WO2002063532A2

WO2002063532A2 - Computer based system and method for candidates or position selection on a computer network

Info

Publication number: WO2002063532A2
Application number: PCT/US2001/051264
Authority: WO
Inventors: Keith Duncan Jones
Original assignee: Thinkshed, Inc.
Priority date: 2000-10-27
Filing date: 2001-10-26
Publication date: 2002-08-15
Also published as: AU2002253846A1; WO2002063532A3

Abstract

A system and method for staffing over a computer network is disclosed. The system includes means for storing information about a plurality of available positions and candidates, and means to display each type of information via a single graphic interface. The system includes filters to filter the position and candidate information by a plurality of criteria, and includes a mechanism for distinguishing the filtered candidates and positions based on the degree their respective filter criteria match. The graphic interfaces include means for selectively and dynamically adjusting the skills and/or culture filter criteria associated with a particular candidate or position. The system further provides for the dynamic scheduling of interviews between candidates and companies offering positions through the system. It also provides for the integration of candidates from a plurality of different sources, and for the display of such candidates by source.

Description

COMPUTERIZED STAFFING SYSTEM AND METHOD THEREOF

BACKGROUND

The present invention is directed to a staffing system and method for staffing over a computer network, and in particular to such a system and method that allows

for the dynamic display and integration of candidates or positions from a plurality of different sources on a single graphical interface.

With today's low unemployment rate, finding employees, let alone skilled employees has become a challenging task. There are over 30,000 staffing companies in the United States competing to meet this enormous demand for talent, a demand

which generates over $22 billion a year for the staffing industry. As the world is

becoming more mobile, companies are looking outside of their geographic locations

to fulfill their staffing needs. However, it is often difficult to find the right individuals in unfamiliar job markets.

The growth of the Internet has facilitated the job search. For example, there are currently online classified advertisements similar to those found in traditional

print media. Websites like that found at www.monster.com provide an online career network both for companies and candidates. With respect to candidates, they can

search either specifically by company, company location, job category, or generally

by keyword. A candidate can also create a server agent that automatically e-mails

job listings that match his or her criteria. With respect to companies, they can post their job openings in real time and have access to the database of candidates, which

can be filtered based on the company's criteria.

Current online staffing systems, however, are all textually-based, and thus cumbersome and difficult to process and manage. Moreover, they do not permit the

dynamic interaction of candidates and companies, as well as the dynamic matching

of candidates and companies based on a plurality of skills and culture criteria.

Further, the volume of data produced in the name of joining companies with candidates is extraordinary, making it virtually impossible to process the information

in an informed and objective manner and thus, to allow for more informed staffing

decisions. In addition, they do not provide for the dynamic scheduling of interviews

between candidates and companies. Finally, no existing systems provide for the integration of different sources of candidates and thus, talent on a plurality of levels.

All of the foregoing inefficiencies significantly add to the time and cost of hiring.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved, computerized system and method for

staffing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system for staffing over a computer network is disclosed. The system includes a candidate storage mechanism for storing information about a plurality of

candidates, a position filter for selectively filtering the plurality of candidates for a position at a company based on a plurality of position filter criteria, and a candidate

display for dynamically displaying a plurality of candidates filtered by the position filter in a single candidate graphic interface to a user of the system. The system further includes a position storage mechanism for storing information about a plurality of positions available from a plurality of companies, a candidate filter for

selectively filtering the plurality of positions based on a plurality of candidate filter

criteria, and a position display for dynamically displaying a plurality of positions

filtered by the candidate filter in a single position graphic interface to a user of the

system. The plurality of position filter criteria includes at least one of a position

skills criteria and a position culture criteria. The candidate display includes a

candidate circle having a position skills axis and a position culture axis which

intersect at a candidate center, wherein the filtered candidates are represented on the

candidate circle by a candidate symbol. The candidate information stored by the candidate storage mechanism includes a plurality of candidate skills criteria and a

plurality of candidate culture criteria, and the candidate display distinguishes the

filtered candidates displayed thereon based on the degree to which each candidate

skills criteria and each candidate culture criteria match the position skills criteria and

the company culture criteria, respectively. The system further includes a position filter criteria adjustment mechanism for selectively adjusting the position filter

criteria, and a candidate graphic interface adjustment mechanism for instantly adjusting the candidates displayed on the candidate graphic interface upon an

adjustment by the position filter criteria adjustment mechanism.

The system further automatically transmits the candidate information for a

candidate to the companies offering the positions displayed by the position display.

The candidate display preferably recommends an adjustment of at least one of the plurality of position skills criteria and the position culture criteria in order to dynamically increase the number of the candidates meeting said criteria. The plurality of candidates may come from a plurality of different sources, and the candidate display can display the candidates on the candidate display means by their

source.

The system may further include a candidate reference storage mechanism for

each of the plurality of candidates for storing information specific to the candidate's activity on the system over time, and a scheduler for dynamically scheduling an

interview between one of the plurality of candidates and one of the companies having an available position. Each candidate may have a candidate calendar stored

in the candidate storage mechanism, and each company may have a company

calendar stored in the position storage mechanism, such that the scheduler schedules

the interview based on the candidate's calendar and the company's calendar. The

system further includes a searching mechanism for searching for the position information and the candidate information stored on the system.

A method of staffing over a computer network having a plurality of positions

available from a plurality of companies is also disclosed. The method includes

storing information about a plurality of candidates, selectively filtering the plurality

of candidates based on a plurality of position filter criteria, and dynamically displaying the filtered candidates in a single candidate graphic interface to a user of

the system. The method further includes storing information about a plurality of

positions, selectively filtering the plurality of positions based on a plurality of

candidate filter criteria, and dynamically displaying the filtered positions in a single position graphic interface to a user of the system. The plurality of position filter criteria include at least one position skills criteria and at least one position culture criteria, the plurality of candidate filter criteria comprise at least one candidate skills

criteria and at least one candidate culture criteria, and the method further includes

the step of distinguishing the filtered candidates displayed on the single position

graphic interface based on the degree to which each candidate skills criteria and each

candidate culture criteria match the respective position skills criteria and the company culture criteria, respectively.

The method further includes dynamically scheduling an interview between a

candidate and a company offering a position on the system, and storing for each

candidate information specific to the candidate's activities on the system over time. In another embodiment, the method includes storing information about a plurality of

candidate filter criteria, and dynamically displaying the filtered positions in a single

position graphic interface to a user of the system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

As illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference

characters generally refer to the same parts or elements throughout the views:

Fig. l displays a communication network through which the staffing system and method of the present invention may be used.

Fig. 2 displays an exemplary home page of a preferred website from which

the online staffing system of the present invention may be accessed.

Fig. 3 displays an exemplary customized candidate page accessible through

the website of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 displays an exemplary My Profile page which is displayed when the

My Profile button of the customized candidate page of Fig. 3 is selected.

Fig. 5 displays a still image of a webcast accessible through the website of

Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 displays a full view of the position radar of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 displays an exemplary position culture page which is displayed when

the position culture axis of the position radar of Fig. 6 is selected.

Fig. 8 displays an exemplary customized company page accessible through

the website of Fig. 2.

Fig. 9 displays an exemplary report accessible via the company page of

Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 displays an exemplary company profile page which is accessible via

the company page of Fig. 8.

Fig. 11 displays an exemplary position profile which is accessible from the

company profile page of Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 displays an exemplary skills edit page accessible from the position

profile displayed in Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 displays a full view of the candidate radar of Fig. 8.

Fig. 14 displays a company interview request page accessible via the

candidate radar of Fig. 13.

Fig. 15 displays a candidate interview request page accessible via the

candidate page of Fig. 3. Fig. 16 displays a candidate summary page accessible via the company page

of Fig. 8.

Fig. 17 is a schematic displaying the integration between the supply

(candidates) and the demand (positions) side of staffing implemented via the staffing

system of Fig. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference

is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and in which is

shown by way of illustration of a specific embodiment in which the invention may be practiced. This embodiment is described in sufficient detail to enable those

skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other

embodiments may be utilized and that structural and logical changes may be made

without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed

description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

The present invention relates to a system and method for staffing over a

computer network. The system stores information about positions and candidates

from a plurality of different sources, as well as filter criteria associated therewith, and provides for the display of the information as filtered in a single position or

candidate graphic interface, respectively. Each graphic interface includes means for selectively adjusting the filter criteria and thus, dynamically changing the

information displayed on the graphic interface. For the purposes of discussion, the invention will be described in connection

with the system 5 of Fig. 1. System 5 includes a server 6 having databases 3 and 4

for storing candidate and position information, respectively, as well as the program

necessary to run the system as described herein, a personal computer 7 in connection

therewith over a computer network 8 such as the Internet. It can be appreciated by

one skilled in the art, however, that any type of storage device, communications device or computer network can be used.

The system 5 controls both the supply (i.e., candidates) and the demand (i.e.,

positions) side of the job market. The system receives information from candidates

and companies with positions directly via a website stored on the server 6 and

accessible through the computer network 8. Fig. 2 represents a home page 10 of a

preferred such website. The home page 10 includes a toolbar 12 which identifies a

plurality of navigational buttons 14 for accessing particular information from the

website. Such buttons include an "About Us" button 16, a "Register" button 18, a

"Take A Tour" button 20, a "Research" button 22 and a "News" button 24. The

About Us button 16 allows users to obtain information regarding the staffing system

operator. The Register button 18 allows users to register with the staffing system

operator to obtain a username and password, and to input their relevant staffing

information. The Take a Tour button 20 allows users to take an automated virtual

tour of the website. The Research button 22 allows users to conduct research

regarding market and company information. In a preferred embodiment, this

research function is provided by an outside source such as Hoover's, Inc. The News button 24 allows users to learn about new developments related to the website and

staffing in general.

System 5 permits the receipt of information about candidates from a plurality

of different sources as shown in Fig. 17. Such sources may include direct

applications 21 (either from inside or outside the company offering the position), job

boards 23, recruiters 25 and other proprietary staffing networks 27. It can be

appreciated that system 5 can accommodate all types of sources of talent in addition

to those mentioned above.

Once registered via the Register button 18, users can access the website by

entering their usemame and password in the usemame field 26 and password

field 28, respectively, and clicking on the Login button 30. If the user is a candidate

looking for a position, and once logged in, a customized Candidate page 32

representing his or her personal control room is displayed, a preferred embodiment

of which is shown in Fig. 3. Candidate page 32 also includes a tool bar 34 which

includes the following buttons: a "Home" button 36, a "My Profile" button 38, an

"Education" button 40, a "Research" button 42, a "Radar" button 44, a "News"

button 46, a "Calendar" button 48 and a "Logout" button 50. The Home button 36,

when selected, takes the candidate back to the home page 10.

The My Profile button 38, when selected, takes the candidate to a My Profile page 52, a preferred embodiment of which is shown in Fig. 4. The My Profile

page 52 has a plurality of sections, including a Background section 54, a Course Taken section 56, an Additional Certification section 58, a Skills section 60 and a Personal Qualities section 62. The Background section 54 identifies the candidate's past employment and educational background. This information can be edited by

clicking on the Edit button 64. The Courses Taken section identifies the courses taken by the candidate. The course titles are preferably hyperlinked to a description

of the course. The Additional Certification section 58 identifies any additional

certification(s) held by the candidate. New information can be added by clicking on

the Add button 66, and entering the type of certification. Existing information can

be edited by clicking on the Edit button 70. The Skills section 60 and the Personal Qualities section 62 provide a candidate filtering mechanism whereby a plurality of

candidate filter criteria can be created and applied to available positions on the

system 10. In particular, the Skills section 60 identifies the candidate skill criteria of

the candidate. In the example shown in Fig. 4, the candidate's skill criteria relates to programming experience. The candidate skill criteria can be edited by selectively

clicking on the Edit button 68. The Personal Qualities section 62 identifies the

candidate culture criteria of the candidate such as flexible, innovative, risk tolerant,

team player, takes initiative, and able to deal with change. The candidate culture

criteria can also be selectively edited by clicking on the Edit button 69. My Profile page 52 also allows the candidate to set other filter criteria related to such things as

geography, salary, hours (i.e., flex, shift), benefits, stock schemes, bonuses, and facilities (i.e., gym, day care).

The My Profile page 52 also includes a Contact Information section 74 in which the candidate's contact information can be identified, a Qualifications section 76 from which the candidate's resume, a reference room and scores can be accessed, a Preferences Section 77 in which the candidate's website preferences and privacy settings can be identified, and a Companies of Interest section 78 where

companies of interest to the candidate can be identified. With respect to the reference room, when selected, a page (not shown) is displayed which tracks the

candidate's activities on the system 10 over time, such as the companies with which he or she has interviewed, his or her job history, a history of references and so on.

Referring back to Fig. 3, the candidate page 32 includes a Schedule section 80 in which the candidate's schedule for any given day can be displayed.

For example, the schedule shown in Fig. 3 indicates that there is a webcast on Web

Architecture 101 at noon, and includes a hyperlink directly to the webcast, an

example of which is displayed in Fig. 5. The candidate page 32 also includes an

Events section 82 which identities various events provided to the candidate via the

website, such as webcasts or chat rooms, and a News section 84 through which the

user can obtain newsworthy information. In a preferred embodiment, the user can

customize News section 84 based on his or her particular areas of interest or

expertise. A Search section 83 allows a user to search the website by entering a

search term in the search input field 85 and clicking on the search button 87.

Candidate page 32 further includes a Companies and Positions section 86 in which

companies and their corresponding available positions for which the candidate has

already taken action are identified, including the status of the action. Each company

listing preferably includes a hyperlink directly to the company's profile hosted and stored by the server 6 of system 5. Candidate page 32 also includes an Opportunity Radar section 88 in which

the available positions stored on the server 6 and filtered by the candidate's filter

criteria are identified visually on a position radar-like graphical interface 89. It can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, however, that any form or shape of graphical

interface 89 can be implemented. This filtering is done by the program stored in the server 6 using known algorithms for mapping the appropriateness of the candidate's

filter criteria to the position skill and culture criteria associated with such positions

as further described herein. While the number of positions displayed can be

limitless, in a preferred embodiment, the number of positions filtered is limited to

twenty (20). In a preferred embodiment, Opportunity Radar section 88 includes a

sensitivity button (not shown) that allows the candidate to increase or decrease the

number of positions displayed on the position radar 89. This section also includes a Radar Summary section 90 identifying the total number of companies having

positions meeting such criteria, as well as the degree to which the positions fit the candidate's filter criteria (i.e., good fits, near fits, and no fits), and a New Companies

on Your Radar section 92 which lists new companies not previously identified on the

position radar 89.

The candidate can view the position radar 89 by either clicking on the Radar

button 44 from the candidate tool bar 34 or by clicking on the View Full Radar hyperlink 94. Referring now to Fig. 6 and a preferred page 95 in which a full view of position radar 89 is displayed, position radar 89 includes two axes, a candidate

skills axis 96 and a candidate culture axis 98, and a plurality of position symbols 100 representing each position meeting the candidate's filter criteria. Information about the company represented by each position symbol (i.e., company name, position,

location) can be obtained by placing the cursor of the personal computer 7 over the

position symbol 100. The position symbols 100 are preferably coded such as by color to distinguish between the degree to which the positions fit the candidate's

filter criteria (i.e., good fits, near fits and not fits). A legend of the coding scheme is

displayed in the Legend section 102 of the page 95.

The position radar 89 itself also provides means for distinguishing the

positions displayed thereon based on the degree to which the positions fit the candidate's filter criteria. In one embodiment, position radar 89 identifies the

various types of fits via concentric circle regions having a different shade, namely a

good fit concentric circle region 106, a near fit concentric circle region 108 and a not

fit concentric circle region 110. The Radar Summary Section 90 of Fig. 3 is

preferably duplicated and displayed on the page 95 in the Radar Summary

Section 109. In addition, the page 95 includes a Current Filters section 1 12

summarizing the other candidate filters being applied to the positions for the

particular candidate. The existing settings for these candidate other filters can be

selectively edited by clicking on the Edit Filters hyperlink 114, in which a page (not shown) displays the plurality of candidate filters with fields for editing them.

Finally, the page 95 includes a Selected Company section 116 which provides key

details regarding a company having a position identified on the position radar 89

once it is selected by the candidate. Additional information can be obtained by

clicking on the More Information hyperlink 118. This Selected Company section 116 also includes a Send Profile to this Company button 120 which, when selected ensures his or her profile is highlighted on the company's Company

page 142, such as in the form of a star (see Fig. 8).

The candidate can dynamically adjust his or her candidate filter criteria by

clicking on the candidate skills or candidate culture axis 96 or 98, respectively, of the position radar 89. Upon clicking on the candidate culture axis 98, a culture

page 122 as shown in Fig 7, is displayed from which the priority given to various

candidate culture criteria can be selectively adjusted. Such candidate culture criteria

may include the following: flexible roles, values innovation, encourages risk taking,

team environment, encourages independent action and rapid pace. Each candidate

culture criteria corresponds to a candidate culture priority bar 124 from which a

candidate can selectively choose the priority to be assigned to the culture criteria

between a range from low to high. Such adjustments are made by placing the cursor

of the personal computer 7 on the appropriate slider knob 126 and moving it in the

desired direction. Clicking on the Okay button 128 enters the adjustments made;

whereupon the available positions meeting these adjusted candidate filter criteria are

automatically displayed on the position radar 89. The adjustments can be cancelled

by clicking on the Cancel button 130.

Likewise, upon clicking on the candidate skills axis 96 of the position

radar 89, a skills page (not shown) similar to culture page 122 is displayed from

which the priority given to various candidate skills criteria can be adjusted. Such

candidate skills criteria may be focused in the areas of finance, information technology, and sales/marketing. For example, in the area of financing, such skills may include tax, accountant, CPA, accounts receivable, accounts payable, bookkeeping, audit, management accounting, financial accounting, IPO, and

mergers. In the information technology area, such skills may include programming

languages, operating systems, network protocols, hardware, software, and Internet

technology. In the sales/marketing area, such skills may include software sales,

door-to-door, telemarketing, and board level presentations.

As with the culture page 122, each candidate skills criteria corresponds to a

skill priority bar from which a candidate can selectively choose the priority to be assigned to the candidate skill criteria between a range from low to high. Such adjustments are made by placing the cursor of the personal computer 7 on an

appropriate slider knob and moving it in the desired direction. Clicking on an Okay

button enters the adjustments, whereupon the available positions meeting these adjusted candidate skills criteria are automatically displayed on the position

radar 89. The adjustments can be cancelled by clicking on a Cancel button.

In the case where the user logging onto the system 5 is a company, a

customized company page like that shown in Fig. 8 is displayed. The Company

page 142 also includes a toolbar 143 having a plurality of buttons, including a Home

button 154, a Reports button 156, a Profile button 158, a Radar button 160, a News button 162, a Calendar button 164 and a Logout button 166. The buttons that are

similar to those found on the candidate page 32 operate in a similar manner. The Reports button 156 allows the company to automatically track the hires

they make through the system 5. Such reports may include a Hiring Budget and Spending report 168 as shown in Fig. 9. The report settings can be changed through

the Report Settings section 170 of the report 168. Such settings include a Run Report On setting for setting the group on which the report should be run (i.e. my team, a company, location, hiring manager and recruiter), a Break Down By setting,

for setting the group by which the report should be broken down (i.e. team members, spending categories and recruiting candidate) and a Time Period setting for setting

the time period which the report covers. Each of these settings includes a corresponding input field 172, 174, and 176, respectively into which the desired

settings can be entered. Advanced settings can be set by clicking on the Advanced

Settings button 178 and the settings can be entered by clicking on the Update Report button 180. The report can be saved by clicking on the Save Report button 182 and

printed by clicking on the Print Report button 184. It can be appreciated that any other type of report using the information inputted into the system 5 can be provided

via Reports button 156.

The Company page 142 also includes an Open Positions and Candidates

section 144 which identifies the open positions, the candidates, the status of the

position (i.e. in process, offer made, candidate not contacted, etc.), and the next steps

(i.e. interview, await response, contact candidate, etc.). As previously mentioned,

candidates which have expressed an interest in this company are preferably

highlighted on the company page 142, such as in the form of a star 104. The

company page 142 also may contain Schedule, Events and News sections 146, 148

and 150, respectively, that operate in a similar manner to those found on the

candidate page 32. A Search section 167 allows a user to search the website by entering a search term in the Search input field 169 and clicking on the Search button 171. By clicking on the Profile button 158 from the toolbar 143, the user is

presented with a Company profile page 186 filled with information regarding his or

her company. In particular, Company profile page 186 includes a Company Overview section 188 that provides an overview of the company, a Product

Overview section 190 that provides an overview of the product(s) manufactured

and/or sold by the company, a Company Culture section 192 that identifies the

position filter criteria (in this case the company culture criteria) to be applied to the available candidates from the system 5, a Contact Information section 194 that

provides information on who to contact at the company, an Investor Information

section 196 that provides investment information about the company, and a More

Information section 198 that provides additional information about the company, such as company history, management teams, mission statement, ideal employees,

interview process, and employee benefits.

The Company profile page 186 also includes a My Job Profiles section 200

identifying the profiles of positions currently being offered by the user for the

company, and an Other Job Profiles section 202 identifying profiles of positions

being offered by others in the company. Any of the profiles identified in the My Job

Profiles section 200 or the Other Job Profiles section 202 can be accessed by

clicking on the appropriate hyperlinks provided. For example, when a user clicks on the Senior Web Developer hyperlink 204, a profile 206 for this position as shown in Fig. 11 is displayed. Profile 206 includes a Description section 208 which includes a general description of the position, a. Candidate Background section 210 which

identifies the desired background of the candidate (i.e., experience, education), and a Skills section 212 which identifies the position filter criteria (in this case position

skills criteria) to be applied to the available candidates from the system 5.

Information in any of these sections can be modified by clicking on the Description

edit button 214, the Candidate Background edit button 216, or the Skill edit button 218, respectively. For example, by clicking on the Skill edit button 218, a Skills Edit page 220 as shown in Fig. 12 is displayed. The skill edit page 220

contains a Skill section 222 through which various skills can be selected or

deselected, and a Priority section 224 through which each skill can be prioritized between a range of low to high settings. The selected skills and priority settings can

be saved by clicking on the Save button 226, whereupon the available candidates meeting these adjusted position skill criteria are automatically displayed on a

candidate radar 234 similar to the position radar 89 further described below, or

cancelled by clicking on the Cancel button 228. Referring back to Fig. 1 1 ,

profile 206 also includes a Candidates in Process section 230 that identifies those candidates that are in the process of consideration by the company offering the

position represented therein.

Referring back to Fig. 8, the Company page 142 includes a Candidate Radar

section 232 in which each available position is identified in combination with a

graphical interface 234 in the form of a radar identifying the candidates fitting the

company's filter criteria for such positions. It can be appreciated, however, that any

form or shape of graphical interface 234 may be implemented. Again, the matching

is done by software using known algorithms for mapping the appropriateness of the position skills and company culture criteria to the candidates at issue. While the number of filtered candidates may be limitless, in a preferred embodiment, the number of candidates filtered is limited to twenty (20). In a preferred embodiment,

Candidate Radar section 232 includes a sensitivity button (not shown) that allows the company to increase or decrease the number of candidates displayed on the

candidate radar 234. In the example shown, two available positions are shown, namely server web developer and database developer. Candidates Radar section 232

also preferably includes a listing in close proximity to the Candidate radars 234

identifying the total number of candidates, the number of good fits, the number of

near fits and the number of no fits. A full view of the Candidate radar 234 can be

viewed either by clicking on the Radar button 160 on the toolbar 143 or by clicking

on the Niew Full Radar hyperlink 236 provided below each Candidate radar 234.

Like the position radar 89, the candidate radar 234, a preferred embodiment of which

is shown in Fig. 13, includes candidate skills and candidate culture axes 238 and

240, respectively, and a plurality of candidate symbols 242 representing the candidates that fit the position filter criteria, such as the skills and company culture

criteria for that position. Everything else with respect to the full view candidate

radar 234 is identical to that found on the position radar 89, except that a

recommendation display 244 is included which outlines recommendations for adjusting the position skills and/or company culture criteria to obtain better fitting candidates.

As previously mentioned, available candidates can come from a plurality of different sources as shown in Fig. 17. The company page 142 preferably includes a button (not shown) which allows the user to switch between and display the different sources of candidates via the position radar 89 or to switch all sources "on" for a

complete view of the candidate supply market on the position radar 89. With this

feature, the talent supply can be viewed visually over a plurality of different levels. By clicking on a candidate symbol 242 identified on the candidate radar 234,

information regarding the candidate is provided via the Selected Candidates section 246. From this section, the user can directly schedule an interview with the candidate, specifically by clicking on the Schedule Interview button 248. Selection

of this button brings up a Schedule Interview page 250 as shown in Fig. 14 which

allows the user to select the type of interview via the interview type field 252 (i.e.,

phone page, onsite interview, lunch interview or other), the duration via the duration

field 254, and the suggested times (i.e., month, day, year and time) via the times field 256. In a preferred embodiment, the system 5, and in particular the Candidate

page 32 or Company page 142 of each user is synchronized with the user's calendar

stored on his or her personal computer 7 such that system 5 can automatically

recommend available interview times. Specifically, the system 5 sequentially

searches for gaps in the schedules of all relevant parties (candidates, interviewers),

as well as any preferences set by such parties to suggest a number of available dates and times. For privacy reasons, the system 5 preferably only searches for a calendar

entry in a user's calendar and not the contents thereof. Schedule Interview page 250 also includes a message field 258 into which the company can enter a message to be

sent to the candidate. In a preferred embodiment, Schedule Interview page 250 includes a My Calendar section 251 which displays a calendar 253 in which a date can be highlighted (i.e., March 20th in the example shown in Fig. 14) and a schedule section 255 which pulls information from the company's calendar for the date highlighted in the Calendar section 253, thereby facilitating the interview scheduling

process. Once the fields on Schedule Interview page 250 have been entered, the request can be sent to the selected candidate by clicking on the Send Request

button 262.

Referring back to Fig. 2, the candidate page 32 includes an alert section 33

that notifies the candidate of all companies requesting an interview with him or her.

Each company listed includes a hyperlink which, when selected, generates an interview request page 264 as shown in Fig. 15, which summarizes the interview

request information inputted via the schedule interview page 250 of Fig. 14. The

suggested times are displayed in a suggested times section 266. In a preferred

embodiment, the candidate's calendar is synchronized with the calendar of the system 5 to identify any time conflicts based on the candidate's current schedule.

Interview request page 264 also preferably includes a My Calendar section 268

similar to the My Calendar section 251 of Fig. 14. The candidate can schedule the

interview by selecting one of the suggested times in the Suggested Times

Section 266 and clicking on the Send Response button 270, which allows the candidate to enter any additional comments with their response.

Referring back to Fig. 8, any scheduled interviews with candidates identified in the schedule section 146 of the company page 142 includes a hyperlink which, when selected, displays a summary page 272 as shown in Fig. 16. In particular, a

Quick Profile section 274, a candidate's Strengths section 276, a Potential Concerns section 278, and an Interview Schedule section 280 are provided. The interview schedule can be edited by clicking on the Edit Schedule button 282. In addition, the

user can send reminder e-mails to all of the interviewers reminding them of the time,

place and other related information regarding the candidate to be interviewed via a Send Reminders button 284, or to a particular interviewer by clicking on the

hyperlink beneath the interviewer's name. The Summary page 272 also includes a Contact Information section 286 identifying the candidate's contact information, a

Qualifications section 288 outlining the qualifications of the candidate, and an

Evaluations section 290 identifying any previous evaluations performed on the

candidate.

With such a system, companies and candidates can easily monitor the job

market dynamically in real time from any device with an Internet connection to the

server 6. Moreover, by making the job market a visual entity as represented in the position and candidate radars 89 and 234, respectively, the job market can be

dynamically managed in an easier and more sophisticated manner than previously possible. In particular, the system 5 provides for the dynamic interaction of

candidates and companies, including the interview scheduling process. System 5

also provides for the dynamic matching of candidates and companies based on a plurality of filler criteria, thereby allowing for more informed staffing decisions.

Furthermore, system 5 increases the speed of hiring and thus decreases its costs. In

today's competitive staffing environment, such speed and efficiency is critical to a

company's hiring success.

The foregoing constitutes a description of various features of a preferred embodiment. Numerous changes to the preferred embodiment are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Hence, the scope of the invention should be determined with reference not to the preferred embodiment, but

to the following claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. A system for staffing over a computer network, comprising:

candidate storage means for storing information about a plurality of

candidates;

position filter means for selectively filtering the plurality of candidates

for a position at a company based on a plurality of position filter criteria; and candidate display means for dynamically displaying a plurality of

candidates filtered by the position filter means in a single candidate graphic interface

to a user of the system.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

position storage means for storing information about a plurality of

positions available from a plurality of companies;

candidate filter means for selectively filtering the plurality of positions

based on a plurality of candidate filter criteria; and

position display means for dynamically displaying a plurality of positions filtered by the candidate filter means in a single position graphic interface

to a user of the system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of position filter criteria comprise at least one of a position skills criteria and a position culture criteria.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the candidate display means comprises a candidate circle having a position skills axis and a position culture axis

which intersect at a candidate center, and wherein the filtered candidates are represented on the candidate circle by a candidate symbol.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the candidate information stored by

the candidate storage means comprises a plurality of candidate skills criteria and a

plurality of candidate culture criteria, and wherein the candidate display means comprises means for distinguishing the filtered candidates displayed thereon based

on the degree to which each candidate skills criteria and each candidate culture

criteria match the position skills criteria and the company culture criteria,

respectively.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising: position filter criteria adjustment means for selectively adjusting the

position filter criteria; and

candidate graphic interface adjustment means for instantly adjusting

the candidates displayed on the candidate graphic interface upon an adjustment by the position filter criteria adjustment means.

7. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

candidate filter criteria adjustment means for selectively adjusting the candidate filter criteria; and

position graphic interface adjustment means for instantly adjusting the

positions displayed on the position graphic interface upon an adjustment by the

candidate filter criteria adjustment means.

8. The system of claim 2, further comprising means for automatically

transmitting the candidate information for a candidate to the companies offering the positions displayed by the position display means.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein the candidate display means

comprises recommendation means for recommending an adjustment of at least one

of the plurality of position skills criteria and the position culture criteria in order to

dynamically increase the number of the candidates meeting said criteria.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of candidates come from

a plurality of different sources, and wherein the candidate display means comprises means for displaying the candidates on the candidate display means by their source.

11. The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of candidates comes from a plurality of different sources, and wherein the candidate display means comprises

means for displaying the candidates on the candidate display means by their source.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising candidate reference storage

means for each of the plurality of candidates for storing information specific to the

candidate's activity on the system over time.

13. The system of claim 2, further comprising scheduling means for

dynamically scheduling an interview between one of the plurality of candidates and one of the companies having an available position.

.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein each candidate has a candidate

calendar stored in the candidate storage means, and wherein each company has a

company calendar stored in the position storage means, and wherein the scheduling

means comprises means for scheduling the inter-view based on the candidate's calendar and the company's calendar.

15. The system of claim 2, further comprising searching means for searching for the position information and the candidate information stored on the

system.

16. The system of claim 4, further comprising position information

display means for automatically displaying the position information related to each position symbol upon the user's selection thereof.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for logging into the

system, and wherein the position display means is automatically customized to the

candidate logging onto the system, and wherein the candidate display means is automatically customized to the company logging onto the system.

18. A system for staffing over a computer network, comprising:

position storage means for storing information about a plurality of

positions available from a plurality of companies;

candidate filter means for selectively filtering the plurality of positions based on a plurality of candidate filter criteria; and

position display means for dynamically displaying the filtered

positions in a single position graphic interface to a user of the system.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the position display means comprises

a position circle having a candidate skills axis and a candidate culture axis which intersect at a position center of the position circle, and wherein the filtered

candidates are each represented on the position circle by a candidate symbol.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising: candidate filter criteria adjustment means for selectively adjusting the

candidate filter criteria; and position graphic interface adjustment means for instantly adjusting the

positions displayed on the position graphic interface upon an adjustment by the candidate filter criteria adjustment means.

21. A method of staffing over a computer network having a plurality of positions available from a plurality of companies, comprising:

storing information about a plurality of candidates;

selectively filtering the plurality of candidates based on a plurality of position filter criteria; and

dynamically displaying the filtered candidates in a single candidate graphic interface to a user of the system.

22. The method of claim 21 , further comprising:

storing information about a plurality of positions;

selectively filtering the plurality of positions based on a plurality of

candidate filter criteria; and

dynamically displaying the filtered positions in a single position graphic interface to a user of the system.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the plurality of candidates come

from a plurality of different sources, and wherein the filtered candidates are displayed on the single position graphic interface by their source.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the plurality of position filter criteria

comprise at least one position skills criteria and at least one position culture criteria,

wherein the plurality of candidate filter criteria comprise at least one candidate skills

criteria and at least one candidate culture criteria, and wherein the method further

comprises the step of distinguishing the filtered candidates displayed on the single position graphic interface based on the degree to which each candidate skills criteria

and each candidate culture criteria match the respective position skills criteria and

the company culture criteria, respectively.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising dynamically scheduling

an interview between a candidate and a company offering a position on the system.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein each candidate has a candidate

calendar and each company has a company calendar wherein the interview is

scheduled based on the candidate's calendar and the company's calendar.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of storing for

each candidate information specific to the candidate's activities on the system over

time.

28. A method of staffing over a computer network having a plurality of positions available from a plurality of companies, comprising:

storing information about a plurality of positions; selectively filtering the plurality of positions based on a plurality of

candidate filter criteria; and dynamically displaying the filtered positions in a single position

graphic interface to a user of the system.