METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR REFERRAL TRACKING

• US 20120330701A1
• Filed: 06/24/2011
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Employ, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Jobvite Incorporated
• Inventors: Hyder, Adam, Chen, Changsheng, Ali, Syed Mohammed, Aggarwal, Varun, Chu, Kam Wing
• Granted Patent: US 9,727,827 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1053 Employment or hiring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A method for identifying a source of a job referral, the method including identifying a URL that the job applicant uses to access a web page with functionality to enable the job applicant to apply for the first job, identifying a first job message record using the URL, obtaining an original job message record for an original job message using the first job message record, determining a first sender of the original job message from the original job message record, determining that a second job message was sent to the job applicant for a second job at the company by a second sender, wherein the second job message was sent to the job applicant before the first job message and wherein the second job message was sent to the job applicant within a look-back period, and identifying the second sender as the source of the referral for the first job.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor performed a method for identifying a source of a job referral, the method comprising:

identifying a job applicant for a first job at a company;

identifying a uniform resource locator (URL) that the job applicant uses to access a web page, wherein the web page includes functionality to enable the job applicant to apply for the first job;

identifying a first job message record using the URL;

obtaining an original job message record for an original job message using the first job message record;

determining a first sender of the original job message from the original job message record;

determining that a second job message was sent to the job applicant for a second job at the company by a second sender, wherein the second job message was sent to the job applicant before the first job message and wherein the second job message was sent to the job applicant within a look-back period; and

identifying the second sender as the source of the job referral for the first job.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the URL is a unique URL and the URL is associated with the job applicant, the first sender, and the first job.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 2, wherein the URL is further associated with a communication channel over which the first job message is sent to the job applicant.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 3, wherein the communication channel is one selected from a group consisting of e-mail, text messaging, a social network, a blog, a message board, and a Twitter feed.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein functionality to enable the job applicant to apply for the first job comprises a link to a job application web page.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the web page comprises a visual representation of a job referral path of the first job message.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the job referral path comprises a first link between a sender and a first target, and a second link between the first target and the job applicant.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the job referral path represents a shortest path between a sender and the job applicant.

9. A system, comprising:

a referral tracking service configured to;

receive a request to display a first web page at a first URL, wherein the first URL is associated with a first job at a company, a first sender, a first target, and a first communication channel,

provide the first web page associated with the first URL, wherein the first web page comprises a description of the first job and a first job referral path, wherein the first job referral path comprises a visual representation of a link between the first sender and the first target,

receiving a request to display a second web page at a second URL, and

providing the second web page corresponding to the second URL, wherein the second web page comprises the description of the job and a second job referral path, wherein the second job referral path comprises a visual representation of the link between the first sender and the first target and a link between the first target and a second target; and

a job message service configured to;

receive a request to create a job message for the first job, wherein the request comprises the second target and a second communication channel,

generate, in response to the request, the job message wherein the job message is associated with the second URL, and wherein the second URL is associated with the first job, the first target, the second target, the first communication channel, and the second communication channel,

a channel interface engine configured to;

send the job message over the second communication channel to the second target.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the referral tracking service is further configured to:

determine that the second target used the second URL to access second web page, wherein the second web page includes functionality to enable the second target to apply for the first job, wherein the second target applies for the first job;

identifying a first job message record using the second URL;

obtaining an original job message record for an original job message using the first job message record;

determining a sender of the original job message from the original job message record;

determining that a second job message was sent to the second target for a second job at the company by a second sender, wherein the second job message was sent to the second target before the first job message and wherein the second job message was sent to the second target within a look-back period; and

crediting the second sender was a referral of the first job.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

an analytics engine configured to determine how the first job was communicated over a plurality of communication channels between the sender and a plurality of targets, wherein the plurality of communication channels comprise the first communication channel and the second communication channel, and wherein the plurality of targets comprise the first target and the second target.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the analytics engine is configured to determine how the first job was communicated over the plurality of communication channels between the sender and the plurality of targets using at least one selected from a group consisting of a job message record and a broadcast job message record.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the analytics engine is further configured to determine which of the plurality of communication channels is most effective for reaching job candidates that applied for the first job.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the analytics engine is further configured to determine which employee in the company is most effective for reaching job candidates that applied for the first job, wherein the employee is one selected from a group consisting of the sender and one of the plurality of targets.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the first communication channel and the second communication channel are different.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the request to create the job message for the job is initiated from the first web page.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein the first communication channel is a direct communication channel and the second communication channel is a broadcast communication channel.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the broadcast communication channel is one selected from a group consisting of a FACEBOOK status update, a LINKEDIN update, a TWITTER status, a FACEBOOK wall post, and a LINKEDIN group post.

19. The system of claim 9, wherein the first communication channel is e-mail and the second communication channel is a social network.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the social network is one selected from a group consisting of TWITTER, FACEBOOK, and LINKEDIN.