Abstract:
A method-and system for recruiting personnel include the steps of identifying potential job applicants, and setting up on a hiring network or system a single electronic docket for each candidate. By way of the network the candidate is provided with an electronic password and a job application form. The filled-out form, when used in conjunction with the password, are automatically entered into the candidate&#39;s electronic docket. A recruiting team schedules interviews, performs compensation analysis, and records interview results directly into the candidate&#39;s docket. A decision maker reviews the candidate&#39;s docket to make a hiring decision, which when entered into the network results in automatic generation of suitable messages, which are transmitted after review.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. pat. application Ser. No. 09/209,211 filed on Dec. 11, 1998 entitled IMPROVED METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR RECRUITING PERSONNEL. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    This invention relates generally to methods and/or systems for the hiring of employees, and more specifically to the hiring of employees using a single electronic document over a communications network.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    As is well known, the overall success of a company, or business entity, often revolves closely around its ability to effectively staff its programs with qualified personnel. Given recent increases in demand for technically skilled employees, for example Information Systems (IS) skilled individuals, by many competing companies, coupled with flat projections of degreed graduates has resulted in fierce competition for top candidates.  
           [0004]    To exacerbate this situation, as companies continue to grow and develop multiple divisions, or independent business units, these independent business units compete against each other for common candidates, thus further increasing the cost of new hires.  
           [0005]    Accordingly, there is a need for a recruiting method and system to implement it which allows for simultaneous filling of multiple positional vacancies by multiple qualified candidates without unnecessarily competing for those candidates.  
           [0006]    By adopting the approach described in U.S. Pat. No. 09/209,211, filed Dec. 11, 1998 in the name of Williams et al., a business entity, as described therein, can reduce the overall expenditures associated with recruiting efforts by: coordinating efforts, combining resources dealing with advertising budgets, job fairs, recruiters, employment of new information technology and centralizing the recruiting effort. Williams et al. suggest that one should realize that such an approach is not merely the centralization of the recruiting function as many of the critical stages of recruitment will remain decentralized and within the control of managers.  
           [0007]    [0007]FIGS. 1 through 13 substantially correspond to like FIGURES of the Williams et al. patent application. Referring now to the several figures, wherein like references refer to like elements, FIG. 1 illustrates the underlying concept of the above-mentioned Williams et al. patent application. By providing company hiring needs  1 , preferably proactively identified, to a regional recruiting center (RRC)  5 , company hiring teams can make offers using an invitational interview concept. The RRC  5  preferably provides consolidated regional resources associated with advertising, job fairs, employment agencies, IT/Internet support, contracting recruiters, college recruiting and special recruiting events.  
           [0008]    Generally, technical recruiters associated with the RRC down-select the pool of available putative candidates (job-seekers who have not yet applied for employment with the business entity, but who may have made resumes available to the business entity), and the pool of available candidates (job seekers who have made application for a job with the business entity), and invite candidates to interview. Business unit (division for example) hiring managers interview these candidates at the RRC on predetermined days for example. Preferably, each day focuses on a particular skill set. The RRC director then coordinates collaborative roundtable sessions associated with each independent business unit&#39;s needs and the candidates who have interviewed. Pursuant to this session, select candidates are offered one salary with one or more business units.  
           [0009]    The advantages to an approach such as that of the Williams et al. patent application include that the RRC acts essentially as a forcing function, thus shortening cycle time from recognition of a hiring need to actual hiring of an employee. Further, the controlled, integrative environment should provide each candidate with a more positive impression of the company as a whole (including each independent business unit) thus making it a more attractive employer to the candidates.  
           [0010]    Further advantages to be realized include reducing the number of interview hours required of hiring managers, increasing the acceptance ratio by utilizing coordinated offers, hand-selected hiring managers and better focused recruiters, and an increased employee quality by using a centralized gatekeeper.  
           [0011]    Referring now also to FIG. 2, therein is illustrated a more detailed diagram of the method of the Williams et al. patent application. First, hiring needs  1  are communicated  3  to the RRC  5 . Candidates  20  are then identified from the collected resumes  15  and are provisionally associated with at least one of the hiring needs  1  communicated. These candidates  20  are telephonically screened and are invited  25  to attend an RRC interview day  4 .  
           [0012]    On the RRC interview day  4  to which the candidates were invited, they are preferably first briefed  27  regarding the RRC process and informed as to what they can expect. The candidates are then individually interviewed  30  while compensation reviews  35  and security checks  40  are conducted. Feedback  45  from the interview sessions  30  and  50  from the compensation reviews  35  and security checks  40  are used in a roundtable review  55  of each of the interviewed candidates, which leads to consolidated offer or thank-you letters being distributed  60 . Finally, candidate follow ups  65  are conducted by the RRC of each candidate.  
           [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 illustrates the preferred steps of candidate identification as set forth by Williams et al. Prior to an RRC interview day, preparation activities are required. During the Interview Day Preparation phase, candidates are identified, Electronic Candidate Folders are created, an on-line review of candidate resume is performed, and candidate education occurs as described in the sections following.  
           [0014]    Upon receiving job requirements from the Participating Business Units (divisions for example), Job Requisitions  65  are entered into a database  70  (hereinafter referred to as the Resumix Software System). At the same time, as potential applicant resumes  15  are received, they are scanned and input into the Resumix Software System  70 .  
           [0015]    Based on RRC Job Requisitions opened (unfilled for example), the Resumix system performs a search  75  against open requisitions  65  and resumes  15  to identify applicants that meet job requisition requirements. Upon matching an applicant to job requisition, an RRC Recruiter  80  telephones the identified applicant  85  and conducts a telephone screen  90  to determine if the skills and experience of the applicant match the received resume  15 . Upon passing the telephone screen  90  the applicant  85  is invited to the RRC for an in-house interview. The candidate is scheduled for an interview appointment and is given a web site address, user name, and password to access the RRC external web site, and instructions on the web site applications required to be downloaded and filled out prior to arriving at the RRC.  
           [0016]    The RRC Recruiter  80  sends  103  a soft copy of the applicant resume  15  via electronic mail from the Resumix Software System to a RRC Scheduler  95 , as suggested in FIG. 4. In addition, a list of applicant names  100  that have been invited to interview are sent  104  via electronic mail to the RRC Scheduler  95 , for use in preparing Interview Day Electronic Candidate Folders  110 .  
           [0017]    As also suggested in FIG. 4, upon receiving the list  100  of names of invited candidates and soft copy resumes  15  for each candidate, the RRC Scheduler  95  prepares  106  for the interview day. Accessing the RRC Alta Vista Forum  105 , for example by using a commercial off the shelf software package available such as a web browser, the RRC Scheduler  95  creates an electronic folder  110  for the Interview Day for each candidate name. Each candidate folder  110  is populated with the associated candidate resume  15 . Upon completing of the electronic candidate folder  110  preparation as described in conjunction with FIG. 4, an electronic mail message  120  is sent  121  to the Business Unit Hiring Managers  125 , informing each manager  125  of the availability of candidate resumes  15  for review prior to arriving to the RRC for interviews.  
           [0018]    Upon receiving an electronic mail notification  120  that resumes  15  are available on-line for review, Business Unit Hiring Managers  125  preferably review  123  candidate resumes  15  prior to the interview day. Resumes  15  are accessed using the RRC Alta Vista Forum  105  via a web browser. Preferably, hiring managers  125  select resumes  15  for review using two different methods. The first access method is through a selection of the Interview Day folder and subsequently through each Candidate Electronic Folder  110 . The second method is through the use of a Search Engine to select candidate resumes using key word and date parameters.  
           [0019]    Referring now also to FIG. 6, after receiving an invitation to interview at the RRC, each candidate  85  is required to call and schedule an appointment and to fill out employment forms  130  prior to the interview day. Each candidate  85  is provided a web site address and corresponding name and password to access the RRC external web site  135 .  
           [0020]    The RRC external web site  135  preferably serves as a vehicle to communicate the following information:  
           [0021]    Information on the participating business units  
           [0022]    Information about living and working in the business unit&#39;s geographical area  
           [0023]    Information of preparing for a successful interview  
           [0024]    Employment forms to download and fill out prior to arrival  
           [0025]    Directions to the RRC  
           [0026]    Visit preparation instruction  
           [0027]    Upon accessing to the RRC Web Site  135 , each candidate  85  downloads and preferably fills out the following employment forms  130 :  
           [0028]    Job Application  
           [0029]    EEO Form  
           [0030]    Conflict of Interest Form  
           [0031]    Security Form  
           [0032]    All forms  130  are preferably collected upon each candidate&#39;s  85  arrival to the RRC, but could also be electronically transferable to the RRC for example utilizing the website  135 .  
           [0033]    Referring now also to FIG. 7, at the same time of the general briefing  27 , the RRC Scheduler  85  begins to populate the Regional Recruiting Information System (RRIS)  140 , an access database which houses the results of the interview day, with Candidate Information  145  derived from the interviews, resume, phone interview, form set  130  (including security form  130 ′ 1 , job application  130 ″, EEO form  130 ′″, and conflict of interest form  130 ″″). Candidate Information  145  that is captured in the RRIS  140  preferably includes:  
           [0034]    Candidate Name  
           [0035]    Candidate Title  
           [0036]    Candidate E-mail Address  
           [0037]    Candidate Work Phone Number  
           [0038]    Candidate Home Phone Number  
           [0039]    Candidate Fax Number  
           [0040]    Candidate Address  
           [0041]    Candidate City  
           [0042]    Candidate State  
           [0043]    Candidate Zip Code  
           [0044]    Candidate Social Security Number  
           [0045]    Candidate Ethnicity (Maintained in restricted files; entered if self identified)  
           [0046]    Candidate Gender (Maintained in restricted files)  
           [0047]    Candidate Comments  
           [0048]    During a RRC Interview Day three main activities are performed by RRC Personnel. These activities include Candidate Check-In, Interview Sessions, and an end-of-interview-day Offer decision meeting as described in the following sections.  
           [0049]    Upon arriving at the RRC, each candidate  85  is preferably welcomed by the RRC Receptionist  150 . The RRC Receptionist  150  collects the employment application forms of form set  130  from each candidate  85  and then preferably escorts each candidate  85  to the technology lounge  155 .  
           [0050]    The technology lounge  155  provides a waiting area as candidates  85  wait for the Interview Sessions to begin. It provides a desktop area (preferably including kiosks  245 ) where each candidate  85  can access the external RRC web site  135  to continue to conduct research and where each candidate  85  can interact with business entity softcopy information materials. The I&amp;S Section Information Program  160  provides insight into I&amp;S Section Businesses, which participate in the RRC, and the products that are developed within the Information and Services Sector.  
           [0051]    Upon receiving a hardcopy of each candidate folder  110 ′, the RRC Receptionist  150  provides the form package  130 , with the exception of the Security Form  130 ′, to the compensation analyst  185  (FIG. 8), and the Security Form  130  to the Security Manager  165 . At the beginning of each interview session, each candidate  85  is escorted into a large conference room and attends a general briefing. The general briefing  27  provides information on the hiring business entity, and educates the candidate  85  on the RRC and what to expect during the Interview Day.  
           [0052]    Upon completion of the general briefing session  27 , each candidate  85  is escorted back into the Technology Lounge  155  and awaits his first interview. The RRC Hiring Managers  125  and RRC Security Manager  165  introduce themselves to each candidate  85  in the technology lounge  155 , as suggested in FIG. 8, and proceed to individually escort each candidate  85  to a designated Interview Room (not illustrated). Each candidate is interviewed and upon completion is escorted back into the technology lounge  155 . Upon completion of each interview, a Hiring Manager  125  returns from escorting the Candidate  85  to the Interview Room and accesses the RRIS database  140 . The Manager Information that is captured by the RRIS database  140  preferably includes:  
           [0053]    Social Security Number  
           [0054]    Business Identifier  
           [0055]    Name  
           [0056]    Title E-mail Address  
           [0057]    Work Phone Number  
           [0058]    Home Phone Number  
           [0059]    Mail point  
           [0060]    Fax Number  
           [0061]    Comments  
           [0062]    The Manager  125  enters a real-time assessment  170  of each candidate  85  derived at least in part from the interview. Hiring Interview information  170  which is captured preferably includes:  
           [0063]    Hiring Manager Name  
           [0064]    Business  
           [0065]    Hiring Location, including City and State  
           [0066]    Candidate Name  
           [0067]    Position Interviewing for  
           [0068]    Communication Skills Assessment  
           [0069]    Technical Capabilities Assessment  
           [0070]    Work Experience Assessment  
           [0071]    Degree  
           [0072]    Major  
           [0073]    Years of Applicable Experience  
           [0074]    Hiring Band, if required for business  
           [0075]    Resume Accuracy Assessment  
           [0076]    Compensation Range Assessment  
           [0077]    Hire Status Assessment  
           [0078]    Comments  
           [0079]    Upon completion of a Security Interview, a Security Manager  165  returns from escorting a candidate  85  to the technology lounge  155  and completes a Security Interview Assessment  175  form which is kept separate from the RRIS  140 . Security Interview information  175  captured preferably includes:  
           [0080]    Candidate Name  
           [0081]    Candidate Potential Clearance Level  
           [0082]    Current Clearance Level  
           [0083]    Current Clearance Status  
           [0084]    Comments  
           [0085]    Security Evaluation  
           [0086]    Security Manager Name  
           [0087]    Candidate  85  continues to interview based on a pre-set schedule for the Interview Day. At the end of the Hiring Manager  125  and Security Manager  165  interview set, each Candidate  85  meets with a recruiter  80 . The Recruiter  80  escorts each candidate  85  to an interview room and conducts a closing interview. Upon completion of the Closing Interview, each candidate  85  is preferably thanked for his time and completes the interview day. The Recruiter  80 , upon escorting the Candidate  85  back to the Receptionist  150  returns to the interview room and access the RRIS  140  to enter a closing interview assessment  180 . Closing Interview Assessment information  180  captured preferably includes:  
           [0088]    Recruiter Name  
           [0089]    Candidate Name  
           [0090]    Current Salary (if applicable)  
           [0091]    Last Increase (percentage, if applicable)  
           [0092]    Last Increase Amount (dollars, if applicable)  
           [0093]    Time of Next Review (if applicable)  
           [0094]    Minimum Salary Requirements  
           [0095]    Location Preference/Business Name  
           [0096]    What it will take for the candidate to work for Business entity  
           [0097]    Additional Comments  
           [0098]    During the Interview Session, an RRC Compensation Analyst  185  accesses the RRIS database  140  and reviews interview assessment data  170  for each candidate  85 . Based on the assessment data  170 , the Compensation Analyst  185  determines a price point to offer to each candidate  85  and enters the Compensation Analyst assessment  190  into the RRIS database  140 . The Compensation Analyst Assessment  190  preferably includes:  
           [0099]    Compensation Analyst Name  
           [0100]    Compensation Offer  
           [0101]    Comments  
           [0102]    Referring now also to FIG. 9, upon completion of all Interviews for the interview day, all personnel ( 80 ,  125 ,  165 ,  185 ) who have been active in the interview day meet at the end of the interview day to discuss candidate offers for select candidates  85 . Preferably, a director  195  of the RRC acts as the facilitator of the offer decision meeting.  
           [0103]    During the offer decision meeting, the RRC Director  195  facilitates a review of each candidate  85  that attended the interview day. Each candidate=s Interview Assessment Data ( 170 ,  175 ,  180  and  190 ) are reviewed and an offer, including price, and companies offering a position are determined. The RRIS database  140  is preferably projected from a desktop platform onto a large conference screen for the Director=s  195  use in facilitating the session for example. Final offer decision information  200  is captured in the RRIS database  140  upon agreement for each candidate  85 . Offer Decision information  200  captured preferably includes:  
           [0104]    Business  
           [0105]    Hire Decision  
           [0106]    Hiring Manager  
           [0107]    Compensation Offer  
           [0108]    Sign-On Bonuses  
           [0109]    Decision Comments  
           [0110]    Any candidate  85  not receiving an offer is reflected as rejected in the database  140 . Candidates  85  are preferably defined with the following Hiring Statuses:  
           [0111]    No Hire  
           [0112]    Hire for Business entity  
           [0113]    Potential Hire for Future  
           [0114]    Hire for other hiring need of Business Entity.  
           [0115]    Upon completion of the Offer Decision Meeting, a Candidate Offer Decision Report  210  is preferably cycled and printed from the database  140 .  
           [0116]    Referring now also to FIG. 10, after the Interview Day Decision Offer Meeting, a series of Post-Interview activities are performed. These activities include Offer Letter Preparation and Applicant Tracking Updates as described in the following sections.  
           [0117]    Upon completion of an Interview Day, the RRC Scheduler  95  accesses the RRIS database  140  and runs the automated Offer Letter and Thank You Letter Reports  220 . Each candidate  85  who has not received an Offer Letter  220  is sent a thank You Letter  220 . The Offer Letters  220  and Thank You Letters  220  are exported from the RRIS database  140  into a Rich Text Format file for example. Using Microsoft Word or any other suitable means, the Scheduler  95  reviews and concatenates the Offer Letters  220  down to one Offer Letter  230  per candidate using the Offer Letter Decision Report to ensure that all Offers are reflected in each letter  230 . In addition, the Thank You Letters  220  are reviewed in soft copy format prior to printing hard copy versions  230 .  
           [0118]    Upon completion of the Offer Letter and Thank You Letter soft copy preparation  220 , the letters are printed ( 230 ) and provided to the assigned RRC Recruiter  80  for final review, and approval. Upon receiving the approval, including the Recruiter  80  signature, each letter  230  is sent  231  to the respective candidate  85 , preferably by Federal Express for example.  
           [0119]    Referring now also to FIG. 11, along with reviewing and approving the Offer or Thank You Letter  230 , each Recruiter  80  preferably logs into the Resumix Software System  70  and updates the Applicant ADisposition≅ and AOffer≅ Statuses  240  for each candidate  85  that has interviewed for an LMC position. If a Candidate  85  has not been extended an offer, the Disposition statuses  240  preferably reflect the reasons for the decision.  
           [0120]    If an offer is extended, upon receipt of a candidate&#39;s  85  response, the candidate&#39;s decision data is entered into an AAccept≅ or AReject≅ status fields within the Applicant status  240 , in addition to the candidate&#39;s AHire Date≅ if applicable.  
           [0121]    Referring now also to FIG. 12, preferably the technical center includes multiple kiosks, each of which preferably include a Pentium II computer, a mouse, a keyboard, a flat panel display, an Internet browser such as Netscape Communicator, other Internet software such as NetNanny, and productivity software such as Microsoft Office or the like (collectively designated as  245 ).  
           [0122]    Preferably, each interview room includes a Pentium computer for example, a mouse, keyboard, monitor, Internet browser such as Netscape Communicator, virus protection software, and other software such as Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Office for example (collectively designated  450 ). Additionally, each interview room computer preferably includes a QWS3270 TN 3270 emulator for communicating with existing hardware (mainframe) and for accessing the database  140  for example. Preferably, the server/router/switch/hub configuration includes a Cisco 4500 Router  455 , Cisco 5000 Switch  460 , Cisco 1924 Hubs  465 , and a Compaq 2500 Fileserver with NT Server w/service pack  470  for example. Also, a connection  250  to the entity&#39;s existing network  255  is provided. Preferably the Kiosk Internet Proxy Server  475  includes a Compaq 2500 Fileserver with NT Server w/service pack, and Netscape Proxy Server and server to insulate the kiosks  245 . Preferably each manager  125  is equipped with a Pentium II laptop, mouse, keyboard, docking station, display, modem, Ethernet adapter, an Internet browser such as Netscape Communicator, virus protection software such as McAfee Antivirus and other software such as Adobe Acrobat Reader and Microsoft Office Professional (collectively designated  475 ). Preferably each managers  125  laptop further includes a QWS3270 TN3270 emulator.  
           [0123]    Referring now to FIG. 13, estimated scaled-up results from a pilot program consistent with the Williams et al. arrangement are therein illustrated. As illustrated therein, resumes  15  were collected  240  using sources such as media  260 , job fairs  265 , head hunters  270 , employee referrals  275  and other sources  280 , and fed into the Resumix server  290 . These resumes  15  were then down selected  285  and phone interviews led to candidate scheduling  290 . Interviews were conducted  295 , offers were extended  300  and employees started working  305 . Estimating 35,676 resumes to be received each year, approximately 10% or 3,568 would be down selected and scheduled for an interview assuming 109 interview days per year. Of these 3,568 candidates 10% are estimated as not to show resulting in 3,243 interviews being constructed each year. Of these 3,243 being interviewed approximately 74% or 2,400 are estimated to be offered jobs, 50% of those offered jobs or 1,200 are estimated to accept the offer.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0124]    A networked method and system according to an aspect of the invention is for recruiting personnel for a business entity having a plurality of distinct business units, where each of the distinct business units has individual hiring requirements, and which may compete for the same job applicants. The method comprises the step of correlating hiring needs from at least one of the distinct business units with information from resumes of job hunters to identify putative job candidates from whom a job or employment application is desired. A single electronic docket is set up for each of the putative job candidates. The single electronic docket is made available on a network. The network may include intranet and Internet portions, and the intranet portion may include plural databases. According to an aspect of the invention, each putative job candidate is provided, by way of the network, with access to electronic job application forms, which when filled out and returned over the network by each the putative candidate become part of the single electronic docket of a job candidate. Information is entered into the single electronic docket of the putative job candidate to the effect that the forms were so provided. Each job candidate is provided, by way of the network, with an invitation to an interview, specifying the time and location for the interview. A notation is made in the single electronic docket identifying at least the time and location of the interview. Substantially simultaneously with the provision of the invitation, and by way of the network, a selected hiring manager is advised of the scheduling of the interview, and providing access by way of the network to the single electronic docket associated with the job candidate who is to be interviewed. An interview is conducted between the selected hiring manager and the job candidate, and a hiring assessment is entered by the selected hiring manager into the single electronic docket. In one version of the method of the invention, substantially simultaneously with the interview, and by way of the network, an assessment is performed of at least one of security and compensation based upon the information in the single electronic docket, and the result of the assessment is entered into the single electronic docket. Substantially simultaneously with the interview, the contents of the single electronic docket are reviewed by recruiting personnel, and a decision is made as to whether to make an offer to the job candidate. The results of this decision are entered into the single electronic docket. If the decision is affirmative, a hard-copy paper offer may be electronically generated for transmission to the job applicant.  
           [0125]    In a preferred mode according to an aspect of the invention, the step of making a decision as to whether to make an offer to the job candidate is made on the same day as that on which the interview takes place.  
           [0126]    In a particular mode of a method according to an aspect of the invention, the step of electronically generating a hard-copy paper offer is performed substantially simultaneously with the step of transmitting information relating to the offer by way of the network to the job applicant.  
           [0127]    In another mode of a method according to an aspect of the invention, the step of providing each putative job candidate, by way of a network, with access to electronic job application forms, further comprises the step of providing the putative job candidate with a code which allows access to the forms, and which allows the forms, when filled out, to enter the single electronic folder. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0128]    [0128]FIG. 1 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of overall employee hiring as described in conjunction with the Williams et al. patent application;  
         [0129]    [0129]FIG. 2 is a simplified diagrammatic representation including more detail than that of FIG. 1;  
         [0130]    [0130]FIG. 3 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of candidate identification steps which may be used in the diagrams of FIGS. 1 and 2;  
         [0131]    [0131]FIG. 4 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of electronic candidate folder preparation steps which may be used in conjunction with FIGS. 1 through 3;  
         [0132]    [0132]FIG. 5 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of resume reviewing steps which may be used in conjunction with FIGS. 1 through 4;  
         [0133]    [0133]FIG. 6 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of interview day preparation steps which may be used in conjunction with FIGS. 1 through 5;  
         [0134]    [0134]FIG. 7 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of interview day steps which may be used in conjunction with FIGS. 1 through 6;  
         [0135]    [0135]FIG. 8 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of interview session steps which may be used in conjunction with FIGS. 1 through 7;  
         [0136]    [0136]FIG. 9 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of offer decision steps which may be used in conjunction with FIGS. 1 through 8;  
         [0137]    [0137]FIG. 10 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of offer letter preparation steps which may be used in conjunction with FIGS. 1 through 9;  
         [0138]    [0138]FIG. 11 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of applicant tracking steps which may be used in conjunction with FIGS. 1 through 10;  
         [0139]    [0139]FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of network interconnection utilized by the method of FIGS. 1 through 11;  
         [0140]    [0140]FIG. 13 illustrates estimated scaled up results obtainable using the method and system of the Williams et al. patent application;  
         [0141]    [0141]FIG. 14 is a simplified diagrammatic overview representation of the overall concept of an aspect of the invention;  
         [0142]    [0142]FIG. 15 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of putative candidate identification and invitation steps which may be taken in the method of FIG. 14;  
         [0143]    [0143]FIG. 16 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of assignment of an interviewing manager steps which may be taken in the method of FIG. 14;  
         [0144]    [0144]FIG. 17 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of steps which may be taken by a hiring manager in conjunction with the method of FIG. 14;  
         [0145]    [0145]FIG. 18 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of steps which may be performed by the hiring network in conjunction with the method of FIG. 14;  
         [0146]    [0146]FIG. 19 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of steps which may be performed in conjunction with interview day in relation to the method of FIG. 14;  
         [0147]    [0147]FIG. 20 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of steps which may be performed in conjunction with interview day in relation to the actual interviews, to memorialize information derived from the interviews, in relation to the method of FIG. 14;  
         [0148]    [0148]FIG. 21 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of steps which may be performed in conjunction with interview day in relation to making a hire-no hire decision, to memorialize the decision, and also illustrating some steps taken by the hiring network, in relation to the method of FIG. 14;  
         [0149]    [0149]FIG. 22 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of steps which may be performed to actualize or implement the decisions arrived at in conjunction with FIG. 21, and also illustrating some steps taken by the hiring network, in relation to the method of FIG. 14; and  
         [0150]    [0150]FIG. 23 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of steps which may be performed by the hiring network of FIG. 14 to update docket information in response to information entered either electronically or manually. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0151]    In FIG. 14, a network arrangement includes a firewall  1410  separating Internet  1412  and intranet  1414  portions of an interconnected hiring network or hiring system  1400 . The hiring network  1400  interconnects the candidate on the Internet with the RRC external web site and with various databases, such as the Sunnyvale Resumix System  70 , and the RRC access database  140  on the Intranet. According to a general aspect of the invention, candidate recruiting is performed using a single electronic candidate docket, electronic folder (E-folder) or file  1408  for each job applicant or candidate  1485 , which is communicated by way of the single hiring network or system to the various recruiting andor hiring personnel as may be required for them to perform their functions. It should be understood that the job seeker or job candidate  1485  of FIG. 14 can be considered to be a “putative” job candidate before the time at which he fills out and returns his job application forms, and may be considered to be a job candidate or job applicant thereafter.  
         [0152]    In FIG. 14, a recruiter  80  seeks out putative job applicants, or receives solicited or unsolicited resumes from such putative job applicants, and enters information relating to those putative job applicants into the hiring network  1400 . Initially, the available information may not much exceed the name and Internet address of the person identified by a resume. Generally speaking, the recruiter, with the aid of the hiring network, compares the hiring requirements on the hiring network  1400  with resume information of the putative job candidate, and identifies those putative job candidates who merit further attention. Those job candidates are contacted, preferably over the hiring network, and provided with electronic password codes and application forms. The electronic forms, when filled out and returned by the putative job candidate, are automatically routed to the single electronic docket  1408  for that candidate, and form the basis for further action. The candidate&#39;s filled-out electronic forms may be reviewed to verify that the candidate conforms to the original resume which was the basis for the contact with the job seeker, and the recruiter  80  may then assign or negotiate an interview date with the candidate. When a date has been set, the candidate electronic docket may contain a candidate identification, which may be his name, or an alphanumeric code, or some combination thereof. The docket will also contain the scheduled interview date, filled-out application form, Fair Credit Reporting Act form, Conflict-of-Interest form, Export Control form, and possibly some detailed other information about the candidate. The information is available on the hiring network  1400 , and particularly on the intranet  1414  portion thereof, to various authorized persons in the hiring groups. As illustrated in FIG. 14, one or more hiring managers  125 , a security manager  165 , and a compensation analyst  185  access the hiring network  1400  to obtain almost-real-time information about the job seekers and candidates whose information is found on the network. Since, after the initial contact with the putative candidate by the recruiter, information is electronically entered into the hiring network  1400 , the information thereon should be as up-to-date as can reasonably be expected.  
         [0153]    [0153]FIG. 15 is a simplified representation of the applicant sourcing or locating according to an aspect of the invention, which may be compared with FIG. 4. Elements  15 ,  65 ,  70 ,  75 , and  100  are as described in FIG. 3. It should be noted that resumes  15  may be the first contact with a putative job candidate, and these resumes are scanned or otherwise processed and entered into the Sunnyvale Resumix Database portion  70  of the hiring network  1400 .  
         [0154]    While ideally, if one were starting without a base of installed equipment, a single database would be used in the hiring network  1400  to contain the single docket, folder or file for each candidate, the existence of previously installed databases makes it more convenient to integrate an existing database, such as Resumix, into the hiring network database by providing a pointer associated with each single docket, folder or file which points to the corresponding resume in Resumix. Thus, a person accessing a single docket, folder or file on the hiring network perceives the system as being unitary, requiring no special steps to access databases which are not co-located with the hiring network database.  
         [0155]    Once one or more resumes are entered into the Resumix database  70  of FIG. 15, they are available as item  15  by accessing the hiring network  1400 . The recruiter  80 , with the aid of the hiring network  1400  database portion  70 , correlates the hiring needs with the available resume information from job hunters, to produce information relating to putative job candidates, who should be asked to apply for a job. An invitational email  1514  and link to the candidate folder is sent to the hiring manager from hiring network  1400 . Item  90  of FIG. 15 represents a telephonic pre-screen of the candidate by a recruiter  80  and (should the pre-screen be successful) issuance of an invitation. Recruiter  80  also imports the resume information (that is, the candidate name and requisition data) into the hiring network  1400  from Sunnyvale Resumix, and enters the candidate invitation data, as suggested by arrow  1508 .  
         [0156]    Since the putative candidate, for security reasons, cannot be allowed direct access to the intranet portion of the hiring system, an external website portion of the hiring network, illustrated as  1415  in FIG. 14, is provided, with which the putative job candidate can interact in a fashion limited by the properties of the web site.  
         [0157]    In FIG. 15, while the recruiter  80  is allocating the putative candidate  1485  to an interview day and time, the hiring system, including hiring network  1400 , generates an invitation email letter  1510  and an invitation code or password  1510   c  which is provided in the body of the letter. The code  1510   c  is one which is selected to authorize or allow the user to enter the external website  1415  of FIG. 14, and is unique to each candidate and has a short life before expiry, so that candidates will find it difficult to share the code. The letter  1510  is then emailed  1512  to the putative candidate  1485  over the network. Thus, while the recruiter  80  is allocating the candidate to an interview day and time, the hiring system automatically generates an invitation letter and an invitation code which is provided in the letter body. The letter is then emailed to the candidate, who may use the code as authorization to the company website, where forms are completed on-line. This tends to eliminate paper, provides real-time scheduling and efficiency, and the ability to distribute components of the process across the company regardless of their actual location.  
         [0158]    [0158]FIG. 16 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of a portion of the method of FIG. 14, somewhat similar to the method of FIG. 4, but differing therefrom. In FIG. 16, the candidate resumes  15  in electronic form are made available  1603 , by pointers as described above, to the single networked candidate electronic docket or folder  1408 . The preparation for interview day  106  is performed by the Recruiter  80  rather than by the scheduler  95 . The same recruiter  80  that scheduled the putative candidate and emailed the invitation letter to the putative candidate, as described in conjunction with FIG. 15, also selects the interviewing manager, as suggested by the Interview Day Preparation  106 , and that selected interviewing manager automatically receives a copy  120  of the “invitation email &amp; candidate folder” link, which advises the hiring manager that the particular candidate is scheduled with him for a particular day and time. That email to the manager(s) also provides a link by which the managers can log into the hiring network for review of the single electronic docket of that putative candidate or for an overview of the current schedule for the specific calendar date, as described in more detail in conjunction with FIG. 17. By comparison with the corresponding sourcing portion of the method of Williams et al., described in conjunction with FIGS. 3 and 4 above, the role of the scheduler  95  is eliminated in FIGS. 15 and 16, with concomitant elimination of paper, and the offer information is immediately available on the hiring network  1400  to the selected managers and to any authorized person in the hiring company.  
         [0159]    Another salient advantage of the aspect of the invention described in conjunction with FIGS. 15 and 16 is that the candidate  1485  receives electronic application forms to fill out, which when filled out and returned (in conjunction with the code or password  1510   c  are automatically incorporated into the candidate&#39;s electronic docket, without further intervention. There is no need in the arrangement of FIG. 15 according to this aspect of the invention to take any action to advise the Alta Vista Forum  105  of the data contained in a received in a candidate resume, because the Alta Vista Forum, or at least its functions, are incorporated into hiring network  1400 .  
         [0160]    In FIG. 17, the candidate electronic folder  1408  in the hiring network  1400  is immediately accessible  1481  by the hiring manager  125  who receives the email  120  from the hiring network. FIG. 17 illustrates accessing of the resumes of the various candidates by means of the hiring network  1400 , which are available as early as initial contact with the putative candidate, and even before an initial contact of the recruiter  80  with the putative candidate.  
         [0161]    In FIG. 17, the electronic candidate folder, possibly containing as little as a scanned resume, is available for review  123  by the hiring manager  125  or other authorized person. This method has the advantage that no additional step is required before the resume becomes available to the hiring manager. Such resume/dockets may be reviewed by the hiring manager based on the date of receipt of the resume, since, as to a putative candidate whose only contact has been through the sending of a resume, little other relevant information is available. At a later time, of course, when the candidate is scheduled, the single dockets for each candidate may be reviewed by candidate name or interview schedule date.  
         [0162]    In FIG. 18, candidates  1485  interact with External LMC Website  145  by filling out the online forms, adding the code or password, and returning the filled-out forms to the external website. Ideally, the forms  130  which are handled on-line include a corporate-wide job application form, Fair Credit Reporting Act form, Conflict-of-Interest form, and Export controls form. All of these filled-out forms are stored by the hiring network  1400  in the electronic folder  1610  for the particular job candidate. Other site-specific forms, such as EEO forms and security forms, illustrated together as  1820 , can be provided in electronic or printed form. FIG. 18 differs from FIG. 6 in that the various pieces of data designated as  130 , previously handled as separate items, are combined  1810  into the electronic candidate docket or folder  1408  on hiring network  1400 . Since all functions are performed on an interconnected hiring network, the various functions need not be co-located in order to achieve time savings and short turn-around in hiring.  
         [0163]    On the appointed interview date, the steps of FIG. 19 may be taken in accordance with an aspect of the invention. In FIG. 19, the candidate  1485  provides filled-out hard copy site-specific forms  110 ′ (if not already filed electronically) to receptionist  150 , who retains the form package until the arrival of the first key operative, who may be the recruiter  80 , the security manager  165 , or one or all of the hiring managers  125 , all described in conjunction with FIGS. 7 and 8. The candidate verifies and completes on-line forms as necessary, and signs a verification. The verification is printed and filed  1920  by the receptionist as hard copy in a backup or archival candidate folder. The receptionist  150  also updates  1912  the candidate&#39;s electronic folder with any modifications received from the candidate, with the aid of an electronic checklist of all the corporate and site-specific forms. The security package is routed  1910  to the security manager  165 . The hiring network displays information, together with a checklist component of the electronic candidate folder, to all interested and authorized parties, including hiring managers and recruiting center staff. This information indicates by the checklist the state of completion of the various forms, and identifies any incomplete forms and the missing or invalid information. The candidate  1485  is asked by the receptionist  150  to use the technology lounge  155  to complete any incomplete forms, which information is immediately coupled to the LMC External Web site  135  and to a link, designated Information &amp; Services CD, to each business entity and to their respective external websites, for further candidate exploration. In this manner, there is no need to route hard-copy folders, except for the security package. Because of the nature of the information contained in the security package, only security specialists are permitted access; the receptionist is not permitted to view the security material, but instead routes a separate sealed folder directly to security. Any other hardcopy matter is placed in the archival file, so there is no chance of their being misplaced or lost. The forms are complete at the time of the interviews, and not only key information, but all information relating to a given candidate, is simultaneously available to all authorized potential users.  
         [0164]    [0164]FIG. 20 is a simplified representation of interview and related activities which take place during the interview day, according to an aspect of the invention. In FIG. 20, the security manager  165  and the recruiter  80  interview the candidate  1485 , and enter  2065 ,  2080 , respectively, their assessments  2066 ,  2082 , respectively, directly into the single electronic docket of the corresponding candidate on the hiring network  1400 . Similarly, the hiring manager(s)  125  interview  2010  the candidate  1485 , and after the interview enter  2012  their assessments  2014  into the candidate&#39;s docket in hiring network  1400 . The compensation analyst  185  does not interview the candidates, but instead reviews  2016  the online information on the hiring network  1400  to arrive at a compensation assessment  2016 ′ which is entered  2018  directly into the candidate docket on the hiring network  1400 . The RRC director  195  interacts  2081  with the hiring network  1400  to produce decision reports and response letters  2083   
         [0165]    [0165]FIG. 21 is a diagrammatic representation of activities which take place after the interviews on interview day. As illustrated, most of the steps are similar to those described in conjunction with FIG. 9, up to the making of a hire/no-hire decision, designated  2108  in FIG. 21. The salient difference is that those participants in the decisionmaking process who do not actually need to meet the candidate, such as the compensation analyst  185 , can participate in the decisionmaking from a remote site by way of communications including the network  1400 . When the hire/no hire information is entered into the hiring network  1400 , it is immediately communicated to the Sunnyvale Resumix portion of the network, and the “thanks” letter  2120  and offer letter  210  can be automatically generated.  
         [0166]    [0166]FIG. 22 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of those steps according to an aspect of the invention which follow the hiring decision. The recruiter  80  verifies the offer or thank-you letter and affixes  2210  an electronic signature, and the information so entered is applied directly to the hiring network  1400 . A message is then sent, as suggested by arrow  1483 , by way of the internet to the job candidate  1485 , if the system is so programmed. The information is simultaneously accessible  2212  to an RRC administrator  2214  who causes hard copy  2216  to be automatically printed  2218  and prepared  2220  for transmittal, by post office mail, Federal Express, or otherwise, to the candidate  1485 .  
         [0167]    Follow-up after the interview day is performed by steps illustrated in the simplified diagrammatic representation of FIG. 23. In FIG. 23, the hiring network receives inputs  2310  from the various decision-makers, and, save for those inputs, operates autonomously to maintain  2312  the applicant&#39;s status  2314 , and to update  2316  the Sunnyvale Resumix database  70 .  
         [0168]    Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, there may be cases in which the job candidate information is of a type which should not appear on even a relatively secure networked system, but rather should be handled separately, as for example security information; such information would not be expected to be found in the single file or folder on the network, except in summary form.  
         [0169]    A networked method and system according to an aspect of the invention is for recruiting personnel for a business entity having a plurality of distinct business units, where each of the distinct business units has individual hiring requirements, and which may compete for the same job applicants. The method comprises the step of correlating hiring needs from at least one of the distinct business units with information from resumes of job hunters to identify putative job candidate(s) ( 1485 ) from whom a job or employment application is desired. A single electronic docket ( 1408 ) is set up for each of the putative job candidates ( 1485 ). The single electronic docket ( 1408 ) is made available on a network ( 1400 ). The network ( 1400 ) may include intranet ( 1414 ) and Internet ( 1412 ) portions, and the intranet ( 1414 ) portion may include plural databases ( 70 ,  105 ,  140 ). According to an aspect of the invention, each putative job candidate ( 1485 ) is provided, by way of the network ( 1400 ), with access to electronic job application forms, which when filled out and returned over the network ( 1400 ) by each the putative candidate ( 1485 ) become part of the single electronic docket ( 1408 ) of a job candidate ( 1485 ). Information is entered into the single electronic docket ( 1408 ) of the putative job candidate ( 1485 ) to the effect that the forms were so provided. Each job candidate ( 1485 ) is provided, by way of the network ( 1400 ), with an invitation ( 1510 ) to an interview, specifying the time and location for the interview. A notation is made in the single electronic docket ( 1408 ) identifying at least the time and location of the interview. Substantially simultaneously with the provision ( 1512 ) of the invitation, and by way of the network ( 1400 ), a selected hiring manager ( 125 ) is advised of the scheduling of the interview, and providing access ( 123 ) by way of the network ( 1400 ) to the single electronic docket ( 1408 ) associated with the job candidate ( 1485 ) who is to be interviewed. An interview is conducted between the selected hiring manager ( 125 ) and the job candidate ( 1485 ), and a hiring assessment ( 2012 ) is entered by the selected hiring manager ( 125 ) into the single electronic docket ( 1408 ). Substantially simultaneously with the interview, and by way of the network ( 1400 ), an assessment ( 2065 ;  2016 ) is performed of at least one of security and compensation based upon the information in the single electronic docket ( 1408 ), and the result of the assessment is entered into the single electronic docket ( 1408 ). Substantially simultaneously with the interview, the contents of the single electronic docket ( 1408 ) are reviewed by recruiting personnel ( 80 ,  125 ,  185 ,  195 ), and a decision ( 2108 ) is made as to whether to make an offer to the job candidate ( 1485 ). The results of this decision are entered into the single electronic docket ( 1408 ) on the hiring network ( 1400 ). If the decision is affirmative, a hard-copy paper offer ( 210 ) may be electronically generated for transmission to the job applicant.  
         [0170]    In a preferred mode according to an aspect of the invention, the step of making a decision ( 2108 ) as to whether to make an offer ( 210 ) to the job candidate ( 1485 ) is made on the same day as that on which the interview takes place.  
         [0171]    In a particular mode of a method according to an aspect of the invention, the step of electronically generating a hard-copy paper offer ( 210 HC) is performed substantially simultaneously with the step ( 1405 ) of transmitting information relating to the offer by way of the network ( 1400 ) to the job applicant ( 1485 ).  
         [0172]    In another mode of a method according to an aspect of the invention, the step of providing each putative job candidate ( 1485 ), by way of a network ( 1400 ), with access to electronic job application forms, further comprises the step of providing the putative job candidate ( 1485 ) with a code ( 1510   c ) which allows access to the forms, and which allows the forms, when filled out, to enter the single electronic folder ( 1408 ).