美国国家公共电台 NPR Recruiters Use 'Geofencing' To Target Potential Hires Where They Live And Work

 

KELLY MCEVERS, HOST:

We're going to hear about something called geofencing. You might know about it. But if you don't, it's wireless¹ technology that tracks mobile devices entering and exiting a specific area. Up to this point, it's mostly been used by marketers who use it to send coupons³ to potential customers nearby. NPR's Yuki Noguchi reports some employers are now using it to target and recruit prospective⁴ employees.

YUKI NOGUCHI, BYLINE⁵: It's very hard to find people to fill some of the most specialized⁶ jobs at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla. Carol McDaniel, the recruitment director, says that's especially true for acute-care certified⁷ neonatal nurse practitioners⁸.

CAROL MCDANIEL: Always in short supply, high-demand and a very, very small group of people.

NOGUCHI: So about six months ago, McDaniel says the hospital started using a new recruitment tactic⁹. It buys lists of potential candidates called from online profiles or educational records. It then sets up geofences at professional conferences or in areas where those people live and work.

MCDANIEL: Facebook, LinkedIn - we can buy ZIP codes. We can look at critical-care certified lists from different colleges and universities who teach these programs.

NOGUCHI: When nurses with credentials¹⁰ enter a geofenced zone, ads inviting¹¹ them to apply to All Children's appear on their phones. The system also automatically collects data from each user's cellphone so it can continue to advertise to them even after they leave the geofenced area. McDaniel says she even tries to poach workers by sending ads to nurses as they go to work at rival hospitals. The result - she's getting responses from 3 to 4 job candidates a week.

MCDANIEL: That's a huge success because I was getting nothing before.

NOGUCHI: She says it's also far more cost-effective.

MCDANIEL: We have invaded their space in which they live and work. So it's a much better use of our dollars. We're not just throwing out a wide net and seeing who, you know, comes through the pipeline¹².

NOGUCHI: McDaniel says, yes, it's a bit creepy, but she says people who respond say they're flattered.

MCDANIEL: A lot of people look at it as a compliment. And they - makes them kind of feel good for the day. Wow, you know, Johns Hopkins reached out to me.

NOGUCHI: As employers face a tight labor¹³ market, they're having to get more aggressive and innovative¹⁴ to fill critical jobs. Mobile phones are becoming a key part of how that is done. Wayne Cederholm is vice² president of driver recruitment for Salt Lake City trucking firm C.R. England. He says mobile recruitment through social media or geofencing has become far more important.

WAYNE CEDERHOLM: Applications are being completed on a mobile 75 percent of the time.

NOGUCHI: He says finding drivers is incredibly competitive. Drivers might defect over a slight increase in pay or an extra day of rest between runs, so reminding drivers of opportunities at his company is very important to his business.

CEDERHOLM: There's not a lot that differentiates¹⁵ these carriers. So the smallest thing can make a big difference.

NOGUCHI: It especially matters to those recruiting among younger workers whose gateway¹⁶ to the world are their phones.

JACOB RHOADES: People really don't spend nearly as much time on the traditional job boards.

NOGUCHI: That's Jacob Rhodes, vice president of marketing¹⁷ for Parker Staffing Services in Seattle. The company saw a 40 percent increase in web traffic and an uptick in resumes after it set up geofences this spring at area college graduations.

RHOADES: It's tough for a small business especially in the Seattle hiring market to get our name out there considering we compete against companies like Amazon.

NOGUCHI: And the price is unbeatable, Rhoades says. His latest experiment in geofencing was more effective and cheaper than traditional campaigns he's done before. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News, Washington.

(SOUNDBITE OF JOEY FEHRENBACH SONG, "INDIGO ROAD")

1 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 coupons   

n.礼券( coupon的名词复数 )；优惠券；订货单；参赛表

参考例句：

• The company gives away free coupons for drinks or other items. 公司为饮料或其它项目发放免费赠券。 来自辞典例句
• Do you have any coupons? 你们有优惠卡吗？ 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语

4 prospective   

adj.预期的，未来的，前瞻性的

参考例句：

• The story should act as a warning to other prospective buyers.这篇报道应该对其他潜在的购买者起到警示作用。
• They have all these great activities for prospective freshmen.这会举办各种各样的活动来招待未来的新人。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

7 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

8 practitioners   

n.习艺者，实习者( practitioner的名词复数 )；从业者（尤指医师）

参考例句：

• one of the greatest practitioners of science fiction 最了不起的科幻小说家之一
• The technique is experimental, but the list of its practitioners is growing. 这种技术是试验性的，但是采用它的人正在增加。 来自辞典例句

9 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

10 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

11 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

12 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

13 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

14 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

15 differentiates   

区分，区别，辨别( differentiate的第三人称单数 )； 区别对待； 表明…间的差别，构成…间差别的特征

参考例句：

• This genus of plants differentiates into many species. 这种植物可分为许多种类。
• Our fax machine differentiates between an incoming fax signal and a voice call. 我们的传真机能区分接收传真信号和语音信号。

16 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

17 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。