WEB SERVER DATABASE SERVER 5 I ENGINE ENGINE 3/5

US006385620B1

(12) United States Patent (10) Patent N0.: US 6,385,620 B1 Kurzius et al. (45) Date of Patent: May 7, 2002

(54) SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR THE 5,758,324 A * 5/1998 Hartman et a1. ............. .. 705/1 MANAGEMENT OF CANDIDATE 5,832,497 A * 11/1998 Taylor ................... .. 707/104 RECRUITING INFORMATION 5,884,270 A * 3/1999 Walker et al. ............... .. 705/1

5,918,207 A * 6/1999 McGovern et a1. . . . . . . . .. 705/1

(75) Inventors: L- Rex Kurzius, Plano; Jason T- 5,978,768 A * 11/1999 McGovern et al. .......... .. 705/1

Johnston, The Colony, both of TX * Cited by examiner US

( ) Primary Examiner—John Breene (73) Assignee: psiSEARCH,LLC, Dallas, TX (US) Assistant Examiner—M0hammad Ali

(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Baker Botts L.L.P. ( * ) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this (57) ABSTRACT

patent is extended or adjusted under 35

USC' 15 4(1)) by 0 days' Asystem for automated candidate recruiting using a network includes a candidate Web engine operable to communicate

(21) Appl- NO-I 09/375,116 With the netWork and to present a candidate survey form to . _ a client of the network, the candidate Web engine further

(22) Flled' Aug' 16’ 1999 operable to receive candidate quali?cation data from the (51) Int. Cl.7 .............................................. .. G06F 17/30 Client that is entered in the form. The system further includes (52) US. Cl. .......................... .. 707/1041; 705/1; 705/8; a Candidate mapping engine in Communication With the

705/9 candidate Web engine, the candidate mapping engine oper (58) Field of Search ............................ .. 434/219; 705/1, able to receive the Candidate quali?cation data from the

705/7_10, 27, 35_38; 707/104, 10, 108, candidate Web engine and generate at least one candidate 1041; 514/510, 319, 724; 435/325, 6, 71, identi?er in response to parsing the candidate quali?cation

691, 29, 5, 366 data. The candidate mapping engine is further operable to index the at least one candidate identi?er in response to the

(56) References Cited parse'd candidate quali?cation data. The at least one candi date 1dent1?er is linked to a candidate record. The candidate

U-S- PATENT DOCUMENTS record stores the candidate quali?cation data.

5,164,897 A * 11/1992 Clark et a1. .................. .. 705/1

5,197,004 A * 3/1993 Sobotka et a1. .............. .. 705/8 23 Claims, 15 Drawing Sheets

COMMUNICATION 20 30 40 LINKS \ / \ 3? WEB SERVER DATABASE SERVER

CACNLQg/ITE ‘A. CANDIDATE EMPLOYER FILTER CANDIDATE _ ; ; WEB WEB ENGINE MATCHING

5 I ENGINE ENGINE 3/5 ENGINE I I / 24 \ / 32 / I‘ 5 22 / 26 3s / 3a ‘34 I I RECRUITER CANDIDATE JOB EMPLOYER .I

CLIENT ‘,- WEB MAPPING INDEXING / ENGINE ENGINE ENGINE

so , -------------------------------- 35 f —————————————————————————————— " '

COMMUNICATION 5O LINKS /

RECRUITER CLIENT

U.S. Patent May 7, 2002 Sheet 1 0f 15 US 6,385,620 B1

coNNuNIGATIoN 20 30

\ 3% WEB SERVER DATABASE SERVER CANDIDATE I CANDIDATE EMPLOYER GANDIDATE CLIENT 51, WEB WEB MATCHING

I I ENGINE ENGINE 3/5 ENGINE 55 / 24 \ / 32 / 34 ‘:5 22 / 26 36 / 38 / ‘I i RECRUITER CANDIDATE JOB

E%'EIL€JTER I‘ WEB MAPPING INDExING / ENGINE ENGINE ENGINE

35 f ——————————————————————————— -'

COMMUNICATION 50 LINKS /

RECRUITER CLIENT

35) F I G . 3 C ‘ 3

DATABASE SERVER

GANDIDATE MAPPING ENGINE JOB INDExING ENGINE

JOB PosTING GANDIDATE GANDIDATE DATABASE RECORDS RECORD

/ DATABASE JOB

104 / 106 RECORDS \ 102 \

GANDIDATE NIAP )2 126 CANDIDATE CANDlllgclTE 123 / lDENTlFlERS REV JOB POSTING

/ TEMPLATE EMPLOYEE REVIEW 1 To DATABAsE TEMPLATE

36 \ 3s \ \ 32 \ 34

GANDIDATE FILTER ENG'NE NIATGHING ENGINE


FIG. 2 o o

|__;_____|__| 82 PROCESSOR MEMORY /

_._ INPUT 8% 28 DEVICE

|<—402—>I‘—404 =i< 406 >'= 408—-—>|

CANDIDATE MAP

GEOGRAPHIC TEXAS DALLAS/FORT WORTH LOCATION HOUSTON

AUSTIN SAN ANTONIO

CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO LOS ANGELES SACRAMENTO DAVIS, THOMAS

ELLORY, MEGAN LI. MARK COOPER, SUSAN

SOFTWARE JAVA CORBA SOL HTML 0-2 YEARS EXPERIENCE

2-5 YEARS EXPERIENCE 5+ YEARS EXPERIENCE ADAMS, JOHN

BEST, MARK COOPER, SUSAN

MANAGERIAL/SUPERVISORY DRYER, KEVIN

PROJECT WEB DESIGN MANAGEMENT DATABASE DESIGN

OBJECT ORIENTED NOVELL NETWORKS ANDERSON, WILLIAM

BROCK, JENNIFER WEST, ALLISON

/ 104 FIG. 4


@ CANDIDATE Is

PRESENTED WITH fgog IDENTIFICATION

C? SETUP FORM I

CANDIDATE OPTIONS /502 CANDIDATE PRESENTED T0 CANDIDATE IDENTIFICATION /6D4

1, INFORMATION IS CANDIDATE SELECTED 504 RECEIVED

CANDIDATE / I OPTION IS RECEIVED CANDIDATE IS

PRESENTED WITH [506 CANDIDATE

SURVEY FORM 508 / I

NEw CANDIDATE CANDIDATE PROCEDURE QUALIFICATION DATA f608 INITIATED IS RECEIvED

I 512 CANDIDATE / PROFICIENCY FORM

REvIEw JOB IS CENERATED IN /61O POSTINGS RESPONSE To PROCEDURE RECEIVED CANDIDATE INITIATED QUALIFICATION DATA

I__> I CANDIDATE IS

PRESENTED WITH /612 GENERATED

/ PROFICIENCY FORM

NO CANDIDATE I PROCEDURE CANDIDATE INITIATED PROFICIENCY DATA \614

I IS RECEIVED I I

( END ) CANDIDATE QUALIFICATION AND PROFICIENCY DATA

FIG- 5 Is sToRED IN \616 CANDIDATE RECORD

GID FIG. 6

U.S. Patent May 7, 2002

@ CANDIDATE IS PRESENTED WITH BROWSE AND SEARCH JOB POSTING OPTIONS

CANDIDATE IS PRESENTED WITH JOB POSTING SEARCH ENGINE

I CANDIDATE ENTERED SEARCH

TERMS ARE RECEIVED I

SEARCH TERMS ARE COMPARED TO JOB CRITERIA

I LINKS TO MATCHING JOB

POSTINGS DISPLAYED TO CANDIDATE

Sheet 4 0f 15 US 6,385,620 B1

FIG. 7

CANDIDATE PRESENTED WITH INDEX OF POSTING CATEGORIES

I POSTING SELECTED CATEGORY IS RECEIVED FROM CANDIDATE

I JOB POSTINGS PARSED AND/OR SORTED FOR INCLUSION INTO SELECTED POSTING CATEGORY

I

/722

f724

/726

SELECTED JOB POSTING RECEIVED FROM CANDIDATE

I

LINKS TO INCLUDED JOB POSTINGS ARE DISPLAYED

TO CANDIDATE FOR SELECTED POSTING CATEGORY

SELECTED JOB POSTING DISPLAYED FOR REVIEW

APPLICATION INPUT SELECTED BY NO

746/

CANDIDATE INTEREST LOG FOR FOR THE SELECTED JOB POSTING IS UPDATED

WITH CANDIDATE IDENTIFIER

I

NEW CANDIDATE PROCEDURE INITIATED

I

\744

I

(END)


@) 8D2\ CANDIDATE IS PRESENTED WITH

EXISTING CANDIDATE OPTIONS

806\ CANDIDATE IS PRESENTED WITH CANDIDATE SURVEY FORM

I CANDIDATE QUALIFICATION CANDIDATE IS PRESENTED

DATA IS RECEIVED WITH OPTIONS To /820 I MODIFY OR REMOVE PROFILE

CANDIDATE PROFICIENCY FORM 8IO\ IS CENERATED IN RESPONSE

TO RECEIVED CANDIDATE QUALIFICATION DATA

I

8I2\ CANDIDATE IS PRESENTED WITH GENERATED PROFICIENCY FORM

I 8I4\ CANDIDATE PROFICIENCY

DATA IS RECEIVED

I CANDIDATE QUALIFICATION AND

816/ PROFICIENCY DATA IS STORED IN CANDIDATE RECORD

2 V

(E FIG. 8


I START )

I

RECRUITER LOGIN REQUEST RECEIVED

904 NO

YES

RECRUITER IS PRESENTED WITH

RECRUITER OPTIONS

I RECRUITER OPTION SELECTION RECEIVED

RECRUITER IS PRESENTED WITH BROWSE/SEARCH JOB POSTINGS

OPTIONS

NO OPTION SELECTION CANDIDATE FILTERING?

914

RECRUITER IS PRESENTED WITH BROWSE/

SEARCH CANDIDATE PROFILE OPTIONS

I RECRUITER IS

PRESENTED WITH CANDIDATE PROFILE OPTIONS

I CANDIDATE PROFILE OPTION RECEIVED

I

915/

916/

918/

Sheet 6 0f 15

FIG. 9

CANDI DATE

SURVEY?

PROFILE OPTION DELETE CANDIDATE

US 6,385,620 B1

920 CANDIDATE

PROFILE OPTION ADD CANDIDATE To 922 DATABASE SERVER /

? ADD CANDIDATE PROFILE T0 DATABASE SERVER

926/


FIG. 10 ( START )

EMPLOYER LOGIN INPUT RECEIVED

YES

IDIO\ EMPLOYER OPTIONS ARE PRESENTED TO EMPLOYER

1012

I01

I020

CANDIDATES OPTION

JOB POSTINGS OPTION

BROWSE/ SEARCH ASSIGNED

RECEIVED?

6 BROWSE/

SEARCH EMPLOYER

RECEIVED?

NEW JOB POSTING OPTION

RECEIVED?

Sheet 7 0f 15

/1002

US 6,385,620 B1

CREATE EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION

/-1006

I CREATE EMPLOYER

PROFILE /IOO7

I EMPLOYER

DATABASE UPDATED /IOO9

I

1014 /

BROWSE/SEARCH ASSIGNED CANDIDATES PROCEDURE INITIATED

1018 /

BROWSE/SEARCH ASSIGNED CANDIDATES PROCEDURE INITIATED

I022 /

NEW JOB POSTING PROCEDURE INITIATED


@ EMPLOYER PRESENTED WITH

BROWSE AND SEARCH OPTIONS

I 1104\ CANDIDATE SELECTION INPUT

RECEIVED FROM EMPLOYER

I CORRESPONDING CANDIDATE

SURVEY FORM PRESENTED TO EMPLOYER

I 1108\ INTEREST OR FEEDBACK


I CANDIDATE SURVEY DATABASE UPDATED

I

1112/ RECRUITER AND/OR CANDIDATE NOTIFIED

1306\

1308/

@b FIG. 11

@)

Sheet 8 0f 15

JOB POSTING FORM PRESENTED TO EMPLOYER FOR ENTRY OF JOB DESCRIPTION

@3

US 6,385,620 B1

EMPLOYER PRESENTED WITH BROWSE AND SEARCH OPTIONS

/I202

I JOB POSTING SELECTION RECEIVED FROM EMPLOYER

/I 204

I POSTING

PRESENTED TO EMPLOYER /I206

I EMPLOYER GIVEN EDIT AND CANCEL OPTIONS

/I208

I EDITS OR CANCELLATION


I JOB POSTING

DATABASE UPDATED

I RECRUITER NOTIFIED

@ FIG. 12

CANDIDATE MATCH PERFORMED fmo

I I JOB POSTING

RECEIVED FROM EMPLOYER CANDIDATE MATCHES RANKED

I I

EMPLOYER DATABASE AND JOB POSTING DATABASE UPDATED

RECRUITER. CANDIDATE AND/OR EMPLOYER INFORMED

OF RANKED MATCHINGS

I RECRUITER NOTIFIED

I__—,

FIG. 13

/13I2


1400 “Q2 FIG. 14a ,/

Contact information

Home Sheet: 1408 WY: 1406 State: Z|p:(5 Address ilk Q Q 1408

miffed First Choice: Second Choice: Third Choice; Locafions

Will you relocate?

Can you give written evidence of a right to work in the US?

?g'gir?g?on Home phone: Q Office phone: Q Home FAX: Q 0111“ FAX: Q Cell phone: Q Pager: Q] Primary emaikQ Secondary email:;]

*I prefer to be contacted via my

Reference How did you find out about us (ex: recruiter's name?Q

Background Information (education it work history optional if resume included below) Education _ _ l _ year

Education Le Major Unlverslty Did you Graduate? Graduate? 1. Ila-III] l "' HI —Select— El 1991 lvl

2.. NA I "I "I —Select— 199i lvl

3. N A I "I 1' Esme-1F" 1991 IF]

Work History (Last 3 Employers, starting with most recent) S’ n S I (I 00

Company Dates Month Year Title (ex: 53,0083 Q "033m lmlll? | 11 1 111-11

Im-lli'i

Q F'°T"J@E_ I 7' I "I 1' [PH-"i

Q mam lmlll'n' | 11 | 11! 1| ll'i'l-ll?

gg‘sl'oymm Current Salag: gex: 57,5005 Desired Sala = _ information will l4—4

Career Goals/ ‘ Other Comments:


I400 140° FIG. 14b

Skill lnvenlory: (Choose skill keywords. Hold dawn the CTRL key lo selecl mullipl Business Relaled SoIIware Relaled Hardware Relaled Skill Keywords Skill Keywords Skill Keywords ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE E] SSHARE @ IO BASET IE ACCOUNT MANAGER 3+ OPEN IOO BASE T BOOCH ABAP (SAP) 1420 APPLE MACINTOSH BUSINESS ANALYST ACCESS -—'- APPLE TALK CASE -I ACCOUNTING ARCHITECTURE - CASE TOOLS ACP/TPF ARCNET CUSTOMER SERVICE ACTIVE SERVER PAGES AS/4OO DIRECTOR ADA ATM £22 FOUNDATION I 8 ADABAS AT&T FUSION ADSM BISYNC/ASYNC GANE & SARSON AIX BRIDGES IDEF ALC CDMA INFORMATION ENGINEERING APPLE CITRIX WINFRAME INSTRUCTOR APPLESHARE CLIENT/SERVER JAMES MARTIN v APPLICATION MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE Y CMIP v

Addilional Skills (Iisl any skills nol A found in above list-separate with 1424 commas): v

Resume: Use Ihe Browse bullon lo allach word 6.0 or lexl formal resume here:

Or Pasle ConIenI lnIo Ihe Field Below: A

v

4 >

\I4I6 /

1414 \


FIG. 15 Skill Defuils

l I l I 11 I L I

L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E V V v V V V V V V V V V V V V E E F. r... r... r... F. F. F. E C... E F. r... F. L L L L L I. L L L L L L L L L t... E r... E E F. r... ..r. F. C... r... F. r... E E VIC C c C C C C C C C C C C C C c N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N m F. E F... E E F. .k E .k E E E ..|.|.. E E

.l R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R Al» F. E E E E r... rr. F. F. rr. rr. ..r. E r... E

II P P D: P D: P DI P P P D: P P P P 0 VA VA VA VA VA VA VA VA X VA VA VA VA VA vA DJ E ..r. ...r. F. r... E E E F. rr. ...r. F. r... E E

E r... rr. ..r. E F. E F. E E r... F. r... E E S S S S S S S S S s S S S s s 0 o 0 0 o o o 0 O 0 0 o o 0 o O O O O o o o 0 o 0 AU 0 0 0 o H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H C C c C C C C C C C C C c C c l I I I l I l I I l l I l l I

Sklll ACCOUNT EXECUTlVE

ACCOUNT MANAGER

CASE TOOLS

FOUNDATION

IDEF

ACCESS

ACCOUNTING

ADSM

APPLESHARE

APPLE MACINTOSH

ARCHITECTURE

ATM

AT&T

CLIENT/SERVER CMIP

Would you like To receive free e-mcil notifications of new job postings that OYQS ©N° match your skills?

\TSTO

U.S. Patent

BUSINESS —— MANAGEMENT

May 7, 2002 Sheet 12 0f 15

@ JOB POSTING RECORD /I602

IS DESIGNATED

I JOB CHARACTERISTICS

COMPARED TO CANDIDATE /1604 QUALIFICATION DATA OR CANDIDATE MAP

I MATCHING CANDIDATE RECORDS RETRIEVED

I CANDIDATE RECORDS

RANKED

I CANDIDATE RECORDS LIST IS PRESENTED OR STORED TO FILE

i> FIG. 16

US 6,385,620 B1

[1606

/1 608

\IGIO

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE JOB 1 MANAGER JOB 2 RETAIL MANAGER JOB 3 VICE PRESIDENT DIRECTOR

— METHODOLOGIES

—- PROJECT

—— SUPPORT

— MARKETING

—— TRAINING

HARDWARE ---— MANUFACTURERS

SOFTWARE —— APPLICATIONS

— NETWORKS

— MAINTENANCE

FIG. 17 -- DEVELOPMENT LANGUAGES

— DEVELOPMENT PACKAGES

—— NETWORK ENVIRONMENTS

— OPERATING SYSTEMS

— SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT


JOB POSTING

TITLE: DESCRIPTION:

STATUS: REQUIRED SKILLS:

PREFERRED SKILLS:

SOFT SKILLS:

SALARY RANGE:

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:

LOCATION: LENGTH OF CONTRACT: DATE POSTED:

F I G . 1 8

PARTICIPANT NEWSGROUP TARGETING DATABASRE TARGETING

LIST SERVE LIST

1900 1904

PARTICIPANT SURVEY TARGEHNG NEWSGROUP DATABASE MODULE MODULE DATABASE

L02 1910 1912 __1906

PUBLISHING TARGETING MODULE ENGINE

1914 1908

FIG. 1 9


2002\ JOB POSTING RECEIVED MANAGING HOST AcGEssED / 2102

2 4 4' J’ 00 \ NEwsGRouP DATABASE AGcEssED NEwsGRDuPs 0N MANAGING /2104

I HOST ARE POLLED

2006 JOB GRITERIA COMPARED TO I \ NEWSGROUP CHARACTERISTICS NEWSGROUPS MEETING

OF EACH NEWSGROUP RETRIEVAL CRITERIA ARE /2106 I SELECTED AND LISTED IN

NEWSGROUP IDENTIFIERS NEWSGROUP BUILD LIST CORRESPONDING To MATCHING I

2008/ NEWSGROUP CHARACTERISTICS NEWSGROUP RECORD ARE SELECTED GENERATED FOR EACH \ 2108

I LISTED NEWSGROUP SELECTED NEwsGRouP II

2010/ IDENTIEIERs ADDED TO NEWSGROUP RECORD RETRIEvED NEWSGROUP TARGETING LIST FOR GATEGoRIzATIDN

I AND INDExING \ 2110

NEWSGROUP TARGETING 4' 2012/ PROCESS [3 CONDUCTED NEWSGROUP RECORD INDEXED \2112

FIG. 20 FIG. 2 1

i MATCHING NEWSGROUPS /221O 2202\ JOB PosTING REcEIvED ARE SELECTED

I I ' 2204\ AT LEAST JOB NEWSGROUP IDENTIFIERS

cRITERIoN DETERMINED AND ADDRESSES FOR 2212 I SELECTED NEWSGROUPS /

NEWSGROUP ADDED TO NEWSGROUP TARGETING LIST

2206/ DATABASE Is ACCESSED I

I! JOB PosTING Is PosTED JOB GRITERIDN IS FOR EACH NEWSGROUP

COMPARED TO NEwsGRouP LIsTED IN THE NEWSGROUP \2214 2208/ CHARACTERISTICS OF TARGETING LIST AT THE

NEWSGROUP RECORDS INDIGATED ADDRESS

FIG. 22 @


@) 2302 \ NANAGING HOST ACCESSED

J 2304 \ NEWSGROUPS 0N MANAGING

HOST ARE POLLED

I 2306 NEWSGROUP POSTINGS

\ FOR EACH NEWSGROUP ARE COMPARED To PREVIOUSLY POSTED / 2402 RHRIEVAL CRITERIA JOB POST Is ACCEPTED

FOR REPOSTING I I

NEWSGROUP PosTINGs 2308 \ MATCHING RETRIEVAL pARTL'lglTpg‘ETNETgfTiEglNc / 2404

cRITERIA ARE SELECTED ‘ I

\ SELECTED NEWSGROUP NEWSGROUP TARGETING / POSTINGS RETRIEvE0 “5T GEi‘ERATED

I EACH LIST COMPARED 2408 SELECTED NEWSGROUP /

2312 \ POSTING PARSED FOR To FORBIDDEN LIST PARTICIPANT NAME I, AND EMAIL ADDRESS JOB POSTING sENT To

I NELASRJASLZ’ENESN Q‘é’H/QTST \ 24w NEWSGROUP PARTICIPANT RESPONSIBLE FOR POSTING

2314 / INCLUDED IN PARTICIPANT TARGETING LIST

FIG. 24 I JOB POSTING sENT To EMAIL ADDRESS

2316 / FOR EACH PARTICIPANT LISTED lN PARTIGIPANT

TARGETING LIST

<i> FIG. 23

US 6,385,620 B1 1

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF CANDIDATE RECRUITING INFORMATION

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to the following applications Which are incorporated herein by reference: US. application Ser. No. 09/375,117, ?led Aug. 16, 1999, and entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATED CANDI DATE RECRUITING, and US. application Ser. No. 09/374, 635, ?led Aug. 16, 1999, and entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR JOB TARGETING.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates in general to the ?eld of employ ment softWare, and more particularly to a system and method for the management of candidate recruiting infor mation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Current systems and methods utiliZed by employers and recruiters to receive and process candidate quali?cation data still largely rely on receiving paper copies of resumes, Whether these are received via mail, hand delivery, or even printed directly from a Web site on the Internet. Because of this reliance, and in order to obtain electronic versions of the resumes, many companies today process resumes by hand keying them into a Word-processing or other data entry application, or alternatively on scanner technology that is not alWays accurate or reliable.

Additionally, many systems that require keying or scan ning of candidate resumes do not alloW for ef?cient pro cessing of candidate quali?cations. For eXample, many companies revieW paper resumes by hand and only generate electronic versions of those resumes in Which they have interest. As a result, much of the revieW and processing of candidates for job positions is done manually by recruiters or other human resources personnel Who spend excessive amounts of time turning the pages of resumes looking for a candidate that jumps out at them. Such an approach, While clearly not very ef?cient, is additionally not the most objec tive means of selecting candidates for a particular job. Some resumes get lost, others get accidentally skipped over in revieW, While still others are presented in a format that is not conducive to easy revieW. In any case, such systems do not alloW for easy organiZation and classi?cation of candidate resumes for revieW and selection.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance With the present invention, a system and method for the management of candidate recruiting are disclosed that substantially reduce disadvantages and prob lems associated With previously developed candidate recruiting systems.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a system for automated candidate recruiting using a netWork is pro vided that includes a candidate Web engine operable to communicate With the netWork and to present a candidate survey form to a client of the netWork, the candidate Web engine further operable to receive candidate quali?cation data from the client that is entered in the form. The system further includes a candidate mapping engine in communi cation With the candidate Web engine, the candidate map ping engine operable to receive the candidate quali?cation

15

25

35

45

55

65

2 data from the candidate Web engine and generate at least one candidate identi?er in response to parsing the candidate quali?cation data. The candidate mapping engine is further operable to indeX the at least one candidate identi?er in response to the parsed candidate quali?cation data. The at least one candidate identi?er is linked to a candidate record. The candidate record stores the candidate quali?cation data.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a system for automated candidate recruiting on a netWork is provided that includes a computer-readable medium and a computer program encoded on the computer-readable medium, the computer program operable to be eXecuted on a computer, the computer program further operable to parse candidate quali?cation data in response to receiving a can didate pro?le. The computer program is further operable to store the received candidate pro?le in a candidate record and generate a plurality of candidate identi?ers associated With the parsed candidate quali?cation data, each candidate iden ti?er being linked to the candidate record. The computer program is also operable to compare the candidate quali? cation data to a candidate map and assign each candidate identi?er to one of a plurality of categories of the candidate map in response to the compared candidate quali?cation data.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, a method of automated candidate recruiting over a netWork is provided that includes parsing candidate quali?cation data from a candidate pro?le in response to receiving the candi date pro?le over the netWork. The method also includes storing the received candidate pro?le in a candidate record and generating a plurality of candidate identi?ers associated With the parsed candidate quali?cation data, each candidate identi?er being linked to the candidate record. The method further includes comparing the candidate quali?cation data to a candidate map and assigning one of the candidate identi?ers to a category of the candidate map in response to the compared candidate quali?cation data. The present invention provides several technical advan

tages. A technical advantage of embodiments of the present invention is that they reduce problems associated With prior candidate recruiting systems. Another technical advantage of embodiments of the present invention is that they do not require keying or scanning of resumes before they can process candidate quali?cation data they receive from poten tial job applicants. A further technical advantage of embodi ments of the present invention is that they alloW easy classi?cation and storage of particular candidate quali?ca tion data. Other technical advantages of particular embodi ments of the invention may be readily understood from the folloWing detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present invention and the advantages thereof may be understood by referring to the folloWing description taken in conjunction With the accompanying draWings in Which like reference numerals indicate like features, and Wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for automated candidate recruiting and processing;

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a server or client

used in the system of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of the database server

used in the system of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a candidate map

used in the system of FIG. 1; FIG. 5 illustrates a How chart of a method for displaying

recruiting options to a candidate;

US 6,385,620 B1 3

FIG. 6 illustrates a ?owchart of a method for presenting a neW candidate With a procedure to create a candidate

pro?le; FIG. 7 illustrates a ?oWchart of a method for presenting

a candidate With a procedure to broWse and/or search the current job postings of the system;

FIG. 8 illustrates a ?oWchart of a method for presenting a candidate With a process to enable existing candidates to modify or remove their existing pro?le, or to create a neW pro?le entirely;

FIG. 9 illustrates a ?oWchart of a method of presenting a recruiter With a process for revieWing and evaluating can didates and job postings;

FIG. 10 illustrates a ?oWchart of a method of processing job postings that are submitted by an employer;

FIG. 11 illustrates a ?oWchart of a process by Which an employer is presented With broWse and search options in order to revieW candidates that have been assigned to the employer’s job postings;

FIG. 12 illustrates a ?oWchart of a process by Which employers can broWse or search preexisting employer job postings for revieW;

FIG. 13 illustrates a ?oWchart of a process by Which neW job postings can be created and registered by an employer;

FIG. 14A illustrates portions of one embodiment of a candidate survey form that is presented to a candidate registering With the system;

FIG. 14B illustrates further portions of the candidate survey form illustrated in FIG. 14A;

FIG. 15 illustrates one embodiment of a candidate pro? ciency form that is used by a candidate to specify a level of expertise for one or more candidate quali?cations;

FIG. 16 illustrates one embodiment of a candidate match ing process used by the system;

FIG. 17 illustrates an embodiment of a hierarchical struc ture that may be used Within an index of job postings;

FIG. 18 illustrates one embodiment of a job posting form that may be used by an employer to specify desired candi date quali?cations for a described employment position;

FIG. 19 illustrates one embodiment of a database server used in the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 20 illustrates a How chart of a method for targeting mailings of job postings to particular job candidates;

FIG. 21 illustrates a ?oWchart of a method for analyZing neWsgroups and building a neWsgroup database;

FIG. 22 is a How chart illustrating a method used to select a neWsgroup to Which to send a job posting;

FIG. 23 is a How chart illustrating another method using the teachings of the present invention to select a neWsgroup participant as a target for a job posting; and

FIG. 24 is a ?oWchart illustrating one method used to repost job postings to selected addresses.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 10 for automated candidate recruiting and processing. In general, system 10 accepts electronic job postings from employers and candidate quali ?cation data in the form of candidate pro?les from potential job candidates. System 10 categoriZes and indexes the postings and pro?les in order to automatically match suit able candidates to suitable jobs.

System 10 includes a Web server 20 in communication With a candidate client 40, a recruiter client 50, and an

10

15

25

35

45

55

65

4 employer client 60. System 10 also includes a database server 30 in communication With Web server 20 and recruiter client 50. Communication betWeen clients 40, 50 and 60 and Web server 20, as Well as communication betWeen Web server 20, database server 30, and recruiter client 50, may be implemented using hardWare and softWare associated With one or more communication links 35.

Although servers 20 and 30 and clients 40, 50 and 60 are referred to in the nomenclature of a client/server environment, it should be understood that each of servers 20 and 30 and clients 40, 50 and 60 may be any type of computer operating in any suitable environment that com municates using one or more communication links 35. For example, the components of system 10 may be arranged in a peer-to-peer computing environment, or other suitable environment that supports communication among different components of system 10. Web server 20 and database server 30 may comprise

general purpose computers or other computing platforms having processor and memory components. Alternatively, Web server 20 and database server 30 may be any combi nation of hardWare and softWare that includes components suitable for processing and storing data encoded instruc tions. Web server 20 includes a candidate Web engine 22, recruiter Web engine 24, and employer Web engine 26. Web engines 22, 24 and 26 are softWare modules residing on Web server 20 that maintain the necessary processing routines, user interfaces, and templates to alloW users accessing Web server 20 from one of clients 40, 50 and 60 to utiliZe system 10 to perform respective recruiting functions further illus trated With reference to FIGS. 5 through 17.

Database server 30 includes a candidate mapping engine 32, a job indexing engine 34, a ?lter engine 36, and a candidate matching engine 38. Candidate mapping engine 32 and job indexing engine 34 are softWare modules or other suitable components residing on database server 30 that perform processing, indexing, and storage of job candidate quali?cation data and job posting information, respectively. Filter engine 36 is a further softWare module or other suitable component that performs a gatekeeping or ?ltering function With respect to either candidate pro?les or job postings that are entered by candidates or employers, respec tively. Candidate matching engine 38 performs processing and matching of candidate pro?les With suitable job post ings. These components and database server 30 are described in greater detail in the description accompanying FIG. 3.

Web server 20 and database server 30 may be separate servers communicating across a particular communication link 35 as described, or alternatively may describe only separate functionality such that Web server 20 and database server 30 may reside at a single, common server. For example, Web server 20 and database server 30 may reside on a single physical server, With the modules or components that make up database server 30 being insulated and secured from public netWork access across a particular communica tion link 35 by a ?re Wall or similarly suitable security system. Thus, components on database server 30 can be secured While alloWing components on Web server 20 to be freely or selectively accessed over communication links 35 via a public communications netWork.

Clients 40, 50 and 60 may each be a client, Workstation, terminal, personal computer, or other computing device having input and output modules that enable a user to enter and vieW data. Clients 40, 50 and 60 may include a Web broWser, other user interfaces, memory, processing

US 6,385,620 B1 5

components, and other peripherals common to such com puting devices.

Communication links 35 may be dedicated or sWitched links of a private or public netWork. For example, each of communication links 35 may be implemented using a ?ber, cable, or tWisted-pair connection over a public-sWitched telephone netWork, a satellite, radio, microWave, or other Wireless link, or other suitable communications link betWeen the components of system 10. Memory included Within servers 20 and 30, or Within

clients 40, 50 and 60, may comprise one or more ?les, data structures, lists, or other arrangements of information stored in one or more components of random access memory

(RAM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic computer disks, CD-ROM, other magnetic or optical storage media, or any other volatile or non-volatile memory. LikeWise, it should be understood that any databases, engines or other modules of system 10 may be internal or external to the illustrated components of system 10, depending on the particular implementation. Also, such modules may be sepa rate or integral to other databases. Any appropriate referencing, indexing, or addressing information can be used to relate back to an address or location of a database, ?le or object Within system 10.

The components of system 10 may be part of a local area netWork (LAN), a Wide-area netWork (WAN), or other suitable netWork or interconnection of computing devices. In a particular embodiment, components in system 10 com municate over the Internet using the World Wide Web (WWW), File-Transfer Protocol (FTP), Telnet, Usenet, Gopher or Archie utilities, mobile objects, electronic mail, bulletin boards, or other suitable communication techniques. For example, clients 40, 50 and 60 may maintain and execute a broWser or other suitable parsing program for accessing and communicating information addressed by Uniform Resource Locators (URL) using one or more communication links 35.

The components of system 10 may be implemented in a programming environment that supports access or linking to various sources of information in system 10 using URL addresses. As such, the content of such modules and data bases may be constructed using Hypertext Mark-Up Lan guage (HTML), Standard Generalized Mark-Up Language (SGML), Virtual Reality Mark-Up Language (VRML), Javascript, or any other appropriate content development language. The modules of system 10 may also include program code, such as applets Written in Java, or other appropriate self-executing code.

In operation of system 10, Web server 20 receives candi date quali?cation data in the form of a candidate pro?le from a job candidate using candidate client 40. The candidate pro?le is entered into a candidate survey form 21 generated by candidate Web engine 22. This process and candidate survey form 21 are further illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 14A—14B. The candidate quali?cation data may be commu nicated to database server 30 for processing, indexing and storage using candidate mapping engine 32. Web server 20 also receives job posting submissions from an employer via employer client 60 using employer Web engine 24. Job posting submissions may also be communicated to database server 30 for processing indexing, and storage using employer indexing engine 34. Recruiter client 50 accesses Web server 20 using recruiter Web engine 26 in order to revieW submitted candidate quali?cation data and job post ings. In one embodiment, ?lter engine 36 may also ?lter the communication of candidate pro?les and job posting sub missions to database server 30.

15

25

35

45

55

65

6 Referring to FIG. 2, servers 20 and 30 and clients 40, 50

and 60 may operate on one or more computers 80. Each computer 80 includes one or more input devices 82 such as a keypad, touch screen, mouse, or other pointer or device that can accept information. An output device 84, such as a monitor, for example, conveys information associated With the operation of servers 20 or 30, or clients 40, 50, or 60, including digital data, visual information, and/or audio information. A processor 86 and its associated memory 88 execute instructions and manipulate information in accor dance With the operation of system 10. For example, pro cessor 86 may execute coded instructions that are stored in memory 88 on data that is also stored on memory 88. Computer 80 may also include ?xed or movable storage media such as a magnetic computer disk, CD-ROM, or other suitable media to either receive output from, or provide input to, servers 20 and 30 and clients 40, 50 and 60.

FIG. 3 illustrates a more detailed embodiment of database server 30. In the illustrated embodiment, database server 30 includes candidate mapping engine 32, job indexing engine 34, ?lter engine 36, and candidate matching engine 38.

In the illustrated embodiment, candidate mapping engine 32 includes a candidate record database 102, a candidate map 104, and a candidate revieW template 106. Candidate record database 102 comprises a plurality of candidate records 108 that are generated from candidate pro?les received from Web server 20. In particular, candidate quali ?cation data entered by a potential candidate using Web server 20 is organiZed and stored in a candidate record 108. Candidate map 104 may be either a single or multi dimensional index having one or more tiers or levels of candidate quali?cations under Which candidate records 108 are listed by a plurality of candidate identi?ers 110.

Candidate revieW template 106 is a template including ?elds used to display candidate records 108 for revieW that are listed in candidate map 104. Different versions of candidate revieW template 106 may be displayed depending on the identity of the user accessing candidate records 108. For example, a recruiter may revieW candidate records 108 using a version of candidate revieW template 106 that includes additional ?elds associated With evaluation or feed back information of a candidate, for example, for entry and later revieW of such information. An employer or candidate version of candidate revieW template 106 may include less ?elds or ?elds devoted to other information such as Whether the candidate has received feedback on the displayed can didate record 108 or Whether the employer Wishes to indi cate interest in the displayed candidate record 108. In one embodiment, recruiting events associated With a particular candidate record such as an employer indicating interest, a suitable job being found, an intervieW being scheduled, an offer being given, or other suitable event may be stored in a general or more particular recruiting event ?eld.

Candidate identi?ers 110 are unique identi?ers, such as alphanumeric strings, for example, that are generated by candidate mapping engine 32 upon parsing a particular candidate record 108 to determine individual candidate quali?cations for the purpose of indexing a particular can didate in candidate map 104. For example, parsing a par ticular candidate record 108 may result in the determination of eighteen candidate quali?cations related to geography, technical quali?cations, educational background, desired job features, and/or professed expertise or competency. As a result of such parsing, eighteen candidate identi?ers 110 Will be generated by candidate mapping engine 32 for indexing and listing in map categories of candidate map 104 corre sponding to the eighteen candidate quali?cations 110. Can

US 6,385,620 B1 7

didate identi?ers 110 may be listed in candidate map 104 using hypertext links or other selectable inputs that operate to display an associated candidate revieW template 106 that includes quali?cation data for the candidate record 108 corresponding to the selected candidate identi?er. Thus, all candidate records 108 from candidate database 102 Will be listed in and accessible from candidate map 104.

In the illustrated embodiment, job indexing engine 34 includes a job posting database 122, an employer database 123, and a job posting revieW template 126. Job posting database 122 is composed of a plurality of job posting records 124 that are generated from job posting submissions received from Web server 20. In particular, a job posting submission generated by an employer using Web server 20 is organiZed and stored in a particular job posting record 124. Job posting records 124 may be organiZed Within job posting database 122 according to the identity of the employer submitting the corresponding job posting submis sion. Alternatively, a job posting map may be utiliZed to organiZe and display job postings. Employer database 123 includes general information about employers Who may have job postings included Within job posting database 122.

Job posting revieW template 126 is a template including ?elds used to display job criteria for a particular job posting record 124 that is accessed for revieW. Again, as With candidate revieW templates 106, different versions of job posting revieW templates 126 may exist and be displayed depending on the identity of the user accessing a job posting record 124 for revieW. When a recruiter accesses a job posting record 124, recruiting event ?elds or feedback ?elds may, for example, be presented Which shoW candidates that have been assigned by recruiters to the displayed job posting record 124 as matching job criteria of the displayed job posting record 124. Additional ?elds revieWable by an employer may include feedback ?elds for indicating candi dates that have selected an application input or otherWise expressed interest in the displayed job posting record 124. Additionally, ?elds may be presented to a recruiter Which shoW additional information knoWn about an employer including recruiting preferences, general candidate quali? cations for that employer, special contact methods, or other information to assist a recruiter in meeting the recruiting requirements of the employer submitting the displayed job posting record 124. The recruiter version of job posting revieW template 126 may also contain a link to a more general employer record having more speci?c information about the employer generally.

Filter engine 36 is a softWare module or other suitable combination of softWare and/or hardWare operable to screen candidate pro?les entered via a candidate survey form before storing such candidate pro?les in candidate records 108 Within candidate record database 102. In one embodiment, ?lter engine 36 includes automated bench marks by Which candidate quali?cation data in a pro?le is evaluated before being approved. For example, a ?rst, most basic level of automated benchmarks may simply con?rm that valid candidate quali?cation data has been entered in each ?eld of candidate survey form 21. A more complex evaluation may include ascertaining Whether or not a pre de?ned level of experience or competency is demonstrated by the candidate quali?cation data. For example, ?lter engine 36 may determine if a prede?ned level of education has been achieved by a candidate.

Alternatively, a more complex evaluation may take place Where candidate quali?cation data in particular ?elds of a candidate survey form are evaluated in part based on can didate quali?cation data in other ?elds of the candidate

15

25

35

45

55

65

8 survey form. For example, if candidate quali?cation data indicates a desired employment position in the ?eld of softWare project management, ?lter engine 36 may deter mine if the candidate has a predetermined number of years experience in softWare development and/or project manage ment.

In one embodiment, ?lter engine 36 is a softWare module that assists a recruiter or other user in revieWing candidate pro?les prior to the candidate quali?cation data being trans ferred from Web server 20 to database server 30. In such an embodiment, a recruiter is presented With the candidate pro?le. If the recruiter approves the candidate pro?le for incorporation into one of candidate records 108, the recruiter may select a candidate approval indicator presented by ?lter engine 36. The selection initiates the transfer of the candi date pro?le to database server 30 for storage as one of candidate records 108 in candidate record database 102. Thus, utiliZing ?lter engine 36 alloWs candidate quali?cation data in a candidate pro?le that has previously been entered by a potential candidate to be automatically transferred to database server 30 for storage and processing Without rekey ing or scanning of the candidate quali?cation data. Although ?lter engine 36 is described as residing on database server 30, ?lter engine 36 may alternatively reside on Web server 20 or in another suitable location to alloW a recruiter to revieW candidate quali?cation data Without accessing data base server 30.

Candidate matching engine 38 is a softWare module or other suitable combination of softWare and/or hardWare components operable to match candidate records 108 to job posting records 124. Candidate matching engine 38 may include matching algorithms and/or listed hierarchies of matching criteria Wherein different Weights can be assigned to different criteria depending on empirical data, employer, and/or recruiter preference. For example, speci?c matching criteria may include required job criteria and preferred job criteria that is designated by an employer. Job criteria may alternatively be ranked by an employer or recruiter. The matching process is described in greater detail With refer ence to the How chart of FIG. 15.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of candidate map 104 of FIG. 3. Candidate map 104 includes main indexing categories 402 such as the illustrated examples of geo graphic location, softWare, and project management. HoWever, main indexing categories 402 may refer to any classi?cation or speci?c candidate quali?cation data including, for example, technical quali?cations, skills, experiences, educational background, desired position, certi?cations, or virtually any other piece of candidate quali?cation data entered by candidates in a candidate survey form. Sub-categories 404 are listed under main indexing categories 402. Subcategories are more speci?c Ways of classifying candidates Within a particular main indexing category. Each sub-category 404 may in turn have further sub-categories 406. Main indexing categories and/or sub-categories may have corresponding associated candi date identi?ers 408. Associated candidate identi?ers corre spond to candidate records 108 that include candidate quali ?cation data matching a category or sub-category. For example, a particular sub-category 404 under geographic location may be indicated as California and may include further sub-categories 406 such as San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Sacramento. Candidate identi ?ers 408 are listed under Sacramento. The listed candidate identi?ers 408 correspond to candidate records 108 indicat ing a geographic preference of Sacramento or a listed address of a candidate indicated as Sacramento. As

Documents

WEB SERVER DATABASE SERVER 5 I ENGINE ENGINE 3/5