizations with multiple locations.

“As mobile use will continue to rise for the foreseeable future, marketing to mobile customers provides an outstanding opportunity for employers to reach and attract the top talent they need with ease,” notes CKR Interactive President/CEO Curtis Rogers.  “We’re very excited about our partnership with CellForce and being able to offer such an exciting interactive recruitment marketing solution to our clients.”

“As mobile consumer reach continues to grow, we find it critical, for the successful utilization of CellForce’s technology, to focus on specific market segments” said Noam Samson, CEO of CellForce. “Our strategic partnership with CKR Interactive brings two dominant players in their respective fields to focus on recruitment marketing and to offer one of the most robust mobile marketing solutions in the industry”.