The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Editorial Ash Nallawalla ash@melbpc.org.au |
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It has been a few years since I had to recruit and interview staff. There are two IT vacancies at my day job. Both are Web-related, with one being more technical than the other, which was not advertised. The interviews are yet to take place as I write this. I have written about recruitment and interviews in the past, but always from the candidate's viewpoint. Now I can see the other side of the coin.
No recruitment agency was involved and an online service was used to advertise and process the responses. About 30 applications arrived on the first day, and then a sharp decline which has continued for at least four days. All in all, I processed about fifty applications.
My overall reaction is mixed. Almost all the applicants have jobs, which suggests that the unemployment rate in the Web-related industry must be very low. Most are aged (estimate based on graduation years mentioned in the resumes) in their twenties. Many have multimedia degrees, some have computer science degrees, a handful have science or engineering degrees and the rest have no tertiary qualifications.
Several of the candidates are working in non-IT occupations where they cannot use their IT training. I find myself skimming past the educational backgrounds and zooming in on actual experience. The technical role needs a combination of skills that is difficult to find, so I know that preparing the shortlist and the interviews will be difficult.
Arranging the interviews has been equally difficult. I have to find an interview room and a time when one other staff member and the candidate are available. Repeat that five or six times and you can see the picture.
What were the mistakes made by some candidates? They have ranged from failing to proof-read for spelling and grammar, to submitting resumes written for some other career ambition. Others are not mistakes - some are trying to get an IT position after having the qualifications but with no Web or IT work experience.
So what have I learnt so far? Recruiters are often blamed for using keyword filters to process applications, which can cause them to miss capable applicants. I have experienced a very small slice of their daily routine, which I have found difficult to fit into my already full workday. Each application took me less than three minutes to skim-read, but I put aside the ones that matched most of the requirements. I have read them at least three times to arrive at my shortlist, but new applications are still coming in.
KoolMoves 4.6.2
KoolMoves Lite, which is free, is the basic version of KoolMoves Advanced. The Lite version gives you an idea of the capabilities of the full program as well as showing some of the effects that can be achieved. The cost of upgrading to the Advanced version is $14.95 US. You can get a copy of the free version on the April 2005 Monthly CD.
Affiliate Marketing (AM) SIG
This is crunch time. George Skarbek has offered to be the convener of the proposed SIG and the first meeting will be held at our Chadstone premises on 9 April 2005 from 10 am until noon. If we get the required 10 signatures, the SIG will be recognised. To whet your appetites, here is the proposed agenda:
- Welcomes, introductions, expectations
- Brief overview of AM
- Members describe their own AM experience, if any
- Detailed case study of the BettyMills affiliate scheme.
- Basic web site building using Notepad
- Basic search engine optimisation
- Introduction to Pay-Per-Click Advertising
- Guest speakers (including members' experiences)
Reprinted from the April 2005 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
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