The History of Recruiting

A living timeline of the people, legislation, technologies, and turning points that shaped our profession — from the industrial era to the age of AI.

Foreword: Read This First

This document is the brainstorm of Adela Schoolderman. Like many professionals with recruiting experience, Adela joined the ranks of recruiters as an adult and honed her craft on the job. The more she learned the more questions she found she had. In particular, two questions stood out:

For the recruiter and employer: "Just how did we get here?" How, when and why did our practices, policies and tools evolve the way they did? Were they really thought up to meet the needs of all the stakeholders — the employers we work for and the candidates whose lives we touch?

For the candidate: "Is the job seeker's journey an experience that has improved over the years?" What drove (and continues to drive) how we expand our pool of prospects to find and consider all those who can do the job instead of being limited by our biases?

We've included hundreds of events that have influenced in some way how we hire, who we hire and even how we think about hiring. We are just scratching the surface. More regional and global milestones are needed to add more light.

There are anecdotes and back stories throughout. No need to start at the beginning. Just choose a decade in the navigation below, scan the milestones, and enjoy the color commentary.

We chose to begin with the Second Industrial Revolution — a time where the need for skilled labor was growing, the pressure to hire without regard to gender, race, class or national origin was just beginning to be glimpsed, and technologies drove exponential growth in the size and number of industries.

Contributing Authors

The Industrial Era

1800 – 1910

This "Progressive Era" is better known in the US and Europe from a business perspective as the 2nd Industrial Revolution. The industrial might of western countries, now electrified, laid the foundation for massive corporations and the pioneering challenge of managing large numbers of workers. This era is also known for rising activism driving social reform and political changes in an attempt to address extreme abuses foisted on a workforce that had little power. In 1900, 20% of the US workforce in industrial settings were children ages 10–14 who were hired with the approval of their parents. At its best, this era began to lay the foundation for the eventual rise of modern business management practices and the improved treatment of employees and candidates.

• ► 1873 John Gabbitas begins recruiting schoolmasters for public schools in England

  Arguably the first known private employment agency, Robinson, Gabbitas & Thring, was founded by John Gabbitas who recruited schoolmasters for public schools in England. It is still in business nearly 150 years later. Heritage →
• ► 1893 One of the earliest US recruiting agencies focused on engineering technology hires

  Launched by Frederick Winslow Taylor to hire engineers, his agency later became part of General Employment Enterprises (GEE Group) who also owned Businessmen's Clearing House (est. 1902) — all still in business today. F.W. Taylor is also considered the father of Human Resources and Industrial Engineering for his 1911 book on scientific management. About GEE →
• ► 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson establishes a legal foundation for a flawed "separate but equal" doctrine

  The Plessy v. Ferguson decision supported mandates for separate public facilities for whites and African Americans as not violating the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment — creating segregation as a standard "if the facilities are approximately equal." The doctrine was not overturned until Brown v. the Board of Education in 1954. History.com →
• ► 1906 National Society for the Promotion of Industrial Education (NSPIE) founded

  The creation of the NSPIE was likely the first formal Recruitment Marketing effort designed by the organization's founders — 250 business and education leaders — to "educate the public about the importance of industrial education." The NSPIE published bulletins, organized meetings and engaged in a variety of activities to promote (and influence) vocational education to fill needed openings. Central Tech →
• ► 1906 The Jungle by Upton Sinclair published — sparking worker safety legislation

  The Jungle "portrays the harsh conditions and exploited lives of immigrants in the United States in Chicago and similar industrialized cities. The book depicts working-class poverty, lack of social support, harsh working conditions, and hopelessness driven by employer greed and corrupt government officials." Its popularity contributed to social legislation over the next two decades that impacted numerous worker safety laws. Wikipedia →
• ► 1906 Kitty Felton launches an employment agency in San Francisco

  Katharine 'Kitty' Felton, Director of Associated Charities in San Francisco since 1901, launched one of the first employment agencies in the US in response to the 1906 earthquake and fire. She also "developed mental health counseling to deal with the traumatized, became an advocate for foster care, and by combining private and public funds made it possible for widowed and single mothers to remain at home with their children." These innovations became known as the "San Francisco Model." In 2006, the Felton Institute for Excellence in Clinical Training was named in her honor. Wikipedia →

Vo-Tech, Modern Management & The Great War

1910s

From the early 1900s until the US entered WWI, millions of Europeans emigrated to the United States to provide essential labor needed in factories. Most jobs required very little formal schooling — only 14% of teenagers (14–17 year-olds) were in high school in 1915. This decade was a watershed in aligning the interests of industry employers, vocational education and developing a growing theory of management for the modern industrial age. The US entry into WWI in 1917 and the 1918 Pandemic were powerful events impacting the availability of talent at the end of the decade.

• ►1911Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire leads to landmark factory safety legislation

  The fire in Greenwich Village caused the deaths of 146 garment workers — 123 women and girls and 23 men, mostly between 14 and 23 years old. "The fire led to legislation requiring improved factory safety standards and helped spur the growth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU), which fought for better working conditions for sweatshop workers." Wikipedia →
• ►1911Frederick Winslow Taylor publishes The Principles of Scientific Management

  Taylor proposed 4 major principles: 1) Science, Not Rule of Thumb; 2) Harmony, Not Discord; 3) Cooperation, Not Individualism; 4) Development of Each and Every Person to His/Her Greatest Efficiency. Many of these principles are still hotly debated today. While much of 'Taylorism' was later discarded as too mechanistic, his detailed accounting of how to recruit and develop workers continues to be a basic standard. Wikipedia →
• ►1913Psychology and Industrial Efficiency published — beginning of I/O Psychology

  Munsterberg's book "is considered the beginning of what would later become known as Industrial Psychology (I/O Psych)." It dealt with hiring workers whose personalities and mental abilities best suited certain vocations, methods of increasing work efficiency, and marketing and advertising techniques — the first time psychology was formally applied to the labor market. Wikipedia →
• ►1913Department of Labor elevated to cabinet-level by President Taft

  William B. Wilson was named the first Secretary of Labor. Wikipedia →
• ►1913Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) formed in the UK

  "The number of industrial welfare workers had grown so a conference organized by Seebohm Rowntree was held. The welfare workers association was formed and later changed to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development." LinkedIn →
• ►1914Sir Ernest Shackleton recruits a crew for the Endurance — a job posting at its most honest

  Shackleton's Men Wanted ad for the Endurance expedition is a job description at its best and worst — incredibly authentic. As Katrina Kibben noted: "The first job post I could find was from the 1700s. It was for a sailor who would go out into a treacherous night and may never return home. While it sounds scary, it was still better than most job postings I read today. At least it was honest. They didn't oversell. There weren't four paragraphs about how the company was so excellent. No buzzwords at all. They said a lot without saying much on that poster." Wikipedia →
• ►1915Early personality tests developed to screen WWI military recruits

  Personality tests were created and used during WWI to rule out soldiers likely to experience the newly coined "shell shock." Smithsonian →
• ►1916Keating-Owen Child Labor Act signed — banning products of child labor from interstate commerce

  The Act prohibited the sale in interstate commerce of goods produced by factories that employed children under fourteen, mines employing children younger than sixteen, and any facility where children under fourteen worked after 7:00 p.m. or before 6:00 a.m. or more than eight hours daily. Wikipedia →
• ►1917"I Want You" Uncle Sam poster — perhaps the most recognized recruitment marketing campaign ever

  I Want You was used in both WWI and WWII, designed by J.M. Flagg. "The Uncle Sam poster introduced in 1917 built on a personification of the US dating back to the War of 1812." Wikipedia →
• ►1917Smith-Hughes Act aligns vocational education to industry needs with federal funding

  The Smith-Hughes Act was created to align vocational education to industry needs and provided federal funding to States to support the teaching of vocational education in home economics and agriculture, making the instruction more authentic and providing standards for vocational education programs. Central Tech →
• ►1917Army Alpha & Beta Cognitive Ability Tests developed — prototypes for group assessments

  Both the Army Alpha and Army Beta tests were recognized as prototypes for subsequent group-administered Cognitive Ability Tests. Over the course of World War I, some 1.5 million recruits were given tests to identify those capable of serving, classify them into military jobs, and select candidates for leadership positions. Source →
• ►1919Yale University creates a "Placement Bureau" — possibly the first Career Services office

  The Yale Placement Bureau may be the first of today's "Career Services" offices and might have held the first job fair. Yale Digital News →
• ►1919Nineteenth Amendment ratified — women's suffrage paves the way for workplace equality

  The ratification of the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote and paved the way for improving women's rights in the workplace — a historic milestone in the effort to be seen and heard as equals in society. Source →

Post-War Boom & Bust

1920s

Post-war legislation favored businesses in order to boost the economy, and for the next few years, employment and stock prices skyrocketed. Progressive education continued in schools and universities and more Americans received secondary education.

• ►1920The term "internship" emerges in post-WWI medical training

  Interns post-WWI were confined to medical graduates when it was determined that medical school did not have enough training to allow graduates to begin practicing medicine. Internships are today used for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and government agencies. TIME →
• ►1920Women's Bureau established in the US Department of Labor

  The Women's Bureau was established on June 5, 1920 to promote the welfare of and improve conditions for working women. DOL.gov →
• ►1921Emergency Quota Act limits immigration with racially motivated national origins quotas

  The Emergency Quota Act limited the number of immigrants allowed entry, particularly those from Southern Europe, through a national origins quota — providing immigration visas to two percent of the total number of people of each nationality in the US as of the 1890 census. Driving this act were concerns that the flood of immigrants "included people too 'dark' racially to be acceptable." Wikipedia →
• ►1924GE Hawthorne Studies uncover that motivation is linked to attention, not working conditions

  Elton Mayo's Hawthorne Studies at the GE facility known as the Hawthorne Works (conducted 1924–1927) attempted to uncover factors to improve productivity. Efforts to investigate the impact of lighting on productivity uncovered instead that motivation is linked to 'attention' — and thus began the "human relations" approach to management when the needs and motivation of employees became the primary focus of managers. Lumen Learning →
• ►1924Indian Citizenship Act grants citizenship to Native Americans

  The Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 (also known as the Snyder Act) granted citizenship to Native Americans. While the 14th Amendment defined as citizens any persons born in the United States, it had been interpreted by the courts to not apply to Native peoples who were born on reservations and therefore not part of the United States. Wikipedia →
• ►1924National Association of Appointments Secretaries (NAAS) founded — forerunner of NACE

  The NAAS was arguably also the first professional organization of Placement Directors in the US. "Of the twelve representatives who founded this pioneer organization, eleven were women. Their primary concern was teacher placement." The name changed to the National Association of Placement and Personnel Officers in 1928, then to the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) in the 1930s, eventually merging with regional associations as CPC and, in 1995, becoming NACE. NACE History →
• ►1926Eastern College Personnel Officers (ECPO) founded — foundation for modern NACE

  "Five educators met in October 1926 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology to organize the Eastern College Personnel Officers (ECPO)." The objective was to promote professional improvement for its members on common placement problems through conventions, general meetings, and presentations. This became the foundation for the current Regional Associations and the National Association of Colleges and Employers. NACE History →

Depression & A New Deal

1930s

In 1933, the majority of households had one income earner, and about one out of every four workers was unemployed. Unemployment typically lasted for longer than one year, and those who were fortunate to have jobs experienced cutbacks in hours or wages. Agricultural and manufacturing workers were hit the hardest, as were older workers and black men. Labor unions had been on the rise since the late 19th century and were responsible for worker protections such as standard workdays, fair wages, safe environments, and just systems — losing steam in the 1920s but growing again as unskilled labor started to organize.

• ►1932Norris-LaGuardia Act removes barriers against organized labor and union activities

  The Norris-La Guardia Act removed barriers against organized labor and union activities; outlawed pledges that employees were sometimes forced to take that they would not join unions. Wikipedia →
• ►1933National Industrial Recovery Act allows FDR to regulate industry wages and prices

  The National Industrial Recovery Act allowed FDR to regulate industry, including prices and wages, in order to stimulate economic recovery. Wikipedia →
• ►1933United States Employment Service reinstated via the Wagner-Peyser Act

  The USES was originally created in the 1890s to provide a labor exchange and job-finding assistance. It was reinstated by FDR's Wagner-Peyser Act to improve coordination of services for the unemployed during the depression and to directly hire for many government-funded work programs. Unfortunately, it was not referring all job seekers equally, even stating it would "make all referrals without regard to race, color, creed, or national origin except when an employer's order includes these specifications." Wikipedia →
• ►1937National Apprenticeship Act (Fitzgerald Act) creates standards for OJT training programs

  The Fitzgerald Act created standards to promote the safety of apprentices and OJT (on-the-job training) programs. DOL.gov →
• ►1938Fair Labor Standards Act establishes minimum wage and overtime rights

  The FLSA established a worker's right to minimum wage and overtime. Source →
• ►1938Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) published for the first time

  The Dictionary of Occupational Titles is the motherlode of job descriptions. Produced by the US Department of Labor, it defined over 13,000 different types of work during its existence from 1938–1999. Job analysts visited thousands of US worksites to observe and record the detailed skills, knowledge and experience required for each type of work. The DOT was replaced by O*Net starting in 1997. (The 1962 edition was created in a project led by John Sumser's father, Raymond J. Sumser.) Wikipedia →

Rosie the Riveter

1940s

The attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 marked the US entry into WWII. Women were widely employed and their skills were valued — because female talent was needed while men were away at war. The birth of the recruitment industry thus began in the 1940s as large numbers of placement agencies and advertising agencies formed to specialize in servicing 'non-conscripted' workers. After WWII, "placement officers" from growing agencies helped returning soldiers and veterans find jobs — thought to have led to the term "headhunting" as recruiters switched from blue-collar placements to more white-collar searches.

• ►1940Smith Act (Alien Registration Act) requires non-US residents to register with the government

  The Smith Act, also known as the Alien Registration Act, required all non-US residents to register with the government. Wikipedia →
• ►1943Magnuson Act allows Chinese immigrants to enter the US and pursue citizenship

  The Magnuson Act allowed Chinese immigrants to enter the US and for some residents to become citizens, repealing the Chinese Exclusion Act. Immigration History →
• ►1944Servicemen's Readjustment Act (GI Bill) — sends 7.8 million veterans to college, but excludes 1.2 million Black veterans

  The GI Bill was created to provide WWII veterans financial assistance for tuition, housing, and unemployment. The tuition benefit led to 7.8 million veterans (mostly white) going to college. Unfortunately, while the GI Bill's language did not specifically exclude African-American veterans, 1.2 million Black veterans were ultimately denied the benefits by banks, real estate agents and college admission officers. The graduating veterans sparked enormous growth in placement activity with many regional associations being created in North America. History.com →
• ►1946Employment Act of 1946 — federal government takes responsibility for helping workers find jobs

  With soldiers returning home from war and the economy transitioning from wartime production, Congress signed the Employment Act in which the federal government took responsibility for helping workers find jobs. Federal Reserve History →
• ►1946Kelly Services founded in Michigan to staff light industrial and electrical jobs

  Kelly Services is started in MI to staff light industrial and electrical jobs. Kelly Services →
• ►1947Walling v. Portland Terminal Co. — Supreme Court rules trainees don't need to be paid

  Walling v. Portland Terminal Co. was decided by the Supreme Court and determined that 'trainees' did not have to be paid. The Dept. of Labor then created a six-point test to determine differences between unpaid trainees and interns. Justia →
• ►1948Executive Order 9981 — President Truman ends segregation in the US military

  President Truman ends segregation in the US military by signing Executive Order 9981. Archives Foundation →
• ►1948American Society for Personnel Administration (ASPA) founded — eventually becomes SHRM

  The ASPA was founded in 1948 by a group of just 28 individuals. It eventually became The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in 1989.
• ►1948Robert Half founded — first firm specializing in temporary finance, accounting, and legal hiring

  Robert Half founded to focus on temporary hiring in finance and accounting, legal, creative and marketing, technology and administrative fields. Robert Half →
• ►1948Manpower (now ManpowerGroup) founded in Milwaukee by attorneys who couldn't find a temp typist

  Manpower was founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1948 by attorneys Elmer Winter and Aaron Scheinfeld. They needed a typist to work on a deadline project but were unable to source a substitute on a temporary basis — an idea still driving startups to this day. ManpowerGroup →
• ►1948GE sponsors Campus Recruiting Conference — seed of what becomes NACE

  GE's Campus Recruiting event for recruiters from major firms and selected university "placement officers" to connect with graduating students eventually led to the founding of the College Placement Council (CPC) which became the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). NACE History →

Post-War Boom… For Some

1950s

Veterans returning from the war faced economic uncertainty and many used the GI Bill to retrain in order to find employment, sometimes with the help of headhunters. Resumes became a standard for profiling yourself. Still, many were left out. The most abundant jobs were blue collar — usually in agriculture, manufacturing, or refineries. Professional services jobs were increasing quickly… for men. Women were expected to return to the role of mother and homemaker as many opportunities were no longer available. This was also a decade of civil rights marches for equal opportunity.

• ►1951Shaker Recruitment Advertising and Nationwide Advertising (NAS) founded

  The rapid rise of help-wanted ads in newspaper classifieds post-WWII established a new industry of specialized marketing agencies. Shaker Advertising, Nationwide Advertising and Hodes were three of the half dozen firms that pioneered this field in the 1950s by supplying employers and newspapers with professionally written ads on tight deadlines. Shaker Recruitment Marketing celebrated its 70th year in 2021. Shaker → NAS →
• ►1952McCarran-Walter Act removes immigration barriers for nations such as Japan and China

  The McCarran-Walter Act removed previously established barriers that excluded immigrants from nations such as Japan and China — though these countries were now assigned very small quotas. History.com →
• ►1953McKinsey hires its first two MBA graduates into 'Middle Management' — sparking the MBA trend

  Arguably McKinsey started a trend to move up younger business-educated graduates over older, more experienced but less business-educated professionals, leading to an MBA becoming the most popular degree. This move was considered brilliant after WWII but has led to an imbalance in recent years, as often noted by Professor Peter Cappelli at Wharton.
• ►1954Hodes Advertising (now Symphony) founded — later launches Career Mosaic, one of the earliest job boards

  Hodes Advertising was initially founded in 1954, eventually merged with Omnicom, the world’s largest agency, before being sold off to Symphony. They started one of the earliest job boards, Career Mosaic, in the mid-90s.
• ►1954Brown v. Board of Education ends (legally) segregation in education

  The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously (9–0) that racial segregation in public schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution and was inherently unequal. Britannica →
• ►1955AFL-CIO merger creates the largest federation of unions in the US

  The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) merged into the largest federation of unions in the United States representing more than 12 million active and retired workers. Wikipedia →
• ►1956Federal-Aid Highway Act enables suburban commuting and industrial relocation

  The Federal Highway Act authorized the building of the US highway system. It allowed industries to grow by delivering products quicker, but also made travel to and from cities simpler — enabling "commuting" from the suburbs as well as allowing firms to relocate to the suburbs. NPR →
• ►1957College Placement Council (CPC) founded — forerunner of today’s NACE

  33 delegates from regional college associations met at Ohio State University in 1957 and created the College Placement Council, Inc. (CPC). The Council was organized as a federation of seven regional associations in the United States. In 1995, CPC changed its name to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). NACE History →
• ►1958National Defense Education Act — Sputnik spurs federal funding for college education

  During the Cold War, Americans worried that US schools were not producing enough scientists and engineers to compete with the Soviets. Spurred by the launch of Sputnik, the National Defense Education Act ensured federal funding for low-cost student loans, where public opinion had been against higher education funding previously. US Senate →
• ►1959Landrum-Griffin Act grants union members equal rights and protects them from unfair practices

  The Landrum-Griffin Act granted equal union membership rights and protected members from unfair practices by unions, including members' right to vote in elections. NLRB →
• ►1959Peter Drucker coins the term "Knowledge Worker"

  The terms knowledge work and knowledge worker first appeared in The Landmarks of Tomorrow (1959) by Peter Drucker. Drucker later (1966) coined the term in The Effective Executive and, in 1999, suggested that "the most valuable asset of a 21st-century institution, whether business or non-business, will be its knowledge workers and their productivity." Wikipedia →

Civil Rights, Vietnam, Boomers

1960s

The 1960s saw growth, civil unrest, the Vietnam war, and Boomers entering the workforce in the largest numbers in history. The Great Society Legislation led to the lowest US unemployment rate in 1969 (until 2019). There was a significant rise in managerial and clerical jobs. In the workplace, women were still expected to accept mostly service roles; personnel departments typically recruited by running newspaper ads that could legally be categorized by gender, race, or religion. Poaching employees from competitors by sourcing them directly was considered unethical and often cause for a civil suit.

• ►1960Civil Rights Act establishes federal inspections of voter polls

  The Civil Rights Act of 1960 established federal inspections of voter polls and punishment for interfering with voting rights. Wikipedia →
• ►1960Randstad founded in the Netherlands by Frits Goldschmeding

  Randstad was founded in 1960 by Frits Goldschmeding, a Dutch multinational human resource consulting firm headquartered in Diemen, Netherlands. Randstad →
• ►1960JFK sets off the Space Race — making STEM an inevitable national priority

  President Kennedy challenged a joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961: "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth." Space Exploration pushed engineering to the limits with the Apollo Missions and brought forward the mathematics (and women ‘computers’) needed to accomplish the goal. NASA →
• ►1961Executive Order 10925 — Kennedy establishes Affirmative Action

  President Kennedy’s Executive Order 10925 required government contractors to “take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed and that employees are treated during employment without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.” It established the President’s Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity, chaired by then VP Lyndon Johnson. Wikipedia →
• ►1961National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS) founded — first staffing industry trade org

  The National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS) claims title as the earliest Staffing Industry Trade organization. NAPS →
• ►1963Equal Pay Act — abolishes wage disparity based on sex (still unresolved nearly 60 years later)

  The Equal Pay Act of 1963 amended the Fair Labor Standards Act, aimed at abolishing wage disparity based on sex. In passing the bill, Congress stated that sex discrimination depresses wages and living standards, prevents maximum utilization of available labor resources, constitutes an unfair method of competition, and burdens commerce. Nearly 60 years have passed and the issue is yet to be fully resolved. Wikipedia →
• ►1964Title VII of the Civil Rights Act forbids discrimination based on sex or race in hiring, promoting, and firing

  Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 “forbade discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as, race in hiring, promoting, and firing.” The Act prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and federally funded programs. It also called for the creation of the EEOC. Wikipedia →
• ►1965Voting Rights Act prohibits racial discrimination in voting

  The Voting Rights Act prohibited racial discrimination in voting and, more importantly, began empowering underrepresented racial groups to increase their influence to change how opportunity was apportioned. Wikipedia →
• ►1965EEOC created to uphold the Civil Rights Act and prevent workplace discrimination

  The Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC) was created to uphold the Civil Rights Act of 1964 — a federal agency established to prevent workplace discrimination and protect civil rights in employment. Wikipedia →
• ►1967Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) protects workers age 40 or older

  Signed into law by President Johnson to protect populations of workers not covered under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, this law prohibits discrimination against workers age 40 or older. Wikipedia →
• ►1969Employment Management Association (EMA) founded — largest org for recruiting professionals for 40 years

  The EMA was, for many years during its 40-year history, the largest organization to represent Recruiting professionals. It had its own national conferences, awards shows for best practices, a quarterly magazine, and published annual industry reports on cost per hire and source of hire. Merging with SHRM in 1999 with its remaining 5,000 members, the Association was supported for 4 more years until SHRM decided to focus resources on HR generalists rather than specialist disciplines. SHRM →
• ►1969ARPA awards contracts to build ARPANET — the beginning of the internet as we know it

  The Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the US Department of Defense awarded contracts in 1969 for the development of the ARPANET project — the beginning of the Internet as we know it. Wikipedia →
• ►1969Project VOLAR established — Nixon commission to study an All Volunteer military

  The President’s Commission on an All-Volunteer Armed Force (Project VOLAR) established goals to increase recruiting efforts and retention of enlistees through research and market experimentation over the next four years, successfully eliminating conscription by 1973. Wikipedia →

Cultural Transition

1970s

Since World War II, headhunters and recruitment firms had worked (at least in part) to support individuals. After the strong economic gains and low unemployment of the 1960s, recruiting firms shifted to working for employers instead of candidates as more companies began outsourcing their hiring. Desperate to find quality hires in new talent wars led to the development of “cold calling” — still considered unacceptable for most employers at the time, so it became a practice of 3rd party staffing firms. The number of baby boomers entering the workforce skyrocketed. While prospects were directed to inquire about jobs in person, by mail or by phone, equal opportunity mandates were complied with on paper but not always in spirit.

• ►1970Union power and membership continues to fall — from 33% of workforce in 1955 toward 11% by 2021

  By 2021, Labor Unions comprised 11.1% of the workforce — approximately 11.4 million workers. Unions were a major force in hiring but their biases and shady history prevented them from achieving fairness in hiring goals. Their peak was around 1955 when 33.2% of the workforce were in unions. That percentage fell to 31.4% in 1960 and 27.3% in 1970. A missed opportunity that may be slowly reinventing itself in the 21st century. Union Plus →
• ►1970OSHA enacted — ensuring employers provide environments free from recognized hazards

  The Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA) was enacted by Congress in 1970 and signed by President Nixon on December 29, 1970. Its main goal is to ensure that employers provide employees with an environment free from recognized hazards, such as exposure to toxic chemicals, excessive noise levels, mechanical dangers, heat or cold stress, or unsanitary conditions. Wikipedia →
• ►1970The Black Collegian magazine founded by Preston Edwards Sr.

  Founded from a garage-based printing press in New Orleans, The Black Collegian is a career and self-development magazine targeted to African-American college students and other students of color. At its peak it was distributed to over 800 campuses nationwide, primarily through career services offices. IMDiversity →
• ►1970National Black MBA Association founded to help Blacks entering the corporate sector

  The National Black MBA Association “was conceived in 1970 to help Blacks coming into the corporate sector, largely for the first time, share experiences and insights to help make the journey easier.” NBMBAA →
• ►1971Electronic mail protocol invented by Ray Tomlinson — the @ symbol links users to destination servers

  Ray Tomlinson is credited as the inventor of networked email; in 1971 he developed the first system able to send mail between users on different hosts across the ARPANET, using the @ sign to link the user name with a destination server. By the mid-1970s, this was the form recognized as email. Wikipedia →
• ►1971Kennedy Publications launches its “Red Book” Directory of Executive Search Firms

  The Red Book — officially the Directory of Executive & Professional Recruiters — was an annual publication that included the details of every Executive Search Firm. From 1971 to its bankruptcy in 2010, it listed at its peak more than 13,000 firms. ERE →
• ►1972Equal Rights Amendment passed by Congress — eventually ratified in 2020

  The Equal Rights Amendment to guarantee equal legal rights regardless of sex — first proposed in Congress in 1923 — was approved by Congress in 1972. It needed 38 states to ratify and was finally ratified in 2020. Wikipedia →
• ►1975Earliest known book on Sourcing published by Frank X. McCarthy and C. Gerard McGowan

  Frank X. McCarthy, a pioneer in Sourcing, established Xavier Associates in 1973, an executive search firm serving diversity staffing needs. Frank and C. Gerard McGowan authored Search Research: Mastering the Search Research Function in May 1975 — arguably one of the seminal sourcing documents read by many of today’s most experienced Sourcers early in their careers. Source →
• ►1975The term “Sexual Harassment” coined by journalist Lin Farley

  Lin Farley, a journalist who had been teaching a course about women and work, is credited with first using the phrase “sexual harassment.” Wikipedia →
• ►1975Altair 8800 created — featuring Bill Gates’ first product, the Microsoft operating system

  The Altair 8800 literally sparked the personal computer revolution when it was featured on the cover of Popular Electronics in a kit form for $439. Its operating system, written by Bill Gates, became Microsoft’s first product. Wikipedia →
• ►1976Apple launched by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak

  Apple was launched by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Their first offering, the Apple I, was sold as a motherboard with CPU, RAM, and basic textual-video chips — a base kit concept. It first debuted at the Homebrew Computer Club in July of 1976. Wikipedia →
• ►1978Revenue Act creates the 401k — making pension benefits portable for the first time

  Signed by President Carter, the Revenue Act allowed Americans for the first time to contribute to a tax-deferred pension plan that eventually became candidate-portable. Prior to 1978, employees wanting to move had to wait up to 20 years for their company pensions to vest. Additional legislation over the next 30 years by Presidents Reagan, Clinton, and Bush expanded these benefits further. TSC →
• ►1978Mitre Corporation posts technical jobs on a company computer — a prototype of online job listings

  Mitre Corporation, headquartered in Boston, begins advertising its computer engineering openings in major newspapers with directions on how to access the job description and post a resume within their VAX computer. Their thinking: if you could follow the directions, you were probably qualified. Source: From the notes of Gerry Crispin who was working at the time as a TA leader at J&J.
• ►1978Pregnancy Discrimination Act amends Title VII to prohibit discrimination based on pregnancy

  The Pregnancy Discrimination Act amended Title VII legislation to prohibit discrimination in hiring on the basis of pregnancy. EEOC →
• ►1979CompuServe establishes itself as one of the first job bulletin boards

  CompuServe (CIS) was the first major commercial online service provider in the United States. It dominated the field during the 1980s and remained a major influence through the mid-1990s, known for its online chat system and message forums — including early job postings. Wikipedia →
• ►1979Usenet conceived — early academic network that hosts job postings through the early 1990s

  Usenet was conceived in 1979 and publicly established in 1980 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University. By the early 1990s there were many Usenet group forums posting job ads for professionals like librarians, students in technical colleges and academics — making it one of the earliest known digital job networks. Wikipedia →

Computers, Shoulder Pads & Power Suits

1980s

Competition began in earnest in the 1980s. Women were rapidly expanding the roles they could expect to be hired into. The rise of analog fax machines allowed a new way to transmit resumes to companies. Recruiting was cumbersome in part because personnel professionals tracked and stored paper resumes. Although personal computers were first introduced in the 1970s through dozens of businesses, it was IBM’s PC entry in 1982 that was a watershed moment making personal computers available to the masses. By the end of the decade, a recruiter with a computer could now search for applicants from a relational database of resumes that were scanned, faxed, or emailed.

• ►1981IBM launches the Personal Home Computer — a watershed moment for resume production

  IBM in 1981 dominated the commercial computer industry, having contracted with Bill Gates at Microsoft to provide an operating system. IBM’s PC signaled the beginning of fierce competition for the ‘home’ computer industry — a critical milestone for recruiting as it allowed job seekers to produce and print resumes on demand. IBM eventually sold the PC division to Lenovo in 2005. IBM Archives →
• ►1982ResTrac (ATS) founded — the first applicant tracking system

  Restrac pioneered first-generation ATS software. Eventually it morphed to Webhire, then was acquired by Kenexa, and finally IBM acquired Kenexa. ERE →
• ►1983College internships rise sharply — universities offering programs grow from 200 to 1,000

  “The number of universities offering programs that let students split their time between interning and classwork increased from 200 in 1970 to 1,000 in 1983.” TIME →
• ►1983Motorola DynaTAC 8000X introduced — the first commercially available handheld mobile phone

  In 1983, Motorola’s DynaTAC 8000X was the first commercially available handheld mobile phone. By the 1990s, cellular networks appeared. In 2007 the first iPhone appeared. Today, smartphones dominate candidate communication.
• ►1983Aerotek founded — eventually becomes Allegis Group, worth $12B+ by 2016

  Aerotek eventually became Allegis Group in 2001. The firm is one of the largest staffing industry and consulting organizations worth more than $12 billion by 2016. Allegis Group →
• ►1983Microsoft Word launched — suddenly job seekers can write, print, and store resumes

  Microsoft Word was the better tool to write, print and store resumes. Wikipedia →
• ►1984Dell Computers launched as PC’s Limited from a University of Texas dorm room

  Michael Dell created Dell Computers while a student at the University of Texas at Austin. In his first full year assembling computers in his dorm, he grossed $50,000+ a month. CNBC →
• ►1986Fax machines go digital — recruitment advertising agencies adopt them en masse

  In 1986, digital FAX machines exploded commercially. Recruitment advertising agencies had dozens to communicate text ads on deadline to newspapers, and candidates with access could fax their resumes to employers. The number of fax machines in the US grew from 300,000 in 1983 to 4,000,000 in 1989. Before 1990, a single page took 6 minutes to transmit. Wikipedia →
• ►1987PeopleSoft founded — the first fully integrated client-server human resource management system

  PeopleSoft was “the first fully integrated, client-server human resource management system.” The beginning of the conversation over whether enterprise-wide solutions were better than collecting and connecting best-of-breed solutions. Talent Acquisition professionals have consistently resisted the former when given the choice. Wikipedia →
• ►1987Kenexa founded — later acquires major ATS systems and is acquired by IBM in 2012

  Through rapid growth and numerous acquisitions, Kenexa became a leader in ATS and Talent Acquisition software services before selling to IBM in 2012. Wikipedia →
• ►1988Resumix founded — pioneer in recruitment automation and keyword-based resume search

  Resumix was a pioneer in recruitment automation and the first that allowed recruiters to search for qualified resumes from a database based on keywords. Fun Fact: Resumix got its name from “Resumes On Unix” (where the software was developed at Sun Microsystems).
• ►1989Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web at CERN — and offers it to the public for free

  Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist at CERN, was frustrated that hundreds of scientists with their own personal computers had competing operating systems and struggled to share content. His solution, the World Wide Web (WWW), was born in 1989 and offered to the public for free in 1993. Job Boards and Career Sites were instantly “a thing.” CERN →
• ►1989Growth of dial-up Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) — serving 17 million US users by 1994

  Bulletin Board Systems and Online Service Providers were a precursor to internet job boards. By 1994, there were an estimated 60,000 BBSs serving 17 million users in the United States alone. The three largest commercial online service providers were CompuServe, Prodigy and AOL. As direct internet access improved in the mid-90s, interest in BBSs quickly diminished. Wikipedia →
• ►1989Whistleblower Protection Act signed into law

  A federal agency violates the Whistleblower Protection Act if agency authorities take (or threaten) retaliatory personnel action against any employee or applicant because of disclosure of information. Wikipedia →

The WWW Emerges

1990s

The ability to communicate digitally for the price of a (nearly free) phone call led to Bulletin Boards — communities hosted by CompuServe, Prodigy and AOL. Their success led to the 1994 introduction of the Netscape browser and the inevitable commercialization of the World Wide Web. Commercial internet access was sold to consumers as hundreds of websites grew to hundreds of thousands intended for everyday use.

The role of in-house and external recruiters started changing as they watched where qualified candidates went online. By the end of the decade, they had begun to disintermediate the global newspaper classified help-wanted advertising industry — a multi-billion dollar cash cow that was approaching $10 billion in the United States alone.

The 1990s also saw the introduction of modern search engines. Yahoo! launched in 1996 as a directory. Google launched in 1998 as a keyword search site that found its revenue model in cost-per-click advertising — a model that then found its way into online recruitment with TopUSAJobs and, later, Indeed.

• ►1990DICE launched in San Francisco — an IT bulletin board for contractors, recruiters and staffing agencies

  The Data Processing Independent Consultants Exchange (DICE) began life as an IT BBS in San Francisco, available only to contractors, recruiters, and staffing agencies. It transitioned to the web in 1996. DHI Group →
• ►1990H-1B Visa Program launched with the Immigration Act of 1990

  H-1B was created by the Immigration Act of 1990. It originally made 65,000 H-1B visas available each fiscal year and allowed US employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. Wikipedia →
• ►1990Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination based on disability

  The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. Unlike the Civil Rights Act, the ADA also requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities. Wikipedia →
• ►1991Civil Rights Act of 1991 expands rights of women to sue for sexual discrimination or harassment

  The Civil Rights Act of 1991 was the first major modification to the 1964 Act. It added provisions to Title VII protections expanding the rights of women to sue and collect compensatory and punitive damages for sexual discrimination or harassment. Wikipedia →
• ►1991The World Wide Web opened to the public — oldest known web page stored on a floppy disk at UNC

  The first web page may be lost, but Paul Jones of UNC-Chapel Hill revealed in May 2013 that he has a copy of a page sent to him in 1991 by Berners-Lee. CERN put the oldest known web page back online in 2014. Wikipedia →
• ►1992Online Career Center (OCC) — arguably one of the first job boards on the Internet

  Bill Warren, a former HR leader at Rockwell International, began using CompuServe and Prodigy to distribute his company’s openings and, as soon as it was practical, created the Online Career Center (OCC) on the World Wide Web. OCC was bought by TMP, merged with MonsterBoard, and eventually became Monster.com in 1999 with Bill as its first President. Wikipedia →
• ►1992First text message sent — “Merry Christmas” via SMS on December 3

  Today’s most popular means of communicating with a candidate began on Dec 3, 1992 with the message “Merry Christmas.” A year later Nokia incorporated SMS Text Messaging into its phones. Vodafone →
• ►1993JobServe launched in the UK — one of the first jobs-by-email services

  When JobServe launched, it provided a daily bulletin of open jobs to subscribers in response to candidate complaints that positions had already been filled by the time they applied via trade journals. It was one of the first — if not the first — jobs by email service. Today Jobserve delivers 1.3M subscription emails a day. Source: Notes of Bill Boorman.
• ►1993TMP Worldwide’s recruiting arm launched — eventually becomes Monster.com

  Andrew McKelvey originally founded TMP Worldwide in 1967. In 1993, he partnered with Don Tendler to launch a recruitment division. TMP’s recruitment division acquired The Monster Board and Online Career Center (OCC). TMP went public in 1996 and its career websites eventually merged as Monster.com in 1999. Wikipedia →
• ►1993Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) passed — up to 12 weeks unpaid leave

  The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows eligible employees to take up to 12 work weeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period to care for a new child, care for a seriously ill family member, or recover from a serious illness. Wikipedia →
• ►1993Bernard Hodes Group launches CareerMosaic — “an employment and career shopping mall”

  CareerMosaic was among the internet’s first employment sites. Described by founders Hodes Advertising as “an employment and career shopping mall.” It was sold to Headhunter.net and eventually bought by CareerBuilder. Source →
• ►1994Joyce Lain Kennedy publishes The Electronic Job Board Revolution

  Joyce Lain Kennedy was known as the Dear Abby of Career Advice. Her syndicated newspaper column — begun in 1968 and found in one major paper in every US city — documented hiring from the candidate perspective. Her 1994 directory was seminal as it included how to access and use many BBSs as well as emerging Internet career sites. Coast News →
• ►1994The MonsterBoard launched by Jeff Taylor — one of the first public job search websites

  MonsterBoard was created by Jeff Taylor who had previously founded the recruitment ad agency Adion in Boston. It was one of the first public job search websites on the Internet and arguably the first to have job search agents or ‘job alerts.’ Purchased by TMP in 1996 and merged with OCC by 1999 to become Monster.com. Wikipedia →
• ►1994Netscape browser introduced — the original dominant browser

  Netscape’s browser was the original browser and was once dominant in terms of usage share, but eventually lost all of its share to Internet Explorer and by 2008 was gone. Wikipedia →
• ►1994Yahoo! launched by Jerry Yang and David Filo at Stanford

  In January 1994, Jerry Yang and David Filo were electrical engineering graduate students at Stanford when they created Yahoo! originally named “Jerry and David’s guide to the World Wide Web.” In March 1994 it was renamed Yahoo! Yahoo! acquired Hotjobs in 2002 and was itself acquired by Verizon. Still the 11th most visited site on the web. Wikipedia →
• ►1995Bill Vick launches Recruiters OnLine Network (RON) — one of the first recruiting destination sites

  The Recruiters Online Network was one of the first recruitment destination sites catering to professional recruiters, aggregating jobs and resumes for distribution to partner sites while offering community and tools for recruiters. RON was recognized as a top 100 site. It was sold in 2002. Source: Bill Vick’s notes.
• ►1995CareerBuilder launched as NetStart — later becomes the #2 US job board

  CareerBuilder was created by Robert McGovern as NetStart. The name changed in 1998. In July 2000, the company was purchased by Knight Ridder and Tribune Company. CareerBuilder then acquired CareerPath.com and later Headhunter.net (which had already acquired CareerMosaic). Wikipedia →
• ►1995–2000First-generation ATS systems explode: Resumix vs. Restrac

  First Generation ATS systems — the battle of Skills-based vs. Keyword searching. These were the first mainstream client-server recruiting systems that managed resumes, requisitions, and applicant flow. Companies had recruiting operations teams hired to open, sort, prep, scan and verify resumes. Fun Fact: Resumix got its name from “Resumes On Unix.” Both were ultimately purchased multiple times before being fully retired around 2007. Source: Notes of Elaine Orler.
• ►1995Interbiznet begins publishing daily recruiting news and editorial online

  John Sumser began writing well-researched articles (and editorials) about online recruiting topics and publishing them daily via email — for nearly 15 years. When he started, the word “blog” had yet to become part of the lexicon. He later continued at HRExaminer.com →
• ►1995Craigslist founded — quickly becomes the largest classified ad market on the internet

  Craigslist became one of the earliest and quickly the largest market for classified ads on the internet, including job openings. Some say by charging low fees and not collecting user data. Built into the success of their unique practices was Craig himself — a true geek who worked as the site’s customer service expert and even asked for permission of customers before raising rates. Wikipedia →
• ►1995David Lord launches Executive Search Information Services (ESIS)

  David Lord, a career journalist and former editor at Kennedy Information, formed ESIS in 1995 in response to requests from corporations for better information about executive recruiters and best practices in working with them. In 1996, David launched ESIX, a research and discussion group for heads of executive recruiting from leading corporations that continues today as ESIX (Executive Search Information Exchange) under Simon Mullins. ESIX →
• ►1996CareerXroads 1st edition published by Mark Mehler and Gerry Crispin

  MMC Group began as a partnership between Mark Mehler and Gerry Crispin in 1995. They initially trained job seekers and Recruiters to use the internet, then collected 300 recruiting-related sites and self-published a detailed directory of emerging technologies — the first of 8 annual editions of CareerXroads which eventually sold around 250,000 copies mostly from Mark’s garage. By 2002, CareerXroads pivoted to establish a community of TA leaders in large companies sharing their evolving hiring practices. Mark retired in 2016 and Chris Hoyt became Gerry’s new partner. CXR.works →
• ►1996HotJobs.com launched — paid $1.6M for a Super Bowl ad in 1999, briefly becoming the most visited career site

  Launched originally as a tech-only site by Richard Johnson, Hotjobs.com rapidly expanded and in 1999 paid $1.6 million for a Super Bowl ad. That branding effort led to Hotjobs becoming the most visited career site on the internet in 2001. In 2002 it was acquired by Yahoo! In 2010, Monster bought Hotjobs.com for half the price Yahoo had paid. Wikipedia →
• ►1996Employer brand established as an HR management marketing tool

  The term employer brand was, according to Wikipedia, first introduced in 1990. Barrow and Ambler can claim to be the first to have formally defined it in the December 1996 Journal of Brand Management. On a practical scale, Recruitment Advertising firms had been developing ‘brand’ campaigns since at least the 1950s. Employer branding as a separate function within TA only came into its own in the 2000s with the growth of social media. Wikipedia →
• ►1996Samsung SCH-100 launched — first digital CDMA mobile phone, setting off the smartphone era

  Samsung developed its first CDMA (2G) mobile phone in March 1996, the SCH-100 — extra light and slim, enabling clear voice communication. In 1990 the number of mobile users was around 11 million; by 2020, that number had risen to 2.5 billion. “I can argue the cell phone was a catalyst in recruiting because we no longer had to use office numbers to reach people.” — Source: Notes of Elaine Orler.
• ►1996Adecco formed by merger of two international placement/staffing firms

  Adecco formed by merger of two international placement/staffing firms, becoming one of the world’s largest HR solutions companies. Adecco History →
• ►1996Viasite (later Taleo) founded — eventually acquired by Oracle in 2012

  Viasite, originally a French language job board, pivoted to become the ATS Recruitsoft in 1999. The founders also acquired Yves Lermusiaux’s iLogos as its research arm. Recruitsoft was renamed Taleo in 2004 and was acquired by Oracle in 2012. Wikipedia →
• ►1996SHRM’s Annual Conference includes first session on “HR & The Internet” — only 25% of attendees had email

  Two sessions at the Annual SHRM Conference in June 1996 were devoted to the impact that HR might have on the Internet. Presenting ‘HR and the Internet’ to an audience of over 1,000 HR professionals, Gerry Crispin asked: ‘Do you have an email address?’ and ‘Have you been on the Internet?’ 25% raised their hands for the first question and 10% for the second. Source: Notes of Gerry Crispin.
• ►1996College Recruiter launched by Steven Rothberg — one of the earliest niche job boards

  One of the earliest niche job boards, CollegeRecruiter.com initially served as an added feature to employers’ ads in any of the College Recruiter employment magazines. Within weeks, it began posting ads not served by the magazines. Today, College Recruiter has migrated almost all of its employer customers from traditional duration ads to programmatic, performance-based advertising. CollegeRecruiter →
• ►1996Local Boston Community Newspapers pioneer online content and recruiter training

  Glenn Gutmacher, working for Community Newspaper Company from 1996–1999, launched several ‘Town Online’ publications and began in 1997 his online recruitment training & marketing career, offering seminars like Advanced Internet Recruiting Techniques to recruiters and business owners.
• ►1997Job scraping (job aggregators) emerges — candidates find jobs reappearing in unexpected places

  “The first ‘job scraper’ hits the market, launched by Jungle and Careercast. Sites like these eventually became known as job aggregators. They copied jobs from individual career sites and job boards, repositioning them into a vertical search engine. Employers found for the first time that they were promoting their job opportunities in one place, and reappearing elsewhere.” Source: Notes of Bill Boorman. “Arguably the most successful of these is Indeed although Google may still win the title in the end.” Source: Notes of Gerry Crispin.
• ►1997AIRS is founded — pioneering sourcing training for recruiters

  Founded by Michael Foster and managed for much of its history by Christian Forman until acquired by ADP in 2008, AIRS pioneered sourcing training that recruiters sought to ensure they kept their skills current. History of Sourcing →
• ►1997O*Net published — replacing the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT)

  The Occupational Information Network (O*Net) is a free online database that contains hundreds of occupational definitions. It replaces the outdated DOT and includes a more ‘service’ focus than the previous ‘industrial emphasis.’ John Sumser notes two major differences: “The DOT always did a physical validation of each job. O*Net assembles its job descriptions from other descriptions. The DOT covered 12,000 jobs while O*Net addresses 1,000.” Wikipedia →
• ►1998McKinsey & Co. coins “The War for Talent” phrase

  First published in the January 1998 McKinsey Quarterly, the authors made a compelling case based on demographics of retiring leaders through 2020. Three years later, McKinsey published “The War for Talent” case studies highlighting employers like Enron as “winning.” Many of the employers noted were later bankrupted by their leaders and a few were jailed. Steve Levy notes: “Please — stop using the ‘War for Talent’ phrase. In wars, people die; no one ever died applying for a job. It isn’t war — but the way in which it’s done does highlight a lack of humanity.”
• ►1998Google launched by Larry Page and Sergey Brin — “Backrub” transforms to the most used search engine

  Google’s founding by Larry Page and Sergey Brin set off a transformation that will be analyzed for decades. Fun fact: the founders’ original name was ‘Backrub’. Google →
• ►1998ERE Media started by David Manaster — online gathering place for recruiters to share best practices

  “ERE (the Electronic Recruiting Exchange) was created in 1998 as an online gathering place for recruiters. It was designed as a destination where the community could network, share best practices, and learn from each other.” David Manaster soon began adding conferences, special events, webinars and blogs for recruiting leaders. ERE Media →
• ►1999Brassring founded — job board for technical positions that evolved into an enterprise ATS

  Brassring started as a job board specifically for technical positions. It would scrape positions off a company’s corporate career site and post them on their site. HR.com →
• ►1999Employment Management Association (EMA) acquired by SHRM — representing recruiting as a profession virtually disappears

  “The EMA after 40 years of existence was struggling in the late nineties to serve practitioners as vendors began to dominate the membership, leadership and speaking openings. The EMA accepted an offer to merge with SHRM which at the time was intent on expanding their specialist offerings. A direction that only lasted 4–5 years. Representation of recruiting as a profession virtually disappeared from the industry.” Source: Notes of Gerry Crispin when he was on the Board of SHRM.
• ►1999HR.com founded by Debbie McGrath

  HR.com is the brainchild of Debbie McGrath. An early pioneer in developing online quality content and managing online events for HR and Recruiting, HR.com’s reach may very well be the largest in the world, engaging nearly 2 million in the industry. HR.com →
• ►1999Monster and HotJobs debut Super Bowl ads — recruiting technology goes prime time

  A fresh view of the first time recruiting firms spent millions to advertise in the Super Bowl. John Sumser’s contemporaneous analysis ended: “1999 has to bring more aggressive approaches to the mining of ‘passive’ candidates. The Superbowl is just the beginning of a new dynamic that will dramatically increase advertising outlays across our sector.” Interbiznet Archive →
• ►1999WEDDLE’s Guide to Employment Sites first published by Peter Weddle

  Peter Weddle began publishing details of job boards in the Wall Street Journal’s weekend edition devoted to hiring from the mid-90s and by 1999 began publishing his popular directory Guide to Employment Sites. Amazon →
• ►1999Recruiters Internet Strategic Education (RISE) launched by Barbara Ling

  Barbara Ling, co-owner of RISE, expands her “Internet Recruiting Edge” training to an 8-hour workshop and for the next decade joins a growing number of pioneers helping recruiters move online.
• ►1999Mr.Ted ATS launches — becomes one of the most popular Enterprise ATSs in Europe

  Jerome Ternyck founded Mr.Ted in 1999 and it became one of the most popular Enterprise ATSs in Europe before being acquired by StepStone in 2010. SMB-GR →
• ►1999Talent Connections founded in Atlanta by Tom Darrow

  Tom Darrow founded Talent Connections in Atlanta to provide mostly recruiting consulting services after more than a decade in HR and recruiting leadership roles with PwC and Accenture. His services evolved over the years; today the company is mostly known for HR and Talent Acquisition Executive Search. Tom’s volunteer leadership roles with SHRM, SHRM Foundation, SHRM-Georgia, SHRM-Atlanta, and ATAP have helped develop many leaders in the recruiting industry. Talent Connections →

The Digital Age is Upon Us

2000s

Economic growth marked the beginning of the decade, followed by the Great Recession in 2007 — the longest recession since WWII. Prior to LinkedIn’s ascent, significant numbers of top managerial jobs were filled primarily by ‘executive search firms’ including Korn Ferry, Russell Reynolds, Heidrick & Struggles and Goodrich & Sherwood. But it was LinkedIn’s launch in 2002 that would structurally change the recruiting marketplace forever — making the information about who-worked-where public.

Campus recruiting existed in earlier decades, but the early 2000s is when companies started to review and expand their strategies around university relations, networking events, and on-campus interviewing programs for early career workers. The rise of social media and new technologies led to increasing recruiting specialization around analytics, recruitment marketing, sourcing and operations throughout the decade.

• ►2000Newspaper income from Help Wanted Ads peaks at $9 billion in the US — then collapses

  As a source of hire, Newspapers dominated from the 1950s to 2000. By 2002 the $9 billion+ that newspapers earned printing Help-Wanted ads had shrunk to $4 billion and, by 2011, was less than $1 billion. At its worst, for every $1 in advertising added to the internet, newspapers lost $10 in revenue. SourceCon →
• ►2000The Dotcom ‘Bubble’ bursts — Nasdaq loses 75%, the first generation of IT employees thrown out of work

  The Dot.com Bubble bursting is a reflection of the significant Nasdaq losses (75%) between March 2000 and October 2002 after five precious years of incredible gains that took the index from 750 to more than 5,000. Trillions were made… and lost. CFI →
• ►2000ZoomInfo founded as Eliyon Technologies — providing B2B contact information

  Zoom Information was originally established in 2000 as Eliyon Technologies and acquired by DiscoverOrg in 2007. Not to be confused with Zoom. Wikipedia →
• ►2000ePredix created — one of the first companies to put assessments online at scale

  “ePredix was one of the first companies to put assessments on line at scale.” Source: Notes of Charles Handler.
• ►2000Search Wizards launched by Leslie O’Connor — eventually pioneers the contract recruiter placement model

  “Search Wizards was launched in August of 2000, as a technical staffing company. In 2005 I was approached by Rob McIntosh to join his team at Microsoft Central Sourcing, to build and payroll the entire team which included Shelly, Glenn G, Eric, Jeanna Barrie, Jim Stroud, etc. We were building out Rob’s model to have a central team supporting all tech recruiting groups. It was a dream team of what went on to become the sourcing core.” Source: Notes of Leslie O’Connor.
• ►20019/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center — September 11 was also the first day of the HR Technology Conference

  While the terrorist attack on 9/11 still remains a major part of the American psyche, it did provide enormous impetus to the US Defense industries and proved that the volunteer approach to military services were viable. September 11, 2001 was also the first day of the HR Technology Conference in Baltimore, MD — situated between the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon. Thousands of HR and TA professionals were present when the towers came down and the conference was canceled.
• ►2002LinkedIn launches — makes the information about who-worked-where public, changing recruiting forever

  “To me, LinkedIn was the real first professional network online that was legitimate…LinkedIn.com eliminated the rusing/cold-calling into companies for us. It created a warm call that allowed us to easily find people. They eventually figured out their revenue stream by allowing companies to have profiles, post jobs, and have recruiter licenses. I remember the first sales call — they wanted $25,000 for a company profile. Like Monster, I told them they were crazy and companies would never pay this. Whew — was I wrong…and now pay 10x that for the whole package.” Source: Notes of Cathy Hennessy.
• ►2003Myspace launches — largest social networking site in the world from 2005–2008

  Myspace was the largest social networking site in the world from 2005–2008, declining thereafter as Facebook dominated the category. Today it is focused on niche spaces with ~7 million monthly visitors. Wikipedia →
• ►2003Android software released — eventually revolutionizes how users interact with mobile devices

  Android becomes a mobile phone operating system in 2004, revolutionizing the way that users interact with mobile devices — influencing job searching and recruiting. Wikipedia →
• ►2004Facebook launches — initially limited to Harvard, then to all .edu emails, then anyone over 13

  Facebook was launched in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg. Initial membership was limited to Harvard students, expanding over two years to other universities. By 2006, FB opened up to anyone over 13 and has grown to nearly 3 billion monthly active users. Wikipedia →
• ►2004Jobster launched — Web 2.0 referral model raises high hopes, then crashes

  “Seen as a rival to LinkedIn, Jobster with its ‘web 2.0’ technology allowed users to create open profiles with customized URLs for networking. It’s initial focus featured a referral model. For a while, Jobster was the darling of the conference circuit. Eventually, Jobster crashed. One of the biggest failures in the industry at the time.” Source: Notes of Gerry Crispin & Jim Stroud. History of Sourcing →
• ►2004HireVue launched — founder ships webcams from his dorm room for asynchronous video interviewing

  HireVue’s founder, Mark Newman, started shipping webcams out to applicants using the product from his university dorm room. One of the very first solutions to use asynchronous, pre-recorded video for interviewing. Initially, most of HireVue’s revenue was from the webcams — at a time before computers, smartphones and tablets had cameras.
• ►2004Indeed launched — co-founded by Paul Forster and Rony Kahan in Austin, TX

  Indeed was co-founded by Paul Forster and Rony Kahan in 2004. Headquartered in Austin, Indeed was acquired by Recruit in 2012 and has arguably been the strongest US job board for more than a decade. Wikipedia →
• ►2004Corporate Recruiting Blogs emerge — Microsoft’s JobsBlog directly responsible for 200+ hires in year one

  “It was 2004. I (Heather Hamilton) started my blog during a re-org at Microsoft when I had extra bandwidth. Initially, the blog was focused on marketing roles at Microsoft, but reader interest was in working at Microsoft in general, and the hiring process in particular. At its peak, the blog was getting over 100k views a month. We were able to attribute 30+ hires directly to the blog.” And from Gretchen Garland: “In March 2004, Zoe Goldring and I launched Microsoft JobsBlog, which became known as the ‘first corporate recruiting blog.’ During the blog’s first year it was directly responsible for more than 200 new engineering hires to the company.”
• ►2005YouTube launched — purchased by Google in 2006, now hosts countless corporate career videos

  Every minute more than 500 hours of video content is uploaded to YouTube. Purchased by Google in 2006, YouTube hosts countless corporate videos related to careers and jobs. Increasingly these are being connected to job descriptions, job boards and social media to curate the candidate’s journey. Wikipedia →
• ►2006Internet Applicant Rule defined — answering “What makes an Applicant an Applicant?”

  The Internet Applicant Rule was a means to answer the question: What makes an Applicant an Applicant? In the case of legal questions about discrimination, an employer could then be expected to show that the demographics of the applicant pool any hire was drawn from was, in fact, diverse. Government contractors are particularly required to comply in their periodic reporting. SHRM →
• ►2006Twitter launches — “people more open to connecting with people they didn’t know who shared an interest”

  “The Twitter effect saw people being more open to connecting with people they didn’t know but who shared an interest, resulting in a significant growth in personal network size; which added to personal branding, and provided a new source of prospects.” Source: Notes of Bill Boorman.
• ►2006EY pioneers Facebook for interns — one of the first corporate social recruiting efforts

  “Back in 2006, at EY, we were recruiting for 5,500 entry level and intern positions. We wanted to do something different to create more brand awareness and we felt reaching students in their ‘natural habitat — a social networking site’ would make a huge difference. So we started a Sponsored Group on Facebook where students could learn about EY and have a dialogue with recruiters. We were one of the first to do ‘social recruiting’ and it was a big success.” Source: Notes of Larry Nash, Americas Director of Talent Attraction and Acquisition, EY.
• ►2007The first SourceCon held in Atlanta — founded by Leslie O’Connor and Rob McIntosh

  Founded by Leslie O’Connor and Rob McIntosh with the help of many other industry professionals, SourceCon was acquired by ERE in 2009 after the housing market crash. It continued as an in-person conference until the pandemic. SourceCon →
• ►2007Sodexo begins using social media to tell candidates about company culture

  Sodexo was easily one of the employers pioneering the use of newly emerging social media sites to tell candidates about their company culture. Sodexo →
• ►2007Sourcing Institute Foundation launched by Shally Steckerl to train veterans and the unemployed

  Shally Steckerl’s charitable organization begins with a mission to impact unemployment of military veterans, their spouses, disabled individuals, and the unemployed with qualifying hardship by providing sourcing & recruiting education. Source: Notes of Shally Steckerl.
• ►2008Glassdoor launches — allowing current and former employees to anonymously review companies

  GlassDoor was co-founded in 2007 by Tim Besse, Robert Hohman, and Rich Barton to allow current and former employees to anonymously review companies. It was acquired by Recruit Holdings in 2018. Wikipedia →
• ►2008StackOverflow launches — a sourcer’s goldmine with 14M+ registered users

  Stack Overflow was created by Jeff Atwood and Joel Spolsky in 2008 as a question and answer website for professional and enthusiast programmers. It is a sourcers’ goldmine for technology prospects, currently with more than 14 million registered users. Wikipedia →
• ►2008Biometric Information Privacy Act — Illinois first US state to regulate collection of biometric information

  Illinois passed the Biometric Information Privacy Act in 2008 and became the first US state to regulate the collection of biometric information; important for organizations who use fingerprints as a method of timekeeping. Wikipedia →
• ►2008SmartRecruiters launches as a free ATS for SMBs, created by Jerome Ternyck

  Jerome Ternyck creates a free ATS for SMBs while still the founder and CEO of Mr. TED. After StepStone acquires Mr.TED in 2010, Jerome begins developing the future of SmartRecruiters. SMB-GR →
• ►2009American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) — $2.2 trillion stimulus to save existing jobs

  Developed in response to the Great Recession, the primary objective of the ARRA was to save existing jobs and create new ones as soon as possible. Wikipedia →
• ►2009First HRevolution in Louisville, KY — “HR people teaching each other”

  HRevolution held nine events over 10 years with average attendance around 150. “I came up with the idea in May 2009 because I was working as an HR Director and my company would not pay for us to go to SHRM’s annual conference. Out of frustration, I tweeted that I would start my own event and invite smart HR pros to come together and teach each other. Steve Boese, Crystal Peterson and Ben Eubanks jumped on board. I had never met any of them.” Source: Notes of Trish McFarlane.
• ►2009First Social Recruiting Summit ‘Tweetup’ at Google headquarters

  The Social Recruiting Summit held in June 2009 at Google headquarters was described by its organizer, Jenny DeVaughn: “One of my favorite moments in our recruiting history was the evolution of social media for recruiting and what we know as employer branding. This Google tweetup was the first time many of us who had networked and shared best practices using Twitter met in person.” Source: Notes of Jenny DeVaughn.

Recovery, Change & Transformation

2010s

Companies had more job candidates than ever, tech skills were in demand, and organizations were learning to operate in a leaner, more agile environment in the wake of the 2007/8 recession. With the rise of LinkedIn and exploding social media usage, it became commonplace for employers and candidates to check social views and digital profiles. In 2016, millennials became the largest generation in the workforce.

New technology trends emerged rapidly: social media in job postings, job aggregators, sourcing tools, mobile recruiting, programmatic job advertising, machine learning, and job automation. We saw an increased concern for diversity in the workplace, pay equity, and a new focus on gender-neutral job description language. Two overarching problems emerged: How could we use new technologies without completely dehumanizing the recruiting process? And how could non-high-tech companies compete with those who had already advanced?

• ►2010The Talent Board launches the CandEs (Candidate Experience Awards) — co-founded by Elaine Orler, Gerry Crispin and Ed Newman

  The TalentBoard was co-founded as a non-profit to annually measure the impact of the recruiting experience of candidates on the businesses they apply to, acknowledge practices that improve the candidate experience, and promote the basic results at no cost to all employers. “I was approached by Chris Forman at an ERE conference in 2010 with one simple question: ‘What are you going to do about fixing the negative candidate experience?’ Everyone was talking about how bad it was but there wasn’t a focused solution. Still remarkable today.” Source: Notes of Elaine Orler. TalentBoard.org →
• ►2010ZipRecruiter launches its aggregation model — growing quickly by aligning with Google for Jobs

  ZipRecruiter’s aggregation model grew quickly when it aligned with accessing Google for its jobs versus Indeed. Google Case Study →
• ►2011LinkedIn Apply debuts — one-click applications using LinkedIn profiles

  LinkedIn Apply allowed job seekers to apply to positions with one click using their LinkedIn profiles. The timing was excellent as employers were struggling to reduce application time to reduce abandonment. However, a LinkedIn profile is more an individual’s creative marketing tool and not designed to be an accurate ‘job application.’ LI failed to offer a secondary application-ready profile, limiting adoption. LinkedIn Blog →
• ►2011Google Plus launches — Google’s fourth foray into social networking, shut down in 2019

  Google+ (Google Plus) was a social network launched on June 28, 2011, in an attempt to challenge other social networks. It experienced strong growth in its initial years but was redesigned in 2015 and shut down for personal use on April 2, 2019. Wikipedia →
• ►2011Rise of online portfolios — especially in creative fields as an alternative to resumes

  “Job-seekers especially those in creative fields will often have a portfolio created on a domain with their name as an alternative to a resume. Squarespace is probably the most common tool. The benefit is that the attention stays on that individual. However, Behance might be another example of the job board/design portfolio combo.” Source: Notes of Heather Hamilton.
• ►2013SocialTalent founded by Johnny Campbell — launches first online sourcing training programs

  SocialTalent is incorporated by Johnny Campbell and in 2013 launches its first online sourcing training programs. SocialTalent →
• ►2014SparcStart launched by Maury Hanigan — one of the first video platforms for enhanced job descriptions

  SparcStart, founded by Maury Hanigan, is among the first video platforms to enhance recruitment job descriptions: specifically featuring tools to have hiring managers create and connect video content to enhance job descriptions. SparcStart →
• ►2016Association of Talent Acquisition Professionals (ATAP) launched — first recruiting association since EMA merged with SHRM in 1999

  The first recruiting association launched aiming to represent all facets of recruiting since the EMA was acquired by SHRM in 1999. ATAP, founded by several industry leaders with Ben Gotkin as 1st Executive Secretary and Tom Darrow as first BOT Chair, is today a member platform of nearly 1,000 recruiting professionals focused on curating a body of work that establishes standards and promotes recruiting as a profession. ATAPglobal.org →
• ►2016Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning explodes in recruiting

  The buzz was evident at the HR Technology Conference in October 2016 but was precipitated in part by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg announcing his plan to build an artificially intelligent assistant. AI has since invaded nearly every application, spawned an industry-wide watch on ethics, privacy and human vs. computer discourse. SD Times →
• ►2016Hung Lee launches Recruiting Brainfood — “the best recruiting & HR articles that week”

  “The first issue of Recruiting Brainfood was sent at 07:30 am, Oct 10th, 2016. The internet had got too big for busy people to process it. Recruiters — already in time-intensive, high-demand jobs — were not in any position to go through the ever-increasing deluge of clickbait in order to get to ‘brainfood.’ I had made a habit of archiving what I had found and realised the proper thing to do would be to share that work with whoever else wanted it.” Source: Notes of Hung Lee. Recruiting Brainfood →
• ►2017Harry W. Colmery Veterans Education Assistance Act (Forever GI Bill) passed

  The Veterans Education Assistance Act also known as the “Forever GI Bill” enhanced education and training benefits for veterans to improve their post-service chances of competing for jobs. A critical selling point in recruiting for military services. VA.gov →
• ►2017Google launches Google for Jobs — a strong competitor to Indeed

  Google for Jobs allows seekers to view aggregated jobs but also pulls in other career-related information. It has become a strong competitor to Indeed. Google Hire sunsets September 2020. Jobiak →
• ►2018GDPR takes effect — new guidelines for consumer data collection impact EU recruiting

  Enacted in 2016, GDPR set new guidelines for consumer data collection. For recruiting, it means employers can only collect data on EU candidates for “specified, explicit and legitimate purposes,” and you intend to contact sourced candidates within 30 days. Wikipedia →

The Roaring, Uncertain 2020s

2020s

Uncertainty reigns. It’s hard to find a single person alive who has not been affected in some way by the COVID pandemic. Changes that may have taken years if not decades have accelerated faster than they would have without the pandemic — virtual interviewing, virtual onboarding, virtual workplaces all accelerated and normalized… for the time being.

Surge hiring, retention, internal movement, automation/AI, shifting labor markets, healthcare crises, burnout, forced return to the office, extreme shortages, work & life blended together, work anywhere, recession fears — and of course, adding ‘quiet’ as an explanation to everything from hiring to resignations — are still top of mind as the largest gap between available jobs and qualified workers grows to historic numbers.

• ►2020COVID-19 Pandemic: Lockdowns, shutdowns, and tens of millions ‘furloughed’

  A furlough is derived from a Dutch word meaning a temporary leave of absence — in this case for employees due to company or employer’s economic conditions. Wikipedia →
• ►2020Social Unrest explodes with BLM and George Floyd — recognition that DE&I is in need of new solutions

  Diversity training surged after the George Floyd murder called to light years of systemic injustice and passivity. NPR →
• ►2020COVID-Related Tax Relief Act — Congress passes a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus act

  Congress passes a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus act (the CARES Act) in response to the economic devastation of the pandemic. Wikipedia →
• ►2020RecruitersRecruitingRecruiters.com launched during COVID-19 — a job board for TA and HR with a candidate experience pledge

  RecruitersRecruitingRecruiters.com was a job board for TA and HR related roles started during the pandemic by a consortium of industry veterans. What made it unique was requiring each employer posting jobs to commit to a pledge upholding good candidate experience practices and not leaving candidates in a black hole. Sunset in 2022. Source: Notes of Gerry Crispin.
• ►2020Women leave the workforce at twice the rate of men — 2.1 million fewer women in the workforce by end of 2020

  There were 2.1 million fewer women in the workforce at the end of 2020 since the pandemic began in February 2020. NWLC →
• ►2020SEC requires Human Capital metrics be included in quarterly filings

  As of Nov 9, 2021, the Securities Exchange Commission’s (SEC) new rules requiring publicly traded companies to expand their human capital management disclosure went into effect. While not prescriptive, most companies will eventually be forced to meet stricter standards around how they manage their human assets. Harvard Law →
• ►2021Colorado’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act becomes law — requiring pay ranges in job postings

  Colorado’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act was passed in 2019 and became law on January 1, 2021. It requires employers to state a position’s pay or range as well as benefits, and “any bonuses, commissions, or other compensation” in published job descriptions. Major companies’ initial response was to exclude Coloradans from jobs rather than respond with transparency. Colorado Legislature →
• ►2021Post-Pandemic Return to Normal is an ongoing debate — Remote vs. Hybrid vs. Office

  Many firms initially embraced giving their employees more choice decisions about how and where work would be done. Recently more employers are recanting and again dictating ‘time and place’ rather than developing managers’ and employees’ skills related to remote or hybrid work — a debate that continues today.
• ►2021Post-Pandemic recovery disrupts the labor market further — a quarter of the workforce changes jobs each year

  With a quarter of the workforce changing jobs each year, something fundamental has changed. The disruption created a recruiter shortage alongside surge hiring demand. Josh Bersin →
• ►2022OpenAI’s ChatGPT receives widespread media coverage — AI reshapes recruiting overnight

  OpenAI, founded in 2015, received widespread media coverage after launching a free preview of ChatGPT in 2022. The rapid adoption of Generative AI tools has accelerated changes across talent acquisition — from job description writing to resume screening, chatbots, and beyond. Wikipedia →

Looking Ahead

The road forward

Go Back, Stay Remote, Be accountable in a Hybrid way. After the pandemic, some are opting for a “new normal,” while others are insisting on a “return to normalcy.” For some, a forced return to the office is even more disruptive than it was to go remote in early 2020. Office space is downsized but there is a balance that is struck in most corporations between remote working from home and on-site collaboration. There will be long-lasting changes to industries and roles where there was frequent travel, and some of that change will be dictated by the employees themselves who want to stay safe.