Cheezhead

It’s that time again. In no particular order:

1. The ‘R’ word. Few industries are as dependent on a healthy economy as employment. If companies aren’t recruiting, the vendors supporting those employers suffer. People much smarter than me are talking recession in 2008, which means everything from a modest tightening of the belt to going out of business. Certain niches will thrive, but I predict an overall downturn. Like one expert recently told me, “In 2008, I think we’ll all wish it was 2007.”

1a. Mergers and acquisitions. Yeah, every year has these, but a bad economy will leave a little more blood in the water than usual and there will be at least one biggie in ‘08. I expect a vertical job search engine or Web 2.0 figurehead to be picked up in the bargain bin, a la Edgeio.

2. Google Base content shows-up in Web search results. The search giant added video, news and the like to its Web search results, dubbed “universal search.” Along with blogs, I predict Base content will start creeping its way into organic results. Yahoo! follows suite by adding HotJobs content to its results.

3. Dems takeover The House. As a card-carrying member of the GOP, it pains me to say this, but I can’t imagine a scenario that would put a Republican in the White House in ‘08. Let’s hope a new regime can get us out of this crappy war and bring the dollar back to respectability. I’m tired of the Canadians talkin’ trash.

4. Kijiji becomes part of the conversation. Unlike its brethren who made attempts at online classifieds and stalled or just seemed to get bored, eBay’s Kijiji actually seems to be taking things seriously. They won’t make much of a dent in Craigslist’s empire, but they’ll get pub. Would be interesting to see them at HR conferences this year, but I don’t expect it.

5. Human-controlled search results fail. Sites like Mahalo and Wikipedia’s search engine offering will make a lot of noise in ‘08, but to me, it’s just a rehash of Yahoo!’s Directory and DMOZ. Traps of too much volume and human naughtiness.

6. Pot o’ Gold eludes Facebook. Google found its mojo with AdWords. Although opportunities may exist, Facebook fails to strike oil in ‘08. MySpace is no luckier.

7. Podcasts strike back. Forget about Yahoo! turning their back on them. Millions of iPods can’t be wrong. The rise of video (vodcasts) and the iPhone help immensely. Savvy marketers are making podcasts a strategic staple. (Opt-in to Cheezhead podcasts here.)

8. Mobile heats-up (in the U.S.). I’m not talkin’ .mobi domains here. With mobile phones opening up, the opportunity for businesses to create applications for users becomes very appealing. Additionally, those following Facebook mobile’s lead of adding functionality to phone interfaces will prosper in an ever-growing mobile world.

9. Wordpress plugin for job search is created. There have been millions of Wordpress downloads. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of really cool plugins that enable these bloggers to add functionality and content. None of the plugins, to my knowledge, are employment-related. Less a prediction than just hoping a vertical search engine creates a Wordpress plugin that enables users to put the same search functionality on their blog(s). And no limit in number of searches. Please!

10. Conference overkill. There are too many conferences that are way too similar. In a sluggish economy, I expect a reduction in offerings. Or, at a minimum, no newbies.

Honorable mention. Video resumes remain a hot potato few employers will touch. Employment branding videos get noticeably hotter. Jobing throws the best party at SHRM (again). Job boards start offering SEO to their clients. And OSU wins the national title in football. Go Bucks!