Joomla Recruitment Agency Manager

User Guide

(com_recruitmentmanager)

Version 2.0 August 2009

(for version 1.5.2 Stable)

Getting Started

Installation

Login to the backend admin system in the usual way, (at:- http://yoursite/administrator/ ) and install the component in the usual way using the Joomla 'Extension Manager'. After it has installed, read the post-install information which is displayed, (see below), and perform any actions necessary.

Next you need to create a few menu items, so that the component is visible in your web site front end and so that potential candidates (and clients/employers) can amend the details they store in the system.

Menu Items

As it says in the component administration control panel:-

“To add a link to the Recruitment Manager component front (search) page in your web site frontend, go to the 'Menu Manager' where you will see one of the 'Menu Item Types' is 'Recruitment Manager'. Just click on it and add a menu item in the normal way”:-

You'll end up with a menu link of the form:- index.php?option=com_recruitmentmanagerCall this menu item something like 'Vacancies' or 'Search Vacancies'. This is the default public way of searching for jobs, etc.

To add a link to the candidate details page in your web site frontend, go to the 'Menu Manager' (under the 'Menus' menu) and add a 'External Link' type menu item to this url:-index.php?option=com_recruitmentmanager&task=mydetails

You should add this menu item to the 'User Menu', (if you haven't got one yet, create one using the Menu Manager), and make it available to 'Registered' type users only. It is best

to rename this menu the 'Candidate Menu' to make it's function clear.

Now create a new menu called 'Client Menu' and add a link to the client details page in your web site frontend. Go to the 'Menu Manager' and add an 'External Link' type menu item to this url:-index.php?option=com_recruitmentmanager&task=myclientdetailsAdd this menu item to the 'Client Menu'.

To add a link to the client job submission page in your web site frontend, go to the 'Menu Manager' and add an 'External Link' type menu item to this url:-index.php?option=com_recruitmentmanager&task=jobinsertAdd this menu item to the 'Client Menu'.

To add a link to the client job listing page in your web site frontend, go to the 'Menu Manager' and add an 'External Link' type menu item to this url:-index.php?option=com_recruitmentmanager&task=jobslist Add this menu item to the 'Client Menu'.

Next, create separate candidate and client intro article landing pages where you can give them info on how to use the site, etc. Now assign the 'Candidate Menu' to the candidate page and the 'Client Menu' to the client page.

Finally, we need login modules on each of these pages. A 'Candidate Login' and a 'Client Login' module. Set them to redirect to the appropriate 'My Details' page for the user concerned after login. (And maybe set them to redirect back to the appropriate landing pages after logout.)

This way, once a new user has registered, (using the standard Joomla registration process, ie:- the link under the Login forms), returned to the site and logged in via the appropriate page/login module, they will be taken to their 'My Details' page and registered with RAM as either a candidate or client.

Note that their Joomla user id, real name and email address will automatically be added to their candidate or client record in RAM to link them together.

Component Front End Facilities

Default Front End Page

The component will list any 'Top 5 / Featured Vacancies' available to the site visitor and has a comprehensive search facility so that potential candidates can search for vacancies. They can also search by job reference if they know the one they want. Below is a screen shot of the component front page.

All of the frontend text can be changed by editing the language file. (Eg:- The English file is situated at:-

language/en-GB/en-GB.com_recruitmentmanager.ini)

The page heading and several of the paragraphs of text are controlled via the Admin System Control Panel. (See page 10.) Because this data is held in database tables, translations can be created in Joomfish version 2, and the language can be changed by clicking on the icons displayed by the Joomfish language selector module.

Facilities for logged in candidates

Once registered and logged in, candidates can go to the component front page and see any applications they have made, any new jobs for their sector of interest, or any interviews that have been arranged for them, as well as the normal search form, etc. (Displayed above the search form. See below.) The screen shot below shows the above information in French.

It is intended to extend the facilities provided by this section in future releases. For example, to allow candidates to add comments on how interviews went, etc. Clicking on the 'Details' link of any job displays a page like this:-

Clicking on an 'Apply' link allows both guest visitors and logged in candidates to apply for that job. Guest visitors will have to enter their details in a simple form before their application is accepted and can also upload a CV. (See below.) Registered candidates

need not do anything further. Theirs is a 'one-click' application.

In either case, a notification email with details of the application is sent to the address specified in the appropriate global parameter.

If the 'Allow Client Job Management' global parameter is enabled, then the client who submitted the vacancy is notified as well.

Any CV uploaded is sent as an attachment to the email. In addition, the CV files are now stored on the server in the folder:-

components/com_recruitmentmanager/cvs/63 (where 63 is an example Joomla uid.)

If the applicant is a registered candidate, the CV is attached to the candidate record for subsequent downloading and an application record is created with the appropriate Joomla uid.

If the applicant is an anonymous user, an application record is created with a Joomla uid of 0 and the CV file is attached to that instead.

Candidate 'My Details' page

The next front page facility is the 'Candidate Details' page where candidates can amend their details. (See below.)

After any change has been submitted, a notification email is sent to the address specified in the appropriate global parameter.

Client Details page

This page is where where clients/employers can amend their details. (See below.)

Job Submission page

This page is where where clients/employers can submit new vacancies. (See below.)

After any vacancy has been submitted, a notification email is sent to the address specified in the appropriate global parameter.

Client 'My Vacancies' page

This page is where where clients/employers can view details of their vacancies, including whether they have been approved or not and whether or not the post has been filled. (See below.)

Search Results Display

After you specify your search criteria and press the 'Search' button, a table of results will be displayed. If the person doing the search is a logged in candidate, jobs they have already applied for will not be included in any search results.

The Administration System

Control Panel

Login to the Joomla backend admin system and choose 'Recruitment Agency Manager' from the 'Components' menu. On the front page (control panel) you will see information on how to create menu items linking to the component. Also a release history, etc.

You'll notice there are links you can click on to install a set of 'UK Countries and Counties', example sectors and example rate bands to help you get started quicker.

At the bottom left, will appear messages to do with any actions being taken to ensure that the component files are up to date.

Also on this page are fields for entering the text that will appear in various places on the component front page and also the page heading.

Global Parameters

Before you start creating vacancies, etc. click on the 'Global Parameters' icon on the top-right of the page to set the global parameters for the component. The parameters available are described below.

Parameter descriptions:-

Notification Email - This is the email address to notify on submission of the survey forms. If no address is given, (the default), no notification will be sent.

Show the 'Powered by' footer - Show or hide the 'Powered by Joomla Restaurant Menu Manager' footer.

Show the user greeting - Show or hide the 'Welcome back xxx' greeting at the top of the pages.

Bonus Due mandatory? - Specifies whether the 'Bonus Due' field on the job submission form should be mandatory or not.

Show rate bands? - Show the rate band details/select dropdowns on the various pages.

Allow Client Job Management? - Specifies whether basic frontend job management can be performed by clients. (They will also be notified of relevant job applications.)

Clients

This page lists all the existing clients/employers. (See screen shot below.) Click on the 'New' icon to create a new client, To amend or delete a particular client, tick the appropriate checkbox in the 2nd column, then on the appropriate icon in the toolbar. You can also click on one of the titles to edit that client. Their email address is also displayed as a 'mailto' link for convenience.

An existing client being amended:-

Vacancies

This page lists all the existing vacancies. (See screen shot below.) Click on the 'New' icon to create a new vacancy, To amend or delete a particular vacancy, tick the appropriate checkbox in the 2nd column, then on the appropriate icon in the toolbar. You can also click on one of the titles to edit that vacancy.

If a 'y' is displayed in the 'Top 5' column, then that vacancy won't be displayed on the component front page. If a 'y' is displayed in the 'Filled?' column, then that vacancy has been filled, and is no longer available to candidates. New vacancies have to be approved before they will appear on the web site and the 'App'd' column shows whether a vacancy has been approved or not. The final column, (far right), shows the real and user name of the person who submitted the vacancy.

An existing vacancy being amended:-

You can see the different job statuses that can be selected in the drop-down list below:-

Most of the fields are self explanatory, however the 'Bonus Due' and 'Bonus Paid' fields deserve further explanation. The Bonus Due field can be used to record a value that is to be paid to a candidate who gets a new job and stays in it for a certain amount of time. (Maybe 3 months.) The Bonus Paid field is used to record how much of the bonus has actually been paid to the candidate. (Maybe they get half when they get the job and the other half after they have stayed in it for a certain amount of time. They could be used for other similar purposes. Maybe to record commission due to a consultant for filling a post.

Candidates

This page lists all the existing candidates. (See screen shot below.) Click on the 'New' icon to create a new candidate, To amend or delete a particular candidate, tick the appropriate checkbox in the 2nd column, then on the appropriate icon in the toolbar. You can also click on one of the names to edit that candidate. Their email address is also displayed as a 'mailto' link for convenience.

The far right column shows the skills keywords that have been entered for use by the frontend search facility.

Applications

This page lists all the existing applications. (See screen shot below.) Click on the 'New' icon to create a new application, To amend or delete a particular application, tick the appropriate checkbox in the 2nd column, then on the appropriate icon in the toolbar. You can also click on one of the links in the 'ID' column to edit that application. The applicants email address is also displayed as a 'mailto' link for convenience.

If an anonymous person has made an application and has uploaded a CV, a link to it will be displayed in the CV column. Below is an application being amended:-

You can see the different application statuses that can be selected in the drop-down list below:-

New applications have the status 'Application Under Review'. If an Interview is assigned against an application, it's status is changed to 'Interview Arranged - Please Call To Confirm'.

Interviews

This page lists all the existing interviews. (See screen shot below.) Click on the 'New' icon to create a new interview, To amend or delete a particular interview, tick the appropriate checkbox in the 2nd column, then on the appropriate icon in the toolbar. You can also click on one of the links in the 'ID' column to edit that interview. The candidate's email address is also displayed as a 'mailto' link for convenience.

Below is an interview being amended:-

Assigning an interview to an existing application will override any candidate and job selection made in the form. You can see the different interview statuses that can be selected in the drop-down list below:-

If an Interview is assigned against an application, the application's status is changed to 'Interview Arranged - Please Call To Confirm'.

Areas

This page lists all the existing areas. Click on the 'New' icon to create a new area, To amend or delete a particular area, tick the appropriate checkbox in the 2nd column, then on

the appropriate icon in the toolbar. You can also click on one of the titles to edit that area.

Sectors

This page lists all the existing industry sectors. Click on the 'New' icon to create a new sector, To amend or delete a particular sector, tick the appropriate checkbox in the 2nd

column, then on the appropriate icon in the toolbar. You can also click on one of the titles to edit that sector.

Pay Rate Bands

This page lists all the existing pay rate bands. Click on the 'New' icon to create a new rate band, To amend or delete a particular rate band, tick the appropriate checkbox in the 2nd

column, then on the appropriate icon in the toolbar. You can also click on one of the titles to edit that rate band.

You can obviously create bands for hourly, daily and weekly paid jobs as required.

CSS Administration (Look and feel)

The ' Look and feel' of the component front end can be changed to match your site using this page.

Make the changes you require, then press the 'Save changes' button. Note that if you install an upgrade to the component, the CSS files will be overwritten by the new ones, so take notes of any changes you make so you can restore your look and feel after the upgrade.

It is hoped to make this page much easier to use in future release, for people who are not familiar with CSS. Also to store any amended CSS in separate files that don't get overwritten during upgrades.

Future Enhancements

Some features to be added in the near future:-

A 'Reports' section to generate a number of standard reports either on screen for printing or as CSV data for downloading and maybe importing into a spreadsheet.

CSV uploading of clients and candidates.

Multiple notification email address global parameters so that things like job applications and submissions can have notifications sent to different people.

Make the look and feel of the component easier to change for people who don't know CSS.

Produced by M Milner, Focusplus Developments Ltd. on 13th August 2009.