Comment by Matt Charney on March 13, 2014 at 6:59am

John: I don't see a link on here, but given the fact that they didn't actually issue TLDs for online domains until 1994, I am quite skeptical that your claim you posted this article on your website in 1990 is true, but if it is, then you deserve credit as the first ever recruitment blogger.  That said, the actual applicability of Boolean strings in recruiting in an age of concept clustering and semantic enablement is obviously a topic that's so irrelevant and anachronistic I'm thinking you probably both need a new schtick to hang your hat on. Here are some thoughts for topics more relevant than Boolean:

How To Use Phrenology To Assess A Candidate's Culture Fit Through Head Bumps

Calligraphy & Employee Engagement: Why Handwriting Matters For HR

Just the Fax: Sourcing through the wonders of the Facsimile Machine

Why Ronald Reagan Will Help Make The Personnel Department Relevant Again in the 1990s (And Beyond).

Matt

Comment by John A. Childs, MSEE, BSEE, CIR on March 13, 2014 at 1:26pm

Hi Matt, here's the scoop.  In 1990 I had another website on Yahoo Geocities: www.geocities.com/jcrecruits/boolean_tutorial.html    

Unfortunately several years ago, Yahoo eliminated all the Geocities websites, of which mine was one, however I did find a copy (link below) by Kwikwap.  I couldn't find the one that Shally reformatted into PDF while he was at Arbita.  My original Geocities website was put up in 1990.  In 2001 I updated it and inserted "Copyrighted 2001"/  Below is an excerpt from the page.   URL for full text is: http://www.kwikwap.co.za/linkedin/docs/Boolean%20Tutorial.pdf

BOOLEAN SEARCH TUTORIAL for TECHNICAL RECRUITERS

by John Childs, Technical Recruiter

This tutorial on Boolean search strategies is being offered for free to enable technical recruiters to more effectively mine the Monster and Headhunter resume databases. CAUTION: The concepts below also apply to other databases, but NOT all Boolean search engines were created equally.........

.............All material contained herein is COPYRIGHTED 2001, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED and may not be reproduced for any commercial or for-profit venture or endeavor. Sharing with friends and fellow-recruiters for free is permitted.

I never thought of myself as deserving credit as the first ever recruitment blogger.  Thank you for bringing it to the fore.  I will be looking for that commemorative plaque in the mail.   Hopefully someone reading this will have read the original post that actually mentions 1990 to the immediate left of my picture on the website and send you and me a copy.

BOOLEAN SEARCH TUTORIAL for TECHNICAL ... - Kwikwap

www.kwikwap.co.za/linkedin/docs/Boolean%20Tutorial.pdf‎

This tutorial on Boolean search strategies is being offered for free to enable ..... bio can be found at: www.geocities.com/jcrecruits/John_Childs_Resume.html

It's funny you should mention phrenology because I have using that for some time as part of my bag of tricks I use in my recruiting.   The only problem is a) not living in the same city as some candidates which makes it difficult for me to get to lay my hands on their heads to read their bumps and lumps and b) understandably, not everyone is wild about my process.  However, I will say that when I have found a willing subject/candidate, the efficacy of this technique, along with my perspicacious ability, has proven invaluable in making great placements!!  I’ve been able to accomplish all this without having to resort to any methods that could be construed as being either pernicious or insidious.

I’ll have to admit I don’t do calligraphy or handwriting analysis however I have discovered a remarkable way to truly discern the true nature of a candidate and that is by placing tea leaves in their open palms and have them stand in a dark room for one hour and then when they come out, I read their tea leaves.  Of course this by no means will obviate the need for a good old-fashioned interview.

The fax machine has really gotten a bad rap as of late.  I know, I know we have the wonders of email and powerful PCs, but for certain applications, there is absolutely no substitute for a fax machine.   Similar to a line from a movie that said, “there’s no substitute for a Porsche”.

Yes, I agree with you that Ronald Reagan was the greatest president ever.  A role model for all to follow!   He, like the Personnel Department, is as relevant today as the day it was born.

I look forward to reading your treatise on concept clustering and semantic enablement in recruitment along with practical examples, but alas, I suspect that will require time travel into the future…..if only Marty hadn’t wrecked that car!

Since you have called into question my dubious claim as having made this post on a website of mine (different from my current website, and BTW, you can have more than one website), I must go ahead and confess that my Masters and Bachelor’s degrees in Electrical Engineering were from a mail order house.  The masters cost $25 and the bachelors was $15 which I thought was a rip-off.   My master’s thesis was regarding stabilizing the Saturn V rocket in the first 40 seconds of flight which I just outright copied from the back of a Marvel comic book.   I also came up with the name of a fictitious university, Auburn University, and even claimed I was a member of Tau Beta PI which means you graduated in the top fifth of your class in an engineering curriculum in which only one out of five who enter graduate.

Comment by John A. Childs, MSEE, BSEE, CIR on March 14, 2014 at 4:34pm

Hi Matt,

I regret the unprofessional tone of my comment back to you regarding the Boolean post and I want to apologize publicly.  Additionally it was not a good Christian witness.  You've got a great website and you add much value to our recruiting community!  Please accept my sincere apology.  The moment I sent that response, I didn't feel good about it.

In Him,

John Childs

P.S.  You're right.   That 1990 date was wrong.  The original date was before 2001 and probably was something more like 1999??

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