News of Google’s 50 million euro fine has rocked the business world, but as other multinationals panic, recruiters can rejoice in some of the unexpected benefits of the GDPR regulation.

On January 21st, 2019, The French Data Protection Authority announced from Paris it would be slapping Google with a 50 million euro fine or around 57 million dollars for not correctly disclosing to its users how their data would be collected and managed by its search engine and services such as Youtube, and google maps to present personalized advertisements.

As one regulator put it “Google’s practices obscured how its services can reveal important parts of their user’s private life since they are based on a huge amount of data, a wide variety of services and almost unlimited possible combinations.”

This comes as the fourth and the largest fine brought against a company breaching the new General Data Protection Regulation (enacted in May 2018) and sends a message to the rest of the business world that no corporation is too big to avoid penalties. Google is determining whether to appeal the fine, but faces an uphill battle as history has shown through multiple billion dollar fines that the European Union does not favor the tech giant.

We, at SmartRecruiters, have been following the development of these measures since they were announced, bringing attention to the fact that many people didn’t know if their Applicant Tracking System (ATS) was up-to-date. (Evaluate your ATS here!) We also covered the Cambridge Analytica scandal, detailing how the business community is reacting to the changes that need to be made in order to stay GDPR compliant.

Now that we are in 2019 and the world has not imploded over these new regulations, Smartrecruiters has some new information that demonstrates that GDPR has actually had some positive effects, specifically in the world of recruiting. I know, crazy to think that bureaucracy had any benefits… but hear us out, and check out this infographic below describing them.

Based on this infographic we can see that one of the natural consequences of making the hiring process and data collection of applicants more transparent, are more engaged candidates. People have overwhelmingly responded to the request to consent option (83 percent) in less than a day, with less than one percent have deleted their profiles.

When candidates feel that a company is respecting their information they are more likely to interact with the hiring process. Companies have gotten in on the action as well and 79 percent of SmartRecruiters customers have included a company or country-specific privacy policy. 63 percent have also internally trained their staff to properly process their personal data which is significantly more when compared to the rest of the world where only 10 percent of companies have enacted the same measures.

These efforts by and large benefit recruiters as they do not need to worry if their company’s management of candidate data breach GDPR compliance and they have Candidates more willing to engage with the hiring process.

SmartRecruiters’ efforts have made our customers some of the most prepared for GDPR compliance and because of that, they are not sitting in the same hot water as Google or Facebook at this moment. If you would like to know more about SmartRecruiters’ resources  Check out our SmartRecruiters’ GDPR Resource Kit or FAQ page for answers to all the most common recruiting questions concerning data privacy.

70% of job searches begin with Google. Now that the search giant has put their job search algorithm into the hands of candidates, will they end there, too?

Following last summer’s release of the employer-focused Google for jobs (GJ), as part of the Cloud Jobs API, Google has now made GJ, complete with AI matching technology to surface job postings on every board they’re advertised, available to American job seekers.

With GJ, candidates can enter a search query like “jobs near me”, or “retail jobs”, and filter the results by location, specialty, company rating, or working hours – with more filters to come for ultra-personalized results. Think Google Flights, but for jobs.

It’s a big deal for both job boards and employers, for very different reasons. Job boards will have to rethink their value proposition to businesses and candidates, and while employers don’t really care whether job boards live or die, but missing out on GJ would mean missing out on candidates…

For candidates, GJ’s appeal is obvious: job boards are usually little different than their newspaper classified predecessors, as in broad, hard to search, and riddled with expired ads. Now, Google’s powerful creepy crawlies aggregate job data from around the internet to make sure posts are both relevant and up to date.

GJ does this by evolving matching technology. The idea being that enormous banks of data surface smarter matches through algorithms powered by AI and machine learning, thus eliminating the hassle of inconsistent job titling from company to company that has plagued candidates in the past.

“If I were Indeed, I would be scared; if I were an ATS that focuses on small- to medium-sized businesses, I would be scared,” says Jonathan Kestenbaum, recruiting tech expert and managing director for Talent Tech Labs. “If I were a Talent Acquisition enthusiast, I would be excited that such a large organization is taking interest in helping innovate within the space.”

Indeed has chosen not to make their jobs crawlable by Google. Rather, they are relying on the strength of their own brand, and the fact that, unlike most job boards, they are already using AI in their matching algorithms. Plus, for now, GJ with the added AI is only up and running in one country, the US, and in one language, English.

Photo Credit: Google Blog

Google may have the advantage of controlling the search engine where 70 percent of job hunts begin, But there’s still the matter of trust to consider. Facebook ran into trouble recently with their job advertising algorithm, when it was found to favor men. (Read why here) The candidate needs to know the AI underlying the search results is not so much a Harry Potter sorting hat, but more a summoning charm.

An accounting recruiter with over a decade of experience, Adam Karpiak says it may be a while before GJ really changes anything. “To the average candidate, job postings are job postings are job postings. These platforms actually make the recruiters look better because we specialize in people, NOT job postings. I’m sure GJ will be [a leg up], for the one percent of companies that understand what’s going on. It’ll take so long to trickle down to most companies, the ones that jump on it will definitely have an advantage.”

Google staunchly insists their new tech isn’t a replacement for job boards. The data giant is, in fact, partnering with LinkedIn, Monster, WayUp, DirectEmployers, CareerBuilder, Glassdoor and Facebook, to surface the best opportunities tailored to candidate specifications, hoping their foray into recruiting will push the industry forward in terms of tech innovation.

With more opportunities coming their way, job seekers are going to expect a quick and seamless process. So, recruiters, how can you make sure Google sees, and likes you? First off, make sure your job ad is compatible with Google search – you can check that by clicking here! – and be sure to follow this easy checklist, making sure your ad is:

1. Mobile friendly: Make sure your career site and job posting are easy to navigate on mobile devices, so you don’t miss the casual scrollers!
2. Informative: Adding details like office location, work hours, and flexible work options will make it easy for candidates to surface your job posting.
3. Well Branded: Reviews and content about your company will be more visible than ever, so it’s a great time to make sure everything is up to date. You may even consider branching into new media, like making that career video you’ve been dreaming of.
4. One-click–Apply Ready: Lowers candidate drop out rates, and strengthens your brand in the digital age.
5. Efficient: The influx of candidates means that process becomes extremely important. Make sure your ATS is supporting quick and organized communication for your team, so candidates have a great experience.

Read more about SmartRecruiters Google Job Search functionalities here!

Whether you believe people are actually on Google+ or not, it cannot be ignored as a part of your employer branding strategy. Any time your company has an opportunity to share its brand in a meaningful way it should be taken advantage of. Google+ gives brands another venue to strut their stuff. These are the trailblazers of Employer Branding on Google+.

10. Atlassian is all about collaboration; they understand truly what it means to be a team. Their page shows you that working for Atlassian doesn’t mean just working with Atlassian, it means helping to develop and progress other businesses as well.

A lesson from Atlassian: People want to be excited and aware of challenges and opportunities they’ll have in your company. Share cool things employees have accomplished.

9. PepsiCo is the parent company of Pepsi, Frito-Lay and Tropicana. Basically, they own your pantry…well mine at least. With such a major brand, PepsiCo could no doubt attract candidates without any effort let alone celebrate those they have. They show they are a great employer by doing the exact opposite. Their Google+ shows they trust their interns, and love their brand.

A lesson from PepsiCo: Candidates want to know they’ll be trusted and appreciated. If a big brand like PepsiCo can do it, there’s no excuse for you not to.

8. iDoneThis is a productivity tool, and from the looks of it their employees are productivity machines. Their Google+ page is filled with advice on how to be productive. They manage to be encouraging and light, reminding us that productivity doesn’t mean being bogged down- it’s about doing what you love.

A lesson from iDoneThis: Breathe your brand. If you want other people to use your product, lead by example. Show candidates and consumers how it makes a positive difference.

7. “If it’s on your mind, it’s on eBay.” This statement is not a lie, anything you can think of, you can find on eBay. eBay has tons of consumer products that would be great for showing on any network, but what makes them special is their sense of humor. Whoever is behind this page knows that descriptions should be more like ads.

A lesson from eBay: It’s not enough to have everything, you have to market it well. Challenge yourself by adding some humor to your brand.

6. Kiva is in the business of empowerment, both financial and personal. Their employees need to be passionate about making a difference, and their Google+ page exemplifies that perfectly. Kiva sets employee expectations immediately through photographs and job ads.

A lesson from Kiva: People are motivated by a sense of purpose. If the work you offer can provide that, share it.

5. Marc Jacobs is a name that makes any fashion lover drool, and their Google+ page does the same. You may think jobs in fashion are only in design but it takes an amazing team to create a holistic brand. On MJ’s page we see how photographers, writers, and even a puppy make it all come together.

A lesson from Marc Jacobs: Don’t get pigeon holed by what people THINK it takes to be an employee of your company. It’s not a one man show, it shouldn’t look like one.

4. Visitors and locals alike can discover everything San Francisco has to offer from 7×7.  Their Google+ page shows viewers that their magazine covers everything. Someone is behind the scenes. If you’re into food, there’s a job for that. Sightseeing, there’s a job for that. Advice, history, fashion, there’s a job for that too.

A lesson from 7×7: A great way to attract candidates and customers is to leave them wanting more. Images or messaging should leave people saying, “Hmm. I want more of THAT.”

3. General Mills has the advantage of name recognition and history. Their Google+ page highlights how they became a household name by celebrating milestones, and creating excitement for the future. General Mills shares their company story, so candidates know what’s behind the logo.

A lesson from General Mills: Tell people something they may not know about your brand, an insiders look may be all a candidate needs to hit apply.

2. Levi’s Denim is all about denim. Or is it? Levi’s Google+ shows us that you have to be about something more than your product. Human Interest and a sense of Social Responsibility are both things candidates want to see from potential employers. Yes, Levi’s jeans are amazing but so are the things they do for the community.

A lesson from Levi’s: Show your product, but also show what is important to your people. Social good initiatives that are not necessarily related to your product show candidates you’re about goodness.

1. The New York Public Library is a landmark to say the least. Made famous in movies, novels and tourists’ pictures- it’s a building you cannot ignore. But what’s really spectacular is what happens inside its doors. Their Google+ does a great job of showcasing its history and events, throwing notions of what it means to work at a library out of the window.

A lesson from The New York Public Library: Break perceptions of what people think it means to work in your industry. Set the status quo for what it means to be an amazing place to work.

We’ve said it before, “employer branding is people talking about you.” These brands give us an inside look at their culture, providing a reference point for candidates and customers. The more transparent you are, the more you will guarantee you are attracting candidates that truly want to be a part of your company.  Take your cue from these employer branding stars and give people a reason to say, “I REALLY want a job there.”

Google is more than a household name. It is the most popular search engine in the world and as far as our digital lives go Google is involved nearly every step of the way. Aside from its online accolades, Google is known for it’s unique hiring process. The process strives to find people with a high level of  “googelyness,” which is determined by the “signs around your comfort with ambiguity, your bias to action and your collaborative nature.” Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin found great people to do great work in order to take Google to new frontiers. These are the The 10 Googlers that are most responsible for scaling Google into what it is today.

10. Heather Cairns was first Human Resources hire and among Google’s first 20 hires. Cairns put the Human in Human Resources by helping the founders and first hires build great teams. Cairns built an HR department from the ground up, covering all tasks to startup human resources: acclimating new employees, making hires, and helping Google transition from startup stature to global enterprise.

9. Dr. Jeff Dean is responsible for developing the initial version of Google’s advertising serving system. Dean also developed and implemented portions of the crawling, indexing and query serving systems. This is the substructure and functionality beneath the products we use. Joining the Google team in 1999 as a computer scientist, Dean is now a Google Fellow in the Systems Infrastructure Group. Dean continues to be involved in the engineering hiring process and is the brainchild behind some of the Google’s famous hiring tactics.

8. Marissa Mayer joined Google in 1999 as the first female engineer and twentieth employee. Mayer oversaw multiple projects and took on multiple roles. She was an engineer, designer, product manger, executive and eventually a VP. As such an early player she participated in the development of Google Search, Images, Maps, News, Product Search, Toolbar, iGoogle, and Gmail. Basically, Mayer laid the foundation.

7. Ben Gomes was hired to control what Google users see. You know when you type the beginning of a word, and BAM suddenly it’s right there. I constantly think to myself, “How’d they know?” Gomes explains it’s all in “the snippet,” or digital torrent of search queries. Gomes creates a bridge between the Google search functionality and the user creating a dialogue that leaves the user saying, “Google knows everything.” Google get’s the last word, “I know.”

6. Eric Schmidt joined the Google team in 2001 as executive chairman. Schmidt spearheaded the transformation of Google from startup to global leader.  Schmidt’s role is about taking Google beyond its headquarters, introducing and creating partnerships between Google and other business entities. As Google scaled up, Schmidt built the next flight of stairs.

5. Dr. Amin Vahdat is not only a professor at University of California San Diego, but also the Principal Engineer at Google. Vahdat’s expertise lay in data architecture and wide-area networking. Vahdat and his team make sure servers receive the appropriate signals so that each Google functionality we depend on works smoothly.

4. Vint Cerf is recognized as one of the, “Fathers of the Internet.” Psychics, I’m not so sure about – but Cerf is known to predict the future of the Internet and technology. With the official title of, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist, Cerf’s responsibility is to stay ahead of the curve while innovating the next technology at our fingertips and predicting how we interact with it.

3. Paul Buchheit isn’t going say, “You Got Mail,” to anyone any time soon. As one of Google’s esteemed programmers, Buchheit created and lead development of Gmail. Imagine the world we would live in without it, yikes. Buchheit also started the development of Google AdSense while working on Gmail. Killing two birds with one stone isn’t a nice thing to do, but finding a genius product in another genius product? That’s Google for you.

2. Ruth Kedar created the image we all see when we think of Google. You’ve got it, the primary colors and simple text that has become a fixture on our computer screens. Hiring Kedar to create a logo meant trusting her with how the public view and identify the brand.  Without Kedar, Google may not be what it is today and Google Doodles may not even exist.

1. Susan Wojcicki built the framework for 96% of Google’s $37.9 billion dollar revenue in 2011. As Google’s 16^th employee, Wojcicki is behind all of Google’s advertising products including, DoubleClick, Analytics, AdSense and AdWords. Wojcicki has been invested in Google from the start, renting her garage to the founders before they had a campus larger than most colleges.

Google is known for its innovation. Scaling a startup to Google’s size is something founders dream of, and only a few are lucky enough to experience. The beauty of Google is not only in its products, but also in its people and their will to constantly be creating the tools of tomorrow.  Google hires dreamers, thinkers, and makers.

SmartRecruiters is the Hiring Platform. Everything you need to source talent, manage candidates and make the right hires. Also Check out, “The 10 Hires that Made Facebook Facebook.”  Image Credit Ely Tran.

In my experience, it’s pretty rare to leave a job interview feeling like a briefcase filled with one million dollars in cash, with each bundle held together by a band of silk, and the bills so fresh that the whole thing smells like ozone; like everything is fine, like I am a good human being and that, even if I don’t get the job, the world will still be fundamentally okay.

Usually I feel a mixture of relief, worry and paranoia:

Were my answers okay?

Did I ramble?

Did I talk enough?

Was it my shirt?

My shoes?

Did I mess up shaving?

Were my eyes crossed the entire time and I somehow didn’t notice it, even as they began to bug out of my skull further and further?

Why am I second-guessing myself?

What did they even want from me?

What did I do wrong and how can I make it never happen again?

I recently had a million-bucks interview, though, and the funny thing about it was why it was so good: they Google-stalked me. They flat-out, no-holds-barred typed my name into Google and looked at what kinds of things my real name was attached to on the Internet; the Facebook, the Myspace, the blog (where I occasionally write about video games), the cooking show, the short stories, the book.

This is no small beans. I have put things on the internet that would make the man in the moon blush; things that I hope my mom never reads; things that I’m considering going back and deleting so that you don’t read them, and so that I don’t wind up at the end of my life with a headstone bearing the inscription, “said reprehensible things on the internet.”

And yet… they liked what they found. They liked what they found so much that they really couldn’t stop talking about it, and the whole interview ended up consisting of me sitting there while they alternated between telling me about their company, asking me about what they found on the internet. Intermixed were a few of the standard interview questions about how I would handle angry clients, or how long I saw myself working there. But central to the whole interaction was that they’d taken the time to get to know me, even if just a little bit, and that made the whole thing less… awful. Less of a stilted roleplay and more about earnestly seeing if they and I were a good employment match.

Granted, the risks here are obvious. I’m sure that for every business that checks me out, ten are nonplussed and move on. But the 11th, the one that likes me for me and wants me to be on their team? That’s the one I’d want to work for, anyway.

Greg Petrovic is a person. He co-wrote Fredward Bound, an annotated parody/complete remastering of Twilight, is the former Editor in Chief of the Bulldog Weekly, and thinks interviews should involve a candy bowl.

When you can do something to make your interviews have more relevance, you have to at least consider it. Put your job openings in the right place with SmartRecruiters

So the interviewer set the stage, and the conversation unfolded:

“You are at the airport about to board a flight. Then they tell that you’ve been bumped from the flight. What do you say to the airline to get back on the flight?”

‘Where am I trying to go?’

“It doesn’t matter.”

‘What do mean it doesn’t matter?’

“It doesn’t matter. You just know you need to go there.”

“Um.” I am going to talk differently to the airline if I am going to a business meeting, than say, a funeral.

“What matters is, you need to get on that plane. What do you say?”

This is when I knew I would not work for these people. We simply would not work well together. My line of thinking is simple, if you are going to set up a hypothetical situation, then setup a hypothetical situation. The interviewer did not want to set up the details (i.e. any of the purpose) of this situation. I do not travel blindly. Getting on a airplane is an investment of time and money that will change your immediate location and future. ROI matters. Maybe the ‘Google Interview Technique‘ worked; for the interviewer could be looking for someone to blindly negotiate, regardless of fit. There is a time to press an airline and there is a time not to press an airline.

Recruiters should not expect candidates to switch jobs blindly. Instead of asking – can I convince these people to work together? – recruiters should think, how can I match the goals of a candidate and a company? To make a hire of good quality and duration, recruiters and hiring managers must weigh the purpose of the hiring company and the candidate.

Have you been asked an interview question that lacked purpose? What is the most pointless interview question you have been asked?

Google+ offers a unique opportunity for recruiters to blaze new trails and connect with candidates in different ways. Users add individuals they wish to engage by categorizing them into circles, which they create. These circles allow for the user to send a message to a select group of individuals with the option to post publicly or privately as well as edit a comment or post after it has been published.

Aside from posting great content on Google+, increasing connections through what is similar to Retweeting (or RTing) on Twitter, users can “+1” a post from their circles to share with others within their network.

Without using a Boolean string, recruiters can use external tool to search candidate using tools like FindPeopleOnPlus, an index of Google+ users which boasts nearly 10 million users. Google+ also makes connection suggestions based on keywords and profile information specific to each individual user. For the more advanced sourcer or Erecruiter a Boolean string can also be created to search all profiles for keyword, location, and other specifics.

Another external tool available for G+ users, is an optional browser extension called Google Minus. Google Minus alerts the G+ user when someone removes them from one of their circles. Kynetx also offers a variety of Google+ companion applications including Google+ Comment Toggle, Google Direct that limits your message to just 5 people instead of an entire circle, and even Twitter Minus.

Google Plus is very much still in its infancy, but it offers opportunities to engage in new and exciting ways while remaining SEO and Google Search friendly. I think it is an attractive recruiting tool for developers, those in social media and the software industry sectors, where early adopters have been willing to put in the time and effort to experiment and establish a presence, but there is no reason it won’t become a stronger presence in other sectors as well.

Erecruiting is the use of Internet for attracting, recruiting, and retaining job seekers and employees, encompassesing many different recruiting, tools, technologies, and platforms. Previously at the SmartRecruiting blog, I have also discussed Erecruiting for Facebook and Twitter.

Photo Credit BlogingBloging and Mashable

Free Software Forever. Signup for SmartRecruiters Free Recruiting Software.