VideoJug is per their site “the world’s most comprehensive library of free factual video content online”. The site is basically a competitor to YouTube, but is geared specifically toward‚ ”How To” and “Ask The Expert” videos and content. After visiting the site, I discovered that there are several ways to uncover and source potential candidates and job seekers. Let me show you what I mean:

First I click “Technology” in the top toolbar.

Next, I click on “Computers” half way down the page on the left hand side.

I then click the first video titled “Computer Basics” under Hardware SOS.

Once the video starts, I note two things. First, I see the name, title and company are listed for the “expert” who has developed the video. Second, there is a “Meet the Expert” link at the top.

When clicking on “Meet the Expert”, I discover more information about this potential passive candidate, including details about his job duties, technical skills and work location. His current company is listed as well. All of this information gives me plenty of leads to go on to determine if he may be a fit for one of my open positions, and how to track him down if needed.

Another avenue to pursue on VideoJug‚ is to utilize the search feature at the top of the site. This‚ will allow you to locate videos based on key words and important skills sets.‚ 

One final way to take advantage of VideoJug is to ask a question in the Discussion Forum‚ and open dialog with experts and potential job seekers.

Were you aware that social and business networking sites are being used by Recruiters and Sourcers to find active as well as passive candidates? By asking that question, I’m really just joking, but if you honestly answered “NO”, then please check out the Networking Sites section of StaffBytes. You need to get caught up to speed fast.

With all the attention on networking sites, Ning is one site that stands apart, in that it not only let’s you join various networks but also let’s users build their own social network as well.

Per Ning, “the site offers a wide range‚ and diversity of social networks being used by everyone from students to artists to bloggers to alumni and more.” A quick search on the key word “software” pulled up dozens of networks. Here is a snapshot:

I clicked through to the Software Testing Club to show an example of a social network inside of Ning. Each network has different abilities, but most allow it’s members to create a profile and interact with that particular network whether it be by contributing to the forum, adding resources to share with others, or adding a blog post to the network. Other features include uploading videos, posting photos and conducting events. This is the general layout of most of the networks:

As a Recruiter or Sourcer, you can imagine the possibilities Ning presents. The first is to search Ning and join networks that seem to be inline with areas you are currently recruiting for and begin to network with others and post open opportunities in your company. The second would be to develop a social network that your company would approve (using their name, logo and brand) or start a hot topic of interest and welcome each job seeker and candidate you come in contact with to join it. As time goes by, you will be developing a warehouse of both active and passive job seekers who you can market job openings to. Best yet…it’s free. As far as getting the network set-up, it can be easy and hard depending on what you want on your network and what capabilities you want there. Visit the site and determine for yourself.

A new trend in recruiting that is becoming very popular is Podcasting, or as some‚ call it “Jobcasting”. Jobcasting is a way to advertise your jobs through a fast growing medium and also a way to build up your employment or company brand. Recruiters and Sourcers are always looking for new avenues to promote their job openings, and with‚ ITG Group‚ predicting that almost 60 million people will listen to podcasts by 2010, this should be grabbing the attention of all in the recruiting field.

Jobs in Pods is a great site that is geared toward this fast emerging‚ trend of using podcasts in recruiting.

Jobs in Pods‚ allows employers to record audio descriptions of their current job openings,‚ interviews with managers or employees, and provide overviews of their companys.‚ In addition, employers get to display a blog post out on the site with relevant links to the job and their company. The site offers ways for employers to categorize their jobs and provides RSS feeds for job seekers and interested parties. Podcasts are distributed to Podcast sites, RSS feeds, the Blogosphere and the website of your company.

A few directories to check out on Podcasting include‚ Podcast.com, Podcastalley, Podcast.net, Podseek and Podcastdirectory. Microsoft is a great example of a Fortune 100 company implementing podcasting into their recruiting efforts. Check out their‚ JobsBlog for more details.

Emurse is a site I discovered‚ after receiving a resume from a candidate this year. This candidate had used Emurse to develop and market their resume, so I checked into it a bit further. After a good walk through of the site and signing up for an account, I see Emurse‚ offering benefits‚ for both recruiters‚ and job seekers. Let me show you:

Recruiters have the ability to search for active and passive candidates in Emurse. Candidates create profiles‚ that are either free for recruiters to‚ view or require a fee. Fees are based on popularity and‚ availability for each candidate. Recruiters log into an “Employers” section where they are brought to a basic search screen.‚ The database seems to be fairly diverse, offering candidates from a wide range of areas from Information Technology, Sales, Finance and Government.‚ To show an example, I did a search on‚ profiles in Emurse with the key words “oracle” and “sql” from any location. The search pulled back 493 results.

Recruiters are‚ only‚ given the first name‚ and first initial of the last name for each candidate. Small details are provided for each profile. Recruiters will be able to see past positions, top keywords and job preferences for each candidate. Some are free but most require setting‚ up a pay account and purchasing‚ the contact. This is the screen shot of what appears when you want to move forward with a candidate and how it works:

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For Job Seekers, Emurse offers a “resume builder” where candidates‚ are walked through a step-by-step approach to developing a professional resume, along with expert tips and advice,‚ several design layouts, and options for marketing and distributing their resume outside of Emurse.‚ Here is an example resume (screen shot below):

Emurse also offers the ability for Job Seekers to organize detailed profiles and search for jobs,‚ as‚ the site‚ ties into Indeed, which is a search engine specifically for jobs. Click on the link for further information on Indeed.

My overall take is that it adds another good option for recruiters to use when sourcing for candidates, and a solid option for job seekers, especially with the guidance in forming a high quality resume.