Here are some answers to common questions about The EO List.

What is The EO List?

The EO List is one of the largest and most grand experiments in social networking in the HR Profession. It is designed to help make the hidden job market in HR less hidden.

In 1999, Bonni titgemeyer began sending employment opportunities to her friends and colleagues as a way to stay connected with those in the field. Over the years, friends reommended friends to receive the opportunities list and the list grew. Today there are more than 3,500 participants and our website includes a very popular blogsite. Through the power of networking, some circulations may reach as many as 10,000 HR professionals or more. In some weeks more than 50 people join the circulation. It is sort of like how things worked in the “Body On Tap” beer shampoo commercial in the 1970s… you tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and so on and so on and so on.

What is the Motivation for Maintaining the Circulation?

We believe the list itself is a testament to the collegial atmosphere that exists among those in the HR Profession.  It is also and experiment to see how networking develops/changes in a virtual world.  Some might even say that the method we use – direct e-mail – is even a bit old-fashioned given the amount out there on the web, but ultimately, we’ve found that it works simply and works the best.

Can You Really Get a Job this Way?

In a word, yes! This circulation isn’t a replacement for job search engines and recruiters, or even your own elbow grease to do searches, but it does have its place in order to get the word out to those who may be passively searching for employment or who just like to keep track of what is going on out there without having to put out a lot of effort to do so. If you are a more active job searcher, there are a lot of other things you can do to help your search process, including attendance at EO List networking events, improving your LinkedIn connections, blogging and general participation in the HR community. We have a lot of resources on this site. Feel free to peruse them. The site is updated regularly so come back often.

Where do EO List jobs come from?

EO List jobs come from a variety of sources. The most common way jobs come to us is by the EO List members themselves. These leads may be at their current employer, or through a recruiter who asked them to let their friends know, or through other networking groups. Many search firms participate in EO and supply their HR jobs directly. Sometimes jobs are posted within specific groups on LinkedIn, and since there are a lot of LinkedIn groups in HR, we help the groups by helping to spread the word to our group. Ultimately, our goal is to help find and make unhidden jobs that are out there, but may not be posted in the most visible places. We actually have a team of volunteers who work together to find and highlight jobs.

If I Want To Post a Position, Is It Free?

The circulation is a completely free service, so long as we are not doing any work beyond posting it. If you have a particularly difficult search and want some help with the search, please get in touch with the EO List team as they may have some additional ideas (some free, some not) for helping you locate your candidate.

Is My Decision to Opt-In to the List Made Public?

We recognize that many would prefer that their job search efforts remain private.  The postings are sent as a blind copy so that e-mail addresses are not made public.  You are encouraged to forward any opportunity to others in your network, but it is your choice to do so.

In addition, despite many requests over the years, to preserve the integrity of the purpose of the list, this list will not be sold or rented to any other organization.

Is There Anything I Need To Do?

Yes, absolutely.  Over time, you will see hundreds of job postings.  At the time you receive them, you may not be looking, or the opportunity may not be right for you.  You may however know someone who may be interested in the position.  Keep with the spirit of the list, and please forward the e-mail on to others.  It is a great way to keep in touch.  Also, if you have friends or colleagues who you feel may benefit from being on the list, let them know about it, and ask them to send me an e-mail to “opt in”.  Ultimately, the spirit of this list is to “pay it forward” and doing someone a favour may eventually cause someone else to do you or someone else a favour.

Can I Opt-Out of the List at Any Time?

Yes, absolutely.  You can also change your address.  Please use this link to do so at: https://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/623cg4df7a.

Please feel free to forward this link for others, but do not “sign up” on behalf of others.  This process is totally an opt-in process.  If you did receive this because someone else signed you up, simply use the link above to remove yourself (and our very humble apologies!)

Why does the EO List include a blog site?

The EO list is more than just a job circulation network.  It is designed to provide a number of ways to interact with others and includes a job search tips section, networking events and a blog site.  The blogs are written by EO List members, and the “podium” is available to anyone who wishes to submit a post.  The interactivity of blogging is a valuable networking tool.  We have a new blog post approximately once per week.  We have years of blog posts located in our archives available online.