Why is this? I think people are a. afraid of malicious comments, b. don’t think the value is worth the resources to monitor, or c. maybe haven’t thought of it.

I will lay out some advantages I see enabling comments:

1. Increased participation - I know when I was job searching I always had questions about the position I was reading about.  I’d phone for some, but generally I wouldn’t bother and move on.  If I could comment I might consider the position if some things are clarified.
2. Better job descriptions – I am just discussing comments, but really this is about crowdsourcing the quality of the job posting.  Getting feedback would make better description, and would generate more relevant applications.
3. Gain knowledge for employer – I was just reading an article from Harvard Business School who discusses similar thoughts on improving job postings.  They’ve gone one step further tho, and suggested crowdsourcing could better define what skills are needed for the role.  Sometimes people hiring don’t entirely know the skills involved with getting the job done: ask the experts!

My crusade is for better job seeking on the internet, and I think this is the kind of mentality shift the industry needs.

Bad idea.

Recruitment companies have a bad rap, but this industry is potentially great and fulfilling.  Its a shame they try to imitate Job posting boards which are disastrously impersonal and ineffective.  I think we are going to see a major downfall for recruitment companies because they just don’t seem to get it.  Here are some tips for recruitment companies to improve their websites and survive the big bear market:

• Recruitment companies have a great resource which I’ve never seen utilized: their recruiters.  They are the boots on the ground, they have great interpersonal skills, they are experts in their field– why are you hiding them?  Find ways to connect your professionals with your users.
• Be more courteous!  It is usually a hard time (especially in this market) for job seekers.  Sending out an application for a job shouldn’t be like throwing a resume into a black hole.  It’s depressing.  I’d say only 30% of recruitment companies actually contacted me back, and I’m in a highly demanding industry.  There is no reason for that.
• Build relationships with your users.  Never once did any of the sites I visited gave me an immediate (or eventually built an) attachment to the organization.  People change jobs more often now than ever so keep your clients coming back.  Especially with the temping industry, you’d think recruitment companies would do more to try to repeat your business.
• Grow on your base business and expand into new territory.  There just isn’t any creativity out there.  Recruitment sites have a ton of traffic (we’ll see a jump soon) and generally have 1 function: job search.  You have all of that traffic, when don’t you grow a little?  Seek out some partnerships, find some useful content, and break out of mold to make yourself more profitable.
• Go 2.0!  Yes, ok, it’s a buzz word, but its a great way to build relationships with your users.
• Build on your job trend analysis tools.  SimplyHired is off to a great start with their trend analysis graph tool, but don’t stop there!  Let’s see some more in-depths content and articles and an improved interface.