WO2007137363A2

WO2007137363A2 - Recruitment systems and methods

Info

Publication number: WO2007137363A2
Application number: PCT/AU2007/000761
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael Giuffrida
Original assignee: Guffa Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2006-05-31
Filing date: 2007-05-31
Publication date: 2007-12-06

Description

RECRUITMENT SYSTEMS AND METHODS FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to recruitment systems and in arrangements provides associated methods. BACKGROUND ART

The discussion throughout this specification comes about due to the realisation of the inventors and/or the identification of certain prior art problems by the inventors.

Online recruitment systems cater for both potential employers and employees on a national and international basis. In the future, it is envisaged that leading corporate organisations will battle aggressively for entry level and passive talent, and that small to medium enterprises will, in particular, find recruiting staff increasingly difficult.

An object of the present invention is to provide for improved employee recruitment systems and/or methods, or which at least provide the public with a useful choice.

Any discussion of documents, devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the invention. It should not be taken as an admission that any of the material forms a part of the prior art base or the common general knowledge in the relevant art in Australia or elsewhere on or before the priority date of the disclosure and claims herein.

Furthermore, it is to be appreciated that a diverse number of commercial enterprises may find preferred arrangements of the present invention useful and that the present invention is therefore not to be taken as having limited application to small to medium enterprises. SUMMARY OF INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a system for facilitating employee recruitment comprising: means for receiving an offer of a reward for employee recruitment; means for receiving details of requirements associated with the employee recruitment; and means for distributing the details of the requirements associated with the employee recruitment to a plurality of potential employee candidate sources and for enabling the plurality of potential employee candidate sources to respond by presenting one or more potential employees, the system enabling the recommendation of one or more potential employees in consideration of the offer and based on the requirements associated with the employee recruitment. Preferably the system further includes means for distributing an indication of the offer of the reward to the plurality of potential employee candidate sources such that the indication of the offer can be considered.

The means for distributing the details of the requirements and the means for distributing the indication of the offer may form at least part of a distribution means adapted to provide an online graphical user interface.

In contradistinction to presently available online recruitment systems preferred arrangements of the present invention allow for online recruitment systems in which a reward offered by an employer is considered and in which an employee is selectively recommended subject to the reward meeting predetermined reward criteria for each potential employee recommended.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a system for facilitating employee recruitment comprising: means for receiving an offer of a reward for employee recruitment; means for receiving details of requirements associated with the employee recruitment; and means for considering the offer and, subject to considering the offer, selectively recommending a potential employee from a database of potential employees, in response to the offer and based on the requirements associated with the employee recruitment. Preferably the offer represents an intended maximum commission prepared to be paid for successfully recommending a potential employee and the means for considering the offer is configured to determine whether the offer of the reward meets reward criteria associated with respective potential employees in the database of potential employees. The potential employee may be recommended from a database of potential employees possibly consisting of several networked database systems. The system may include means for negotiating a higher offer of the reward for employee recruitment and may also include means for finalising commercial terms and work preferences.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method for facilitating employee recruitment comprising: receiving an offer of a reward for employee recruitment; receiving details of requirements associated with the employee recruitment; and distributing the details of the requirements associated with the employee recruitment to a plurality of potential employee candidate sources and enabling the plurality of potential employee candidate sources to respond by presenting one or more potential employees; wherein the method enables the recommendation of one or more potential employees in consideration of the offer and based on the requirements associated with the employee recruitment.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of facilitating employee recruitment comprising: receiving an offer of a reward for employee recruitment; receiving details of requirements associated with the employee recruitment; considering the offer and, subject to considering the offer, selectively recommending a potential employee from a database of potential employees, in response to the offer and based on the requirements associated with the employee recruitment. According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of employee recruitment facilitated by a system including at least one server configured to: receive an offer of a reward for employee recruitment; receive details of requirements associated with the employee recruitment; and to selectively identify a potential employee from a database of potential employees based on the requirements associated with the employee recruitment and subject to considering the offer; wherein the method includes recommending the potential employee in response to the offer of the reward for employee recruitment.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of employee recruitment facilitated by a system including at least one server configured to: receive an offer of a reward for employee recruitment; receive details of requirements associated with the employee recruitment; and to selectively identify a potential employee from a database of potential employees based on. the requirements associated with the employee recruitment and subject to considering the offer; wherein the method includes offering the reward for employee recruitment. According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an employee recruitment system comprising: a candidate source grade unit for providing indicators of the performance of candidate sources.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided an employee recruitment method comprising collecting data representative of the performance of a candidate sources in referring candidates to hiring enterprises; storing the data in a database; and providing the stored data for use in selecting candidates referred by said candidate sources.

According to a related aspect of the present invention there is provided an employee recruitment system comprising: a hiring establishment grade unit for providing indicators of the performance of hiring establishments. There is further provided an employee recruitment method comprising collecting data representative of the performance of hiring establishments in recruitment processes in which potential candidates are recommended by candidate sources; storing the data in a database; and providing the stored data for use by candidate sources.

It is envisaged that preferred arrangements of the present invention • alleviate the problem of fewer workers than ever before entering the work force; • alleviate the problem of an ageing labour force rapidly considering retirement;

• alleviate the problem of leading corporate organisations with strong employment brands battling aggressively for entry level and passive talent, forcing small to medium sized enterprises to find alternate ways of sourcing new recruits;

• alleviate the problem of an increasing proportion of women shifting from full time to part time employment;

• alleviate the problem of generational changes in work habits of generations wanting more flexibility in their careers and having a reduced loyalty to their employers due to an increased interest in work / life balance; and

• alleviate the problem of young people, mature age workers and female workers requiring a market place in which they can go to locate jobs that fulfil their specific needs.

Advantageously preferred embodiments of the present invention provide improved online recruitment systems in which there is an offer of a reward for employee recruitment with complementary facilities that encourage potential candidate sources to recommend high quality candidates. Preferred arrangements of the present invention realise that it would be advantageous to offer a reward for employee recruitment through a global communications network that is accessible to a number of potential candidate sources. These sources are encouraged to recommend potential candidates by the offer of the reward. In addition potential candidate sources are able to forward details of the offer to other potential candidate sources with the understanding that they will received a portion of the reward if a successful candidate is recommended by the other potential candidate source. Embodiments of the present invention may be arranged so that members of the public can be candidate sources. Other aspects and preferred aspects are disclosed jn the specification and/or defined in the appended claims, forming a part of the description of the present invention. Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of iilustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further disclosure, objects, advantages and aspects of the present application may be better understood by those skilled in the relevant art by reference to the following description of preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a system according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of a method according to a second preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of a system according to a third preferred embodiment of the invention

Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of a method according to a fourth preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 5 is a more detailed illustration of the method shown in Figure 2; Figure 6 is a schematic illustration of a system according to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to Figure 1 there is shown a system 10 for use by a plurality of enterprises 12 for facilitating employee recruitment.

The system 10 includes offer receiving means 14 for receiving offers 15 of rewards for employee recruitment from each of the enterprises 12. The system 10 further includes requirement receiving means 16 for receiving details of requirements 17 associated with the employee recruitment and each associated offer 15. The offer receiving means 14 and the requirement receiving means 16 are configured to provide a web interface 18 through which each of the plurality of enterprises 12 is able to enter details of the recruitment positions for which they are prepared to offer of a reward for successful employee placement, as well as the offers associated therewith. The web interface 18 includes a number of form fields 19 for this purpose.

The system 10 further includes distribution means 20 for distributing the details of the requirements 17 associated with the employee recruitment to a plurality of potential employee candidate sources 23. The distribution means 20 is configured to form part of the web interface 18 such that the potential employee candidate sources 23 are able to log on to system 10 using the web interface 18 and view a list of positions for which employees are being sought. In the present arrangement the list of positions comprises a summary of each of the details of the requirements 17. Furthermore in this respect it is to be appreciated that the summary of details of the requirements themselves comprise details of requirements received by the requirement receiving means 16. The summary of the details of the requirements are consequently subsequently referred to as details of the requirements 17.

A unique respective resource locator is associated with each of the details of the requirements 17. In this embodiment each unique resource locator identifies the corresponding enterprise 12 from the plurality of enterprises 12 along with a corresponding recruitment position. The resource locators are provided via the web interface 18 and serve to enable the plurality of potential employee candidate sources 23 to respond to the details of the requirements 17 by clicking on particular resource locators. Once one of the resource locators is clicked on the potential employee candidate source is presented with a plurality of form fields (not shown) allowing the source to present one or more potential employees.

In this arrangement the system 10 further includes means 26 for distributing an indication of the offers 15 of the rewards to the plurality of potential employee candidate sources 23. The indications of the offers 15 are presented less a particular percentage for collection by the system 10 as a commission. The indications of the offers 15 are presented alongside the details of the requirements 17 for each recruitment position presented in the web interface 18.

Thus there is thereby presented an indication of the offers 15 to each of the potential candidate sources 23 such that the indication of the offers 15 can be considered in the recommendation of one or respective potential employee candidates. In this manner there is provided means allowing for consideration of offers 15 and an adaptation enabling the recommendation of one or more potential employees from the candidate sources 23 in consideration of the offer and based on the requirements associated with the employee recruitment.

In other arrangements the system 10 controls which potential employees are presented by considering offers made by the potential employee candidate sources 23 and comparing them to the offers 15 made by respective enterprises 12. In this alternate manner the system 10 itself enables the recommendation of one or more potential employees in consideration of the offer and based on the requirements associated with the employee recruitment.

In another preferred arrangement controlling which potential employees are provided occurs with the use of means for considering the offers 15 and a number of counter offers provided by the potential candidate sources 23. Preferably the offers 15 represent intended maximum commissions initially prepared to be paid for successfully recommending potential employees.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 it is to be appreciated that the means 20 for distributing the details of the requirements 17 and the means 26 for distributing the indications of the offers 15 form at least part of a distribution means 28 adapted to provide an online graphical user interface in the form of the web interface 18. As would be apparent the distribution means 28 is adapted to present a list of a plurality of employment positions each associated with a respective offer of a reward for employee recruitment. Furthermore, it would be apparent that the form fields 19 provided by the web interface 18 in turn provide means for receiving details of the one or more potential employees from the plurality of potential employee candidate sources 23 and together with other display fields provide means for providing the details of the one or more potential employees in response to the offer.

The details of the one or more potential employees are provided by each enterprise 12 logging onto the system 10 using the web interface 18 to check posted potential employees.

In this arrangement the potential candidate sources 23 are able to negotiate a high offer of a reward by providing candidate contact details upon the corresponding enterprise 12 agreeing to a higher reward for a particular candidate. For this purpose the system 10 includes negotiation means for allowing negotiation associated with the offer of the reward for employee recruitment wherein the negotiation means includes means for receiving a variation in the indication of the offer from the plurality of potential employee sources 23.

A feature of the web system 18 is that each of the candidate sources 23 has their own account on the web system 18 with a list of personal contacts.

Each of the candidate sources 23 is able to add further candidate sources 23 to their list of personal contacts and forward the details of the requirements 17 associated with the employee recruitment to those contacts.

The system 10 further includes means for tracking that is adapted to track the distribution of the details of the requirements 17 sent from one of the potential employee candidate sources 23 to another potential employee candidate source 23 added as a personal contact.

The tracking system allows for several degrees of separation between the initial candidate source 23 to which the details of the requirements 17 were sent and the final candidate source who was successful in recommending a potential candidate and who was sent the details of the requirements 17 by being identified as a personal contact.

The means for tracking advantageously includes means for apportioning the reward associated with the offer 15 whereby, when the details of the requirements 17 are forwarded from one personal employee candidate source 23 to an associated personal contact, that personal employee candidate source will receive a portion of the reward. Preferably a chain of personal contacts is tracked such that each contact in the chain is apportioned part of the reward.

It is envisaged that potential employee candidate sources 23 will only be able to send details of the requirements 17 to their personal contacts through the web interface 18. Other arrangements may of course be provided. In preferred methods a web site tracks the distribution of the details of the requirements associated with the employee recruitment and maintains a list of personal contacts for each of the potential employee candidate sources 23. The web site allows each potential candidate source to selectively forward details of the requirements to at least one of their associated personal contacts and tracks the distribution of the details of the requirements such that the distribution of the details sent from one of the potential employee candidate sources to a personal contact is recorded. Following this the reward is apportioned between those entities which were involved in the chain of forwarding events that led to the recommendation of a successful candidate.

With reference to Figure 2 there is shown a method 30 according to a second embodiment of the invention. The method 30 facilitates employee recruitment by receiving an offer 32 of a reward for employee recruitment at block 34; receiving details of requirements 35 associated with the employee recruitment at block 36; and distributing the details of the requirements 17 associated with the employee recruitment to a plurality of potential employee candidate sources 37 at block 38. The method 30 further includes at block 40 enabling the plurality of potential employee candidate sources to respond by presenting one or more potential employees 41. The one or more potential employees are presented by the potential employee candidate sources logging onto a web interface 42. The method 30 consequently enables the recommendation of one or more potential employees in consideration of the offer and based on the requirements associated with the employee recruitment.

The method 30 further includes at block 44 distributing indications of the offers of the rewards to the plurality of potential employee candidate sources 37.

Referring to Figure 3 there is shown a system 110 according to a further preferred embodiment of the invention. The system 110 facilitates employee recruitment.

Within the system 110 there is provided a server arrangement 112 having an offer receiving means 114 for receiving an offer 115 of a reward for employee recruitment from a small to medium enterprise 116. Together with the means 114 for receiving the offer 115, the sever arrangement 112 includes requirement receiving means 117 for receiving details 119 of requirements associated with the employee recruitment. In this arrangement the reward for employee recruitment comprises a monetary amount and the requirements associated with the. employee recruitment include employee qualification requirements. More specifically the offer 115 represents an intended maximum commission prepared to be paid for successfully recommending a potential employee.

The server arrangement 112 further includes a database 118 of potential employees. The database 118 includes a store of potential employee details including a store of potential employee contact details 120, a store of potential employee qualifications 122, and a store of potential employee reward criteria

124. In arrangements the stores 120, 124, 126 may be integral or interconnected and may for example comprise a disturbed feed network. Various forms of database are comprehended.

Within the server arrangement 112, there is further provided a recommending means 128 associated with the database 118 for considering the offer 115 of the reward and, subject to considering the offer 115, selectively identifying potential employees from the database 118. As is described in further detail below the a means 130 is provided within means 128 for recommending two of the most suitable potential employees identified, in response to the offer 115 and based on the requirements associated with the employee recruitment.

The server arrangement 112 operates in accordance with a preferred method 132 of the invention shown in Figure 4. The method 132 facilitates employee recruitment and includes at block 134 receiving the offer 115 of the reward for employee recruitment. Furthermore, at block 136 the method 132 includes receiving the details 119 of requirements associated with the employee recruitment.

The blocks 134, and 136 within the method 132 are facilitated by a graphical user interface presented to the small to medium enterprise 116. The graphical user interface is provided from the system 110 at a computer terminal within the enterprise 116 over the World-Wide-Web. The graphical user interface provides a form having an offer field and an assortment of qualifications fields.

The technology required to provide such an interface is known. In operation the small to medium enterprise 116 inputs the offer 115 and the employee qualifications respectively into the offer field and the qualifications fields. Following this, the offer 115 is received at the offer receiving means 114 and the qualifications are received at requirement receiving means 117. Subsequently at block 138 the method 132 includes considering the offer 115 and, subject to said considering the offer 115, selectively recommending at least one potential employee at block 139. The potential employees are recommended from the database of potential employees 118. Block 138 includes querying the database 118 to identify potential employees that at least partially meet the requirements associated with the employee recruitment. In this regard the requirements are not strict requirements but as is the case in the industry are merely preferred.

Furthermore in this arrangement the method 132 advantageously includes querying the store of employee reward criteria 124 such that the potential employees located are associated with reward criteria that satisfy the offer 115. Thus if potential employee A is associated with reward criteria which specifies that offers must be greater than offer 1 15 then potential employee A will definitely not be recommended whilst if potential employee B is associated with reward criteria which specifies that any offer will be acceptable then potential employee B may be recommended. This function is specifically performed by means 128 being configured determine whether the offer 115 of the reward meets reward criteria associated with respective potential employees in the database 118 of potential employees. The method 132 is facilitated by system 110 having at least one server that is configured to receive the offer 115 of a reward for employee recruitment as well as to receive details of qualification requirements associated with the employee recruitment. The means 128 is configured to selectively identify a potential employee from the database 118 of potential employees based on qualification requirements associated with the employee recruitment and subject to considering the offer of the reward. The means 128 is further arranged to query the database such that the potential employees identified are associated with reward criteria that is satisfied by the offer 115 of the reward. Once a number of potential employees have been located two of the most potential employees are recommended in response to the offer of the reward for employee recruitment.

A more detailed analysis of the preferred method 132 is shown in Figure 5. At a first block 140 the human resources manager of the small to medium enterprise 116 logs into the system 110 using a web interface. The human resources manager posts a vacancy on the site and enters the particulars of the job on being prompted. These particulars include the flexibility in requirements such as part time or full time employment, acceptable salary range and required qualifications. Furthermore the human resource manager enters the offer 115 as amount of money "reserve" that they would be prepared to pay to a associated recruitment agency and who 'successfully refers' an candidate to the role.

At block 142 the human resources manager selects at least one referral program and a number of optional advertising programs. The advertising programs in themselves are conventional and are therefore not discussed here. On selecting referral program 144 the human resources officer is prompted at block 146 for which registered referrers should be informed of the offer. After this the offer 115 is confirmed at block 148 and the vacancy posted.

Advantageously a web based system is used for informing the referral agencies. In other arrangements emails are automatically sent to all selected registered referral agencies selected. Other systems such as RSS feed systems may also be used.

After being notified about the vacancy the recruitment agencies and other registered referrers each follow the subsequent steps described with regard to Figure 4. In other embodiments the recruitment agencies may rely entirely on their knowledge of available candidates or may merely allow candidates to log onto their systems and search for vacancies, identifying themselves as being interested in particular positions.

Advantageously the method 132 at block 150 includes the referrers negotiating with the small to medium enterprise 116 to increase the reward for employee recruitment. This occurs through a controlled process occurring through system 110. The recruitment agency could for example determine the value of the submission they are making and may negotiate an altered price accordingly. For example, one candidate may be entered at the reserve, one below the reserve and one attached with a negotiation identifying note explaining that an excellent candidate is available but more money would have to be paid.

In arrangements the recruitment agency may also may also offer a discounted offer, lower than the offer 115 subject to other conditions. Once the small to medium enterprise 116 has received and has reviewed the options available, the small to medium enterprise 116 is able to communicate with the referrers to arrange to interview a selection of potential employees recommended. Once the small to medium enterprise 116 makes the placement the negotiated reward is paid to the successful referrer.

Whilst aspects of the drawings may have not been described herein they are to be taken as part of the present disclosure. More particular details and clarifying comments may be provided therein. For example the referrers may constitute a network of personal contacts associated with the enterprise 16 as shown in process 151.

The above embodiments are thought to be advantageous for small and medium business who very rarely use recruitment agency systems. The embodiments allow agencies to connect with small and medium business enterprises via the establishment of an online market place where commercial negotiations can take place and in which the small to medium business is able to nominate what they consider a fair price for a placement. By associating potential employees with reward criteria agencies are readily able to determine if an offer is reasonable for a potential employee and can subsequently submit a candidate. Such services can be run by any organisation interested in managing employee placement programs.

The agency is also able to facilitate the accommodation of special work arrangements, for example mature age and part time workers and can provide a full review system on exit such that individuals can be rated as per the work they do. In this respect, recruiters can also be rated for the placements made and small to medium enterprises can be rated on their scope definition or their credit history. Flexibility can be provided whereby people can share jobs and a diverse range of employment positions can be sourced.

A further embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figure 6. The embodiment provides a system 202 in which system processes are engaged by an enterprise comprising mining company 202. In the arrangement the mining company 202 wishes to fill a role within the enterprise and employs the system to source candidates and fill the role in the hiring process. The system facilitates the mining company's 202 engagement of a plurality of candidate sources CS/A 204, CS/B 206 and CS/C 208 and provides rating and feedback systems for generating indicators of their experience of the system.

The form and operation of the system will now be described with reference to the processing of a specific example.

At a first point in the process the mining company 202 advertises a position using the system. The mining company includes details of requirements of the position and a reward amount to be paid to the candidate source who refers a successful candidate who is offered and accepts the role. In the example, the mining company logs into a client section of the system through a graphical user interface of a website facility. The mining company is provided with a number of prompt elements requiring data entry. The prompt elements are configured for generating a structured outline of the requirements. The prompt elements are provided as part of a fielded web page comprising the following fields:

1. Job title

2. Company name

3. Location

4. Required Qualifications , 5. Required experience

6. Desirable experience

7. Desirable qualities

8. Role description

9. Salary offered 10. Reward for successful referral

The prompt elements are used to provide a listing from which the structured outline is generated. A keyword generation facility generates a number of keywords from the structured outline. In this case the keywords generated comprise the following items: Engineering, Management; South Australia; 10 years experience Mining Industry; Chemical Engineering degree; deadline for submissions xx/xx/xxxx; reward $2000 - $3000.

The system employs a distribution module to distribute the structured outline to the plurality of candidate sources which, in the embodiment, comprise: (i) recruiters including professional recruiters whose main source of income is from their expertise in sourcing candidates on behalf of enterprises; (ii) members of a community managed by the system; and (iii) casual referrers comprising individuals who through the course of their work and life have contacts that couid conceivably be referred including family, colleagues past & present, friends and acquaintances. The distribution module includes a first unit which broadcasts the structured outline to an Internet job board available to both anonymous and registered users able to search the job board for relevant positions. A second unit of the distribution module narrowcasts the structured outline to individual candidate sources who are members of the community managed by the system. The second unit includes a matching facility such that the structured outline is narrowcast to individual candidate sources who previously expressed desire to receive advice of roles that match predetermined criteria. In the arrangement the system includes a community match facility for allowing members to specify desired match criteria. In the example members are able to specify a match criteria assembled by the system into a grammatical form. For example, the grammatical form may comprise a broad preference such as: "I wish to be notified of all new Engineering roles" or a specific preference; "I wish to be notified of management engineering roles in South Australia where the required qualification is Chemical Engineering Degree". In the first example the member would specify criteria such as (i) new and (ii) Engineering. In the second example the member would specify (i) management engineering and (iii) South Australia. In one arrangement drop down field selectors are employed. In addition candidate sources are able to specify the reward levels for which they wish to be notified as well as to have multiple "preference sets" for which they will receive notifications whenever roles matching the criteria are listed by enterprises.

As part of their preferences, the candidate sources can also nominate the channel through which notifications will be sent. These channels preferably include SMS, email and other sources. Advantageously the role is distributed directly to each candidate source through the requested channel. Returning to Figure 6, the structured outline is made available on the Internet job board 210 and is sent to a number of candidate sources who have requested that they be advised of roles according to the broad and specific specifications detailed above. CS/A 204 is a casual user browsing the Internet who sees the role on the job board. In order to express interest in referring a candidate to the role, CS/A follows links provided on the website to join the system as a registered user. In the process CS/A attains membership by entering identifying details in an account facility provided by the system. The account facility records CS/A as a registered member having a particular login id and password that allows CS/A to access a private account management facility within the system website. From the management facility CS/A is able to communicate to the system and manage over time personal details and preferences with respect to notification channels and roles and rewards for which CS/A might be interested. CS/B 206, on the other hand, is a registered user and is notified of the role via email, as specified in CS/B's notification preferences. The email includes links that fast track CS/B to the details and associated functions that facilitate communication and interaction with the roles outlined in the email.

CS/C 208 is notified of the role via SMS, as specified in CS/C's notification preferences. The SMS sent includes an SMS code that allows CS/C to access the details and associated functions that facilitate communication and interaction with the roles outlined in the SMS. This is achieved by CS/C visiting the system website and entering the SMS code where specified.

The system provides a referral facility for when one or more of the candidate sources becomes aware of a role for which the candidate source feels they have a viable candidate in their contact group or who they are otherwise aware of. The referral facility provided allows a candidate source to log on to the system and refer a candidate via a section of the website open to ail candidate sources who are registered. This is achieved by the candidate source logging into the system and being guided by a number of prompt elements from which a structured listing is generated providing details of the specified candidate for the role and requesting that candidate's approval be put forward to the mining company 202. On logging into the section, the candidate source is guided through a fielded web page that creates a form email which is sent to the nominated candidate. The form email contains the following component elements:

1. Salutation and ad-hoc introduction to email 2. Form request that the candidate respond with approval and associated automatic buttons to do so

3. Role details

4. Form request that the candidate respond with any questions on the role directly to the Candidate source. The email is sent to the candidate who is then able to response through an automated process to either decline or express interest in the role.

Once approval is gained from the system 200, the applicant proceeds to send an application via the system. The relevant candidate source is advantageously automatically specified in the application made by the applicant by the automatic generation of a candidate source identifier and the application is entered through a form filled web page which allows the candidate to attach documents and notes outlining their "fit with the role". In situations involving more than one candidate source chain identifier may be used.

Alternatively, the candidate source may stipulate that responsibility to fill in details of applications is given to the candidate source. In such an arrangement the candidate source enters the application details on behalf of the candidate, although the former will generally be the preference. In both situations the system generates a structured application in which compulsory field prompts ensure that compulsory information is included. The compulsory field prompts allow the system to precisely ascertain the match of the candidates and the candidates' experience to the role requirements.

As part of the registration process the candidate source is required to accept contractual terms through which the candidate source is made aware, if their nominated candidate is ultimately successful, that they will receive payment of the reward amount less a transaction commission fee paid to the system operator at a set, agreed and published amount according to the terms of their membership. In the present embodiment mining company 202 receives a total of 22 applications. Within the 22 applications there are the 18 referrals. The remaining applications comprise applications made directly from candidates. The direct applications are processed as if they were referred by a candidate source CS/0 however CS/0 receives no award for placement. The direct applications associated with CS/0 are not detailed for sake of simplicity. Referrals

1. C1 referred by CS/A

2. C2 referred by CS/B 3. C3 referred by CS/B

4. C3 referred by CS/B

5. C5 referred by CS/C

Advantageously the system includes a ranking unit for ranking the candidates according to the field information provided as part of the structured applications submitted by the candidates. The ranking unit includes a sorting facility whereby the details garnered form the application forms allows the system to automatically rank and sort all applications based on the nominated criteria of the hiring enterprise prior to on-sending information to the enterprise.

The system 200 further includes candidate grade unit which records the credentials, the location, the experience, the willingness to apply of the nominated candidate in relation to job role requirements and so forth. The candidate grade unit cooperates with a candidate source grade unit which grades the candidate source based on elements relating to the quality of the referred candidates.

The candidate source grade unit in this example assumes that the candidate source has accountability for all elements of the quality of their referrals. The elements form a grade group and include the credentials, the location, the experience, and the willingness to apply of the nominated candidate in relation to the job role requirements. The grade group is revised and updated by a review of the hiring entity that is performed using a review unit that collects data concerning the behaviour, presentation and ultimate suitability of the candidate in relation to the role requirements specified.

In the manner described, the system is arranged so the performance of their candidates in both a general and specific sense ultimately has a bearing on feedback ratings given to the relevant candidate source from the relevant hiring enterprise at close of transaction compfeting final hiring.

On reaching the deadline date for submissions as specified in the role requirements, the system ranking unit aggregates, sorts and ranks all applicants in a final list of records containing high level information specific to each candidate.

This information is drawn from specific requirements outlined in the role requirements of the hiring enterprise. In addition the list of records includes information specific to the relevant candidate source. This information includes membership information including success indicators. The success indicators comprise placements per referral and historical feedback scores. In one example the success indicators include 66% positive rating of shortlist, 200 reterrais to date, 60 short listed candidates, 3 successful placements plus anecdotal feedback from past hiring establishment for whom candidates have made it onto shortlists.

The anecdotal feedback advantageously preserves candidate and candidate source confidentiality e.g. "A pleasure to deal with. Although not successful, candidate was clearly qualified and well suited. I would use this source again in future". In order to process the feedback there is advantageously provided a candidate feedback unit and a hiring establishment feedback unit. The candidate feedback unit processes feedback from candidates.

For the purposes of illustration, a relatively simple representation of the list provided to the hiring enterprise is shown below.

A shortlist cut-off is determined by the hiring establishment, which as noted comprises mining company 202. All candidates falling under the cut-off are held in the system in case the hiring establishment chooses to extend the number of candidates interviewed at any point in time in the hiring process. Some companies choose to interview more candidates, some less.

The mining company is sent via email the full list of all applicants, which by default is prioritised by key specific requirements nominated by the company and also by the historical feedback ratings of the related candidate source. The list is provided by an interface with a criteria sorting facility that is able to sort by further preferred criteria determined by the company. The company is able to rank the list by "Relevant Experience in years" or by "Feedback score of candidate source" or other criteria of their choice.

In the example the company determines their shortlist of candidates who will proceed to an interview. This is done according to their own logic and determines six candidates, although the mining company decides to interview five candidates 1 , 2, 4, 5 & 6 diverting from the strict ranking of skills because of the very poor rating of the candidate source that referred candidate 3. Depending on how first interviews progress and the mining company's satisfaction with the individuals they meet in interviewing their shortlist, the mining company may choose to progress down the list according to their preferences. If this occurs, all subsequent candidate sources go through all process as if they were on the original short list. In the example however only CS/C, CS/B and CS/X have been successful in getting candidates onto the shortlist. CS/A has not achieved this status.

The mining company then proceeds to set interviews with C5, C3, Cx, Cx & Cx, according to their own processes and follow through the steps required to make an offer.

After the interviews C3 is made an offer which is subsequently accepted. The mining company then logs into a client facility through the website and a fulfilment unit is employed to complete "post fulfilment documentation"

The fulfilment unit guides the mining company though a number of steps detailed below.

1. The company advises the unit of the final decision and enters corresponding details. The unit automatically sends notification by email to all candidate sources that had candidates in the interview process.

2. The company is taken to a secure section that allows them to pay the agreed reward via their preferred method which, in this example, comprises credit card, bank transfer or any other accepted financial transaction device.

3. The unit forwards the amount of the reward, less commissions to the system operator. 4. The unit retains and "banks" the commission amount on behalf of the system operator.

To provide feedback on all candidate sources that successfully had candidates that reached interview stage, the unit includes a review unit having a feedback facility. In the feedback facility, in relation to candidate source CS/C, positive feedback is entered by ticking a positive radio button. Anecdotal notes are then entered through a note facility in which the company enters; "Put forward a terrific candidate and was a pleasure to deal with. Highly recommended". In relation to candidate source CS/B the company enters positive feedback by ticking a positive radio button and then proceeds to enter anecdotal notes comprising: "Thanks for a great candidate who we've hired and have great hopes for. We hope to do business with you again." In relation to CS/x the company enters neutral feedback by ticking a negative radio button and proceeds to enter anecdotal notes comprising "While a pleasure to deal with, we just don't feel this candidate source provided the quality of the candidate we sought." With regard to the second candidate referred by CS/x the company enters negative feedback by ticking a negative radio button and proceeds to enter anecdotal notes comprising: "We felt you just didn't follow up with the additional information we requested on your candidate in a timeframe that was helpful". As new feedback ratings are entered into the system, the system updates the records of each party to reflect new total scores/ratios.

On receiving notification from the system that the hiring process has been concluded, the candidate sources that had candidates on the shortlist are invited back, via their preferred contact method, to visit the website and conclude the transaction.

They enter the website and go to the Candidate source private section and are guided through the process by a candidate source feedback module. CS/3 enters his private area performs the following functions:

1. Verifies that payment of the reward has been received

2. Sends a form email to the company thanking for business

3. Provides feedback on the company and enters positive feedback by ticking a positive radio button and proceeds to enter their anecdotal notes; " A pleasure to work with, Thanks for prompt payment. Hope to do business again with you in future." CS/5 enters his private area and performs the following functions

1. Sends a form email to the company thanking for opportunity to do business

2. Provides feedback on the company and enters positive feedback by ticking a positive radio button and proceeds to enter their anecdotal notes: " A pleasure to work with, and thanks for quick communication at all steps. Sorry I didn't get to place with you but maybe in future, you are great to work with" CS/x enters his private area performs the following functions; 1. Sends a form email to the company thanking for opportunity to do business

2. Provides feedback the company and enters negative feedback by ticking a positive radio button and proceeds to enter their anecdotal notes:" I'm disappointed you weren't satisfied but felt it really difficult to understand what you wanted as you never responded to my queries and made it very hard all round"

Should those with negative feedback feel they are unfairly evaluated, the system provides an arbitration facility. The arbitration facility has arbitration routine having a first round, a second round, and a third round.

Once all the above steps are completed the system closes the account for the role. A form letter is sent to all candidates who expressed interest in the role advising of closure. The system records to the private enterprise database all key elements as details. These would include but not be limited to;

1. Details of the company

2. Shortlist candidate referrers and candidate login details 3. Successful candidate

4. Fee paid

5. Timing of fee paid

6. Feedback from transaction

The system has an automated tracking and reporting facility for all key metrics of the process that can be shared with any party at any stage of the process at their explicit or implicit request. At all times, privacy of parties who have not formally requested and approved introduction and subsequent disclosure of identifying details. These would include;

1. Role title 2. Time of listing

3. Number of referrals

4. Details of parties engaged in transaction (only as relevant and appropriate)

5. Short listed candidates 6. Ratios and metrics related to all of the above and any part of the process deemed appropriate by participating parties: the mining company, candidate sources, Candidates and the operating entity. While this invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of further modification(s). This application is intended to cover any variations uses or adaptations of the invention following in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the invention pertains and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth.

As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit of the essential characteristics of the invention, it should be understood that the above described embodiments are not to limit the present invention unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Various modifications and equivalent arrangements are intended to be included within the spirit and scope of the invention and appended claims. Therefore, the specific embodiments are to be understood to be illustrative of the many ways in which the principles of the present invention may be practiced. In the following claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover structures as performing the defined function and not only structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures. For example, although a nail and a screw may not be structural equivalents in that a nail employs a cylindrical surface to secure wooden parts together, whereas a screw employs a helical surface to secure wooden parts together, in the environment of fastening wooden parts, a nail and a screw are equivalent structures.

"Comprises/comprising" when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof." Thus, unfess the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words 'comprise', 'comprising', and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of "including, but not limited to".

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A system for facilitating employee recruitment comprising: means for receiving an offer of a reward for employee recruitment; means for receiving details of requirements associated with the employee recruitment; and means for distributing the details of the requirements associated with the employee recruitment to a plurality of potential employee candidate sources and for enabling the plurality of potential employee candidate sources to respond by presenting one or more potential employees, the system enabling the recommendation of one or more potential employees in consideration of the offer and based on the requirements associated with the employee recruitment.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 further including means for distributing an indication of the offer of the reward to the plurality of potential employee candidate sources such that the indication of the offer can be considered by said plurality of potential employee candidate sources.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the means for distributing the details of the requirements and the means for distributing the indication of the offer form at least part of a distribution means adapted to provide an online graphical user interface.

4. A system as claimed in claim 3 wherein the online graphical user interface is an online interface accessible using the World Wide Web.

5. A system as claimed in claim 3 or 4 wherein the distribution means is adapted to provide a list of a plurality of employment positions each associated with a respective offer of a reward for employee recruitment.

6. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 including means for receiving details of the or more potential employees from the plurality of potential employee candidate sources and means for providing the details of the one or more potential employees in response to the offer.

7. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 including means for considering the offer.

8. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the offer represents an intended maximum commission prepared to be paid for successfully recommending a potential employee.

9. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 including means for allowing negotiation associated with the offer of the reward for employee recruitment.

10. A system as claimed in claim 9 wherein the means for allowing the negotiation associated with the offer includes means for receiving a variation in the indication of the offer from the plurality of potential employee sources.

11. A system as claimed in arty one of claims 1 to 10 including means for tracking the distribution of the details of the requirements associated with the employee recruitment such that the distribution of the details sent from one of the potential employee candidate sources to another potential employee candidate source is recorded.

12. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 including means for maintaining a list of personal contacts for each of the potential employee candidate sources and for allowing each potential candidate source to selectively forward details of the requirements to at least one of their associated personal contacts.

13. A system as claimed in claim 12 including means for tracking the distribution of the details of the requirements associated with the employee recruitment such that the distribution of the details sent from one of the potential employee candidate sources to a personal contact is recorded.

14. A system as claimed in claim 13 including means for apportioning the reward between the potential employee candidate sources and the personal contacts according to the personal contacts and the potential employee candidate sources to which the details were sent.

15. An employee recruitment system comprising: a candidate source grade unit for providing indicators of the performance of candidate sources.

16. An employee recruitment system as claimed in claim 15 wherein the candidate source grade unit includes a store of data representative of the suitability of candidates referred by respective candidate sources.

17. An employee recruitment system as claimed in claim 15 or 16 wherein the candidate source grade unit includes a review unit through which a hiring enterprise is able to provide feedback regarding the suitability of a candidates referred by respective candidate sources.

18. An employee recruitment system as claimed in claim 15, 16, or 17 wherein the review unit comprises a selection facility for selecting one a group of results, the group comprising at least a positive result and a negative result.

19. An employee recruitment system as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 18 wherein the review unit comprises a comment facility for entering comments regarding the performance of candidate sources.

20. An employee recruitment system as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 19 including a ranking unit for ranking candidates according to data provided by the candidate source grade unit.

21. An employee recruitment system as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 20 including a data unit for providing data relevant to respective candidates referred by candidate sources.

22. An employee recruitment method comprising collecting data representative of the performance of a candidate sources in referring candidates to hiring enterprises; storing the data in a database; and providing the stored data for use in selecting candidates referred by said candidate sources.

23. An employee recruitment method as claimed in claim 22 including generating indicators of the performance of candidate sources in referring suitability of candidates in a employee recruitment system.

24. An employee recruitment method as claimed in claim 22 or 23 including soliciting feedback from hiring enterprises relating to the suitability of candidates referred by respective candidate sources.

25. An employee recruitment method as claimed in any one of claims 22 to 24 including providing a feedback selector for the selection of one of at least a positive result and a negative result.

26. An employee recruitment method as claimed in any one of claims 22 to 25 including providing a comment facility for written comments regarding the performance of candidate sources.

27. A system for facilitating employee recruitment comprising: means for receiving an offer of a reward for employee recruitment; means for receiving details of requirements associated with the employee recruitment; and means for considering the offer and, subject to considering the offer, selectively recommending a potential employee from a database of potential employees, in response to the offer and based on the requirements associated with the employee recruitment.

28. A system as claimed in claim 27 wherein the offer represents an intended maximum commission prepared to be paid for successfully recommending a potential employee.

29. A system as claimed in claim 27 or 28 wherein the means for considering the offer is configured to determine whether the offer of the reward meets reward criteria associated with respective potential employees in the database of potential employees.

30. A system as claimed in claim 27, 28 or 29 including means for negotiating a higher offer of the reward for employee recruitment.

31. A system as claimed in any one of claims 27 to 30 including means for finalising commercial terms and work preferences

32. A system as claimed in any one of claims 27 to 31 wherein the system operates with the use of the world-wide-web.

33. A method of facilitating employee recruitment comprising: receiving an offer of a reward for employee recruitment; receiving details of requirements associated with the employee recruitment; considering the offer and, subject to considering the offer, selectively recommending a potential employee from a database of potential employees, in response to the offer and based on the requirements associated with the employee recruitment.

34. A method as claimed in claim 33 wherein the offer represents an intended maximum commission prepared to be paid for successfully recommending a potential employee.

35. A method as claimed in claim 33 or 34 wherein considering the offer includes determining whether the offer of the reward meets reward criteria associated with respective potential employees in the database of potential employees.

36. A method as claimed in claim 33, 34 or 35 including negotiating a higher offer of the reward for employee recruitment.

37. A method as claimed in any one of claims 33 to 36 including finalising commercial terms and work preferences.

38. A method for facilitating employee recruitment comprising: receiving an offer of a reward for employee recruitment; receiving details of requirements associated with the employee recruitment; and distributing the details of the requirements associated with the employee recruitment to a plurality of potential employee candidate sources and enabling the plurality of potential employee candidate sources to respond by presenting one or more potential employees; wherein the method enables the recommendatiorv of one or more potential employees in consideration of the offer and based on the requirements associated with the employee recruitment.

39. A method as claimed in claim 38 further including distributing an indication of the offer of the reward to the plurality of potential employee candidate sources such that the indication of the offer can be considered by said plurality of potential employee candidate sources.

40. A method as claimed in claim 39 wherein distributing the details of the requirements and the indication of the offer to the plurality of potential employee is performed using distribution means adapted to provide an online graphical user interface.

41. A method as claimed in claim 40 wherein the online graphical user interface is an online interface accessible using the World Wide Web.

42. A method as claimed in any one of claims 38 to 41 including providing a list of a plurality of employment positions each associated with a respective offer of a reward for employee recruitment.

43. A method as claimed in any one of claims 38 to 41 including receiving details of the one or more potential employees from the plurality of potential employee candidate sources and providing the details of the one or more potential employees in response to the offer.

44. A method as claimed in any one of claims 38 to 41 wherein the offer represents an intended maximum commission prepared to be paid for successfully recommending a potential employee.

45. A method as claimed in any one of claims 38 to 41 including allowing for negotiation associated with the offer of the reward for employee recruitment.

46. A method as claimed in claim 45 wherein allowing for negotiation associated with the offer includes receiving a variation in the indication of the offer from the plurality of potential employee sources.

47. A method as claimed in any one of claims 38 to 46 including tracking the distribution of the details of the requirements associated with the employee recruitment such that the distribution of the details sent from one of the potential employee candidate sources to another potential employee candidate source is recorded.

48. A method as claimed in any one of claims 38 to 46 including maintaining a list of personal contacts for each of potential employee candidate sources and allowing each potential candidate source to selectively forward details of the requirements to at least one of their associated personal contacts.

49. A method as claimed in claim 48 including tracking the distribution of the details of the requirements associated with the employee recruitment such that the distribution of the details sent from one of the potential employee candidate sources to a personal contact is recorded.

50. A method as claimed in claim 49 including apportioning the reward between the potential employee candidate sources and the personal contacts according to the personal contacts and the potential employee candidate sources to which the details were sent.

51. A method of employee recruitment facilitated by a system including at least one server configured to: means for receiving an offer of a reward for employee recruitment; means for receiving details of requirements associated with the employee recruitment; and means for distributing the details of the requirements associated with the employee recruitment to a plurality of potential employee candidate sources and for enabling the plurality of potential employee candidate sources to respond by presenting one or more potential employees; wherein the method includes recommending the potential employee in response to the offer of the reward for employee recruitment.

52. A method as claimed in claim 51 including distributing an indication of the offer of the reward to the plurality of potential employee candidate sources such that the indication of the offer can be considered by the plurality of potential employee candidate sources

53. A method of employee recruitment facilitated by a system including at least one server configured to: means for receiving an offer of a reward for employee recruitment; means for receiving details of requirements associated with the employee recruitment; and means for distributing the details of the requirements associated with the employee recruitment to a plurality of potential employee candidate sources and for enabling the plurality of potential employee candidate sources to respond by presenting one or more potential employees; wherein the method includes offering the reward for employee recruitment.

54. A method as claimed in claim 52 including selecting the reward for employee recruitment.

55. A method as claimed in claim 52 including negotiating the reward for employee recruitment.

56. A method of employee recruitment facilitated by a system including at least one server configured to: receive an offer of a reward for employee recruitment; receive details of requirements associated with the employee recruitment; and selectively identify a potential employee from a database of potential employees based on the requirements associated with the employee recruitment and subject to considering the offer; wherein the method includes recommending the potential employee in response to the offer of the reward for employee recruitment.

57. A method of employee recruitment facilitated by a system including at least one server configured to: receive an offer of a reward for employee recruitment; receive details of requirements associated with the employee recruitment; and to selectively identify a potential employee from a database of potential employees based on the requirements associated with the employee recruitment and subject to considering the offer; wherein the method includes offering the reward for employee recruitment.

58. An employee recruitment system comprising: a hiring establishment grade unit for providing indicators of the performance of hiring establishments.

59. An employee recruitment system as claimed in claim 58 wherein the hiring establishment grade unit includes a review unit through which candidate sources are able to provide feedback regarding the performance of hiring establishments.

60. An employee recruitment system as claimed in claim 58 or 59 wherein the hiring establishment grade unit includes a store of data representative of an average reward offered by hiring establishments.

61. An employee recruitment system as claimed in any one of claims 58 to 60 wherein the review unit comprises a selection facility for selecting one a group of results, the group comprising at least a positive result and a negative result.

62. An employee recruitment system as claimed in any one of claims 58 to 61 wherein the review unit comprises a comment facility for entering comments regarding the performance of hiring establishments.

63. An employee recruitment system as claimed in any one of claims 58 to 62 including a ranking unit for ranking hiring establishments according to data provided by the hiring establishment grade unit.

64. An employee recruitment method comprising collecting data representative of the performance of hiring establishments in recruitment processes in which potential candidates are recommended by candidate sources; storing the data in a database; and providing the stored data for use by candidate sources.

65. An employee recruitment method as claimed in claim 64 including generating indicators of the performance of hiring establishments.

66. An employee recruitment method as claimed in claim 64 or 65 including soliciting feedback from candidate sources relating to the performance of hiring establishments.

67. An employee recruitment method as claimed in any one of claims 64 to 66 including providing a feedback selector for the selection of one of at least a positive result and a negative result.

68. An employee recruitment method as claimed in any one of claims 64 to 67 including providing a comment facility for written comments regarding the performance of hiring establishments.

69. Apparatus adapted to recommend a potential employee, said apparatus including: processor means adapted to operate in accordance with a predetermined instruction set, said apparatus, in conjunction with said instruction set, being adapted to perform a method as claimed in any one the claims.

70. A computer program product including: a computer usable medium having computer readable program code and computer readable system code embodied on said medium for recommending a potential employee within a data processing system, said computer program product including: computer readable code within said computer usable medium for performing a method as claimed in any one of the claims.

71. A method substantially as herein disclosed.

72. An apparatus and/or device substantially as herein disclosed.