Digital resourcing: improving the role of job boards

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Posted 10 August 2011 10:04am by Adam Candlish with 5 comments

From a follow up survey of attendees to Econsultancy's Digital Cream event in March, one common theme was that companies, specifically brands, are struggling to find the right talent for the right roles.

Having just read the post on the launch of Adzuna, a social search engine which aggregates job ads from a range of sources, I got thinking about the role of job boards within digital marketing and e-commerce, and how they could be improved to make life easier for employers, recruiters and candidates.

I have been with Econsultancy for just over three years and when I first started my focus was to develop our jobs board and recruitment advertising in general.

I don't claim to be any kind of guru on digital recruitment, but over a two year period I have been in daily contact with internal recruitment teams, consultants of all shapes and sizes and media agencies as well as trying to manage the day to day running of our jobs board, gauging what works and what doesn't when it comes to finding digital talent.

So I thought I would share some views on how i think, as an industry, we can improve the value we all get from jobs boards and make them a more useful tool for recruiters, employers and candidates.

Going back to basics, I see the role of any board as connecting a candidate with an employer for a specific and relevant role (often via an agency), or vice versa.

This should be the number one priority and everybody involved in this process (employer, candidate, agency, and jobs board) stands to benefit from this happening efficiently, so everyone should pull in the same direction. However, this is not always the case.

When you look at the leading jobs boards within digital marketing, they are not just about recruitment ads, but are publications which, over time, have established an audience based around the content they produce.

They have identified their audience, and then have launched the jobs boards to allow the employers/agencies to advertise roles to this audience.

The Econsultancy jobs board was launched in 2005 due to demand from our community. They knew who else used the site, and wanted the opportunity to reach those people.

As a result, we became a niche board for mid to senior digital marketing jobs, since that's who generally reads Econsultancy.

The people running jobs boards need to try and maintain the focus, ensuring that the roles being advertised are relevant for their audience and are adding value.

This can be tricky at times. When you incentivise a sales rep to book as much advertising as possible in order to get their bonus/commission, they will invariably take the money.

I would urge any jobs boards out there to maintain the integrity of what is essentially content on their site. By doing so you will enhance a reputation for your niche, browsers will feel they are in the right place and advertisers will be re-assured that they are spending money in the right place.

Obviously, if your audience is quite diverse then you will need to cater for these areas with a structured search and browsing function on the site.

When it comes to jobs boards, recruiters should think carefully about how they wish to be perceived.

Remember that you are not just looking for a candidate, you are presenting your brand and image to what is (hopefully) a relevant audience. 

This sadly is true of many agencies out there. When presented with a form on a job board which may have 20 tick boxes to categorise the role, they will tick all of them to try and maximise views of the listing.

What you have to understand is that this is immensely frustrating from a candidates point of view. If I look for an E-commerce Manager role by selecting that search filter, and I am presented with a variety of media sales roles from recruitment agency, my initial feeling is frustration that these are not the right roles and then I associate that negative thought with the agency advertising the role.

This can also be damaging to the reputation of the board itself as it dilutes its relevance to me as a candidate.

One of the most aggravating pieces of feedback that I used to get was when an advertiser has been bombarded with calls and emails from recruiters, despite the fact that there is a highlighted banner on the positing specifically asking recruitment agencies not to contact them.

This is not getting your foot in the door, it's blowing your foot off with a shotgun before you're even near the door, as many companies will add agencies that practice this to a blacklist and will not work with them in future.

At Econsultancy we deal with many brands directly when it comes to recruitment as they make up the bulk of our community.

Some have very large online teams that run into the hundreds of staff and some will be looking for their second or third digital hire.

Regardless of the size of your company, be sure to identify the brief properly and provide as much detail as possible.

With smaller companies the role of a digital marketing manager will be likely to include a wide range of tasks across SEO, PPC, Affiliate Marketing, PR etc, whereas many larger organisations will have dedicated teams for these services so the role will be different.

It doesn't matter whether you want the candidate to send emails, run search campaigns and clean the toilets before they leave on a Friday (though the latter may be a bit extreme), the important thing is to be clear about what you want so the candidate can make an educated decision as to whether or not they should apply.

If you can't do that, you need to take a step back and define the role more clearly.

The main argument is that writing a detailed brief is time consuming. This may be the case, but so is sifting through pile after pile of CVs that are not what you are looking for.

Anyone working in digital understands that digital agencies are cool, hip, fun places to work, and most of these agencies love to communicate this fact.

I have visited many digital marketing agencies and know many agency folk and they certainly seem to be fun working environments. However, when it comes to recruitment of skilled digital professionals, posting an ad saying you are looking for "a Social Media Rockstar" or a "Digital Marketing Wizard" just sounds ridiculous, especially when you read the brief and it is for an intern.

How much?

Perhaps I am being slightly naive here, as I can't imagine that all companies will start publishing every salary for every role they advertise. However, I can honestly say from experience and from analysis across roles advertised on Econsultancy, postings that tell the candidate how much they will earn get more responses.

Fact. Why? I am not entirely sure I know the answer but I imagine people respond to honesty, openness and clarity about the roles they are applying for. Ambiguity is an application killer. (I have made a mental note to ask candidates this question: should Econsultancy conduct any recruitment-focused research in the future?)

At Econsultancy we obviously have our jobs board which we are continually trying to improve for recruiters and candidates (we are well aware it isn't perfect), but from a different angle, we have a far more important role to play.

One of the biggest problems within recruitment in digital from my experience is role ambiguity. By this I mean that you could take ten SEO Manager postings from different employers across a number of job boards, and the roles and responsibilities would vary dramatically.

This is not anyone deliberately trying to confuse or manipulate candidates, I think it's just early days for the industry. 

When you look at other industries, more established ones such as accountancy, property, law etc there are clearly defined hierarchies, departments and job titles that are established and have, over the decades, proved successful for these industries.

I think that digital has a long way to go before we can finally settle on what the best way to structure a team is or what responsibilities should sit with who. As an industry we are still in our infancy. Plus the level of innovation means that it would be dangerous to standardise too much as the landscape is constantly changing.

Econsultancy is an authority on best practice digital marketing and e-commerce. We work the biggest brands and agencies across various projects including training and consultancy and we get right to the heart of their organisations.

Our biggest role in the world of recruitment is to look at what works and what doesn't in terms of team structure, identify the key roles and responsibilties that rest with each team member and try to establish some degree of standardisation across the plethora of job titles and digital disciplines that exist.

If we can do this then we can help remove some of the ambiguity and uncertainly that I feel surrounds digital recruitment, and hopefully enable employers, recruitment consultants and candidates to engage in a more efficient way.

Econsultancy are planning some research into this over the coming weeks to look at how various companies structure their teams across digital disciplines (in-house and agency side), where the responsibilities lie within those teams and to examine how effective the different approaches are. Watch this space.

Adam Candlish is Account Manager at Econsultancy. Follow him on Twitter or connect via LinkedIn.

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Digital graduate schemes: who's investing for the future?

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Grace Digital Victoria Nostalgic Internet Radio

by Edwin - on August 16th, 2011

Grace Digital has just announced their latest device for the masses, where it intends to add a touch of classic edge to your home. We’re talking about the Victoria Nostalgic Internet Radio that will merge a vintage design which ought to bring you back to the 1940s, where tabletop radios that look like it are all the norm in houses that can afford one, but Grace Digital’s offering adds a delicious, modern twist by sporting the advanced features of today’s internet radios and cloud music services.

Yes sir, do not judge a book by its cover, and in this case, a radio by its external housing. This is a high-quality radio that promises to deliver crisp highs, deep base, and a superior clarity which will let you enjoy your favorite music or talk radio program right in the comfort of your own home.

It isn’t going to come cheap though, as Grace Digital is offering their Victoria Nostalgic Internet Radio for $229.99, but why not see what it has to offer before you close your mind (and wallet) for good? Sporting a walnut exterior with birch inlay that certainly oozes with 1940s charm, this device will come with Class D digital 16 watt RMS amplifier (50 watt peak) that can fill just about any living room, bedroom, office, or kitchen with a rich, warm, and detailed sound.

The Victoria Internet Radio (model # GDI-IRN1941) will also be equipped with a 4-line adjustable backlit display, five alarm settings, 110 station presets/folder, built-in cutting-edge 802.11n wireless (Wi-Fi) connectivity, and integrated Pandora controls on the remote. To put it in a nutshell, you are able to take advantage of the full-function remote control, or take the other route of downloading one of Grace Digital’s remote control apps for iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone or Android smartphone/tablet.

If you’re a huge fan of Internet radio services, then this model won’t disappoint since your ears will be able to enjoy Pandora Radio, SiriusXM, Rhapsody, NPR, Live365, DAR.fm, WeatherBug, in addition to more than 50,000 AM/FM/HD radio stations and podcasts.

Press Release

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How to Capture the Best Pictures with Kodak Digital Cameras

Just not enough if you have brought a high feature Kodak digital camera. When you have such camera, you should know how to use it and when to use to get the best pictures and snaps. Provided here is the exclusive guide on how to capture the best pictures and videos on your Kodak Digital camera.

Know the Smart Capture Feature – Still images always come better, but what to do with moving motion? The Kodak’s Smart Capture feature adjusts the camera settings to its best so that you can capture the best possible images automatically. Through this feature the intelligent scene detection analyses the scene conditions to get you the best picture possible. It will automatically focus exposure and captures the clear and sharp pictures in low light situations.Face Detection Capture- The face detection technologies automatically locate the faces and adjust your camera settings to focus on what really is important in the picture. The auto smart mode in your camera automatically selects the most prominent faces.Kodak Perfect Touch – The technology of perfect touch by Kodak gives you shadows free so that images come better. Once you have taken the snap then press the * button and then choose the photo select Menu and select Perfect Touch.Use Scene Mode – Changing the capture or scene mode would completely vary how your picture would look. Like if you are taking a snap of still images then select the Macro mode and if you are taking the snaps through the game in play then select Sports and Action mode. It works for Kodak camera.Image Stabilization & Blur Reduction – The Image Stabilization will automatically minimize the shakes in the camera and the blur reduction technology will reduce the blur caused by the low light conditions movements. Both Blur reduction and image stabilization technology makes the images to be clearer.The Flash through Technology – Kodak altogether extends the flash work of your camera through the S1 technology. You know flash is required during the dark conditions. The Kodak altogether takes the flash technology to greater heights.Wider Image with Panorama Mode – You can get the wider images with the panorama stich mode by combining three shots to make one large panoramic picture.HD Quality – You can now take the pictures and videos at amazing HD quality both 720 pixels and 1080 pixels. You can easily view them on the HDTV or LED TV using the optional Kodak EasyShare HDTC dock.Text and Sound Tags – For special moment and pictures you can add sound or text tags to your pictures (just like Facebook photos tagging). For Video you can go with text tagging and for pictures you can put sound tags.Slide Shows – The better way to show the pictures to someone is using the slideshows with preloaded sound themes and effects right on your camera.Yogesh Patel is a writer of technology gadgets, digital products like mobile phones, tablets PC, laptops & notebooks & on anything that is related to the gadgets which makes the daily lifestyle easier.

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The Best 10 Kodak Digital Cameras

Kodak is the world class leader in digital photography and digital printing. There exists so many digital cameras in the market and there are more than 30 models of camera from Kodak brand itself. Listed here are the top best digital camera manufactured by Kodak -

Kodak Easyshare C182 Digital Camera

Kodak Easyshare C182 is one of the cheapest digital camera in the market with 12 mega pixel image resolution and 3x optical zoom capability. The camera comes with smart capture identifications and adjustable camera settings. It has 3 inches LCD screen and it capture images to SD/SDHC memory cards.

It also includes built in flash which is not shown outside. It’s available in blue and silver colors with a price tag of $ 70.

Kodak Easyshare C143 Digital Camera

Kodak Easyshare C143 is one of the cheapest digital camera available in the market. This camera can take good pictures at 12 megapixel and 3x optical zoom lens. It’s powered with AA batteries.

It has got 3 inches LCD screen to view or preview photos and it provides one touch email upload, Kodak Gallery, YouTube, Facebook, Orkut and Flickr site.

The Kodak Easyshare C143 is available in Blue, Green and silver colors. It’s priced at $ 60 from the various online stores like Amazon and flipkart.

Kodak Easyshare C195 Digital Camera

Kodak Easyshare C195 is a digital camera with 10 mega pixel effecting camera quality. It provides 10 X optical zoom and it comes with optical image stabilizations. It has got 2.5 inches LCD screen and a 35 mm equivalent lens focal length. It includes a built in flash.

Kodak Easyshare C195 uses Kodak in camera Smart Capture image processing technology. It’s powered by two AA sized cells. It comes with 32 MB of internal memory and a conventional SD/ SDHC memory card slot.

Kodak Easyshare C195 digital camera is available in various colors to choose from Black, Blue and Red. It’s priced at $ 250 on various online stores.

Kodak Easyshare Z990 Digital Camera

For camera lovers, Kodak EasyShare Max Z990 would be a straight pick. It has BSI CMOS sensor and the effective camera pixel is 12 mega pixel with 4000 x 3000 pixel resolution. It’s possible to have 30 X SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH VARIOGON Optical Zoom Lens and 5X advanced digital zoom.

It has got 3 inches TFT color LCD screen with smart display feature. 128 MB of internal memory is available for use and there is expansion provided for SD/SDHC cards. With various auto focus options from multi-zone, center-zone, selectable (25 zones), face priority, this camera is at its best.

The video recording at 1080p is easily possible at 30 fps video frames. It’s powered by 4 AA Ni MH batteries and it weighs 1.3 lbs. It’s priced in the range of $ 330 or so.

Kodak EasyShare M590 Digital Camera

Kodak EasyShare M590 is an amazing good quality digital camera by Kodak. It has got 14 mega pixel camera to take high quality of pictures. It provides the option of one click button upload to email, Kodak Gallery, YouTube, Facebook, Flickr, Orkut and other social networking sites.

As usual with Kodak mid-range and higher models, it comes with Kodak Smart Capture and Kodak Face Recognition feature. It has got 5X optical zoom with image stabilization feature.

The Kodak EasyShare M590 is available in Blue, Purple, Red and Silver colors outer body. Its priced at $ 100 at various online shopping sites.

Kodak Easyshare M530 Digital Camera

Kodak Easyshare M530 is an impressive ultra-compact camera with 12 mega pixel image quality. It provides 3 x wide angle optical zoom and the 2.7 inches color LCD make it easy to view photos, organize them.

It supports various shooting modes and includes auto flash. It comes with red eye reduction technology and provides 1080p video recording at 30 fps. The maximum resolution possible is 640 x 480 pixels. It also includes two AA sized Lithium ion rechargeable batteries and the camera weights 130 grams.

It has a memory card slot with SD/SDHC cards can be supported up till 8 GB in size.

Kodak Easyshare M580 Digital Camera

Kodak Easyshare M580 is a digital camera launched by Kodak. It has got 14 mega pixel camera resolutions with stunning prints of up to 30 x 40 inches. The 8 X optical zoom, 28 mm wide angle lens and 3 inches LCD screen with Kodak Color Science technology. It comes with Kodak Smart Capture feature and it has got SD/SDHC memory card slot to extend the memory of this camera with direct SD card video and picture saving options.

Kodak Easyshare M580 is priced at $ 110 and it’s available at various online shopping sites.

Kodak EasyShare Sport C123 Digital Camera

The Kodak EasyShare Sport C123 is a trendy digital camera with sports look. It’s a waterproof digital camera with 12 mega pixel camera quality. It has got 2.4 inches LCD screen and it’s available in lovely blue, red and gray colors. It’s the world’s only digital camera with 3 step sharing option to many social networking sites.

It feature Kodak’s latest technology of smart capture, face detection, red eye reduction and can take images with good quality. The biggest advantages in this camera come in the form of waterproof.

The Kodak EasyShare Sport C123 is priced at $ 80 online and it’s available at various online shopping sites like Amazon and eBay.

Kodak EasyShare Max Z990 Digital Camera

Kodak EasyShare Max Z990 digital camera by Kodak is a mid-range model. It has got 12 mega pixel BSI CMOS camera quality with possibility of 30 x optical zoom with optical image stabilization. It has got 3 inches HVGA LCD screen.

The Kodak EasyShare Max Z990 digital camera is priced at $ 250 and it’s available at various online shopping like Amazon and eBay.

Kodak EasyShare Z915 Digital Camera

Kodak EasyShare Z915 digital camera with 10 mega pixel effective camera resolution. It provides 10 x optical zoom with image stabilization.

The Kodak EasyShare Z915 has got 2.5 inches LCD screen which provides you to view the preview of photos and other media.

The Kodak EasyShare Max Z915 digital camera is priced at $ 250 and its available at various online shopping like Amazon and eBay.

Yogesh Patel is a writer of technology gadgets, digital products like mobile phones, tablets PC, laptops & notebooks & on anything that is related to the gadgets which makes the daily lifestyle easier.

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Best Still – Point & Shoot Digital Cameras

The Point and Shoot digital camera has got a firm acclaim worldwide. The point and shoot cameras offer a maximum resolution of near to 14 mega pixels. These digital camera are easily affordable as they are available from a price range of $ 160 to $ 400 and its possible to get the best of the best at $ 400 too.

Last time we have gone through the best DLSR digital camera and here we go with the best digital camera suited for point and shoot photography.

Canon Powershot PowerShot SD1300 Digital Camera

The Canon Powershot SD1300 digital camera has 28 mm wide angles lens with 4 x optical zoom to get the snaps of closes up. The PowerShot SD1300 is equipped with Canon Opitcal Image Stabilizer which detects and corrects camera shakes.

It has got 12.1 mega pixel resolution camera which lets you create impressive and large enough photos which can be enlarged up to 13 x 19 inches. And the 2.7 inches LCD screen provides excellent control while framing your shots.

With various shooting modes and image stabilization features makes the PowerShot SD1300 from Canon as the best suited for still photos.

Canon Powershot SD1400 Digital Camera

Canon Powershot SD1400 features a 14.1 mega pixel impressive camera quality with 4 x wide-angle optical image feature. It has 2.7 inches LCD black screen for instant preview of the pictures and video recorded.

It features a smart shutter sound technology in which it includes smile self-timer, wind self-timer and face self-timer which detects the faces in scene and releases. The depth and clarity with this Canon camera during the low light conditions it’s exceptionally good enough. It comes with 22 shooting modes for the best possible photos.

The camera is can easily record videos at 720 pixels and makes easy to enjoy HD movies on your HDTV with mini HDMI connector.

The Canon Powershot SD1400 is available at a price of $ 180 to $ 200.

Panasonic Lumix DMS ZS7 Digital Camera

The Panasonic Lumix DMS ZS7 has got 12.1 Mega pixel camera with 12x optical image zoom capabilities and 3 inches LCD screen.

It delivers AVCHD Lite HD movies recording with the 25mm wide-angle through its optical zoom lens. The Intelligent Resolution technology is capable of zoom ratio by approx. 1.3x maintain picture quality at its best.

Panasonic Lumix DMS ZS7 includes a GPS option for movies and photos which when turned on the location data and time are automatically updated.

Panasonic Lumix DMS ZS7 is priced at $ 450 to $ 500 and its available at various sellers online at Amazon.

Sony DSC W350 Digital Camera

Sony is the best in digital imaging and it can be proved with Sony DSC W350 digital camera which as amazing Carl Zeiss 26 mm wide lens. It has got impressive 14.1 mega pixel Super HAD CCD Image sensor which creates amazing and stunning photos. With the professional Carl Zeiss 4x optical zoom lens you get a better image for various photo needs.

It also has 2.7 inches clear Photo LCD display with sharp, natural colors and easy to navigate buttons.

One of the features I should mention about DSC W350 is that it has got Sweep Panorama Mode which allows taking the picture in wide panorama rather than standard image size. Apart from that it also records video in the known MP4 format. With various other features makes the Sony DSC W350 as the best photo camera with still photos.

With a price range of $ 180 to $ 200, it’s also makes it affordable with the features that it has. I would say, you can’t expect more than this and should be straight pick for the users.

Nikon Coolpix S8100 Digital Camera

Nikon Coolpix S8100 is an impressive digital camera with impressive 12.1 megapixel image clarity. It has got CMOS sensor which allows taking picture even in low light conditions. It features a 10x wide angle optical zoom Nikkor ED glass lens.

Nikon Coolpix S8100 features 3 inches Ultra High Resolutions clear color display and its possible to have full HD 1080pixelk video recording with different modes. It also includes a HDMI output port.

It also includes Optical VR Image Stabilization to minimize the effects of camera shake. The Nikon Best Shot Selector will automatically take up to ten shots and only saves the sharpest image. Provided with EXPEED C2 processor for imaging camera it provides fine detail and processing speed.

The Nikon Coolpix is priced at $ 230 to $ 250 and it its availbable with various seller at Amazon with new model, used mode and refurbished model.

Panasonic DMC FX75K Digital Camera

Panasonic DMC FX75K with 14.1 mega pixel resolution and 5 x optical zoom makes the best of your still photograph images. It features a full touch screen operation with its 3 inches LCD screen. It has Venus Engine HD II image processor and you can expand the memory using the SD/SDHC memory cards.

It’s priced at $ 200 to $ 220 and available on Amazon from New, Used and Refurbished options by various sellers.

Sony CyberShot DSC HX5V CMOS Digital Camera

The Sony CyberShot DSC HX5V has got impressive 10.2 megapixel camera with CMOS sensor for amazing low light performance. The iSweep Panorama mode captures the best panoramic images. The 1080i AVCHD provides high quality HD video recording.

It provides 10 x optical zoom through the G lens with 25 mm wide angle. With variety of storage options, the Sony Cybershot DSC HX5V is the best still photos camera. Its available at a price of $ 225 to $ 250.

Canon PowerShot SX210IS Digital Camera

Canon PowerShot SX210IS is a powerful digital camera with 14x optical zoom with image stabilizers and improved dynamic mode for enhanced image stabilization.

It has got 28 mm wide angle lens and 3 inches PureColor System LCD display. It’s possible to have 720 pixel HD video recording capabilities. It has got HDMI out port with the DIGIC 4 Image Processor.

The Canon PowerShot SX210IS digital camera is best suited for still photography.

Panasonic Lumix DMC TS2 Digital Camera

Panasonic Lumix DMC TS2 has 14.1 mega pixel impressive camera quality. It has 2.7 inches LCD display has provides digital zoom level up to 4x. It comes with the tag as waterproof, dustproof and freeze proof.

In addition of recording Motion JPEG images, the Lumix DMC TS2 can now record high-definition motion videos. With Power Optical Image Stabilizer corrects the hand shake correction.

FujiFilm FinePix F80EXR Digital Camera

The FujiFilm FinePix F80EXR is a digital camera with Super CCD EXR sensor and it has 3 inches LCD screen for the pictures and video preview. It provides a 10x digital zoom and has the mini HDMI connectivity port. It’s possible to get full HD 720 pixel video recording and it has the features like tracking auto focus, pet detection, super intelligent flash, face detection and automatic red-eye removal.

The FujiFilm FinePix is good enough to be on the list of best point and shoot for still photos among the digital cameras.

Yogesh Patel is a writer of technology gadgets, digital products like mobile phones, tablets PC, laptops & notebooks & on anything that is related to the gadgets which makes the daily lifestyle easier.

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