My LinkedIn "suggested reading" and "trending articles" included these two from today's Wall Street Journal:

Software Screening Rejects Job Seekers

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304821304577436172660...

and, then, this:

Nearly Half of US Firms Having Trouble Finding Talent: Report

http://blogs.wsj.com/atwork/2012/05/30/nearly-half-of-us-firms-havi...

Now, I know enough basics about statistics to know that correlation does not necessarily equal causation... but I will be the first to admit that internal HR / recruitment, in their eagerness to lessen the impact of third-party fees, have quickly adopted the new technologies, and, unfortunately, often forget the most important aspect of any good (mind you, I said good) decent, third-party search firm is the breadth and depth of industry knowledge, company culture, and constant contact third parties have with the people they (internal HR) wish to hire. I always liked to think (and hope) we third-party recruiters have a bird's eye view (and it's really kinda cool) of the industries and niches that we serve, and that is a key strength that differentiates third-party from internal recruitment.

I just wrote a blog post last week that touched on this... and noticed a few posts from recruitingbloggers on ATS over the past couple days.

Thoughts, anyone? I would love to hear from any and all involved in the search process, skilled seekers, hiring managers having difficulty finding key skills, internal recruiters, and my third-party cohorts.