By Barbara Ling

No matter where you go in today's society, you're repeatedly bombarded with advertisements about size. "We're the biggest! We have more resumes than corn has kernals! We post more jobs than snowstorms have flakes! We service more customers than Barbara imbibes cups of coffee!" etc.etc.etc.

Wait a sec!!! Does size really matter? Are you after "quantity"? Should you be after "quality" instead?

Hmmmmmm?

Over the years that I've been in the recruiting industry, it never ceases to amaze me how many recruiters or HR folk are after quantity. Numbers talk! Professionals hear things like "beeyons and beeyons of resumes" and immediately, their brain goes into overdrive (all those people I can place!) while their "little voice" mumbles, ummmm, how many of those "beeyons and beeyons of resumes" represent placable peoples?

Hmmmmmm?

It's long been said among Internet marketers that selling is a "numbers" game. The more numbers at which you fling your offer, the higher the probability is of finding someone who says "yes." That's one reason why SPAM is so popular! Thing is, though, because recruiting is a service industry, you have to include the people-effect as well. You can't afford to waste your time perusing "beeyons and beeyons" of resumes in hopes of uncovering the proverbial needle in a haystack - you need to focus your energies on quality resumes instead.

Which brings me to the next point. What's your definition of "quality"? Remember, what's quality to me might not be quality to your boss or quality to your competitor! Some professionals love resumes that are over a year old, because they represent the passive candidate and can be used when developing a network. Other recruiters define "quality" to be folks actively searching for a new position, legally able to work within a specific country, and has at least over one year of experience since college. Oh yes, and has the skills required, of course.

So where do you go when you're searching for quality resumes?

Certainly, you can search on the Internet (The Internet Recruiting Edge at http://www.barbaraling.com/recruiting.html is your guide for that, as well as the RISE seminars at http://www.riseway.com ). You can also choose to invest in one of the large job/resume boards/organizations on the Net as well!

About a bazillion places exist for your needs. Thing is, which one should you choose?

One of the best ways to determine which board to use is simply to network with your peers. The two best recruiter mailing lists to ask questions are

* RECNET at http://www.egroups.com/messages/recruitersnetwork
* Electronic Recruiters Exchange at http://www.erexchange.com/forum

I've now been participating on these two lists for some time, and the quality of information generated is truly astounding! If you want to really get the inside scoop on just about anything regarding recruiting, join those lists (it's free!) and ask away. That way, instead of being swayed by beeyons of resumes, you can get just the fax, sir, just the fax. Trust me, it will save you both time and money.

-- Article courtesy of Barbara Ling. For more information, please go to RISE seminars at http://www.riseway.com/ or The Internet Recruiting Edge at http://www.barbaraling.com/recruiting.html.