The Chad and Cheezhead Podcast is back and the newest episode covers everything from the recent SHRM conference to the condition of Jobfox CEO Rob McGovern.
The majority of the podcast covers the SHRM 2009 Conference, which, at about 10,000 attendees total, was half as big as usual. The economy is probably to blame for this, with big names like Jobing turning out to be a no-show and Monster not hosting a party or making its usual million dollar charity donation.
Those companies that didn’t show could have benefited from settling for a smaller presence in order to still make business contacts. Some people thought the over-the-top displays from the big companies that could make it were a bit too much.
In either case, the SHRM conference is not normally a big driver of revenue, but more of a chance for companies to compete amongst one another. And despite those who did or didn’t make an impact, attendees were still treated to such events as a Tweet-Up and a Sheryl Crow concert.
The podcast also touches on Yahoo’s new pay-per-candidate model, an innovative attempt to compete in a different way; Twitter’s role in job search, which includes Direct Employers Association’s pilot with TweetMyJobs; and the ever-increasing presence of duplicate job content on the Web.
Enjoy.
Click here for more on The Chad and Cheezhead Podcast.
Popularity: 11% [?]
July 10th, 2009 at 7:16 am
For a site that is so biased towards Monster you really do spend a great deal of your time obsessing about them.
July 10th, 2009 at 11:27 am
good.
July 10th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Great, the world really doesn’t need another chopped photoshopped version of my likeness Joel.
July 11th, 2009 at 11:10 am
I listened to the podcast with interest and read the blog http://thechad.jobcentral.com/index.php/2009/06/24/cross-pollination-duplication-jobs/#comments and came away with more questions then answers as it pertains to “Duplication” and “Cross Pollination”
1) Who is actually complaining about duplication? The “Verticals” (job aggregators) ? The employers who are getting more response because of the increased exposure? The job seekers? The job boards?
2) It seems that duplication and cross pollination or promulgation of it is quite justifiable if it is done by someone well known or large in the industry who disseminate the jobs. Do the jobs belong to ANY job board or aggregator who is ultimately duplicating a job from the hiring company, or do they belong to the actual hiring company?
3) If it belongs to the company and they buy 1 newspaper ad and it ends up on multiple publications at NO additional cost to them are they getting more or less value for their $$ ?
4) Repetition is the key to recognition and since job seekers who visit multiple venues, the poor individuals whose role of quiet desperation has reversed with the employers in needing a position instead of a position filled as was the case a couple of years ago, need a job aren’t their chances greater that they would recognize a job that they are suitable for on another site that they missed on the 2 previous sites they skimmed through ?
5) Shouldn’t the job aggregators, whose parasitical business model perpetuates and is the root cause of duplication, whom are now in the job board business and are not only claiming this plagiarized content as their own but attempting to duplicate and push traffic to their OWN sites through the same method of duplication they “abhor” and are so self righteously wringing their hands over, be held accountable? Especially since jobseekers have not able to have any personalized user experience with them as they can with regular job boards. (see below)
Quote by The Chad “Although you do expect site owners and designers to think about job seeker experience, and the use of content that didn’t truly belong to them……….and then repackaging the exact same, now highly duplicated, content and submitting it to other job sites as their own has become an issue for job seekers, employers, and many of the verticals.”
At the end of the day it seems that if “I” (insert your own name) am using duplicated or offering aggregated jobs directly from employers or any other source to be duplicated and it benefits me, my business or my site members then it’s A OK. If someone else is doing it or is complaining about it then they are in the wrong, (unless of course I have a relationship with them that is benefiting me)…or did I miss something?
July 13th, 2009 at 10:55 am
Jamie,
1) D. All of the above
2) Not justified and it belongs to the hiring company.
3) Running parallels with newspaper in 1995 worked very well, not so much today. Great try on the spin.
4) Relevance is the key, not duplication.
5) These measures are not that of perpetuation, but that of actually controlling duplicate content.
“or did I miss something?” ANSWER – Yes, It’s much like trying to hit a fastball with a 9-iron Jamie. If you’d like better clarification feel free to contact me for a chat.
http://thechad.jobcentral.com/index.php/contact-chad-sowash-thechad
July 13th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Good podcast. Chad props to you for actually jumping in there and commenting on Jobings absence from SHRM because we sure as hell know Joel wouldn’t have brought it up. But since you did I will give Joel some kudos too for commenting as well, even though coming back with a “vengeance” is a bit of a stretch.
Besides Jobing missing out on the exposure and the opportunity to connect with DMs there are a lot of former employees, myself included, that can’t help but wonder if they would still have a job if Aaron hadn’t “tried” to ride at the front of the pack with the big boys.
Had they been there, even in a 10×10, they could have at least had controlled the message. Much like Twitter, as company, you can decide to use it or not, but the conversation will happen. Its up to the company to decide if they want to be apart of it or not. In this case they chose not to and missed the boat. Once again, poor decisions.
And this weeks job board slogan winner is Anida Jobs from Dallas with her entry “Drink the Cool Aid, your Jamestown Job Board.”
July 13th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Perhaps Jobing.com and other job boards who didn’t attend the big SHRM conference or monster who didn’t throw a big party are investing their money in developing new products for their clients and creating new employment tools to aid in candidates’ job search. The economy has unfortunately taken a toll on just about every company, so it’s smart to get back to the roots on what’s really important. With unemployment being so high these days, the most important thing is connecting job seekers with hiring companies.
July 14th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Connie I would agree but I to am a former Jobing employee and know some of the truth, or at least the truth we were told. Here are some facts: Jobing spent way to much money in Chicago last year for a market they don’t even serve. The message was “we are giving back to SHRM”. Isn’t that cute, great investment with NO ROI. The year before was the initial year and they went big and I understand why. Jobing actually is in Vegas. For Jobing not to even appear at the conference this year is questionable. If I were still there, and at this point I am thankful I am not, I would question last years message and any other message or outreach that is presented from the “leadership”. Connie, you mention that perhaps companies like Jobing are investing in R&D, really?? Does it cost that much to have your IT team that is already in place write some new code or to have new service offerings to Jobseekers who are desperate, i.e. Jobings Career Services. If I were a jobseeker I would be insulted to be asked to pay for any of those services offered. Also Connie, from an investment standpoint, why would Jobing spend so much money on the “future”of jobing putting so many people through an MBA program at ASU just to let a large majority of them go? Great investment Jobing! As you can see, the truth has not been shared and the days of just picking on Monster and CB need to end. If Jobing wants to act like a big dog, well, its time to report the issues that exist just like they are reported on Monster and CB.
July 14th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Since when did decision makers go to trade shows?
I’ve never heard of Jobing (awful name) but if in fact they’ve decided to dedicate those show dollars to more effective demand generation venues like social media, seo/sem and development then kudos for them.
Enjoyed the podcast btw…when’s the next one?
July 14th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Who else requested a new show? ; )
July 14th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Gregg,
I assure you they did not take those show dollars and direct them to those other items. They do not have any dollars. Their market share is shrinking and contract revenue is not even close to what is has been. The sad fact is they have let go many great people who gave their all and went above and beyond what any employer could have asked. The best part is, Jobing brass made you feel like you didn’t do enough. Many poor business decisions were made and the people who would have died for that organization were treated like second class people unless of course you were in the “circle”. The name Jobing used to stand for something to be proud of and talked about as if you were the luckiest person alive to work there. I could go on for days about that! I just hope the truth someday comes to the surface and is reported and not buried. I wish most of the reaming Jobing people out there the best, it has to be VERY difficult these days to “stay positive” and to not let “outside news” affect you inside.
PS – really Jobing management, are you going to be charging jobseekers for services? Aren’t some of your “community” partners the ones that currently provide those services for free??
July 16th, 2009 at 8:28 am
Relevance is key (Thank you Chad) to job seekers and potential employers. Monster.com does not accomplish this and the aggregator sites certainly do not. To get noticed it more than a resume now a days especially with the fierce competition. I created Hiredonthespot.com for this reason. Hired on the spot.com offers ways for people to get noticed other than just their resume. You have your own blog when you sign up, you can post a video resume, and even a tshirt resume. RELEVANCE is critical as is clearly noted in this blog something the big job sites fail at. The site is free for Job Seekers and it is even free to post jobs right now!
Check us out we are the future of Job Search Sites. We would love to have you join us!
http://www.hiredonthespot.com
July 16th, 2009 at 11:27 am
I just reviewed hiredonthespot.com and it offers nothing new. The blog portion of the site is rarely used.
How can you critique other sites when yours brings nothing to the table? It’s terrible
July 16th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
“Please don’t be angry if I speak only one more time,” Abraham said. “What if one honest, unaggregated job board is found there?” He answered, “I will not destroy recruiting for the sake of the one.”