SELF - LEARNING SOFTWARE

05/09/2003 – 17/09/2003

 

Kartavya / Abhi / Sanjeev

Self-Learning Software

How does a one year old child learn to differentiate between colours Red & Blue, and beyond that between different shades of Red?

This is another way of asking

“How does Learning take place? What steps are involved in the learning process? “

There are no fool proof / ironclad / undisputed scientific theories. But the empirical evidence leads us to believe that the process (of learning), occurs, somewhat as follows:

A mother points a finger at a colour and speaks aloud “RED”. The sound is captured by the child & stored in his memory.

This process is repeated a thousand times and with each repetition, the memory gets etched, deeper & deeper.

An “association “develop between the colour & the sound.

Then the process is repeated with colour BLUE & another memory gets “etched “deeply.

So, on 1001 occasion, when a colour patch is shown to child & question asked,

“What colour is this? “

Child says “RED “perhaps, even without understanding the question (then meaning of the question).

There is, merely, an “association “between what child SEES (sight) & what child HEARS (sound)

The process can be repeated by,

Ø  Showing RED colour patch , and

Ø  Showing a placard (flag), with RED written on it in big / bold Letters.

Now child “associates “the patch (SIGHT) with placard (also another SIGHT). No Sound.

So, next time a child is shown patch of red colour, he will pick up the sign / placard, learning word RED.

                                                                             Input (Sound)

                                                                                               

                                        Input (patch)                                                                Association / Memory (stored)

So next time, what happens?

 

 

Input (Red patch) (sight)                                                                                    Input Recall from    memory /              compare (database search)

                                                                                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                RED output (SOUND)

 

 

                                                                                            OR

 

Input ( SIGHT)(RED patch)                                                Input              (SIGHT) Recall from Memory /              

                                                                                                                    Database words RED & match-making

 

                                                                                Pickup flag bearing letters

                                                                                                RED

 

Remember that two MAIN inputs to a brain are

Ø  Sight ( Eyes) -----  80% of learning takes place here

Ø  Sound ( Ears ) ---  10% of learning takes place here

Of course, there are other, relatively minor inputs of

Ø  Touch / Feel ( Skin )                        Balance 10% of learning

Ø  Smell              ( Nose)                       takes place thru this

Ø  Taste              ( Tongue)                 INPUT – DEVICES

 

In the examples listed earlier, MOTHER acts as a human expert, who initiates the learning – process by establishing “references / the bench-marks.”

In essence, she uses the process (of showing patch & speaking aloud or showing patch & showing placard), to transmit her OWN EXPERT KNOWLEDGE to the child.

So, all knowledge flows events from a GURU!

You can even watch events & learn – without a single word being uttered!

You can close your eyes & listen to music & learn – without seeing who is singing!

Then there was Beethoven who was deaf but composed great symphonies which he himself, could not hear! But this is an exception.

What is the relevance of all this to “self-Learning Software?”

Simple,

If we want to develop a software which can identify / categories a “resume”, as belonging to

     VB    C++ etc…..

Then all we need, is to “show” to the software, 1000 resumes and speak aloud,

    C++    !

Then 1001^st time, when the software “sees” a similar resumes, it will speak-out loudly

C++         !

So, first of all, we need a human expert – a GURU, who, after reading each resume, shouts

C++ or VB      or   ASP               etc. etc……..

 

When Guru has accurately identified segregated 1000 resumes each of C++ etc…..

We take those sub-sets & index their Keywords, calculate “frequency of occurrence “of each of those keywords & assign them “weightages” (probabilities).

Then we plot the graphs for each subset (I .e. each “skill”)

Then, when we present to this software any / next resume, it would try to find the keywords. Let us say, it found 40 keywords. Now let us compare these 40 keyword-set, with

Ø  VB          Keyword-set

Ø  C++        Keyword-set

Ø  ASP        Keyword-set

& see what happens

FIRST SCENARIO (FIRST MATCH)

 

 

 

 

                                                                                Only 10% match.             

SECOND MATCH

 

 

 

 

                                                                                Only 30% match.             

 THIRD MATCH

 

 

 

 

                                                                                Only 50% match.             

We ( i.e. software ) has to keep repeating this “ match-making” exercise for a new resume, with

                                                                ALL THE KEYWORDS – SETS

Till it find the highest/ best match.

BINGO

The new resume belongs to an “ASP” guy!

(Self-learning Software – cont.)

That way the FIRST METHOD, where a human expert reads thru 30000 resumes & then regroups these into smaller sub-sets of 1000 resumes-each belonging to different “skill-sets”

This will be a very slow method!

SECOND METHOD

Here, instead of a (one) expert going thru 30000 resumes, we employee 30000 experts the jobseekers themselves!

Obviously, this METHOD would be very fast!

Underlying premises is this.

No one knows better than the jobseeker himself, as to what precisely is his CORE AREA OF COMPETENCE / SKILL.

 

 

Is my skill

·         VB

·         C ++

·         ASP

·         .Net

So, if I have identified myself, as belonging to VB OR C++ OR ASP    etc. etc….

Then you better believe it!

Now, all that we need to do, is to take 1000 resumes of all those guys who call themselves

 VB

And find “keywords” from their resumes (& of course, weightages)

If there are job sets where software guys are required to identify themselves by their “ skills”, then best course would be to search resumes on these jobsites by skills,

Then download the search-result resumes! Repeat this search/download exercise for each “skill” for which we want to develop “skill – graphs”

This approach is fairly simple and perhaps, more accurate too.

But,

Ø  We have to find such jobsites & then satisfy ourselves that “ Skill-wise” searching of resumes ( and downloading too ) is Possible

Ø  Then Subscribe for 1 Month / 3 Month, by paying Rs.20000/40000! There is a cost factor, here

THIRD METHOD

We have, already downloaded from various jobsites 150000 job advts. For each of these we know the “Actual Designation / Vacancy-Name/Position” (thru Auto – converter)

We can re-group these advts. According to identical / similar vacancy names / actual design where we finish, we may get, against each specific “Vacancy – Name’

500 to 5000 Job- advts.

Call each a sub- set (Vacancy-Name-wise)

Then index keywords of each subset & calculate frequency –of-usages (weightage).

So, now, we have Profile-Graphs, which are not skill-wise, but which are “Vacancy-Name” wise!

This can be done real fast & cheap! And, may suffice Software Companies’ BROADER needs, A quick beginning can be made & Result shown within a week!!!

THE MATCH MAKER

Kartarya

Athi

Nagarkar

Inder

V2.0 – Webservice

01-06-03

Customize For Convenience (CFC) – I

CFC also stands for Chloro Fluoro Carbon, earlier used in refrigeration & now banned because it punches a hole in earth’s protective ozone layer.

But here is a CFC, designed to punch a hole in the pockets of our Webservice subscribers! What is more, they will simply love it.

Here is how it will work.

In my yesterday’s note – “The Match Maker” – I have described how, by processing 1 Lakh job-adverts (or even 25,000 sent by sajitha so far), we can create a frequency distribution profile as follows:

(A graph is drawn here with the following labels)

Function: Mat-Mgmt.

Population: 943

Godrej Advt. No: →

Percentile: 62%

Next look at the “Ad-Compose” screen, enclosed.

As soon as Webservice subscriber completes composing the job-advt – and clicks on

PREVIEW GRAPH button,

the “Job Related Information” block disappears.

In its place,

“The Job Advt. Function Profile” Graph

appears as shown.

This (indirectly) tells the recruiter, how good (or bad) a job he has done while drafting/composing the job-advt (mainly the job-description portion – whether it contains the skill/knowledge related keywords).

Somewhere, we should clearly tell him:

“Dear Advertiser,

The graphical ‘Job Advt. Function Profile’ which you see here is based on usage of relevant keywords (skills / knowledge / expertise, related), in hundreds / thousands of job-adverts, as far as this function is concerned.”

The percentile-score of the job-advt:

Which you have just drafted, is based on the keywords used by you in the “Job Description” & the “Candidate Profile” blocks.

If you feel that this percentile-score is too low or too high, you can go back & modify the “Job Description” / Candidate Profile by deleting or adding → keywords.

In any case, when you click on

SAVE, the “Actual Designation” will get

automatically transferred to the Resume-Search (ResuSearch) screen.

This will make it very easy/convenient for you to search the resumes received against this job-advt. at any time in future.

All you have to do is just click on the “Actual Designation” in the

RIGHT CANDIDATE (Basic Search Parameter) screen.

Wishing you a “Simplified headhunting.”

Now take a look at the search-screen (enclosed).

Each Webservice-subscriber would have his own “CUSTOMIZED” Search-screen.

In the right-hand bottom corner of this screen, will be a block where "Actual Designations" will get automatically picked-up from each and every job-advert composed by that subscriber, and get displayed, as shown.

By simply clicking on one of the "Actual Designations", the subscriber will be able to view a tabulated display of all the resumes received against that job-advt.

Then further clicking will reveal full resume.

I have repeatedly stressed that no subscriber can ever remember (– or care to remember), a Job Advt. No.

He can only remember the "Position-Name" (the Actual Designation) which he has advertised.

So, when he sees this block, he is immediately able to "relate".

Also, at one glance, he is able to see all the job-adverts released by him so far.

We can even place the "Advt. Date", next to each Actual Designation. This block may look something like what follows…

the recruiter gets to see following tabulation:

Actual Designation (Position Name)	Date Advertised	No. of Resumes Received So Far
Materials Manager	04-03-03	249
Sales Engineer	16-04-03	332

He can even “click” on last column & see the short-display / long-display of resumes.

This is another convenience.

Question:

Can these two, apparently “stand-alone” conveniences be linked, to create a SUPER-CONVENIENCE?

This is possible, if software can create yet another column, into which it automatically “transfers” yet another value (→ see below):

Actual Designation (Position Name)	Date Advertised	Total No. of Resumes Received So Far	Resumes Within Upper/Lower Percentile	Lower Percentile	Upper Percentile
Materials Manager	04-03-03	249	34	55%	70%
Sales Engineer	16-04-03	332	48	60%	80% Kartarya Athi Nagwekar Inder 02-06-03 CFC – II (Customize for Convenience) In my yesterday’s note, I had talked about 2 conveniences: ▶ Convenience for Recruiter – #1 Entering “Job Description” & “Candidate Profile” while composing a job-advt (using Ad-Compose Tool) will generate following profile: (Graph) Function: Mat Mgmt Population: 943 job-advt This Advt. Percentile: 62% By adding/deleting “Keywords” (to job-description / candidate profile), recruiter can move the % position to left or right. This is recruiter’s convenience. ▶ Convenience for Recruiter – #2 By automatic transfer of “Actual Designation” from Ad-Compose Tool to... Actual Designation (Position Name) Date Advertised No. of Resumes Received Material Manager 04/03/03 249 Sales Engineer 16/04/03 332 VP - Marketing 18/04/03 362 This column should get updated daily & automatically, as subscriber uploads the resumes received daily for ResuMine Conversion. On the other hand he can also save himself the trouble/effort of daily uploading – by simply selecting an option whereby his “Advt. Mail Box” is on our webservice – so that all incoming email resumes get directly deposited in this mailbox itself. Then the last column will update automatically. By providing a box like this on search-screen, not only will it vastly simplify subscriber’s life – it will also increase our revenue manyfold because every time when he sees the box listing, the subscriber cannot resist the temptation to click (on many positions), earning us Rs. 0.50/- for each click! My suggestion is that, in the “Ad-Compose” tool, once recruiter sees the Profile graph, we give him feature/facility to key down / prescribe the: ▶ Upper control limit of percentile ▶ Lower control limit of percentile —as shown in above tabulation: (Graph) Lower Limit – 55% This job-advt – 62% Upper Limit – 70% All resumes meeting this range to be transferred to Column #4 So, the software automatically does the “SORTING” on behalf of the recruiter & presents to him only those resumes which fulfil the criteria. Software, in effect, acts as an “AGENT” for the recruiter! Can we think of giving still further convenience to recruiter whereby, he can MOVE the limits at will, dynamically & see its effect on No. of suitable resumes in col #4 & #2? Don’t forget to charge every time he resets/sets limits – even if it is Rs. 1/- !!

DEMOGRAPHIC DATABASE

Placement Revenue

A corporate employer participating in KaunBanegaBhagyashali, will be liable to pay the following "Placement Service" fees:

For each candidate selected / appointed by the corporate thru online headhunt on the program, the corporate will pay a lump-sum of Rs.50,OOO as soon as the appointment letter is issued.

This fee is non-refundable in case the selected candidate fails to join duty.

Before being accepted to "participate" in the online head hunt in the program, each corporate will be required to deposit a non-refundable advance of Rs 5 lakhs.

As soon as the appointment-letter gets issued, the "placement service" fees due from a corporate, will get adjusted from the advance and the advance will, corresponding, stand reduced.

A soon as the balance of the advance reaches Rs 1 lakh or less, the corporate would be asked/required to deposit a further sum of Rs 5 lakh, in case the Corporate wishes to continue its participation in the program.

The amount of "advance" could be different for different Corporates depending upon no. of "shows/episodes" in which a corporate wants to participate during the first year of operation (this no. will have to be agreed upon in advance since a given corporate will not be allowed to conduct more than ONE online headhunt, during one program). 

HOW DOES GURUMINE HELP

GURUMINE HELP

Q.  How does GuruMine Help

      - A Recruitment Manager in Particular

      - A company in General

 Ans :-

 Every time a Company advertises a vacancy (either in Newspapers or on Websites) the Recruitment Manager gets flooded with hundreds or thousands of email resumes. Reputed Companies also keep getting thousands of unsolicited resumes.

 Hidden among these thousands of email resumes, could be the very candidate, you are looking for - the ideal person for the job.

But the problem is, how to find this person from a heap of unstructured resumes, which are practically            "unsearchable"? A typical "Needle in the haystack" problem.

Any attempt to create a "Searchable" database from these resumes, by getting an army of data - entry operators to read each resume and create a "structured Database", is fraught with danger !

It is beyond the intelligence of a data entry operator to figure - out.

    - Skills/ Knowledge of the Jobseeker

    - Functional Competence of the Jobseeker

    - The Industry - background of the Jobseeker

    - Hierarchical Seniority of the Jobseeker

This is tough even for an experienced recruiter. And this is precisely the type of information a recruiter needs in matter of seconds to decide whether the candidate is worth short listing / interviewing or not. So, any database created by data - entry operator is useless.

But, using its AI based algorithms, this is precisely the type of info which GuruMine extracts from a resume !

 And it stores this info in a structured database, making it extremely simple to zero - in on the "desirable / such table" candidates in matter of seconds, using GuruMine's a companying search - engine, Guru search

Having shortlisted a few suitable candidates from amongst thousands, a Recruitment Manager, can send out "Interview call letters"

 - Once again, in a matter of seconds !

 Q. Suppose I decide to discontinue my subscription (of your web service) after sometime or decide not to renew it, what happens to my resume database lying on your server? Can I download it (- along with the STRUCTURED database) on my local hard disc? Thereafter, will it cease to exist on your web server?

 Ans: Your resume database lying on our web - server is exclusively YOURS & it is completely INACCESSIBLE to anyone else. In case you decide to discontinue (or not renew) you subscription at anytime, you can download your entire resume database (email resumes + extracted structured database) on your local server. This (downloading) process will automatically delete your database from our web server. It will cease to exist on our web server.

Q. Suppose, after a gap of few weeks I decide to "renew" my subscription of your web service, how do I go about it? Can I once again, upload my old database on your web server - along with the STRUCTURED database?

 Ans : Yes, it is possible to "renew" your subscription after discontinuing. If you reactivate within 6 months, You will not need to pay the "ACTIVATION - FEE", once again and your customer No. will not change. It will remain the same. However, you will need to pay User Fee & Transaction Fee, before       reactivation takes place. Upon receipt of payment - along with your request for "reactivation", we will "reactivate" your account by issuing to  you, your new USER ID/ PASSWORLD

 Of course, you will be able to upload on our web server, your old resume - database.

Q. Will you be using OUR resumes for any other purpose? If so, what purpose?

Ans. : Your resumes will always remain completely "INACCESSIBLE" to anyone else - whether to any other subscriber of our web service or even to OURSELVES ! No one will ever get to see/ view Your Resumes, nor forward the same to anyone else. Only you can do this.

Q. Will I be able to search Your own resume database  ? - and shortlist suitable candidates? Would I need to pay any charges for such search/ short listing ?

 Ans: Yes, you will be able to also search our 3P's resume database and shortlist candidates, if you so desire. For downloading resumes from our database you pay as per the TARRIF CHART (MENU - CARD). After downloading, you may contact those candidates directly on your own, at the "contact Data", available in the resumes. We do not assume any responsibility for the accuracy/ up-to-datedness of any info (including contact data) contained in the resumes.

Q. If I discontinue your web service for a few weeks and the decide to re-subscribe/ re-activate, do I need to Pay "Activation - Charge" Once again?

Ans:  Yes Please.

Q. Do I need to enter into a "Subscriber - Agreement" to avail of your service? Can this be signed online?

 Ans : The "Terms & Conditions", attached to the online Registration Forms (Free Trial and / or Regular Subscriber), constitute an agreement between you and Recruit Guru. You are accepted as a subscriber, when you accept these "Terms & Conditions" by checking

    -  I/we agree with your "Terms & Conditions" and accept the same.

Q. What are Your "Tariffs" for different transactions ? Are these tariff the same for all subscribers? Are these any "Bulk - discounts"? What happens to my subscription if you decide to revise the tariff? Is the subscription linked to any period? Is there any refund of the "Unused" amount of subscription, if I decide to terminate the subscription mid - way?  Apart from "Transaction - Charge", what is your charge for the memory disk - space occupied by our resume database?

Q. In what different ways can I make payments for the web service? Can I make "Online" payment using credit - card? On ICICI online payment Service?

Ans :You can pay for our web service, as per one of the following options

    #1. Thru ICICI online/ payment service

    #2. Thru use of your "Credit - Card"

    #3. By crediting our Bank Account (as per details given below), by WIRE TRANSFER

          A/c No. -  __________

          Name of Bank :  _______________

    #4. By sending a Demand Draft drawn in favour of "Three P Consultants (PVT) Limited"

    #5. By sending your Local "Account Payee" cheque drawn in favour of "Three P Consultants (PVT) Limited".

Q. How will I come to know that the "balance" in my subscription account is running low and that it is time to replenish with fresh payment?

Ans : As soon as your "Balance" reaches 10% of the "Transaction Fee" initially deposited/ paid by you, you will receive an email "alert" to that effect.

Q. Your "Tariff - Chart" shows "per - use" transaction - charges in US but we do not have a Dollar - Account. Can we make payments in Indian Rupees ?

Ans :Yes, you may make payments in Indian Rupees.

Q. Do you plan to add further "Modules"  to your web service to cover the entire range of Recruitment process? What are these modules & When do you plan to add these?

Ans: Eventually, our web service will span all the Human Resource related business process, as shown in following chart. Resu-Mine/ Resu-Search is just that the first module, which will be followed by several modules. Initially, we plan to cover the entire recruitment process, to be followed by modules covering post - recruitment processes as well.

Q. Is there any "Minimum" amount of transactions that we must execute using your web service? or a minimum monthly "Transaction - charges" ?

Ans : As of now, there is no such "minimum" of no. of transactions or amount of "transaction - charges".

Q. If I am an "Individual" and not a "Corporate - body", can I still await of your web service? Can I become your subscriber?

Ans : Yes, Sure.

Q. Can we "add" / "detect" to the list of "Authorized - users". from our organization who can use the web service?

Ans :Sure, at anytime you can add/ delete to the list of "authorized users". Of course, such "addition/ deletion" of user - names can be done only by the chief of Personnel / Designated persons..... (COP/ DP). Anytime COP/DP, makes such changes, our web server wall automatically send out an email to all concerned user (executives) informing each, of his changed "status".

 Not only can the COP/ DP, add/ delete to the list of "Authorized persons", but he can also make whatever changes he wants, in the "ACCESS - RIGHTS" of each of the Authorized person, as far as various MODULES are concerned.

 Eg.

COP/ DP, may not want Mr. X to be able to access RESUMINE

  OR

Mr. Y to be able to access RESU SEARCH

   OR

Mr. Z to be able to access "Ad. Compose"  etc.

Q. When one of our local Recruitment Manager, who is a "Authorized " leaves our employ, do we need to inform you? DO we also need to inform you the name of the persons replacing him?

Ans: This is absolutely essential. As soon as one of the existing "Authorized Person" leaves your employee (-or even submits his resignation!) you must, first, delete his name from the "Authorized users" List. This can be done ONLINE, by the COP/ DP.

 Simultaneously you should send us an email (Web service @3pjobs.com) telling us about the change that you have carried out online - and the reason.

  At all times, it is Your responsibility to ensure that persons who you do not want to access/ use the web service, are removed from the "Authorized Persons" list.

 After deleting the name of the person who has left your employ, you can, at anytime, add the name of any other person, whom, you wish to authorize

Q. Would you accept your competitors (- other placement agencies / other jobsites etc) as subscribers to your web service?

 Ans :Sure, any placement agency/ executive search firm / jobsite etc. is welcome to subscriber to our web service. We do     not look upon them as our competitors but as our collaborators. We strongly believe that placement agencies and jobsites would stand to increase their process - productivity       many fold, by subscribing to our web service.

Q. Will your "Subscriber Agreement" Clearly state that the resumes which we have uploaded on your web server for  processing, are our own/ exclusive "Intellectual Property" & that you have no property - rights or any other claim on the same?

 Ans : Most certainly, our "Subscriber - Agreement" would contain such clause.

Q. If we do not what to retain old resumes in our database (which unnecessarily occupy disk - space), what is the mechanism to "delete" the same?

Ans :In such an event, would you "add" these resumes to your own database? In such a case, will the PEN (Permanent Executive Number) allotted to that candidate change or it will remain the same?

 You will be able to delete from your resume database, any (one or more) resume/s you do not wish to carry.  

Q. How do you ensure that some PEN (Permanent Executive Number) does not get allotted to two (or more) different candidates? How do you ensure that one candidate does not get allotted TWO (-or More) PEN, if he submits his resume  Again & again against our own different job - advts?

   . More than once against same job advt?

   . Against different job - advts. released by your different subscribers ?

h.c.parekh