Abstract:
A human resources sourcing exchange system includes a seeker interface and an agent interface so that human resource employees may submit positions that recruiting agents can use to submit candidates for employment for that position. The HR employee may associate a single fee to a plurality of agents payable to the agent that provides an incentive for candidate hiring. The system resides on a computer server and provides multiple simultaneous access to users over a local or global communications network, such as the Internet, for employee agents and employee seekers, such as the HR employee, to exchange employment information. The system structures the process through a series of HTML screens whereby such agents and seekers can exchange employee candidates and employee positions, which results in a facilitated matching of resources.

Description:
[0001]     This application claims the benefit of filing priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 and 37 C.F.R. §1.78 of the co-pending U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/620,534 filed Oct. 20, 2004, for a Human Resources Marketing Program. All information disclosed in the prior pending provisional application is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates generally to a method of performing human resource functions within an organization. More particularly, the invention relates to performing candidate searches for employment through a network of agents.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Human resource professionals confront a Hobson&#39;s choice when deciding how to advertise a position within the organization. Either the position may be posted for all to view, such as through an online career board service like Monster.com or Hotjobs, or, limit access to a much smaller subsection of candidates by hiring a person such as an executive recruiter to find and fill the position. Choosing to post the position on a career board results in an unfiltered, massive candidate pool of candidates who are at best marginally qualified for the position. There is little control over the quality of candidates whose resumes are received. Moreover, because positions are posted by both organizations that are looking for individuals and executive recruiters who have been hired to find candidates, the same job may have multiple entries within the same career board service. Thus, an organization that is searching for a candidate may review the same resume multiple times.  
         [0004]     In the alternative, choosing an executive recruiter limits the candidate pool to the applicants known to the individual recruiter and her network. Such a limited group of individuals may limit the quality of the candidates reviewed. Thus, the breadth of the search is limited. Moreover, the fee charged by the recruiter is usually fixed by the recruiter and does not reflect the value of the position to the organization attempting to fill the position.  
         [0005]     Finally, within the organization, the human resources department may drain the resources in that organization. In most situations, the human resources department does not conduct the business of the organization. Instead, the department fits the specific needs of the organization. However, there may be times when a candidate who is very qualified for similar positions may not be a good fit within the organization. In such a situation, the human resources department, has no incentive to help that candidate find a position within a different organization.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     It is an object of the invention to provide a method of finding an employee by aggregating agents of employable candidates. A talent seeker specifies a fee for the service of an agent simultaneously to a plurality of agents. The seeker posts a position listing characteristics sought in an employable candidate. Candidates are reviewed by the seeker after the agents submit the candidates. The seeker employs a reviewed candidate and pays the fee to the agent who submitted the candidate.  
         [0007]     It is another object of the invention to provide a method of finding employment for a candidate. The method includes reviewing posts of positions listing characteristics sought for an employee. The characteristics are matched to a candidate&#39;s abilities. The candidate is notified that the candidate&#39;s abilities match a post. The candidate is submitted to a seeking agent. A fee set forth in the post is collected after the candidate becomes an employee of the seeking agent.  
         [0008]     Another object of the invention is to provide a system for matching candidates with an employment opportunity. A seeker interface is configured to receive and post a fee amount and characteristics of an employment opportunity to a plurality of agents. An agent interface is configured to search the posted employment opportunities and submit candidates who meet the characteristics of the employment opportunity. The posted fee is paid to an agent through the agent interface when the agent submits a candidate that becomes employed by the seeker. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a human resources sourcing exchange system for facilitating employment decisions.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a seeker interface shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of an agent interface shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a flow chart of the steps a seeker takes in posting and hiring a candidate for a position.  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a flow chart of the steps an agent takes in finding a position and matching a candidate to an employment opportunity.  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is a flow chart of the steps within the human resources sourcing exchange system of  FIG. 1  to facilitate the exchange of positions and candidates between the agent and seeker.  
         [0015]      FIG. 7  is a partial example of an innovator interface showing positions, transactions, and candidates.  
         [0016]      FIG. 8  is another partial example of an innovator interface showing candidate activity.  
         [0017]      FIG. 9  is another partial example of an innovator interface showing details about a candidate.  
         [0018]      FIG. 10  is another partial example of an innovator interface showing details about a position. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0019]     Turning now to the drawing figures,  FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a system  10  for facilitating employment decisions. The system  10  initiates communications between users such as a seeker  12 , a talent agent  14 , and an innovator  16  through networks  18 , such as the Internet. Each type of user initiates contact to the system by logging on, which initiates a specific user interface determined by the access the user has established within the system  10 . The seeker  12  initiates activity through a seeker interface  20 . The talent agent  14  initiates activity through an agent interface  22 . An innovator interface  24  combines both the seeker interface  20  and the agent interface  22  so that an innovator  16  may use the system  10  as either a seeker  12  or a talent agent  14 . A database  26  stores the information that the users enter into the system  10 .  
         [0020]     The system  10  is preferably a website residing on a server available to users through a web browser program such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Firefox. Preferably, the interfaces  20 ,  22 , and  24  are built using hyper-media pages. Such browsers interpret received hyper-media pages, often called hyper-text pages, and present a formatted visible page on a computer screen to a user pursuant to the wishes of the page&#39;s author. Hyper-media pages are currently written in HTML (HyperText Markup Language) version 4.0, or later, but the inventors fully anticipate that later versions of HTML will be created to enhance the user&#39;s Internet experience. For the purposes of the present disclosure, the term “hyper-media” is defined as any type of HTML page file presently available or hereafter developed, or similar language, that presents linked text and objects to a user over the Internet or other communications networks. Through such hyper-media pages, scripts can be written in applications such as Omnipilot Lasso to verify data and control the input and output of data into SQL databases  26 . As such, the database  26  is structured to receive the input related to the seekers  12 , talent agents  14 , innovators  16 , employment opportunities submitted by seekers  12  and candidates submitted by agents  14  such that server side applications can access the information to display results on the client-side display. Additional workflow applications, as described below, are triggered from input operations. For example, the system  10  can produce and send emails to users and candidates when certain triggers from events occur.  
         [0021]     In operation, a seeker  12  enters the site, preferably over a network such as the Internet, to post a position for employment on the system  10 . The seeker  12  preferably enters the site through a personal computer. A seeker  12  may be a human resources manager at a corporation, or a person otherwise responsible for filling the employee needs of an organization. Through the seeker interface  20  a seeker  12  may add a position to the database  26 . The seeker  12  may also manage previously entered positions and review the candidates that have been submitted to fill the positions the seeker  12  has posted.  
         [0022]     Once a seeker  12  posts a position, agents  14  may enter the system and review the position posted. An agent  14  may be a recruiter, such as an executive recruiter. In this manner, agents  14  are not people seeking an employment possibility for themselves, but instead are searching for employment opportunities for others. In the system  10 , then, the agent  14  is responsible for directing a candidate toward an open position. Such a system  10  allows a seeker  12  to expect agents  14  to only submit candidates that are qualified for the position posted. The candidates submitted by the agents  14  would be more qualified because, first, the agents  14  are more likely to understand the needs posted by the seeker  12 , and second, poor submittals by an agent  14  would likely mean that seekers  12  would likely spend less time reviewing the candidates from the agent  14  who provides poor candidates.  
         [0023]     Finally, the third type of user, an innovator  16 , combines the functionality of both a seeker  12  and an agent  14 . Such a user may be a member of a human resources department. As an innovator  16 , a user may post positions in the system  10  as a seeker  12  and also provide candidates to other seekers  12  as an agent  14 . By posting positions, the innovator  16  hopes to attract candidates from other agents  14  who may have access to candidates the innovator  16  has not seen. As an agent  14 , the innovator  16  may review the postings of other seekers  12  and provide candidates to the seekers  12  that the innovator  16  has met through other channels, such as internal candidates within the organization or candidates who had sought employment at the innovator&#39;s organization through other means.  
         [0024]     As an example, a human resources department may want to become a profit center within the organization. In most situations, HR departments are considered loss centers within an organization. The department provides necessary services, but is rarely responsible for adding value to the organization through providing the services or products that the organization uses to generate revenue. With the system  10 , though, the human resources department can generate revenue by providing assistance to candidates who initially are searching for a position within the organization, but do not meet the needs of the organization. If such a candidate meets the needs of a seeker  12  in the system  10 , then the innovator  16  may submit the candidate to the seeker  12 . In doing so, the innovator  16  has used the system  10  to provide the service of an agent  14  to a seeker  12 .  
         [0025]     As another example, the same innovator  16  may be asked to deal with a situation in which employees have been laid off. In order to help the displaced employees, the innovator  16  may review the positions posted in the system  10 . By using the system  10  in this manner allows an innovator  16  to rebuild a part of the relationship between the displaced employee and the innovator&#39;s organization.  
         [0026]     Turning now to the next figure,  FIG. 2  is a block diagram of the seeker interface  20  shown in  FIG. 1 . The seeker interface  20  preferably includes a plurality of modules including a posting module  40 , a managing module  42 , a review module  44 , and a ranking module  46 . The posting module  40  includes a position post tool  50  and a fee post tool  52 . Within the posting module  40 , the position post tool  50  is the interface for adding a position to the system  10 . The seeker  12  may post preferred characteristics of a candidate, minimum qualifications for the position, or both so that agents  14  may better search their candidates for the seeker  12 .  
         [0027]     The fee posting tool  52  allows the seeker  12  to set the fee for the position. The fee is the amount of money the seeker  12  will pay an agent  14  who provides the candidate who ultimately becomes an employee of the seeker&#39;s organization. By setting their own fee, a seeker  12  provides the same fee to all agents  14 . Thus, the organization does not need to consider different fee structures for different agents  14  when they consider candidates. Moreover, by setting the fee, a seeker  12  can create more interest from agents  14  by setting the fee relatively high. In contrast, if the position is not as necessary or is not time sensitive, a seeker  12  may set a relatively low fee and hope a candidate eventually shows up for the position. In this manner, a seeker  12  has greater control over the flow of candidates into the seeker&#39;s account.  
         [0028]     Once positions are posted, the seeker  12  will respond to agents  14  through the managing module  42  so that the agent  14  may inquire about the position or possible candidates the agent  14  wishes to submit. The seeker  12  may also bar certain agents  14  from seeing the position through the managing module  42 . The managing module  42  may also be used to manage multiple positions if the seeker  12  has posted multiple positions. Finally, the managing module  42  may also be used to change the characteristics or the fee associated with a position.  
         [0029]     Once candidates are submitted for a position, the seeker  12  uses the review module  44  to review the candidates. The candidate&#39;s resumes are posted to the seeker  12  through the review module  44 . The seeker  12  may update the status of the process with the candidate within the review module  44 . Ultimately, the final entry in the review will be either a rejection or an employment offer. The seeker  12 , though, may hold a candidate while he interviews other candidates because he is still interested in that candidate and wants to keep the candidate and the candidate&#39;s agent interested in the position.  
         [0030]     Another module in the seeker interface  20  is the ranking module  46 . The ranking module  46  allows a seeker  12  to rate the quality of the candidates an agent  14  submits for the position. If an agent  14  submits poor quality candidates, then the seeker  12  is likely to give the agent  14  a poor ranking. The poor ranking may be used by the seeker  12  or other seekers to limit access of the agent  14  to the postings of the seeker  12 . The ranking module  46 , then, can further help to reduce the number of candidates submitted by using only those agents  14  who understand the needs of the seeker  12  and submit quality candidates to the seeker  12 .  
         [0031]     Turning now to the next figure,  FIG. 3  is a block diagram of the agent interface  22  shown in  FIG. 1 . The agent interface  22  preferably includes a search module  60 , a posting module  62 , a managing module  64 , and a ranking module  66 . The search module  60  allows an agent  14  to search the postings of positions submitted by seekers  12 . The search module allows an agent  14  to search through the job postings, and also allows the agents  14  to view the fees for each position. Once the agent  14  finds a match between a position and a candidate, then the agent uses the posting module  62  to submit a candidate.  
         [0032]     The posting module  62  displays an interface between the agent  14  and the seeker  12 . The agent  14  enters the posting module  62  and chooses a specific position to submit a candidate. The posting module  62  allows the agent  14  to send a candidate to the seeker  12 . Preferably, before the agent  14  submits the candidate, the agent  14  must verify that the candidate meets the minimum qualifications for the position. Also, the agent  14  must certify that the candidate is not a candidate that was sent to the agent  14  by another agent. Once the agent  14  submits the candidate, the agent  14  can review the progress of the candidate through the managing module  64 .  
         [0033]     The managing module  64  of the agent interface  22  provides an interface in which an agent  14  can review candidates, check the status of submitted candidate, edit existing candidates and add new candidates. Through the managing module  64 , the agent  14  is able to manage all aspects of the agent&#39;s candidates. For example, if a candidate has changed career goals, the agent  14  may add notations within the system that lets the agent  14  know what goals the candidate has. Other information in the candidate&#39;s biography are the essential elements that are submitted to the seeker  12  when submitting a candidate. In this manner, some information within the candidate&#39;s entry may be passed on to the seeker  12  while other information specific to the agent  14  may remain private to the agent  14 , such as the contact info for the candidate.  
         [0034]     Like the managing module  42  of the seeker interface  20 , the managing module  64  of the agent interface  22  allows the user to update the status of the interaction between the seeker  12  and the candidate. If the seeker  12  wishes to ask questions regarding the candidate to the agent  14 , a status message may appear in the managing module  64  with an entry that the seeker  12  has asked a question, and the agent may then answer the question and further update the status by submitting a status message that the question was answered. Thus, an agent  14  may use the managing module  64  to manage the day to day concerns within any transaction as well as manage candidate files. Once the transaction has completed, like the ranking module  46  of the seeker interface  20 , the ranking module  66  of the agent interface  22  is configured to accept rankings from agents  14 .  
         [0035]     The rankings module  66  for agents allows agents to enter rankings for seekers  12 . The rankings module  66  may also allow the agent  14  to submit notes regarding the seeker  12  so that in future transactions, the agent may remember any particular procedures or requirements in the process for submitting candidates to that seeker  12 . Also, the ranking module  66  allows the agent  14  to rank the speed at which the seeker  12  performs tasks, such as review candidates, make offers, and pay fees. Such information is useful to the agent  14  as the agent  14  continues to interact with the seeker  12 . In this manner, both the agent  14  and seeker  12  can continue to build a relationship through the system  10 . Within the system  10 , the agent interface  22  and the seeker interface  20  are the engines for creating the sourcing exchange. Turning now to the process of creating this exchange, the following figures describe the steps the users and the system follow in a transaction.  
         [0036]     Turning to the next figure,  FIG. 4  is a flow chart of the steps the seeker  12  takes in posting and hiring a candidate for a position. The method begins in step  80 . A position and characteristics for that position are identified in step  82 . In step  84 , the position and the characteristics are posted. A fee is associated with the position in step  86 . The method then waits for candidates to be submitted in step  88 . If no candidates are submitted, then to the seeker  12  may make changes to the post in step  90 . The fee may be changed in step  92 , or the desired characteristics for the position may be changed in step  94 . By changing the characteristics, such as the offered salary, the seeker  12  may create candidate submittals from agents  14 . By changing the fee, the seeker  12  may encourage agents  14  to search harder for a match.  
         [0037]     Once a candidate has been submitted in step  90 , the seeker  12  reviews the candidate in step  96 . A suitable candidate may be interviewed in step  98  and hired in step  100 . Once the candidate becomes an employee of the seeker&#39;s organization, then the seeker  12  pays the fee specified in step  86  to the agent  14  in step  102 . The seeker  12  ranks the agent  14  in step  104  and the method ends in step  106 .  
         [0038]     By implementing this method, the seeker  12  may be able to adjust the fee paid to any agent  14  by adjusting the fee in step  86 . Thus, a seeker  12  may monitor the position and determine if the fee offered should be increased to generate more candidate submittals or lowered if too many candidate referrals are being submitted. Moreover, having a single fee associated with the position allows the seeker  12  to fix the cost of finding an employee among all agents instead of working within the individual agreements of many different agent agreements. Preferably, the fee is submitted within the system  10  and the system  10  may then disburse the fee to the agents  14 . In this manner, a seeker  12  who uses the system  10  to employ many candidates may submit a single disbursement to pay for the fees associated with multiple positions.  
         [0039]     Turning to the next figure,  FIG. 5  is a flow chart of the steps an agent takes in finding a position and matching a candidate to an employment opportunity. The method begins in step  120 . An agent  14  adds candidates to the system in step  122  which are held in a confidential listing accessible only by the agent  14 . The agent may search positions posted by seekers in step  124 . When searching, the agent  14  determines in step  126  whether a position matches a candidate. If the candidates do not match a position, then the agent  14  continues to add candidates and search positions until a match is found.  
         [0040]     When a match is found, the agent  14  verifies the credentials of the candidate in step  128 . Once the agent  14  verifies the match, the agent  14  submits the candidate for the position in step  130 . The agent  14  reviews progress of the candidate in step  132  and awaits a hiring decision in step  134 . If no hiring decision is made, the agent  14  continues to review the progress and may also submit additional candidates by returning to step  122  of the method. Similarly, if the candidate is rejected, then the agent  14  may submit additional candidates by returning to step  122  of the method.  
         [0041]     Once a decision to hire a candidate of the agent  14  is made, the agent  14  collects the fee set by the seeker  12  through step  136 . In step  138 , the agent  14  ranks the seeker  12  based on the transaction that has been completed, and the method ends in step  140 . Through the agent interface  22 , an agent may progress within the stated method for any number of different candidates, and any number of different positions. If the agent  14  has a particularly qualified candidate, he may submit that candidate to multiple positions. Similarly, if a position is broad enough that many of the agent&#39;s candidates meet the characteristics of the position, the agent  14  may submit multiple candidates to the seeker  12 . Thus, an agent  14  may manage multiple candidates and/or multiple positions at the same time within the human resources sourcing exchange system.  
         [0042]     Moreover, while seekers  12  may manage multiple positions and agents  14  may manage multiple candidates at the same time, an innovator  16  may manage both multiple positions and multiple candidates at the same time. The innovator  16 , accessing both the agent interface  22  and the seeker interface  20 , may manage a plurality of transaction both as a seeker  12  and as an agent  14 . Within the context of  FIGS. 5 and 6 , then, an innovator  16  may manage multiple instances of each of the methods, and may be at different steps in the multiple instances of the methods at any given time. Thus, the managing modules  42  and  64  of the interfaces  20  and  22 , are preferably available simultaneously through the innovator interface  24  so that the innovator  24  may manage candidates and positions without having to change interfaces.  
         [0043]     Turning to the next figure,  FIG. 6  is a flow chart of the steps within the human resources sourcing exchange system  10  of  FIG. 1  to facilitate the exchange of positions and candidates between the agent  12  and seeker  14 . The method starts in step  160 . A position for employment is stored in step  162 . In step  164 , an announcement announcing the position may be generated in the system and sent to agents  14 . In step  166 , candidate submittals from agents  14  are received based on the candidates the agent  14  has confidentially stored in the human resources sourcing exchange system  10 . Once a candidate has been submitted, the human resources sourcing exchange system  10  notifies the candidate that the agent  14  has submitted the candidate for a position within the human resources sourcing exchange system  10  in step  168 . The candidate then notifies the system that he accepts the submittal and the system receives the acceptance in step  170 . Step  172  sends the candidate information to the seeker  12 .  
         [0044]     Once the candidate information has been submitted to the seeker  12 , the human resources sourcing exchange system  10  may query the seeker (e.g., by an email) for the status of the candidate in step  174 . When the seeker responds, the status is stored in step  176 . The status may be continued review, a hold on the candidate, or a hiring decision. Once a decision regarding employment has been made, that decision is sent to the human resources sourcing exchange system  10  in step  178 . If the applicant is hired, then the fee is collected and distributed to the agent  14 . Once the fee is collected, or if the candidate is rejected, then the human resources sourcing exchange system  10  queries both the agent  14  and seeker  12  for a ranking of the other party in step  182 . The rankings are stored in step  184  and the method ends in step  186 .  
         [0045]     As may be understood, the steps of  FIG. 6  may also take place for many candidates and many positions at the same time. If multiple candidates are submitted for one position, then when a decision is made to hire one candidate, the status of the other candidates will be updated without additional entries by the seeker  12 . Thus, within the context of one instance of the steps shown in  FIG. 6 , if steps  178  or  180  occur for one candidate, that is, a candidate is hired and a fee is collected, other agents of submitted candidates are notified.  
         [0046]     Notifications and announcements from the system  10  may be sent to the agents  14 , seekers  12 , and candidates by email or other means of communication. The agent  14  and seeker  12  may have the same information from the notifications and announcements available to them in the human resources sourcing exchange system  10 , but the candidate preferably receives the information through email or through direct contact (e.g., a telephone call) with the agent  14  or seeker  12 . The candidate generally responds by selecting an appropriate html link presented to them in an email which in turn transmits an appropriate signal back to the system&#39;s server via the Internet.  
         [0047]     Turning to the next figure,  FIG. 7  is a partial example of an innovator interface display summarizing positions, transactions, and candidates. A navigation bar  200  at the top of the interface  24  displays links to other pages within the interface  24 . The other pages include an openings page  202 , a candidates page  204 , a submittal page  206 , and a transactions page  208 . Other pages such as a support (help) page, desktop (home) page, account information page, and log out page may also be accessible in the navigation bar  200 . The display of the interface  24  may display summary activity according to type of posting such as internal positions  210  (or openings), external positions  212 , new transactions  214 , and new candidates  216 . The innovator interface  24  may also provide search dialog fields  218 .  
         [0048]     Each of the posting types  210 - 216  may have identifiers, and be hyperlinked to a details page as shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . The summary page of  FIG. 7  provides enough information in summary so that an innovator  16  may review recent activity and determine which transactions, candidates, or positions need attention. Because this example interface is an innovator interface  24 , both the summary displays for a seeker  12  and an agent  14  are shown in the innovator summary. A seeker  12  who is looking for a candidate to fill a position, would only use summaries for the internal positions  210  and the new transactions  214 . The agent  14  would only use summaries of external positions  212 , new transactions  214 , and new candidates  216 . The agent  14  may also use the search dialog fields  218 .  
         [0049]     Each page within the innovator interface  24  may use one or more of the modules in the seeker interface  20  or agent interface  22 . While the modules described above with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3  are functional modules of the interfaces  20  and  22 , the displays of  FIGS. 7-10  show results of the input and output functions of one or more of the modules. For example, the summary page for an agent  14  displays external positions according to date. The search module  60  of the agent interface  22  runs a search within the database  26  to find the newest external positions to display to the summary of external positions  212 . The summary of new transactions  214  uses the managing module  64  to query the database  26  for the most recent transactions posted within the agent&#39;s account. The search dialog  218  allows an innovator  16  (or an agent  14 ) to create a search through the search module  60 . Thus, the modules represent the functional aspects of the system  10  while the displays represent the manifestation of the results of those modules, or dialog boxes to provide the necessary input to those modules to produce results within the displays.  
         [0050]     Turning to the next figure,  FIG. 8  is another partial example of an innovator interface showing a candidate display  226 . A navigation bar  230  includes many of the same hyperlinks as shown in  FIG. 7 . The commonality of the navigation bars in different displays allows a user a reference for navigating the displays. Additional links such as an add a new candidate link  232  are specific to the display.  
         [0051]     The candidate display  226  includes an active candidates display  232  and a candidate search dialog  234 . The active candidates display  232  lists the name  236 , category  238 , ID number  240 , entry date  242 , source  244  and submissions  246 . Each of these categories are filled by records from the database  26  and displayed to the agent  14  or innovator  16  when the user is viewing their candidates. The submissions category  246  is a count of the number of times a candidate has been submitted for different positions. Thus category may be helpful, for example, in determining when a candidate should re-exam his goals, or when an agent should reconsider the characteristics presented in the candidate detail.  
         [0052]     The candidate search dialog  234  can only search the candidates of the agent  14  or innovator  16 . As such, the candidate search dialog  234  performs functions within the managing module  64 . The function of the candidate search dialog  234  allows a user with many candidates to limit the list of active candidates within the candidate display  226 . While the candidate search dialog shown in this example, and the other examples of search dialogs, uses a small subset of characteristics in the search functions, it is understood that any attribute or characteristic may be used in search dialog fields. As can be seen in the following figures, the characteristics of both candidates and positions include many characteristics.  
         [0053]     When an agent  14  is viewing the position display, the agent  14  may submit a candidate by clicking the submit button in the navigation bar. When the submit button is clicked the candidate display  226  of  FIG. 8  is displayed. After an agent  14  clicks one of the candidates on the candidate display  226 , the system  10  retrieves the profile of the candidate, which is shown in  FIG. 10 , and associates that candidate temporarily with the position the agent  14  was viewing. The candidate, though, is not submitted to the seeker  12  for the position displayed until the agent completes the submittal as described below with respect to  FIG. 10 .  
         [0054]     Turning to the next figure,  FIG. 9  is another partial example of an innovator interface  24  showing details about a position. A position opening detail  240  lists specific data about a job opening. The data fields include summary information  242  such as job title, category, hiring company department and location; compensation information  244  such as base compensation, bonuses, and relocation assistance; position overview  246  which may include experience level, travel requirements, and a position overview; qualifications  248  such as required skills and experience, education, certifications, and major; contact information  250 , and a fee  252 .  
         [0055]     Depending on the type of user, the data within the position opening detail  240  may be displayed or may be empty. The data within the position opening detail  240  is displayed when an agent  14  or an innovator  16  acting as an agent searching external positions is searching the system  10  for positions for candidates. However, when the user is a seeker  12  or an innovator  16  acting as a seeker  12  by posting positions, the data is empty and input fields are shown below each data field. When a seeker  12  adds a new position, the seeker  12  is queried for data such as compensation information  244 , position overview  246 , qualifications  248  and fee  252 . The information may be queried through text boxes, drop down boxes, check boxes or the like. Some of the information such as contact information  250  and portions of the summary information  242  are generated from the date and user information generated from login to the system  10 . Thus, the input into the database  26  and the output from the database  26  include the same fields to make searching easier.  
         [0056]     Turning to the next figure,  FIG. 10  is another partial example of an innovator interface showing details about a candidate. A candidate display  260  includes general candidate information  262 , salary requirements  264 , qualifications  266 , agent contact information  268 , and certification  270 . The general candidate information  262  may include specifics about the candidate such as name, home address, and contact information. The salary requirements  264  may list desired salary and current salary. The qualifications  266  may list the qualifications of the candidate such as education, work history and skills. The agent contact information  268  may list the contact information for the candidate&#39;s agent so that a seeker  12  who has received the candidate through the agent&#39;s submittal may contact the agent  12  to discuss the candidate.  
         [0057]     Similar to  FIG. 9 , depending on the type of user, the data within the candidate display  260  may be displayed or may be empty. The data within the candidate display  260  is displayed when a seeker  12  or an innovator  16  acting as a seeker to fill a position is reviewing a candidate submitted by an agent  14 . However, when the user is an agent  14  or an innovator  16  acting as an agent by posting candidates, the data is empty and input fields are shown below each data field. When an agent  14  adds a new candidate, the agent  14  is queried for data such as portions of the general candidate information  262 , salary requirements  264 , qualifications  266 , and certification  270 . The information may be queried through text boxes, drop down boxes, check boxes or the like. Some of the information such as agent contact information  268  and portions of the general candidate information  262  are generated from the date and user information generated at login to the system  10 . For the same reasons as above, the input into the database  26  and the output from the database  26  include the same fields makes searching easier.  
         [0058]     Unlike  FIG. 9 , the candidate display  260  further includes certification  270 . The certification  270  requires an agent  14  when he submits a candidate to verify the candidate is qualified and interested in the position, meets the minimum qualifications, and was not submitted by another user of the system  10  to the agent  14 . The certification box  270  only appears when an agent  14  is attempting to submit a candidate to a seeker  12 . When an agent  14  is submitting a candidate, all other information about the candidate will be supplied from the database  26 , as the agent had previously entered the candidate data when adding the new candidate initially. Thus, as shown in  FIG. 10 , one instance of the candidate display  260  for the agent  14  includes displayed information from the database  26  and empty data in the certification box  270  because an agent  14  is not able to certify that the candidate meets the qualifications of the position until the agent  14  has reviewed the position. Thus, for each position an agent  14  wishes to submit the candidate, the agent  14  must check the certification boxes  270  each time.  
         [0059]     While the invention has been shown in embodiments described herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the invention is not so limited but may be modified with various changes that are still within the spirit of the invention.