NZ519080A - A computer program for displaying skill achievement level, display device and displaying method - Google Patents

Abstract

An information displaying method for displaying an index of skill achievement level of a vocational field concerning the skills possessed by at least one user comprises: referencing a table having a first field and second field wherein the first field stores a result after numerically evaluating at least two items of skill achievement level required in the vocational field in accordance with a certain evaluating method, and the second field stores a numerical standard value of each skill achievement level in the vocational field; comparing a value to be stored in the a first field with the value in the second field and displaying a user's skill achievement level based on the comparison.

Description

COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR DISPLAYING SKILL ACHIEVEMENT LEVEL, DISPLAY DEVICE, AND DISPLAY METHOD BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a computer program for displaying an index of skill achievement level in a vocational field concerning the skills possessed by at least one user, a display device, and a display method. More particularly, the present invention relates to a display device, a display method, and a computer program configured to display the skill achievement level for a user in a vocational field such that the user's skill may be compared with standard levels in the field, and even more particularly, to a computer program installed in a stand alone computer system, or a system in which a plurality of computers are connected to each other, such as, for example, a LAN system, a WAN system, an intranet, or an extranet.

Prior Art Computers, particularly the Internet are being widely used in recent years. The number of computer users is growing, in business as a matter of course, from computer engineers to engineers of every kind, or among personal users who belong to the age group of late teens to 30s. The Internet is also being used effectively to collect information of every kind.

Methods of information delivery are changing with the widespread use of computers and the Internet. intellectual property 1 office of n.z. 2 3 DEC 2003 ■ >Kllilck For instance, information about available jobs at a company may be provided via the Internet as well as through newspapers or magazines. Job information may include information about the company, such as the name of the company, contact address, place of employment and contact details for recruitment staff. Job information may also include the kind of work, conditions of employment such as required skills, annual income, working hours, benefits and preferred age of prospective applicants.

Some shortcomings, however, exist in the job information provided via information media such as newspapers or magazines. For example, the details of the job are likely to be unclear because the space in a newspaper or magazine for printing information is limited. Moreover, there is a time lag between when the recruitment request is made and the date on which it is actually published (information-provision period) in the newspaper or magazine, so that a company may not be able to hire talented people in good time, or recruitment staff may have to respond to inquiries from applicants about the job information after the company has already selected a new employee and the job is no longer available.

An applicant may also have trouble deciding whether to apply to a company or not, because an applicant may only find out details about the job when he/she goes to an actual interview. The applicant may often find there is a difference between the job they thought they were applying for and the position actually being offered by the company. intellectual property office of n.z. 2 3 DEC 2003 There is a further problem with the information-provision period in that an applicant can only access new job information on days in which a help-wanted column is included in a newspaper or on the publication date of the job information magazine.

On the other hand, job information provided via the Internet can provide much more job information than the conventional mediums such as newspapers or magazines and it can provide the information in real time. Thus, it is very advantageous to provide job information using means such as the Internet.

In general, as illustrated in FIG.l, an applicant gets in contact with a target company based on information published in a newspaper, magazine or on the internet, and the applicant sends his personal information such as resume or work experience. (STEP 1) The company that has received the applicant's personal information generally screens applicants by examining the information provided, and decides whether to carry out secondary screening. (STEP 2) Applicants who pass the initial screening proceed to a secondary screening such as an interview or a written examination, and the above-mentioned company determines the acceptability of applicants based on the result of the secondary screening. (STEP 3) If necessary, the company may also determine the acceptability of applicants by carrying out tertiary screening. 3 intellectual property office of n.z. 23 DEC 2003 The company offering the job gives the applicant a yes/no decision through these steps.

The recruitment decision method mentioned above has the following disadvantages for both the company offering a job and the job applicant: (Applicant) 1. The company may offer a job with conditions that the applicant does not meet, or that are unreasonable, because a company is not certain as the specific requirements of the company. 2. Once an applicant has been rejected at the initial screening or secondary screening, the applicant may find that the company will not consider any subsequent application for similar positions even if he has improved his skill level through study and experience. 3. It is difficult to assess appropriate conditions of employment for new employees (such as pay) that meet their skill level.

(Company offering a job) 1. If a large number of applicants apply for a job, it takes a lot of trouble to carry out the initial screening and particularly to carry out the secondary screening. And because the contents and format of applications are not standardized, it is difficult to compare the applicants with each other. 4 2 3 DEC 2003 SECeiVBO 2. A company cannot get enough objective information about applicant job skills, additional to personal information such as that which may be included in a resume.

Moreover, there has appeared in recent years a recruitment system on which information about job-seeking or job-changing engineers etc. may be registered, and a company with a job vacancy can make contact with a suitable engineer based on the registered information.

In this recruiting system, the skill achievement levels that each engineer has in his vocational field is unclear in the same way as in the traditional recruitment method described above. Thus a company may find it difficult to decide whether an applicant meets the conditions of employment for the available job.

Therefore, an improved method for matching a job applicant with a irsczruitincf company is dGsi^rafols .

Job applicants such as engineers may wish to improve their job-related skills (hereinafter referred to as "up-skilling") or to increase their job experience in order to secure a desired type of job and to acquire related skills. For up-skilling and acquisition of experience, they may get the necessary information from various information mediums such as magazines, books and the Internet, and choose a necessary study method and an educational facility or the like based on that information. Up-skilling and acquiring relevant experience are common problems not only for job applicants but also for engineers who are not job-seekers such as, for example, engineers employees in a company, dispatched engineers and free-lance engineers, and for students who will intellectual property office of n.z. 23 DEC 2003 nineivr n be job-seekers in the future, all of whom may wish to make an effort to improve their skills and acquire experience.

A number of shortcomings, however, exist in up-skilling or acquiring experience through these methods as follows: 1. A job applicant or a prospective job applicant such as a student may not know whether or not they have sufficient skills for the job of their choice, and it may not be clear what level of skill is required for the job. Therefore, a job applicant or a prospective job applicant cannot study properly and effectively.

Also, an engineer who belongs to a company, for instance who is in a specific technical field may not be aware of his level of skill, and he may not know his good points and weak points clearly. Therefore, he is unable to plan a program for up-skilling or acquiring experience properly. 2, If a person intends to improve his skills by studying documents or books, the large number of options may make it difficult to compare and choose the most appropriate one. It is also difficult to get real-time information through these methods.

Thus, under the present circumstances, a job applicant such as an engineer, computer engineer or student cannot measure his level of skill accurately. If he decides to attempt to find a new job, it is difficult for him to know what type of up-skilling or acquisition of experience he should plan in this situation.

On the other hand, it is difficult for a company, which has a large number of engineers in the same category e.g. computer engineers, to evaluate the skills and level of intellectual property office of n.z. 23 dec 2003 experience of each engineer objectively and totally. Therefore, proper evaluation and staffing according to the skills and experience of each engineer is not done under these circumstances.

In addition, a company or a temporary employment agency that dispatches engineers to particular jobs may often need to select one or more engineers for a new business or new project. It may be difficult to select an engineer who has the required skills for the project and to adjust or manage the schedules of selected engineers.

Moreover, there is a need for an integrated system displaying an index of skill achievement levels in a vocational field for each engineer facilitating up-skilling and job experience acquisition plans according to the displayed contents. This would enable a company to evaluate an engineer according to their skills, facilitate the selection of an engineer who has sufficient skill in a certain technique and being able to manage an engineer's schedules, etc.

Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a computer program for displaying an index of skill achievement level in a vocational field for the skills that one or more users have, and to provide a display device and a display method.

It is also desirable to provide a method for matching a user wishing to apply for a job with a company that is offering a job in an improved way utilising the computer program, and to provide a display device and a display method.

It is also desirable to provide an improved method for planning the up-skilling and acquisition of job experience for 7 . intellectual property officf of n.z. 13 ncr onno a user utilising the computer program, and to provide a display device and a display method.

It is also desirable to provide a computer program for enabling the evaluation and hiring of an engineer according to his particular skills and experience. The program also enables the selection of a particular engineer who has necessary skill for a project, and the adjustment and management of the schedule of each engineer, in cases where a company needs one or more engineers for a new business or project etc.

It is also desirable to provide an integrated computer program that makes it possible to display an index of skill achievement level in a vocational field for the skills possessed by at least one user, in order to allow the user to plan for up-skilling and acquisition of experience based on the displayed index,- to allow a company to evaluate an engineer accurately according to his skills, to select an engineer show has sufficient skill at a certain task, and to manage a schedule etc. for an engineer. intellectual property office of n.z. 2 3 DEC 2003 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION More specifically, the present invention relates to the followina items.

(First Aspect) The first aspect of the present invention relates to a computer program for displaying an index of skill achievement level in a vocational field concerning the skills possessed by at least one user, comprising: a primary table having a first field and a second field, the first field storing a result after numerically evaluating at least two items of skill achievement level required in the vocational field in accordance with a certain evaluating method, and the second field storing a numerical standard value of each skill achievement level in the vocational field; said program comparing a value to be stored in the first field with the intellectual property office of n.z. 2 3 DEC 2003 value in the second field; and a display component for displaying a user's skill achievement level based on the comparison. (Hereinafter referred to as the "skill-map").

According to this embodiment, the user's skill achievement level can be displayed by visually comparing with a standard value.

In the computer program, the aspect may comprise these functions: evaluating at least one of the items of skill achievement level by a skill evaluating program; and storing the evaluated result in the primary table.

According to this embodiment, the skill achievement level can be evaluated more objectively.

In the computer program, each item may include one or more specific job items selectable as lower conceptual items of the vocational field, and wherein the medium may further comprise s sscondsry "tctfele vjhich is seiectod snd 0xtz.r3.ct0d from the items of skill achievement level of a specific job in the primary table.

According to this embodiment, in a specific vocational field that the user belongs to, the user's skill achievement level that relate to more concrete jobs can be displayed visually by comparing with a standard value.

In a case that the value of a skill items changes, the aspect may have another column aside from the last value of the skill items, and may compare a new value with the last value.

According to this embodiment, transition of the value can be displayed visually in a case that the value has changed by studying or leaving jobs relating to the skill items. intellectual property office of n.z. 2 3 DEC 2003 Also, the aspect may comprise a function to display two or more indexes of skill achievement level, each of which relates to two or more different vocation fields.

This aspect provides an important criterion for selecting a vocational field that is appropriate to actual demand of the user, such as, in the case that the user wishes to find a job from plural vocational fields, or in the case that the user is a prospective job applicant who is going to find a job.

Further, in the computer program, the aspect may be configured so that one or more items are arbitrarily selectable from the two or more items of skill.

According to this embodiment, the user can arbitrarily select and display items that he wants to compare with.

(Second Aspect: Display Device) According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information display device for displaying an index of skill achievement level of a vocational field concerning the skills possessed by at least one user, comprising: a input unit for inputting information; a storage means for storing the inputted information; a processor for processing the stored information; a display means for displaying the stored information and a result processed by the processor; and whereby displays a user 1 s skill achievement level at the time of storing the result comparing with the numerical standard value according to the program described in the first aspect.

(Third Aspect) According to a third aspect of the present invention, there 11 intellectual property office of n.z. 2 3 DEC 2003 is provided an information displaying method for displaying an index of skill achievement level of a vocational field concerning the skills possessed by at least one user, comprising the steps of: referencing a table having a first field and a second field, the first field storing a result after numerically evaluating at least two items of skill achievement level required in the vocational field in accordance with a certain evaluating method, and the second field storing a numerical standard value of each skill achievement level in the vocational field; comparing a value to be stored in the first field with the value in the second field; displaying a user's skill achievement level at the time of storing the result comparing with the numerical standard value.

According to the second and the third aspect, there is provided a display device and displaying method to display a user's skill achievement level at present by visually comparing with a standard value.

(Forth Aspect) The displaying program in the first aspect of the present invention is usable for a host computer or a network system, which includes the host computer and one or more terminals that are connected or connectable to the host computer.

More particularly, according to a forth aspect of the present invention, the program is installed in a host computer and/or a terminal, or both the host computer and the terminal each of which is in a.network system, the network system including the host computer and one or more terminals which are connected or connectable to the host computer. 12 intellectual property office of n.z. 23 DEC 2003 According to this embodiment, items of skill achievement level of plural users can be managed on a single table. Thus, it becomes possible to compare the plural user between each other.

In this aspect, the network system may be a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) . If the network is a wide area network (WAN) , the program is installed in a host computer. Also, the network system may be an intranet, an extranet or the Internet.

In the forth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a specif ic aspect, such as , an information display system for matching a j ob-finding or j ob-changing user with a j ob offering company, wherein the system comprises: a host computer in which skill-map displaying program for inputting personal information is installed; a user's (a job applicant) terminal connectable to the host computer ; and a terminal of a third party (a j ob offering company), connectable to the host computer for searching the user's information.

This information displaying system abstracts desired users and displays the abstracted users on the condition that an item of skill achievement level is selected and arbitrary value of the items is inputted from the terminal of the user or third party.

According to this embodiment, a job-finding user can be properly matched with a job offering company. In other words, it becomes possible to screen applicants , and to j udge their skill level objectively as well as to ease the burden of documentary screening and secondary screening.

In this specific aspect, it is preferable that user's intellectual property 13 office of n.z. 23 DEC 2003 personal information such as age, address is added to information searching items.

According to this embodiment, it becomes possible to screen users more appropriate for an offer.

Further, in this specific aspect, it is preferable that inputted information of a user is erasable or modifiable from the user's terminal.

Herewith, the data is enabled to be erased or modified according to the user's intent, in a case that a change has arisen in applicants' desire, so that the information is prevented from leaking.

Moreover, in this specific aspect, it is preferable that the host computer has a table for managing ranked information of the third-party, whereby the system restricts display contents of a user's personal information according to the rank of the third party.

According to this embodiment, for example, no personal information may be displayed to a guest third-party who tries to use this system. On the other hand, much more information would be displayed to a third party who is under a contract such as confidentially agreement.

In the forth aspect of the present invention, another specific aspect is provided, that is, for example an information display system for displaying a guide that a user, trying to improve his skill achievement level, can plan his up-skilling while referring to other user's situation in his particular technical field wherein intellectual property office of n.z. 2 3 DEC 2003 the system comprises a host computer having a skill-map displaying program that is capable of inputting personal information, and a user's terminal connectable to the host computer. This information display system abstracts desired users and displaying personal information of abstracted users by selecting an item of skill achievement level arbitrarily and inputting an arbitrary value of the items from the terminal.

According to this embodiment, a user can grasp the situation of other users in a specific skill item, who are at the same skill achievement level as he is. Particularly, if the displayed information is income or position etc., he can evaluate his market value. Also, the system provides guidelines between the improvements to the user's skill achievement level in a specific item, and the corresponding increase in the user's market value.

Further, in this specific aspect, it is preferable that useful information for a user, for instance an educational program or a program for displaying an educational facility, is installed in the host computer or another host computer, which is connectable to the host computer.

According to this embodiment, the system is capable of displaying a guide of methods to improve, in the case where a user plans to improve his specific skill achievement level.

Furthermore, according to a specific embodiment in this aspect, there is provided an information display system, for instance displaying information of company engineer, 'comprising: a host computer having installed thereon a program that is capable of displaying Intellectual prope office of n.z. property 2 3 DEC 2003 RECEIVEI) a skill-map, for instance a server in a company; a user' s terminal connectable to the host computer, for instance an engineer's terminal in a company; a terminal of a third party connectable to the host computer, for instance a manager's terminal in a company; and wherein the host computer abstracts desired users and displays personal information of abstracted users by selecting an item of skill achievement level arbitrarily and inputting an arbitrary value of the items from the terminals.

According to this embodiment, the system enables the management of all items of skill level for each engineer, for instance all engineers who belong to a certain company. Also, it enables a manager in a company to abstract all users who satisfy a certain skill level on required items. Further, it enables the abstracting of all users who have less skill level on required items, so that a company can plan the education of employees more efficiently.

In this specific aspect, it is preferable that the personal information of a user includes his schedule, more particularly; it is preferable that the system is linked with a user's schedule management software, or is capable of accepting the output result from the schedule management software. According to this embodiment, for example, a manager in a company can abstract a user's schedule, and allocate jobs to the users based on the abstracted result. For another example, the manager can arrange or transfer a project or one's post of duty (hereinafter referred to as the "assign").

Also, the system may feedback a result of the user's job 16 intellectual property office of n.z. 2 3 DEC 2003 RECEIVED to the corresponding skill items according to an achieved job by the user. In this way, user ' s skill achievement level becomes clearer, for instance, by adding points to the skill items corresponding to the achieved project by a user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Fig.l illustrates a flow chart for deciding an adoption from applicants; Fig. 2 illustrates an explanatory diagram of a displaying state, according to a display device of the present invention; and Fig. 3 illustrates a conceptual drawing of a skill-map displaying program adopted for a network system, according to the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention is hereinafter described in detail with reference to the drawings. The embodiment, however, does not limit the present invention.

Fig. 1 illustrates a flow chart for deciding whether a candidate should be hired; Fig. 2 illustrates an explanatory diagram of a display state, according to a display device of the present invention; and Fig. 3 illustrates a conceptual drawing of a skill-map display program adapted for a network system, according to the present invention. (ski11-map) intellectual property office of n.z. 2 3 DEC 2003 The first embodiment of the present invention also realtes to a computer program for displaying an index of skill achievement level in a vocational field concerning the skills possessed by at least one user, comprising: a primary table having a first field and a second field, the first field storing a result after numerically evaluating at least two items of skill achievement level required in the vocational field in accordance with a certain evaluating method, and the second field storing a numerical standard value of each skill achievement level in the vocational field; said program comparing a value to be stored in the first field with the value in the second field; and a display component for displaying a user's skill achievement level based on the comparison.

The term "user", in the present invention, relates to a user who registers items of skill evaluation using either the computer program, or at the display system, or by using the display method of the present invention. As an example, the user could be an engineer in a certain vocational field.

The items of skill, in the present invention, relate to skills that are usually necessary for a user to possess to be in that vocational field. These items can be numerically rated, for instance, on a scale of one to three, four, five, ten or "n". The items could also be expressed as either a score, an average or a percentage. If rated on a scale of one to four, the ratings could be 1 (no skill), 2(comprehensive with instruction), 3(comprehensive without instruction), 4 (suitable for consultation) . If the scale was that of one to five, the ratings could be l(no experience), 2(less than 5 18 intellectual property office of n.z. 2 3 DEC 2003 experiences), 3 (less than 10 experiences), 4 (less than 15 experiences), 5 (more than 15 experiences). The ratings could also be based on a score of examinations at various institutions.

Moreover, the wording "numerical standard value", in the present invention, may be a required minimum value or a general average value for the vocational fields, where the numerical standard value can be set for each skill item. The inputted evaluation may also be either a self-evaluation of the user, a ranked result of an examination, or a result numerically evaluated by another program.

As shown in Fig. 2 for example, the system is configured for the rating of necessary skill items on a scale of one to ten, for a computer-related job etc. in the case where a user is a computer engineer, and subsequently inputting the rated tto 1 nc* r~\ -v~ -y~ o> o An i r~i +-■<-> ^ /~\"P H— n Ir ■! 1 1 o "»■»"> V \_S\J A L-W OUUli Wl_ Uiiu k_> i V J I L -L L.L.11LO ♦ The method for displaying the self-evaluation when compared with the numerical standard value is not limited, provided it can display the difference between the user's present evaluation and the standard value. For example, the method may be illustrated with a radar chart as shown in Fig. 2, or shown visually with a bar graph or deviation graph, or show a ranking of a user using a value such as "the xth place out of n" or with a graph. Furthermore, the method for displaying may include one or more of the above methods.

These displays enable a user to compare his present achievement level for each skill with the required level in his vocational field. 19 intellectual property office of n.z. 2 3 DEC 2003 Also, in the computer program of the first embodiment of the invention, the program may comprise a secondary table for each lower classified job, that is, a job of a lower class such as service engineer. Another secondary table, which corresponds to the primary table, relating to a skill item of an upper class job such as computer business could be provided.

By using this program to abstract a skill item of a lower class job that corresponds to that of an upper class job, the user can visually confirm differences between the user's level and a standard item of a more concrete job. Also, since an item that necessarily must be studied or experienced to obtain a more concrete job can be recognized, the user can plan their up-skilling and acquisition of job experience.

Moreover, in cases where the value has changed as a VAOnl +- /-s -P r-. 4- i a-v- 1 ^ ~ 1 A- A ^ ~ 4- W — 1 - - 1 1 -L- o o ^ j_ ouuu_y±ii^ wo. icq v juijo i c J.a liny l. 5M.ll items, a new value may be inputted into the skill items. In this case, the first embodiment may have another column aside from the last value of the skill items, and may compare the new value with the last value.

According to this embodiment, transition of the user's growing skill level can be displayed visually. In this embodiment, for example, the method may calculate the rate of skill increase by inputting the first value as the area al of the radar chart and inputting the last value as the area a2.

Also, the user may select a plurality of skill items, and the program may display these items by comparing them with the standard value, or in some cases, with the last imputted intellectual property office of n.z. 23 DEC 2003 result. According to this embodiment, the program will display only the selected and necessary items for the user.

(Display Device) A second embodiment of the present invention relates to a information display device comprising: a input unit for inputting information; a storage means for storing the inputted information; a processor for processing the stored information; a computer program for displaying an index of skill achievement level in a vocational field concerning the skills possessed by at least one user, comprising: a primary table having a first field and a second field, the first field storing a result after numerically evaluating at least two items of skill achievement level required in the vocational field in accordance with a certain evaluating method, and the f-i qT H o +~ "v~ "i rta o nnmovi 1 A X J L. U UV-i. 1—4. J LUUl. achievement level in the vocational field; said program comparing a value to be stored in the first field with the value in the second field; and a display component for displaying a user's skill achievement level at the time of storing the result comparing with the numerical standard value.

A further embodiment of the present invention relates to an information display device for displaying an index of skill achievement level of a vocational field concerning the skills possessed by at least one user, comprising: a input unit for inputting information; a storage means for storing the inputted information; a processor for processing the stored information; a display means for displaying the stored intellectual property office of n.z. 2 3 DEC 2003 information and a result processed by the processor; and whereby displays a user's skill achievement level at the time of storing the result comparing with the numerical standard value according to said program described in claim 1.

The display device comprises, in the present invention, an input unit such as a keyboard or a mouse, an information storage means such as a hard disk drive, an ATA drive, a compact flash or a flexible disk drive, a processor that processes the stored information such as a CPU, and an output unit such as a display unit or a printer, or to be more precise, the display device may be a information device such as a computer system, a word processor and a PDA.

By installing the program described in the first embodiment of the present invention into these devices, the devices become capable of displaying and comparing a user's <-* "1 *1 T —I /~i "1 ATT t—l 4— 1 ATTA 1 TVN V> A "P "» -V~ <—• 4~ AwVn A /-J "1 W1 A >-> 4— aL-iixc v 'wiuL.iiu _LC.vt-.j_ cio j.ii L.1J.U caujuuxiiLc; nt .

Detailed description here is omitted because it is the same as that described in the first embodiment. The computer program and the display device of the present invention may be used by one user, or may be possessed in common by a plurality of users.

Furthermore, the computer program for displaying the skill-map may be stored on a medium such as a flexible disk (FD), a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM, or the program may be used once installed into a hard disk drive through these media, and if a user wishes to install the program into a PDA or a notebook computer, the medium may be a dedicated ROM or a CF card. In addition, the skill-map display program may be uploaded onto intellectual property office of n.z. 2 3 DEC 2003 the Internet, and a user may download and install it into a storage means such as a hard disk drive.

These mediums may also have installed an education program and an evaluation program for evaluating one or more skill items together, so that a user can numerically evaluate skill items using these programs. In addition, the display device may comprise a means for inputting the outputted information from the evaluation program into the skill-map display program through a program for ranking the evaluated result of the evaluating program as numbers. According to this configuration, even if a numerical evaluation changes as time goes by, the device can update the value.

Moreover, the device may have installed a plurality of the skill-map display program for the different skill fields all together. According to this configuration, a prospective j ob applicant, who will be seeking a job in the future, will have a guide for the appropriate job, and can plan the required up-skilling or acquisition of job experience as will hereinafter be described in detail in the paragraph of "Up-skilling and Acquisition of Experience Plan".

(Displaying Method) A third embodiment of the present invention provides an information displaying method for displaying an index of skill achievement levels in a vocational field for the skills possessed by at least one user, comprising the steps of: referencing a table having a first field and second field, the first field storing a result after numerically evaluating at least two items of skill achievement level required in the intellectual property office of n.z. 2 3 DEC 2003 vocational field in accordance with a certain evaluating method, and the second field storing a numerical standard value of each skill achievement level in the vocational field; comparing a value to be stored in the first field with the value in the second field; displaying a user's skill achievement level at a the time of storing the result comparing with the numerical standard value.

According to the second and third embodiment, there is provided a display device and display method that enables the displaying of a user's skill achievement level at present by visually comparing it with a standard value.

Detailed description here is also omitted because it is the same as that described in the first embodiment.

(Network) A display program of the present invention for displaying the skill-map may be applied to a so-called "network", where it has an expanded application on the network.

The term "network", in the present invention, means a system that comprises a so-called "host computer" (server) and "terminals" (clients), each of which is connectable using lines such as public circuits, dedicated circuits, cables or radio transmission.

In a forth embodiment of the present invention, the display program for displaying the skill-map may be installed in a host computer and/or a terminal, or both the host computer and the terminal, each of which is in a network system, the network system including the host computer and one or more terminals. intellectual property office of n.z. 2 3 DEC 2003 By connecting a host computer and terminals to the network this way, the display program is capable of not only displaying a plurality of the users comparing their skill achievement levels but also in evaluating their skills by a third party and managing the users. Also, if the user's average value is set as the standard value, it is effective in facilitating the comparison between the plurality of users.

In this embodiment, the network system may be a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN). If the network is a wide area network (WAN), the program may be installed in a host computer, and the network may be an intranet, an extranet or the Internet.

The embodiment of the present invention for the display program to display the skill-map adopted for network application is hereinafter described in detail.

(Network System) Fig. 3 illustrates a conceptual drawing of a skill-map display program adopted for a network system, according to the present invention.

(Skill-map) In this embodiment, host computer H comprises users Ul, U2, U3... who belong to a plurality of vocational fields of the same category. Referring to Fig. 2, the skill items CI, C2, C3... are those necessary for the technical field, primary table (Er) that stores the evaluated items of the user's skill achievement level, a column that stores standard values SI, intellectual property office of n.z. 2 3 DEC 2003 S2, S3... of each of the skill items and a column that stores the user's average values S'l, S'2, S'3....

Each user Ul, U2, U3... inputs the evaluated value which is evaluated by a certain evaluating method from the terminals Tl, T2, T3.... Each user registers their skill achievement level into the host computer in this manner. If necessary, the host computer may have columns in another table, for example, to store each user's name, contact addresses (address, telephone number, fax number, affiliation, cellular phone number and e-mail address etc.), and personal information (ID number, background, work-experience, family make-up and present annual income etc.). If the network system is a company network and the users are the employees of the company, the host computer may have another table for storing each user's schedule.

The skill-map display program connected to a network is preferably used for job matching, for instance, to match a company offering a job to a user who is looking for a job (Hereinafter referred to as the "job matching system").

As illustrated in Fig. 3, a display program of the present invention for displaying the skill-map is installed in host computer H. User U who is looking for a job accesses host computer H from his terminal Tl and inputs skill items that relate to his job.

In this embodiment, it is preferable that the system has a column for storing personal information, preferably the user's name, pronunciation of the name, address, age, telephone number, present annual income, desired annual 26 f intellectual property office of n.z. 0 0 r\rA income, family make-up, condition of health, background, work-experience, license, number of years of experience etc. It is also preferable to configure the system to input this personal information with a resume or work-experience form. According to this configuration, the system is able to manage personal information with unified format amongst the users.

This way, each user's (job-finding or job-changing user in this embodiment) skill achievement level of each skill item and personal information of each user is inputted into the host computer H.

On the other hand, a company offering a job selects a technical field (main category of a job, for example in Fig. 2), or selects a job (in other words, more concrete job), and selects skill items, and decides the required skill achievement level for each of the selected skill items, and inputs t ii 0 S <6 Vai'dSS With th-Si-IT 16 IT ITU uai TC 3.CCO ird J-IlCf tO 11*10 conditions of employment.

As illustrated in Fig. 2, in the case of ratings on a scale of one to ten, an abstracting condition is decided, for example, "the user whose evaluation of the items CI, C2 is j greater than 6 or 1". Furthermore, it is preferable that the system includes a searching condition for personal information that suit the conditions of employment, such as users' age (age limit for hiring), area of the user's aforementioned address and number of years experience, in addition to the aforementioned skill items.

By deciding the abstracting condition and searching using the condition, users who meet the condition are abstracted. 27 intellectual property office of n.z. 2 3 DEC 2003 ner eiucn This searching method is achieved using well-known methods in the computer industry.

As described above, suitable users are abstracted by deciding the conditions of employment and accordingly searching using terminal Tc. The conventional burden of documentary screening and secondary screening is eased, since the abstracted users already suit the conditions of employment for the company.

Moreover, it is preferable that the system is configured to enable the registered data on the host computer to be erasable or modifiable by the user, for example in the case that a user has decided on a job. According to this configuration, the erased or modified user data is prevented from being abstracted by a terminal of a third party who wishes to find a job applicant. User information is therefore prevented from unnecessary leakages. The system is thus effective in excluding a company's uncertain information from being abstracted.

The method of erasing or modifying the data is selected arbitrarily from well-known methods in the computer industry. A user may also reguest a host computer operator to erase the data by giving notice in an e-mail or facsimile. In this case, the data may be erased completely, or the user may set the data to not be searchable for job finding or job changing searches. In particular, if the host computer H serves a job matching system together with another system of the present invention, and if a user wanted to use another display system, for instance a display system for the up-skilling and acquisition of experience, the inputted data of the user in intellectual property 28 office of n.z. 23 QEC 2003 RECEIVED the job matching system may be modified to not be searchable or abstracted by a terminal Tc of a third party instead of erasing the whole of the inputted data. This method can be achieved using well-known methods in the relevant technical field.

Moreover, the present invention includes a system, for example, where the host computer H manages terminal Tc with a certification etc, and alters the display contents in accordance with the level of terminal Tc.

In other words, the system may be configured to not display user's personal information if a terminal, which is not registered officially, attempts to use the system from a company (so-called "guest"). The system may also be configured to display the personal information in accordance with a contract that determines the handling of the user's ncrcnnol i r-i -F a -v~m o "i /-•> r-» V>«=i"t-T.T<cs<csr"i -I- iiocsv +- cs a -f- f V*o XiiJ.ViiUUU.LVil ^s—UVVVVii J. J. V Uii^4 V_y< _l_ U1U host computer H.

According to this configuration, the user's personal information will be more completely secured.

Further, the system may comprise, a page having a check box, indicating an interest in finding a job. A user may transmit the data after unchecking the box, or the system may be configured to erase the data table using a resetting means, once the user no longer wishes to find a job due to employment by a company. This way, the user's personal information is prevented from unnecessary leakages after the employment.

A company offering a job accesses the host computer H by inputting a prescribed password from a terminal. The company can then choose a user who has the required skill level by INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 29 OFFICE OF N.Z. 23 DEC 2003 RECEIVED searching for users who have a higher skill level in certain skill items in accordance with the aforementioned conditional search. Choosing a user in this way has a large effect on easing the burden of documentary screening done in the past.

If necessary, the system may be configured to download a user's personal information having a prescribed format such as a resume or work-experience. This system enables a comparison of personal information of a plurality of users to be made, who were chose under a certain condition, having unified format.

(Market Value) According to this configuration, user's can compare themselves with other users. Additionally, a job applicant and a company offering a job can exchange information about ^ a-»-U A -V~ caoii u Liici. • In other words, a user can look up another user and view that user's information by selecting a skill item, inputting an arbitrarily value, and searching the system.

In this embodiment, the personal information may be, for instance annual income, position and so on. Also, the system may display a user's skill achievement level using a radar chart. The annual income or hourly pay can be calculated from the area of the radar chart with reference to statistics on the relationship between the area of the radar chart and annual income or hourly pay. This way, a user can determine his market value (annual income, hourly pay, position etc.) having regard to his own skill items. intellectual property OFFICE OF N.Z. 23 DEC 2003 RECEIVED If a user is a prospective job applicant such as a student, the user can utilize the system as an effective teaching material, to understand the practical characteristics of his desired job and to help decide his course in life, by arbitrarily inputting skill items regarding his desired job. In this case, it is preferable that the host computer is installed with a program for displaying a skill map of a plurality of different fields such as the fields of computers and design, to allow the user to weigh the state of each field.

The market value display system and the display system for job matching may be combined together into one system, or may alternatively be configured to be separate systems.

(Up-skilling and Acquisition of Experience Plan) In 11~±0 3ame VvTay/ a m.3g2T can plan t i*! 0 m.jp 3 ojt acquisition of experience etc. to improve on the skill items in which the user is weak for the purpose of increasing his market value.

The host computer may connect to a computer H' that has an educational program such as a computer in a education facility. By having this arrangement, a user can plan the up-skilling and acquisition of experience by executing the program from a terminal. The system may be configured to enable a user to confirm the schedule and contents of a seminar on the acquisition of experience from the user's terminal, and to enable the schedule and contents to be presented in the seminar.

According to this configuration, the up-skilling and ., intellectual property -51 OFFICE OF N.Z. 2 3 DEC 2003 acquisition of experience plan can be done in real time.

It is also preferable for the host computer to be installed with a unified program, for example an IT test program if the technical field is the IT field. This configuration enables the evaluation of each of the skill items more objectively and in a unified way.

(Network inside a Company) The display program of the present invention for displaying the skill-map is usable as a so-called "skill database". The "skill database" will have items of skill evaluations of employees, if the program is installed in a host computer in a company.

This embodiment enables the management of skill achievement levels for each user as an employee, either as a whole c2t individually, ficom ths terminal Tc of a third p a it t y (except from the user's own terminal), such as a recruiting staff or personnel manager.

This system allows the education of employees more efficiently by managing the skill achievement levels of each employee according to each item. For example, a company can educate users together, where the users' evaluation of a skill item is less than a standard value. The searching and abstracting of users is achieved using the same method as before. When a company wishes to educate its employees, the same system as described in the "Up-skilling and Acquisition of Experience Plan" can be used.' Further, this embodiment of a display system can manage schedules or projects for each engineer (project assignments 32 intellectual property office of n.z. 2 3 DEC 2003 DCAPIIimb. such as assignments or changes to users of a project) by linking the skill-map display program of the present invention with a job-schedule managing program for each user.

Displaying the user's schedules together with the skill-map may be achieved by adding an item of job schedule as a search condition. The search of the user's information and schedule may also be carried out independently (limit search). This searching method is achieved using well-known methods in the technical field. This job-schedule managing program is not limited, if it can carry out a conditional search and can display the result. It is generally preferable that a company's pre-existing program is applied to the system, with suitable adjustment.

This way, when a new job or a new project is started, this system enables a user (employee), who has the appropriate skill level that is required for the job or the project, tc be chosen. The system can also manage the job or assign the project with reference to the schedules of the chosen employees.

It goes without saying that the job management and the project assignments are applicable for choosing personnel for temporary employment agencies that have many users who have specific skills or for a company that requests the outsourcing of a certain technical skill to the agencies.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The computer program for displaying a skill-map, and a display device and a display method for displaying a skill-map, has the beneficial effects as described below. 33 intellectual property OFFICE OF N.Z. 2 3 DEC 2003 RECEIVED (1) It enables the visual display of a user's present skill achievement level when compared to a standard value. (2) In the configuration where a skill evaluation program numerically evaluates at least one skill item and stores the result in the primary table, the present invention enables the evaluation of skills more objectively. (3) In the configuration where each item includes one or more specific job items selectable as lower conceptual items of the vocational field, and where a secondary table is provided, which is selected and extracted from the items of skill achievement level of a specific job in the primary table, the present invention can display a user's present skill achievement level more concretely when compared to a standard value in a specific vocational field that a user belongs to. (4) In the configuration where the program has another column aside frem the last vsluss of slcill items t^0 ^cise the value of skill items changes, and where the new value is compared to the last value, the present invention displays the transition of the skill achievement level. This configuration can be used when the value of skill items changes by studying or leaving jobs relating to the skill items. (5) Moreover, if the program is configured such that the primary table includes a separate new item of skill achievement level in addition to the earlier items of skill achievement level, and the program displays the transition of the skill achievement levels by comparing the new item with the earlier items of skill achievement level, then the transition of a specific skill item can be displayed visually. intellectual property OFFICF OF N.Z. 2 3 DEC 2003 RECEIVED Therefore, a user can view his up-skilling or acquisition of experience, done either by study or experience, visually. (6) In the configuration where at least two skill items are arbitrarily selectable using the computer program, a user can set items that he wishes to display and compare them together.

Furthermore, by applying the program of the present invention for displaying the skill-map to a host computer and/or to a terminal on a network system, the present invention has the beneficial effect as described below. (i) A plurality of users are able to be displayed and compared together. Additionally a third party can evaluate the users' skill and manage the users. Also, if the average value of items for the users are set as the standard value there is an effect to facilitate the comparison of a plurality of users. f A A \ ■% r -i c 4- 1 T i r* /t -l- v-\ v r~s rv v m -f- 4-(O o 4- •? ri tr 4- n r\n y —I t- j X-J J 1 L.11V J_ V ^ -I- CAAll V _l_ UilU _l_ A A V A 1 i L_ V A A for displaying the skill-map in a host computer that is accessible to a personal user, the user can determine his market value based on a relationship between the skill achievement level of other users and their incomes. With this, he can plan his up-skilling and acquisition of experience for improving his market value effectively. Especially, with the configuration where the host computer or another computer includes a program such as an educational program, or displays an educational schedule such as a seminar, or is acceptable for the seminar's application, the user can plan his up-skilling and acquisition of experience from his terminal directly. intellectual property OFFICF OF n.z. 2 3 DEC 2003 (iii) Also, if the host computer on a network has a program installed, for arbitrarily selecting a skill evaluation item and searching for users by arbitrarily inputting a value into the selected item, in addition to the program of the present invention for displaying the skill-map, a company offering a job can select the job applicant from their terminal directly. In this case, there is an effect on easing the burden of documentary screening. (iv) Moreover, by installing the program of the present invention for displaying the skill-map into a host computer of a company, the so-called "skill-database", which can manage the skill achievement level of each user, is created. The company can then evaluate the users more precisely and carry out training more annri^nr-i af q! u Z\ 1 low i n o-h a 1 1 i nrf ;=» nr^nr am f rw ^ ^ J • -^.4. X V X ^ ^ V S-J X managing each user's schedule into the host computer, the company can manage schedules or can easily assign appropriate personnel to a new project or business. 36

Claims (1)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. An information displaying method for displaying an index of skill achievement level of a vocational field concerning the skills possessed by at least one user, comprising the steps of: referencing a table having a first field and second field, the first field storing a result after numerically evaluating at least two items of skill achievement level required in the vocational field in accordance with a certain evaluating method, and the second field storing a numerical standard value of each skill achievement level in the vocational field; comparing a value to be stored in the first field with the value in the second field; displaying a user's skill achievement level based on the comparison. end of claims - 7 APR — RECEI 37