As I have stated in previous posts, it simply pains me that things are easier to find on the Internet then they are within the company data that we store and protect. A company's own intellectual property and data assets are sometimes the most difficult items to find. I am not talking about those assets that are purposely secured away for only certain audiences, but those assets that I have access to that would allow me to find the right content coupled with the right people. The people who have the experiences that may be highly valuable to the work or project that I am working on.
Why is it difficult to find the experts on a particular topic within a company or university setting? After all, everyone I know spends time outlining out their experiences, skills, and credentials on external sites like LinkedIN for the world to be able to see. In fact most of the people I know, when they apply and interview for a position share those same experiences, skills and credentials in written form on a resume or CV. They serve their purpose for the hiring phase, but what happens post interview/hire? All of those documented experiences and information simply lie dormant inside a PDF or Word document, electronically stacked in a bank of other resumes - never to be referenced again.
But that information is useful. Wouldn't it be beneficial to know what employees have worked or have experience working with a competitor, or with a competitor's product? Wouldn't it be useful to be able to know what people have experience with a particular skill set or on a particular topic. Perhaps some other employees might have a degree or certification on a topic that is relevant to our current work. Who has lived in the region of the country that could provide first hand experiences? Who has worked in a role similar to the job opening that I currently have, or may have worked at the same company with the person that I am about to hire?
TURNING IDLE INTO USEFUL
Searching through that otherwise idle bank of resumes can show me useful things:
Show me all the people who have their VMware VCP certification
Show me all Yale and Harvard graduates within the company
Who has experience working for, or with, our competitor?
All About People
This is all about people. A company's greatest assets is its people, yet finding the right people to talk to even within one's own company can be be a challenge. Wouldn't it be a great thing if a new employee, with the power of performing a simple keyword search, could find the right people to talk to in only the first couple of weeks on the job?
Who are the experts on the Financial Services offerings we provide, and how do they work together?
