Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by pam claughton on November 14, 2008 at 11:06am

It depends on what kind of an edge you mean. If you think it will impress potential clients, I'd think again. I doubt they care or even know what it means, unless you are going for an in-house corporate job, and then it could be viewed positively. If you already know how to search on the net, then I'd hesitate to spend that kind of money. I did the airs course years ago when it was first developed and when the net was brand new and it was helpful because no one knew about the internet then or what a boolean search was. I think it's probably hugely valuable to people that are new to search. If you have a good foundation and just want to improve your skills, you could look into any of the advanced courses offered by people like Shally. Or maybe Airs offers advanced workshops or courses as well.

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Permalink Reply by Maureen Sharib on November 14, 2008 at 11:08am

I'd go with Shally (Steckerl) or Glenn (Gutmacher)'s stuff.

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Permalink Reply by Tirtis on November 14, 2008 at 11:14am

Hi Pam,
Thank you for your reply. As an agency recruiter, the speed of finding resumes is crucial. AIRS seems to concentrate more on finding niche resumes where the client can wait for a considerable time to receive a qualified resume. You are right about in-house corporate recruiting. I believe those recruiters have the luxury of time when an agency recruiter has to compete with tens of recruiters who could care less of obtaining the most qualified candidate. Their goal is finding a resume that has the keywords. Did AIRS training help you find resumes for your clients? Would you recommend it to other recruiters? What would you recommend as the most important recruiting tool?

pam claughton said:

It depends on what kind of an edge you mean. If you think it will impress potential clients, I'd think again. I doubt they care or even know what it means, unless you are going for an in-house corporate job, and then it could be viewed positively. If you already know how to search on the net, then I'd hesitate to spend that kind of money. I did the airs course years ago when it was first developed and when the net was brand new and it was helpful because no one knew about the internet then or what a boolean search was. I think it's probably hugely valuable to people that are new to search. If you have a good foundation and just want to improve your skills, you could look into any of the advanced courses offered by people like Shally. Or maybe Airs offers advanced workshops or courses as well.

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Permalink Reply by Tirtis on November 14, 2008 at 11:15am

Thank you Maureen. What makes Shally and Glenn's training more valuable to AIRS in your opinion?

Maureen Sharib said:

I'd go with Shally (Steckerl) or Glenn (Gutmacher)'s stuff.

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Permalink Reply by Maureen Sharib on November 14, 2008 at 11:29am

Originality.
Cost.

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Permalink Reply by Maureen Sharib on November 14, 2008 at 12:03pm

You might also try Barbara Ling's stuff - she and I have a mutal admiration society thing going on!

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Permalink Reply by pam claughton on November 14, 2008 at 12:13pm

Honestly, no the training didn't help me get resumes for clients. My office paid for the training and it did teach us all how to search on the internet, but I don't do a lot of that kind of searching for resumes. If I need to get candidates quickly, the fastest way for me has always been to tap into my existing network, calling and emailing for referrals, sending an email note about a search and always without fail, candidates come from that either directly referrals or the timing is right for them to reactivate. I just don't have enough time to do deep diving boolean searches looking for the same people everyone else is looking for. That's just me though. I know it's hugely effective for other people, depending on what they focus on.


Tirtis said:

Hi Pam,
Thank you for your reply. As an agency recruiter, the speed of finding resumes is crucial. AIRS seems to concentrate more on finding niche resumes where the client can wait for a considerable time to receive a qualified resume. You are right about in-house corporate recruiting. I believe those recruiters have the luxury of time when an agency recruiter has to compete with tens of recruiters who could care less of obtaining the most qualified candidate. Their goal is finding a resume that has the keywords. Did AIRS training help you find resumes for your clients? Would you recommend it to other recruiters? What would you recommend as the most important recruiting tool?

pam claughton said:

It depends on what kind of an edge you mean. If you think it will impress potential clients, I'd think again. I doubt they care or even know what it means, unless you are going for an in-house corporate job, and then it could be viewed positively. If you already know how to search on the net, then I'd hesitate to spend that kind of money. I did the airs course years ago when it was first developed and when the net was brand new and it was helpful because no one knew about the internet then or what a boolean search was. I think it's probably hugely valuable to people that are new to search. If you have a good foundation and just want to improve your skills, you could look into any of the advanced courses offered by people like Shally. Or maybe Airs offers advanced workshops or courses as well.

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Permalink Reply by Dava Stewart on November 14, 2008 at 1:30pm

I have also wondered about AIRS and gotten widely varying opinions. I have been working as an internet researcher for almost a year in an agency and considered splitting the cost of AIRS training with the owner. In the end, I decided to take as many free webinars as possible and to read as many discussions like this one as I could fit into my schedule. The two or three of Shally's webinars I have attended have been great, and for social media, Kevin Wheeler is good. I still have a lot to learn but this self-training method has been pretty effective.

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Permalink Reply by Kristen Durkin on November 14, 2008 at 4:20pm

Hola!

I, myself do not think having a name behind your qualifications will give you an edge with your clients or your research. I have seen excellent speakers from AIRS present and the material is useful and applicable to a recruiter’s average time spent on research. With that said, I have taken many of the JOBMACHINE webinars and seen those guys speak uncountable times at industry conferences and with a cheatsheet and some good ol' fasion curiosity I truthfully believe you can create your own edge by practicing and exploring new ideas with the cheats they give you (try plugging in your own mix of strings, think outside of the "search box").

Webinars and self-educating, that has been my key to success, but hey- I suppose I am a member of that geek squad who cares enough to click a few extra links and piece together a non-conventional puzzle and make it fit.

If you do end up taking an AIRS course, make sure to report in on how it went – I’ve heard too many mixed reviews about the outcome of results for the cost to try it myself.

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Permalink Reply by Tirtis on November 14, 2008 at 4:41pm

Thanks Kristen. I will use the slow down in the economy to improve my skills. One of the things I will commit to is AIRS certification. I will definitely give my own reviews about it after I complete the course.

Kristen Durkin said:

Hola!

I, myself do not think having a name behind your qualifications will give you an edge with your clients or your research. I have seen excellent speakers from AIRS present and the material is useful and applicable to a recruiter’s average time spent on research. With that said, I have taken many of the JOBMACHINE webinars and seen those guys speak uncountable times at industry conferences and with a cheatsheet and some good ol' fasion curiosity I truthfully believe you can create your own edge by practicing and exploring new ideas with the cheats they give you (try plugging in your own mix of strings, think outside of the "search box").

Webinars and self-educating, that has been my key to success, but hey- I suppose I am a member of that geek squad who cares enough to click a few extra links and piece together a non-conventional puzzle and make it fit.

If you do end up taking an AIRS course, make sure to report in on how it went – I’ve heard too many mixed reviews about the outcome of results for the cost to try it myself.

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Permalink Reply by VVoodrow on November 14, 2008 at 7:45pm

Ditto...Barbara is a wealth of info.

Maureen Sharib said:

You might also try Barbara Ling's stuff - she and I have a mutal admiration society thing going on!

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Permalink Reply by Julia Stone on November 15, 2008 at 4:26pm

No, it is not worth it. I think it is not just hype though, you do learn valuable info especially if you are new to the industry or don't know much about sourcing.

Ask your clients, see what they say. They will probably say a CIR, what exactly is that or so what? The most common competency question I get from clients is "who else do you work with that I know and respect?"

I have 2 CIR certifications, I have been to 2 of Shally's seminars & had the honor of seeing Glenn in action. Always take up a chance to see Shally or Glenn, stick with the cutting edge webinars. You will spend less money and get more current information.

And always be on the lookout for new info, no matter who is the evangelist. I have learned more from Michael Marlatt this year than anyone else, because he has turned me on to some awesome productivity tools that save me time and I had never even heard of him 3 months again.

There is no shortage of talent around here, also keep an eye out for webinars by Geoff Peterson and Donato Diorio, you won't be dissapointed.

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