WO2017184723A1

WO2017184723A1 - Attribute matching

Info

Publication number: WO2017184723A1
Application number: PCT/US2017/028353
Authority: WO
Inventors: Summer CRENSHAW; Carisa MIKLUSAK; Solomon PILLERSDORF; Stephen Shefsky; Luke VIGEANT
Original assignee: tilr corporation
Priority date: 2016-04-19
Filing date: 2017-04-19
Publication date: 2017-10-26
Also published as: CA3021633A1; AU2017252624A1; GB2565482A; BR112018071582A2; CN109478178A; EP3446226A4; EP3446226A1; GB201818812D0; IL262483A

Abstract

A method includes receiving a request associated with a first attribute, the request representative of an opportunity for employment, the attribute representative of a qualification associated with the opportunity for employment; querying a database to identify a record including a second attribute satisfying the first attribute associated with the request, the second attribute included in the record having been determined based on other information in the record; and serving, to a computing device operated by a user associated with the identified record, a network resource providing the user with access to information about the request.

Description

ATTRIBUTE MATCHING

Claim of Priority

[001] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Applications Serial Nos.

62/324,839; 62/324,836; 62/324,833; and 62/324,822, all filed on April 19, 2016, the entire contents of all of which are incorporated here by reference.

Background

[002] A user of a computing device can request a network resource to obtain information about an opportunity, such as an employment opportunity, for which he or she believes they are qualified. The network resource can be served to the computing device to provide the user with information and to enable to user to take actions to pursue the opportunity.

Summary

[003] In a general aspect, a method includes receiving a request associated with a first attribute, the request representative of an opportunity for employment, the attribute representative of a qualification associated with the opportunity for employment;

querying a database to identify a record including a second attribute satisfying the first attribute associated with the request, the second attribute included in the record having been determined based on other information in the record; and serving, to a computing device operated by a user associated with the identified record, a network resource providing the user with access to information about the request.

[004] Embodiments can include one or more of the following features.

[005] The method includes updating a table to include a representation of the identified record. The method includes updating a data storage to include an identifier of the identified record. The method includes updating a data storage to include a reference to the identified record. The second attribute is the same as the first attribute. The second attribute is different from the first attribute, and in which identifying the record includes querying an attribute database to determine that the second attribute is related to the first attribute. The request is associated with an opportunity record, in which the first attribute associated with the request is included in the opportunity record. [006] The first attribute is associated with a first level, and in which querying the database includes querying the database to identify a record in which a second level associated with the second attribute matches the first level associated with the first attribute. The request is associated with multiple first attributes, each first attribute having a respective weighting factor. Querying the database to identify a record includes identifying a record having second attributes satisfying the first attributes subject to the respective weighting factors of the first attributes. The method includes determining a score for the record based on the second attributes and respective weighting factors, and in which identifying the record comprising determining that the record has a score higher than a threshold score. The method includes determining a score for each of multiple records based on the second attributes and respective weighting factors of each of the multiple records, and in which identifying a record comprising identifying the record having the highest score.

[007] The method includes querying the database to identify a second record, the second record not having a second attribute that satisfies the first attribute; and serving, to a computing device operated by a user associated with the identified record, a network resource providing the user with access to information to obtain the second attribute that satisfies the first attribute.

[008] First attribute comprises one or more of a skill attribute, a certification attribute, and a tool attribute. The second attribute included in the record having been determined based on a job title included in the record.

[009] In a general aspect, a non-transitory computer readable medium stores

instructions for causing a computing system to receive a request associated with one or more attributes, the request representative of an opportunity for employment, each attribute representative of a qualification associated with the opportunity for employment; query a database to identify a record including the one or more attributes associated with the request, the one or more attributes included in the record having been determined based on other information in the record; and serve, to a computing device operated by a user associated with the identified record, a network resource providing the user with access to information about the request.

[010] Embodiments can include one or more of the following features.

[011] The instructions cause the computing system to update a table to include a representation of the identified record. The instructions cause the computing system to update a data storage to include an identifier of the identified record. The instructions cause the computing system to update a data storage to include a reference to the identified record. The second attribute is the same as the first attribute. The second attribute is different from the first attribute, and in which identifying the record includes querying an attribute database to determine that the second attribute is related to the first attribute. The request is associated with an opportunity record, in which the first attribute associated with the request is included in the opportunity record.

[012] The first attribute is associated with a first level, and in which querying the database includes querying the database to identify a record in which a second level associated with the second attribute matches the first level associated with the first attribute. The request is associated with multiple first attributes, each first attribute having a respective weighting factor. Querying the database to identify a record includes identifying a record having second attributes satisfying the first attributes subject to the respective weighting factors of the first attributes. The instructions cause the computing system to determine a score for the record based on the second attributes and respective weighting factors, and in which identifying the record comprising determining that the record has a score higher than a threshold score. The instructions cause the computing system to determine a score for each of multiple records based on the second attributes and respective weighting factors of each of the multiple records, and in which identifying a record comprising identifying the record having the highest score.

[013] The instructions cause the computing system to query the database to identify a second record, the second record not having a second attribute that satisfies the first attribute; and serve, to a computing device operated by a user associated with the identified record, a network resource providing the user with access to information to obtain the second attribute that satisfies the first attribute.

[014] The first attribute comprises one or more of a skill attribute, a certification attribute, and a tool attribute. The second attribute included in the record having been determined based on a job title included in the record.

[015] In an aspect, a method includes receiving a request associated with a first attribute, the request representative of an opportunity for employment; querying a database to identify a record including a second attribute satisfying the first attribute associated with the request; serving, to a computing device operated by a user associated with the identified record, a network resource providing the user with access to information about the request; and responsive to user interaction with the network resource, updating the identified record to indicate a relationship between the identified record and a record associated with the received request representative of the opportunity for employment.

[016] Embodiments can include one or more of the following features.

[017] The method includes updating the record associated with the received request to indicate the relationship between the identified record and the record associated with the received request. The method includes querying the database to identify multiple records each including a second attribute satisfying the first attribute; and serving, to multiple computing devices each operated by a user associated with one of the identified multiple records, the network resource.

[018] The method includes serving the network resource to the multiple computing devices concurrently. Updating the identified record comprises updating the record associated with a first user to interact with the network resource. The method includes serving the network resource to multiple computing devices sequentially. The method includes serving the network resource to the multiple computing devices in an order based on a ranking of user records for the users operating the multiple computing devices. The ranking of the user records is based on a score indicative of the second attribute of each record satisfying the first attribute. Serving the network resource comprises serving the network resource to a first computing device; and after a predefined amount of time, serving the network resource to a second computing device. Updating the identified record comprises updating the record associated with a user operating the second computing device. Serving the network resource comprises serving the network resource to a first computing device; and responsive to user interaction with the network resource, serving the network resource to a second computing device.

Updating the identified record comprises updating the record associated with a user operating the second computing device.

[019] The record associated with the received request includes multiple portion attributes, and in which the user interaction with the network resource includes a selection of one or more of the multiple portion attributes. The method includes updating the record associated with the received request to indicate a relationship between the identified record and the selected one or more portions attributes. The method includes updating the record associated with the received request to indicate a relationship between a second identified record and one or more other portion attributes. [020] The method includes updating a table to include a representation of the identified record. The method includes updating a data storage to include one or more of an identifier of the identified record and a reference to the identified record. The second attribute is the same as the first attribute. The second attribute is different from the first attribute, and in which identifying the record includes querying an attributes database to determine that the second attribute is related to the first attribute.

[021] In an aspect, a non-transitory computer readable medium stores instructions for causing a computing system to receive a request associated with a first attribute, the request representative of an opportunity for employment; query a database to identify a record including a second attribute satisfying the first attribute associated with the request; serve, to a computing device operated by a user associated with the identified record, a network resource providing the user with access to information about the request; and responsive to user interaction with the network resource, update the identified record to indicate a relationship between the identified record and a record associated with the received request representative of the opportunity for employment.

[022] Embodiments can include one or more of the following features.

[023] The instructions cause the computing system to update the record associated with the received request to indicate the relationship between the identified record and the record associated with the received request. The instructions cause the computing system to query the database to identify multiple records each including a second attribute satisfying the first attribute; and serve, to multiple computing devices each operated by a user associated with one of the identified multiple records, the network resource. The instructions cause the computing system to serve the network resource to the multiple computing devices concurrently. Updating the identified record comprises updating the record associated with a first user to interact with the network resource. The instructions cause the computing system to serve the network resource to multiple computing devices sequentially. Serving the network resource comprises serving the network resource to a first computing device; and after a predefined amount of time, serving the network resource to a second computing device; and in which updating the identified record comprises updating the record associated with a user operating the second computing device. Serving the network resource comprises serving the network resource to a first computing device; responsive to user interaction with the network resource, serving the network resource to a second computing device; and in which updating the identified record comprises updating the record associated with a user operating the second computing device.

[024] The record associated with the received request includes multiple portion attributes, and in which the user interaction with the network resource includes a selection of one or more of the multiple portion attributes. The instructions cause the computing system to update the record associated with the received request to indicate a relationship between the identified record and the selected one or more portions attributes. The instructions cause the computing system to update the record associated with the received request to indicate a relationship between a second identified record and one or more other portion attributes.

[025] In an aspect, a method includes receiving a request associated with a first attribute and a criterion, the request representative of an opportunity for employment, each first attribute representative of a qualification associated with the opportunity for employment, the criterion representative of a target affiliation; querying a database to identify a record including a second attribute satisfying the first attribute associated with the request and including a third attribute satisfying the criterion associated with the request, the first attribute included in the record having been determined based on other information in the record; and serving, to a computing device operated by a user associated with the identified record, a network resource providing the user with access to information about the request.

[026] Embodiments can include one or more of the following features.

[027] The method includes updating a table to include a representation of the identified record. The method includes updating a data storage to include an identifier of the identified record. The method includes updating a data storage to include a reference to the identified record. The criterion is representative of an employer. The criterion is representative of a coalition of employers. The criterion is representative of a first target affiliation and a second target affiliation, and in which querying the database includes querying the database to identify a record for which the third attribute matching the first target affiliation; and if no record including a third attribute matching the first target affiliation is identified, querying the database to identify a record for which the third attribute matches the second target affiliation.

[028] The method includes querying the database to identify a second record associated with a second request representative of a second opportunity for employment, the second record including a third attribute satisfying the criterion, the second record not including an attribute satisfying the first attribute; and serving, to the computing device, a network resource providing the user with access to information about the second request. The method includes identifying a training opportunity associated with an attribute satisfying the first attribute; and serving, to the computing device, a network resource providing the user with access to information about the training opportunity.

[029] In an aspect, a non-transitory computer readable medium stores instructions for causing a computing system to receive a request associated with a first attribute and a criterion, the request representative of an opportunity for employment, each first attribute representative of a qualification associated with the opportunity for employment, the criterion representative of a target affiliation; query a database to identify a record including a second attribute satisfying the first attribute associated with the request and including a third attribute satisfying the criterion associated with the request, the first attribute included in the record having been determined based on other information in the record; and serve, to a computing device operated by a user associated with the identified record, a network resource providing the user with access to information about the request.

[030] Embodiments can include one or more of the following features.

[031] The instructions cause the computing system to update a table to include a representation of the identified record. The instructions cause the computing system to update a data storage to include an identifier of the identified record. The instructions cause the computing system to update a data storage to include a reference to the identified record. The criterion is representative of a first target affiliation and a second target affiliation, and in which querying the database includes querying the database to identify a record for which the third attribute matching the first target affiliation; and if no record including a third attribute matching the first target affiliation is identified, querying the database to identify a record for which the third attribute matches the second target affiliation.

[032] The instructions cause the computing system to query the database to identify a second record associated with a second request representative of a second opportunity for employment, the second record including a third attribute satisfying the criterion, the second record not including an attribute satisfying the first attribute; and serve, to the computing device, a network resource providing the user with access to information about the second request. The instructions cause the computing system to identify a training opportunity associated with an attribute satisfying the first attribute; and serve, to the computing device, a network resource providing the user with access to information about the training opportunity.

[033] In an aspect, a method includes receiving, from a computing device associated with a first user, a request to access a second user record of a second user, the second user record including a group attribute and a qualification attribute; determining that a first user record of the first user includes a role attribute sufficient to permit access to the second user record, and determining that the group attribute of the first user record satisfies a group attribute of the second user record; based on the determining, serving, to the computing device associated with the first user, a network resource providing the first user with access to the second user record; querying a database to identify an opportunity record including a qualification attribute, the qualification attribute of the second user record satisfying the qualification attribute of the opportunity record; and serving, to the computing device associated with the first user, a network resource providing the first user with access to the opportunity record.

[034] Embodiments can include one or more of the following features.

[035] The method includes querying the database to identify a second opportunity record including a qualification attribute, the qualification attribute of the second user record not satisfying the qualification attribute of the opportunity record. The method includes serving, to the computing device associated with the first user, a network resource providing the first user with access to the second opportunity record. The method includes serving, to the computing device associated with the first user, a network resource providing the first user with access to information about a training opportunity associated with an attribute satisfying the qualification attribute of the second opportunity record.

[036] In an aspect, a method includes receiving a request for transfer of information associated with a user from a first computing system to a second computing system; retrieving information stored in an existing user record for the user in the first computing system; retrieving information indicative of a record format of user records in the second computing system; formatting the retrieved information according to the record format of the user records in the second computing system; and providing the formatted

information to the second computing system, the formatted information for storage in a second user record for the user in the second computing system. [037] Embodiments can include one or more of the following features.

[038] Retrieving the information stored in the existing user record comprises storing the retrieved information in a table. Formatting the retrieved information comprises formatting the information stored in the table. Formatting the retrieved information comprises identifying a field indicated by the record format that is not present in the existing user record. The method includes prompting the user for data for the identified field. Formatting the retrieved information comprises identifying a second attribute of the record format that corresponds to a first attribute of the existing user record. Identifying the second attribute comprises accessing a table storing information indicative of correspondences between first attributes and second attributes.

[039] The second computing system is operated by or on behalf of an employer. The information stored in the existing user record comprises a qualification attribute. The information stored in the existing user record comprises information indicative of past employment of the user.

[040] In an aspect, a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for causing a computing system to receive a request for transfer of information associated with a user from a first computing system to a second computing system; retrieve information stored in an existing user record for the user in the first computing system; retrieve information indicative of a record format of user records in the second computing system; format the retrieved information according to the record format of the user records in the second computing system; and provide the formatted information to the second computing system, the formatted information for storage in a second user record for the user in the second computing system.

[041] Embodiments can include one or more of the following features.

[042] Retrieving the information stored in the existing user record comprises storing the retrieved information in a table. Formatting the retrieved information comprises formatting the information stored in the table. Formatting the retrieved information comprises identifying a field indicated by the record format that is not present in the existing user record. The instructions cause the computing system to the user for data for the identified field. Formatting the retrieved information comprises identifying a second attribute of the record format that corresponds to a first attribute of the existing user record. Identifying the second attribute comprises accessing a table storing information indicative of correspondences between first attributes and second attributes. [043] In an aspect, a computing system includes a processor and a memory, the processor and memory configured to receive a request for transfer of information associated with a user from a first computing system to a second computing system; retrieve information stored in an existing user record for the user in the first computing system; retrieve information indicative of a record format of user records in the second computing system; format the retrieved information according to the record format of the user records in the second computing system; and provide the formatted information to the second computing system, the formatted information for storage in a second user record for the user in the second computing system.

Brief Description of Drawings

[044] Fig. 1 is a system diagram.

[045] Fig. 2 is a diagram of a database.

[046] Figs. 3-5 are flow charts.

[047] Figs. 6-30B are screenshots of a user interface.

[048] Fig. 31 is a system diagram.

[049] Fig. 32 is a flow chart.

[050] Figs. 33A-39 are screenshots of a user interface.

Detailed Description

[051] We describe here an approach to providing network resources, e.g., web pages, pages of a mobile application, etc., to a user based on attributes associated with the user. A system receives a request associated with one or more attributes. Responsive to the request, the system queries a database storing user records, each user record associated with a corresponding user, to identify a user record having attributes that match the attributes associated with the received request. The system provides network resources to a user associated with the identified user record, the network resources providing the user with access to information about the request. For example, the network resources provided to the user can provide the user with access to information about the request.

[052] In some examples, the request can be a request for a user possessing one or more qualification attributes associated with an available opportunity for employment, such as skill, tool, or certification attributes associated with the opportunity. The database storing user records can be queried to identify a user record associated with a user possessing the one or more qualification attributes indicated by the request. Network resources provided to the user associated with the identified user record can provide the user with access to information about the opportunity.

[053] We describe here an approach to providing network resources, e.g., web pages, pages of a mobile application, etc. to a user based on attributes associated with the user. A system receives a request associated with one or more attributes. Responsive to the request, the system queries a database storing user records, each user record associated with a corresponding user, to identify a user record having attributes that match the attributes associated with the received request. The system provides network resources to a user associated with the identified user record, the network resources providing the user with access to information about the request. For example, the network resources provided to the user can provide the user with access to information about the request. Based on user interaction with the network resources, the request can be associated with the user record associated with the user. For instance, the user record can be updated to reference a record associated with the request, such as to include a pointer to the record associated with the request.

[054] In some examples, the request can be a request for a user possessing one or more qualification attributes associated with an available opportunity for employment, such as skill, tool, or certification attributes associated with the opportunity. The database storing user records can be queried to identify a user record associated with a user possessing the one or more qualification attributes indicated by the request. Network resources provided to the user associated with the identified user record can provide the user with access to information about the opportunity. The user record associated with the user can be updated based on user interaction with the network resources. For instance, the user record can be updated to indicate that the user provided an input accepting the opportunity.

[055] Referring to Fig. 1, a system 100 implemented by a server 101 enables a user 102 of the system 100 to be provided with network resources 105 associated with an opportunity 104 offered by an employer 106. An opportunity 104, for example, is an opportunity for employment with the employer 106. Each opportunity 104 represents an employment position (e.g., Barista, Administrative Assistant, Warehouse Clerk, or another position) having a specified schedule. An opportunity 104 can be a one-time occurrence (e.g., a Mail Clerk for April 12, 2016, from 9 am - 5 pm), a short-term recurring position (e.g., a Bartender from 6 pm - 2 am from April 1, 2016 to April 8, 2016), a long-term recurring position (e.g., a Lifeguard from 10 am - 6 pm from June 1 , 2016 to September 1, 2016), or a permanent position (e.g., a Legal Secretary from 8 am - 5 pm, Monday through Friday, beginning on May 2, 2016).

[056] Each user 102 of the system 100 possesses a set of qualification attributes, such as skill, tool, and/or certification attributes the user has accumulated through education or previous or current employment experience. Each opportunity 104 offered through the system 100 is associated with a set of qualification attributes, such as skill, tool, and/or certification attributes, the employer 106 offering the opportunity expects that a person qualified for the opportunity will possess. The system 100 can automatically identify one or more users 102 that are qualified for a particular opportunity 104 based on a match between the qualification attributes (e.g., skill, certification, and/or tool attributes) possessed by each user 102 and the qualification attributes associated with the particular opportunity 104. The server 101 can serve network resources 105 associated with the particular opportunity 104 to one or more of the users 102 identified as qualified for the opportunity.

[057] The server 101 can serve network resources 105 associated with the particular opportunity 104 to one or more of the users 102 identified as qualified for the

opportunity. Through an interaction with the network resources 105, the user 102 can accept the opportunity 104 and complete pre-employment tasks for the opportunity, such as providing information for a background check, providing bank account routing information or tax information, or other tasks. The ability to accept the opportunity and complete related pre-employment tasks without human intervention, such as without intervention by a human resources professional, enables the user to be efficiently assigned to the opportunity and frees human resources professionals at the employer to focus on other tasks.

[058] The server 101 can access a user database 1 10 that stores a user record 112 for each user 102. The user record 1 12 for a user 102 can be established upon enrollment of the user 102 with the system 100. The user record 1 12 for a particular user 102 can include biographical information about the user 102 (e.g., the user's name, address, e- mail address, phone number, or other biographical information), information about the user's work history, information about the user's educational history, skills possessed by the user, a level of proficiency for each skill, certifications possessed by the user, tools at which the user is proficient, a level of proficiency for each tool, or other information. Information about the user's work history can include titles of jobs previously or currently held by the user, names of previous or current employers, or other information. Information about the user's educational history can include degrees earned by the user, degrees partially completed by the user, coursework completed or in progress, professional certifications, or other information.

[059] In some examples, the user record 1 12 for a user 102 can include attributes indicative of user preferences, such as location attributes (e.g., indicative of a

geographical area the user prefers for his opportunities, a geographical area outside of which the user will not consider opportunities, or other location preferences), schedule attributes (e.g., indicative of preferred days or times for opportunities, days or times the user is unavailable for opportunities, or other schedule preferences), or other attributes. In some examples, the user record 1 12 can include information about opportunities previously completed by the user, such as the user's rating of a previous opportunity or an employer's rating of a user following completion of a previous opportunity (discussed below).

[060] Some information stored in the user record 112 for a particular user 102 can be entered by the user. For instance, the user 102 can enter biographical information, work history or educational history information, user preferences, or other information. Some information stored in the user record 1 12 can be determined by the system 100, in conjunction with input from the user. For instance, an attributes engine 130 can identify the qualification attributes (e.g., skill, certification, and/or tool attributes) possessed by the user and/or a level of proficiency associated with each qualification attribute (e.g., the level of proficiency for each skill or tool or the level of a multi-level certification achieved by the user) based on information about the user, such as based on the user's work history or educational history.

[061] An attributes engine 130 implemented by the server 101 can identify one or more qualification attributes that may be possessed by a particular user 102 based on information about the user. For instance, a user may provide information about a previous job, including the title of the position. An attributes database 132 includes job title records 134, each of which includes a job title and an indication of any related job titles (e.g., a pointer to a job title record of each related job title). The attributes engine 130 queries the attributes database 132 to identify one or more job title records 134 that include job titles that are similar or related to the title entered by the user. Each job title record 134 also includes a list of qualification attributes associated with the job title or a reference (e.g., a pointer) to each qualification attribute associated with the job title. The attributes engine 130 identifies a list of the qualification attributes associated with each of the identified job title records 134. The identified qualification attributes are presented to the user via a network resource rendered as a web page (e.g., based on HTML code), a page of a mobile application, or another rendering of the network resource. The user can interact with the network resource to indicate which of the presented qualification attributes (e.g., skills, certifications, or tools) he or she possesses, and in some cases a level of proficiency associated with each qualification attribute. Based on the user interaction with the network resource, qualification attributes (and, in some cases, a level of proficiency associated with each qualification attribute) are stored in the user record 112. In some examples, the network resources interacted with to navigate to the presented qualification attributes can also be stored in the user record 112.

[062] The qualification attributes can be skill attributes indicative of skills possessed by the user. Skills are capabilities that the user has acquired through past employment, education, and/or other experiences. The qualification attributes can be certification attributes indicative of certifications possessed by the user. A certification is achieved by a user who completes a defined set of activities to achieve the certification, such as classes, trainings, or exams. Certifications can be issued by governmental bodies, trade or professional organizations, employers, or other entities. The qualification attributes can be tool attributes indicative of tools with which the user is proficient. Tools can be physical tools, such as a forklift, an arc welder, or an espresso machine; or software tools, such as word processing or billing software or programming languages.

[063] In an example, if a user enters the title "Admin Assistant," the attributes engine 130 may query the attributes database 132 to identify the following similar or related job titles: Administrative Assistant, Executive Assistant, Secretary, Office Manager. A list of the qualification attributes associated with one or more of the job titles Administrative Assistant, Executive Assistant, Secretary and Office Manager is presented to the user. The user can then select the skills and certifications he possesses and the tools at which he is proficient from the presented list of qualification attributes, and in some cases can indicate his level of proficiency for each selected skill, certification, and/or tool. The selected skills, certifications, and/or tools are stored as qualification attributes in the user record 112. [064] Example skills for the job titles Administrative Assistant, Executive Assistant, Secretary, and Office Manager can include Word Processing, Scheduling, Business Correspondence, and Editing, among others. Example certifications for these job titles can include the Certified Professional Secretary and the Certified Administrative Professional certifications, among others. Example tools for these job titles can include Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Quickbooks, among others.

[065] In some examples, two or more skill attributes can be linked in the attributes database 132 as substantially equivalent skills, such that if a user selects one of the linked skill attributes, the other one or more linked skill attributes are also automatically selected for the user. For instance, if the user selects the skill Appointment Scheduling, the linked skills Calendar Management and Schedule Management can also be automatically selected for the user.

[066] In some examples, tool attributes are children of skill attributes, such that if a user possesses a tool attribute, the user always also possesses the skill attribute from which that tool attribute depends. For instance, if the user possesses the Microsoft Word tool attribute, the user will also possess the Word Processing skill attribute.

[067] In some examples, a certification attribute is associated with one or more skill attributes and/or one or more tool attributes, such that if a user possesses a certification attribute, the user will also possess the associated skill attributes and/or tool attributes. For instance, the Certified Administrative Professional certification attribute can be associated with the skill attributes Business Writing and Records Management, among others.

[068] In some examples, the attributes database 132 can include education records 136, each of which includes a type of degree (e.g., associate's degree, bachelor's degree or another type of degree) and a field of study (e.g., business, chemistry, English, or another field of study). In some examples, the attributes engine 130 can query the attributes database 132 to identify one or more education records 136 that are similar or related to items in the user's educational history. Each education record 136 also includes a list of qualification attributes associated with the type of degree and field of study or a reference (e.g., a pointer) to each qualification attribute. The qualification attributes associated with each of the identified education records 136 are presented to the user via a network resource rendered as a web page, a page of a mobile application, or another rendering of the network resource. The user can interact with the network resource to indicate which of the presented qualification attributes (e.g., skill, certification, or tool attributes) he possesses, and in some cases a level associated with each qualification attribute. Based on the user interaction with the network resource, qualification attributes (and in some cases, a level associated with each qualification attribute) are stored in the user record 112.

[069] In some examples, a user can acquire new qualification attributes through activities undertaken through the system 100, such as through completion of

opportunities or education offered through the system 100. The attributes engine 130 can automatically update a user's user record 112 to reflect the qualification attributes acquired through the system.

[070] The system 100 includes an opportunity database 120 that stores an opportunity record 122 for each available opportunity 104 in the system 100. The opportunity record 122 for a particular opportunity 104 can include the title of the position represented by the opportunity, information about the employer 106 offering the opportunity (e.g., the name of the employer, contact information for the employer, or other information), qualification attributes (e.g., skill, certification, or tool attributes) associated with the opportunity, a level of proficiency associated with each qualification attribute, a location attribute for the opportunity, a schedule attribute for the opportunity, a description of the opportunity (e.g., including text, images, video, or other types of data), or other information.

[071] Some information stored in the opportunity record 122 for a particular opportunity 104 offered by an employer 106 can be entered by or on behalf of the employer, such as the title of the position, information about the employer, a location of the opportunity, a schedule for the opportunity, a description of the opportunity, or other information. Some information stored in the opportunity record 122 can be determined by the system 100, in conjunction with input from or on behalf of the employer. For instance, the attributes engine 130 can identify qualification attributes to be associated with the opportunity 104 and/or a level of proficiency associated with each qualification attribute based on information about the opportunity, such as based on the title of the position, as described above.

[072] A match engine 140 identifies one or more users 102 as qualified for a particular opportunity 104 based on a match between the qualification attributes possessed by the users 102 and the qualification attributes associated with the opportunity 104. For instance, to identify users for a particular opportunity 104, the match engine 140 can query the user database 110 to identify those user records (e.g., record 112) having all of the qualification attributes included in the opportunity record 122 for the particular opportunity 104. In some examples, the opportunity record 122 for the particular opportunity includes a level of proficiency associated with one or more of the

qualification attributes, and the match engine 140 can query the user database 110 to identify those user records (e.g., record 112) having all of the qualification attributes included in the opportunity record 122 and having the indicated level for each of one or more of the qualification attributes. We sometimes refer to user records (e.g., record 1 12) that have all of the qualification attributes included in the opportunity record 122 for a particular opportunity and having the indicated level of proficiency for each of the one or more qualification attributes as user records that are matched with the opportunity record.

[073] In some examples, user records (e.g., record 112) identified as matched with an opportunity record are stored in a match table 124 associated with the opportunity record. In some examples, user records identified as matched with an opportunity record can be tracked in another way, such as through a document storing identifiers of the user records or references (e.g., pointers) to the user records.

[074] In some examples, the match engine 140 can identify user records (e.g., record 112) that include all of the qualification attributes included in the opportunity record for a particular opportunity 104 and at the designated level as matches for the opportunity. In addition, the match engine 140 can identify one or more user records as imperfect matches for the opportunity. A user record (e.g., record 112) that is an imperfect match with an opportunity is a user record does not include all of the qualification attributes included in the opportunity record for the opportunity 104, or not at the designated level of proficiency, but is otherwise substantially similar. In an example, a user record that is an imperfect match with an opportunity may include all but one of the qualification attributes included in the opportunity record for the opportunity. In an example, a user record that is an imperfect match with an opportunity may include all of the qualification attributes included in the opportunity record for the opportunity, but may have at least one qualification attribute at a level of proficiency different from that designated in the opportunity record. User records that are imperfect matches for an opportunity can be flagged for review by an operator, such as a human resources professional, who can determine whether the user record may anyway be regarded as a match for the opportunity.

[075] In some examples, the opportunity record 122 can include one or more rules that can be implemented to govern how a user record 112 is identified as a match for the opportunity 112 represented by the opportunity record 122. For instance, each of one or more qualification attributes associated with an opportunity is assigned a weighting factor to indicate its relative importance as compared with other qualification attributes associated with the opportunity. A user record (e.g., record 1 12) can be identified as a match for an opportunity 104 subject to the qualification attributes and associated weighting factors for the opportunity. In an example of a rule, if a user record is missing a highly weighted qualification attribute associated with an opportunity, the user record may not be identified as a match, but a user record missing a lower weighted qualification attribute may still be identified as a match. In an example of a rule, a score can be determined for a record based on the qualification attributes and associated weighting factors, and the record can be identified as a match if the score exceeds a threshold score. In an example of a rule, a score can be determined for each of multiple records based on the qualification attributes and associated weighting factors, and the record having the highest score can be identified as a match.

[076] In some examples, the match engine 140 can identify one or more users for a particular opportunity 104 based on attributes other than qualification attributes (e.g., skill, tool, and/or certification attributes). For instance, the match engine 140 can query the user database 110 to identify those user records (e.g., record 1 12) having location or schedule attributes that are consistent with location or schedule attributes for the opportunity. In some examples, to identify users for a particular opportunity 104, the match engine 140 first queries the user database 1 10 to identify one or more user records based on location and/or schedule attributes, and then identifies a subset of those user records having qualification attributes that are matched with the opportunity record 122 for the opportunity 104. In some examples, the match engine 140 first queries the user database 110 to identify one or more user records (e.g., record 112) having qualification attributes that are matched with the opportunity record 122 for a particular opportunity, and then identifies a subset of those user records based on location and/or schedule attributes.

[077] In some examples, the match engine 140 can rank the user record (e.g., record 112) based on the quality of the match with the opportunity record 122 for a particular opportunity. In some examples, the match engine 140 can rank the user records based on information stored in the user records indicative of previously completed opportunities. For instance, if the user record 112 for a particular user 102 includes a high rating from a particular employer or for a particular opportunity, the match engine 140 may rank that user record 112 highly for another opportunity from the same employer or for an otherwise similar opportunity from a different employer. Conversely, if the user record 112 for a particular user 102 includes a low rating from a particular employer or for a particular opportunity, the match engine 130 may assign a low ranking to that user record 112 for another opportunity from the same employer or for a similar opportunity from an otherwise similar different employer. In some examples, a positive rating from an employer to a user can be a highly weighted factor in in determining a match between the user record and an opportunity record. If a user who was positively rated by an employer also positively rates the opportunity the user completed with the employer, this can be used to form a strong connection to potential future matches. In some examples, a negative rating submitted by a user to an opportunity offered by an employer may prevent the user from being matched with future opportunities offered by that employer.

Similarly, a negative rating from an employer to a user may prevent the user from being matched with future opportunities offered by that employer. A neutral rating between an employer and a user or a user and an employer may increase the likelihood that the user may be matched with future opportunities offered by that employer to a degree less than that enabled by a positive rating but greater than that enabled by no rating.

[078] In some examples, the match engine 140 can rank the user records 1 12 based on additional information about the users. For instance, in some cases, a user may need to work a minimum number of hours per week (e.g., 25 hours, 30 hours, 35 hours, 40 hours, or another number) in order to qualify for employer-sponsored health insurance offered by an administrator of the system 100. The match engine 140 can rank the user records in order to increase the number of users of the system 100 who are likely to work the minimum number of hours. For instance, between two equally qualified user records, the match engine 140 may assign a higher ranking to the user record belonging to a user who has not yet met his minimum hours and assign a lower ranking to the user record belonging to a user who has met his minimum hours.

[079] In some examples, user records (e.g., record 112) identified as matched with an opportunity record are stored or indicated in a match table 124 associated with the opportunity record. The ranking of each user record 112 can be stored or indicated in the match table 124. For instance, the user records can be stored in order of ranking. In some examples, user records 112 identified as matched with an opportunity record can be tracked in another way, such as through a document storing identifiers of the user records or references (e.g., pointers) to the user records.

[080] In some examples, the match engine 140 can identify one or more users for a particular opportunity 104 based on attributes other than qualification attributes (e.g., skill, tool, and/or certification attributes). For instance, the match engine 140 can query the user database 110 to identify those user records (e.g., record 1 12) having location or schedule attributes that are consistent with location or schedule attributes for the opportunity. In some examples, to identify users for a particular opportunity 104, the match engine 140 first queries the user database 1 10 to identify one or more user records 112 based on location and/or schedule attributes, and then identifies a subset of those user records having qualification attributes that are matched with the opportunity record 122 for the opportunity 104. In some examples, the match engine 140 first queries the user database 110 to identify one or more user records (e.g., record 112) having qualification attributes that are matched with the opportunity record 122 for a particular opportunity, and then identifies a subset of those user records based on location and/or schedule attributes.

[081] A network resource engine 150 renders a network resource, such as a web page or a page of a mobile application, for presentation to one or more of the users 102 whose user record (e.g., record 1 12) was identified by the match engine 130. The network resource can include information about the opportunity 104. Through the network resource, the one or more users 102 are prompted to respond to accept or decline the opportunity 104. When an acceptance is received from a user 102, the user record 112 for the user 102 is updated to reflect that the user 102 is assigned to the opportunity 104. If a user declines the opportunity, the opportunity can be presented to another user.

[082] In some examples, the opportunity 104 can be presented to some or all of the users 102 whose user record 1 12 was identified by the match engine 14. The first user 102 to accept the opportunity is assigned to the opportunity 104, and the opportunity is withdrawn from the other users 102. In some examples, the opportunity 104 can be presented to fewer than all of the users 102 whose user record was identified by the match engine 140. For instance, the opportunity can be presented to one or more users having highly ranked user records 1 12.

[083] In some examples, the one or more users to whom an opportunity is presented are given a time limit within which to respond to the opportunity, e.g., to accept or decline the opportunity. If no response is received within the time limit, the notification engine 150 presents the opportunity to another one or more users. For instance, the opportunity can first be presented to the user having the highest ranked user record 112. If that user does not respond within the time limit for the opportunity, the opportunity is presented to the user having the second highest ranked user record. In some examples, the opportunity is presented concurrently to multiple users on a non-exclusive basis and the first user to respond with an acceptance is assigned the opportunity. For instance, if an employer urgently needs to fill an opportunity (e.g., because of an absentee employee, an absentee user who was supposed to fill the opportunity, a user who cancelled at the last minute, an opportunity with a short time horizon between time of posting and time of the

opportunity, or for another reason), the opportunity can be offered to multiple users, such as a number (e.g., 5, 10, or another number) of users with the highest ranked user records.

[084] The approach of the system 100, in which users are identified as qualified for a particular opportunity based on matching of qualification attributes between the user's user record 112 and the opportunity record 122 for the opportunity, enables qualified users to be offered opportunities even if the opportunity differs from previous jobs the user has held. For instance, a qualified user may be offered an opportunity for a Wait Staff position even if the user has not previously worked as a waiter. Offering

opportunities to qualified users enables efficient use of the labor pool of users in the system and helps to provide employment to users and to fill open positions with employers.

[085] In some examples, the match engine 140 can determine that a particular user would be able to match with an opportunity if the user possessed one or more additional qualification attributes or if the user increased his level of proficiency for one or more of his qualification attributes. The system can suggest to the user that he acquire the missing qualification attribute(s) or increase the level associated with one or more of the qualification attributes he already possesses. For instance, the system can suggest that the user acquire certain skill, certification, or tool attributes or increase his level of proficiency for one or more of his skill or tool attributes. In some examples, educational opportunities can be provided through the system in order to assist users in acquiring additional skill, certification, and/or tool attributes, or in increasing their level of proficiency in one or more of their skill or tool attributes. This approach can help users to become qualified for better opportunities, such as opportunities with higher pay, more responsibility, or other features.

[086] In some examples, educational opportunities (e.g., training courses) can be provided to users through the system 100 to enable the users to obtain additional qualification attributes or to increase their level of proficiency for each of one or more qualification attributes. In some examples, the system 100 can host the educational opportunities, e.g., by serving network resources including live or previously recorded training courses or interactive training modules. In some examples, the system 100 can provide links to external network resources with appropriate educational opportunities.

[087] When a user 102 accepts an opportunity 104, the user record 112 for the user and the opportunity record 122 for the opportunity are updated to indicate that the user is assigned to that opportunity. If no additional users are needed for the opportunity, the opportunity record for the opportunity can be updated to indicate that the opportunity is unavailable. If the opportunity is an opportunity for multiple users, the opportunity record indicates that the opportunity is available until the designated number of users have been assigned to the opportunity. The employer offering the opportunity can be notified that a user has been assigned to the opportunity and can be presented with information about the user, such as biographical information, information about the user's work or educational history, or ratings received by the user for previously completed

opportunities, or other information.

[088] In some examples, the network resources presented to the user can prompt the user for information associated with preparation for the opportunity, such as information sometimes handled by a human resources professional. For instance, information can be collected sufficient to facilitate a background check, information for direct deposit of pay with the user's bank, tax information, or other information. The approach of the system 100, in which the system enables the user 102 to accept the opportunity and complete related pre-employment tasks without human intervention, such as without intervention by a human resources professional, enables the user to be efficiently assigned to the opportunity and frees human resources professionals at the employer to focus on other tasks.

[089] Referring to Fig. 2, in a specific example, the attributes database 132 includes job title records 134 for five job titles: Title A, Title B, Title C, Title D, and Title E. Each job title record 134 includes references to the qualification attributes associated with the job title of the record. For instance, the job Title A is associated with qualification attributes X, Y, and Z. The job Title B is associated with qualification attributes X, Y, and J. The job Title C is associated with qualification attributes X, J, and H. In a specific example, Titles A, B, and C may be Custodian, Housecleaner, and Gardener, respectively. The qualification attribute X may be "Manual labor," the qualification attribute Y may be "Cleaning," the qualification attribute Z may be "Facilities management," the qualification attribute J may be "Managing client expectations," and the qualification attribute H may be "Working outdoors." [090] In this example, a user 102a has worked in a Title A role (e.g., Custodian) and a Title C role (e.g., Gardener) and has indicated (e.g., during an enrollment process) that he has acquired all of the qualification attributes associated with these two roles. The worker 102a thus possesses qualification attributes X (Manual labor), Y (Cleaning), Z (Facilities management), J (Managing client expectations), and H (Working outdoors). Although the user has never worked in a Title B role (e.g., Housecleaner), the match engine 140 identifies the user 102a as qualified for an opportunity 104a in a Title B role because the user 102a possesses all of the qualification attributes associated with the Title B role.

[091] In some examples, the matching of skill attributes can be based on linked skill attributes. Skill attributes can be linked in the attribute database 132 if the two skills are substantially equivalent. If the user 102a does not possess a specific skill attribute associated with the opportunity 104a but does possess a different skill attribute that is linked to that specific skill attribute, the user 102a may be identified as qualified for the opportunity 104a.

[092] In the example of Fig. 2, the user 102a is identified as qualified for the opportunity 104a based on a comparison between the qualification attributes possessed by the user 102a and the qualification attributes associated with the opportunity 104a. In some examples, other criteria can be used in addition to matching of qualification attributes to determine whether the user 102a is to be offered the opportunity 104a. For instance, the user's location or schedule attributes or the user's previous experiences in opportunities offered through the system can be taken into account, e.g., as described above.

[093] Referring to Fig. 3, in an example process, an opportunity associated with one or more qualification attributes is offered for a position with an employer (300). For instance, in the example of Fig. 2, the opportunity for a Title B position is associated with qualification attributes X, Y, and J. A query is undertaken to identify users in the system who possess the qualification attributes associated with the opportunity (302). For instance, the user database is queried to identify user records that include qualification attributes matching those associated with the opportunity. The user database can also be queried on other attributes (304), such as location or schedule attributes, to identify user records that are suited for the opportunity. The opportunity is offered to one or more of the users whose user record is identified by the query or queries (306).

[094] Referring to Fig. 4, in an example process, an opportunity associated with one or more qualification attributes 311 is offered through the system (310). A query is undertaken to identify user records in a user database 313 having qualification attributes that match the qualification attributes associated with the opportunity (312), in some cases at the designated level of proficiency for each qualification attribute.

[095] A list 315 is generated (314) of any user records that are imperfect matches for the opportunity. A user record that is an imperfect match with an opportunity is a user record does not include all of the qualification attributes included in the opportunity record for the opportunity, or not at the designated level of proficiency, but is otherwise substantially similar. User records that are designated as imperfect matches for an opportunity can be reviewed by an operator, such as a human resources professional, who can determine whether the user record may anyway be regarded as a match for the opportunity.

[096] Any user records identified as matching with the opportunity are stored or referenced (316) in a table 317. If the table 317 is empty (318), no user records have been identified as matching the opportunity, and an alert message is generated (319). The alert message can be provided to a system operator, such as a human resources professional, or to the employer offering the opportunity, or to another recipient.

[097] If there are user records in the table 317 (318), the opportunity is presented to one or more of the users associated with the user records in the table 317. In the example of Fig. 4, the opportunity is presented to the user associated with the highest ranking user record. In some examples, the opportunity can be presented to multiple users, such as multiple high ranking users. The user to whom the opportunity is presented is prompted to respond, e.g., to accept or decline the opportunity. The user's response defines the status of the opportunity (320). If there are no user records in the table 307, a message is generated to a system administrator (319).

[098] If the user accepts the opportunity (321), the user is assigned to the opportunity. The opportunity record is updated to reflect that the opportunity is unavailable (322), and the opportunity record and the user record are both updated to reflect that the user has been assigned to the opportunity (324). The employer offering the opportunity is notified (326) that the opportunity has been filled. In some examples, the employer is provided with information about the user assigned to the opportunity, such as biographical information, information about the user's work or educational history, information about opportunities previously completed by the user, or other information. [099] If the user declines the opportunity (328), that user's user record is removed (330) from the table 317 of matched user records. If there are other user records remaining in the table 317 (318), the opportunity is presented to one or more users associated with the remaining user records in the table 317, such as the next highest ranking user.

[0100] If no response has been received from the user (322), the opportunity is still pending. In some examples, the user is given a time limit within which to respond to the opportunity. If the time limit has not been exceeded (324), the system continues to wait for the user's response. If the time limit has been exceeded, the user loses his chance to accept the opportunity. The user's user record is removed (320) from the table 317 of matched user records. If there are other user records remaining in the table 317 (318), the opportunity is presented to one or more users associated with the remaining user records in the table 317, such as the next highest ranking user.

[0101] In some examples, the user to whom the opportunity is presented is able to accept only a portion of the opportunity. The remaining portion(s) of the opportunity can be presented to one or more other users, such that a single opportunity can be shared among multiple users. An opportunity that can be shared among multiple users is referred to as a sharable opportunity. In an example, for a sharable opportunity that spans a range of time (e.g., 9 am to 5 pm or Monday -Friday), a user can accept the opportunity for less than all of the time range, and the remainder of the time range can be presented to one or more other users. For instance, for a sharable opportunity that spans 9 am to 5 pm on a single day, a first user may accept the opportunity for 9 am to 12 pm, and the remaining time (12 pm to 5 pm) can be presented to one or more other users. For a sharable opportunity that spans Monday through Friday, a first user may accept the opportunity for Monday, Thursday, and Friday, and the remaining days (Tuesday and Wednesday) can be presented to one or more other users.

[0102] The opportunity record for a given opportunity can include a sharing attribute indicative of whether, and how, the opportunity can be split among multiple users. If the sharing attribute for a given opportunity indicates that the opportunity is a sharable opportunity, then the user to whom the opportunity is presented is presented with the option to accept the entire opportunity or to accept only a portion of the opportunity.

[0103] Referring to Fig. 5, in an example process, a sharable opportunity is offered through the system. Multiple user records identified as matching with the opportunity are stored or referenced in a table (450), e.g., as described above. The opportunity is presented to one or more of the users associated with the user records in the table (452). Presentation of the opportunity includes presenting the user with an option to accept the entire opportunity and an option to accept only a portion of the opportunity, according to the sharing attribute associated with the opportunity. For instance, the sharing attribute can indicate how the opportunity can be divided into portions, e.g., by day, by hour, or in another way.

[0104] The user's response includes an identification of the portion(s) of the opportunity the user has accepted and is used to define the status of the opportunity (454). The opportunity record is updated to reflect that the portion(s) of the opportunity accepted by the user are unavailable (456), and the opportunity record and the user record are both updated to reflect that the user has been assigned to those portions of the opportunity.

[0105] If one or more portions of the opportunity are still unassigned (458), those portions of the opportunity are presented to users associated with one or more of the other user records in the table (452). If all of the portions of the opportunity are assigned (458), e.g., the user accepted the entire opportunity or multiple users each accepted one or more portions of the opportunity, the employer offering the opportunity is notified that the opportunity has been filled (460).

[0106] Figs. 6-11 are screenshots of an example user interface through which a user can enter information into the system. The information can include biographical information about the user, information about the user's work history, information about the user's educational history, or other information. Through the user interface, the user can indicate the skills, certifications, and tools proficiencies he possesses, which are stored in the user's record as qualification attributes. In some cases, the user can also indicate a level of proficiency for each skill or tool. In the example of Figs. 6-11, the user interface is the interface of a mobile computing device (e.g., a smartphone). In some examples, the user interface can be the display screen of another type of computing device, such as a desktop or laptop computer.

[0107] Referring to Fig. 6, in a view 400, the user can enter the title of a job he has held previously or current holds (e.g., Cashier). Referring to Fig. 7, a list of job titles that are similar or related to the title entered by the user are displayed in a view 500. For instance, the displayed job titles can be job titles that are similar or related to the entered job title, as determined by the skills engine. The user can select one or more of the displayed job titles to indicate that he has had experience with the selected job titles or to indicate that he expects that he possesses skills, certifications, or tool proficiencies associated with the selected job titles. [0108] Referring to Fig. 8, in some examples, in addition to or instead of prompting the user to enter a job title (as in the view 400 of Fig. 6), one or more suggested job titles can be displayed to the user through a view 600. The user can select one or more of the suggested job titles to indicate that he has had experience with the selected job titles or to indicate that he expects that he possesses skills, certifications, or tool proficiencies associated with the selected job titles. The suggested job titles presented through the view 600 can be determined by the system based on an analysis of the user records, the opportunity records, or both. For instance, the suggested job titles can be job titles for which opportunities are currently available, job titles for which there have recently been a large or increasing number of opportunities, job titles associated with qualification attributes possessed by few users in the system, or other examples. In the example of Fig. 8, the suggested job titles are presented sequentially to the user. In some examples, a list of multiple suggested job titles can be presented to the user.

[0109] Referring to Fig. 9, in a view 700, the skill attributes associated with each job title selected by the user (e.g., through the view 500 or the view 600) are presented. The user can select the skills he possesses and his level of proficiency for each selected skill. In the example of Fig. 9, five levels of proficiency are available; in some examples, a different number of levels can be available. In some examples, the user only selects the skills he possesses and does not indicate a level of proficiency. In some examples, the level of proficiency for each skill is based on the user's qualitative self-assessment of his own abilities or experience. In some examples, the level of proficiency is defined based on a quantitative measure of the user's abilities or experience, such as based on a number of years of experience practicing a skill. Additional views (not shown) can prompt the user to select certifications he possesses and tools with which he is proficient.

[0110] Referring to Fig. 10, a view 800 displays the skills the user has indicated that he possesses and the level of proficiency for each skill. The view 800 can also display information about certifications and tools. The information shown in the view 800 will be used to match the user with an opportunity for which he is qualified. In some examples, the user undergoes a confirmation process, e.g., a telephone or in-person interview or a reference check, in order to confirm that the indicated skills, certifications, and tools, and associated levels of proficiency are accurate.

[0111] Referring to Figs. 11 and 12, the user can input preferences, such as location preferences (through a view 900) or schedule preferences (through a view 1000), which are stored in the user's record as location and schedule attributes, respectively. [0112] Figs. 13-19 are screenshots of an example user interface through which an employer can enter information about an opportunity into the system. The information can include the title of the position represented by the opportunity, the location of the opportunity, the schedule for the opportunity, a description of the opportunity, or other information. Through the user interface, the employer can indicate the skills, tools, and/or certifications associated with the opportunity and, in some cases, a level of proficiency for each skill or tool, which are stored in the opportunity record as qualification attributes associated with the opportunity. In the example of Figs. 13-19, the user interface is the interface of a computing device, such as a desktop or laptop computer. In some examples, the user interface can be the interface of a mobile computing device.

[0113] Referring to Fig. 13, in a view 1100, the employer can enter the company name and a title for the position (e.g., Cashier). Referring to Fig. 14, a list of job titles that are similar or related to the title entered by the employer are displayed in a view 1200. For instance, the displayed job titles can be job titles that are similar or related to the entered job title, as determined by the skills engine. The employer can select one or more of the displayed job titles to indicate that the selected job titles are associated with skills, tools, and/or certifications that the employer wants to associate with the opportunity.

[0114] Referring to Fig. 15, in a view 1300, the skills associated with each job title selected by the employer are presented. The employer can select the skills associated with the opportunity and the desired level of proficiency for each skill. Additional views can be displayed to allow the employer to select tools and certifications and desired levels of proficiency. Additional views (not shown) can prompt the employer to select desired certifications and tools proficiencies to be associated with the opportunity. Referring to Fig. 16, a view 1400 displays the skills the employer has indicated and the level of proficiency for each skill. The view 1400 can also display the selected tools and certifications. The information shown in the view 1400 will be used to identify a qualified user to be matched with the opportunity.

[0115] In some examples (not shown), the employer can select a predefined opportunity. A predefined opportunity includes a title and associated qualification attributes. Selection of a predefined opportunity simplifies the opportunity creation process in that the employer is freed from having to select the desired qualification attributes for an opportunity. Predefined opportunities can be default job opportunities defined by the system or can be based on opportunities previously created by the employer. [0116] Referring to Figs. 17-19, the employer can enter additional information about the opportunity. For instance, in a view 1500, the employer can define additional criteria by which a user can be matched with the opportunity, such as language skills. The employer can enter a location and schedule for the opportunity through a view 1600. The employer can enter a general description or instructions for the opportunity, such as a dress code, a description of where the worker is to report, a list of items to bring, or other information. In a view 1700, the employer can define a pay rate for the opportunity and can indicate the number of identical opportunities to create.

[0117] For each opportunity defined by an employer, the system queries the user database to identify user records that include qualification attributes matching the qualification attributes associated with the opportunity. For instance, in the example of Figs. 13-19, the system queries the user database to identify user records including the qualification attributes displayed in the view 1400 and having at least the designated level of proficiency for each qualification attribute. The system can also query the user database based on other criteria, such as based on location or schedule attributes or other attributes associated with the opportunity. The opportunity can then be offered to one or more of the users whose user record was identified as matching the qualification attributes associated with the opportunity (in some cases subject also to other criteria such as location or schedule attributes or other attributes). This approach enables a qualified user to be offered an opportunity for employment in a position for which she is qualified (e.g., a cashier position), even if the user has not previously held a position with the same title or even a position with a related title.

[0118] Figs. 20-25 are screenshots of an example user interface through which a user can view information about an opportunity with which he has been matched. Through the user interface, the user can accept or decline the opportunity with little human

intervention, e.g., with no direct contact with a human resources department at the employer offering the opportunity. This approach, in which the user is enabled to accept or decline an opportunity without human intervention, such as without intervention by a human resources professional, enables the user to be efficiently assigned to the opportunity and frees human resources professionals at the employer to focus on other tasks. In the example of Figs. 20-25, the user interface is the interface of a mobile computing device (e.g., a smartphone). In some examples, the user interface can be the display screen of another type of computing device, such as a desktop or laptop computer. [0119] Referring to Fig. 20, when a user is identified as a match for an opportunity, e.g., based on a match between the user's qualification attributes and the qualification attributes associated with the opportunity, a notification 430 is presented to the user. In the example of Fig. 20, the notification 430 is a push notification that is displayed on a home screen of a mobile computing device. In some examples, the notification 430 can be a sound, a vibration, a text message, an email, an alert within a mobile application for the system, or another type of notification. In some examples, the type of notification is set by the system. In some examples, each user can specify a preference for the type of notification he would like to receive.

[0120] Referring to Fig. 21 A, the user can access information about the opportunity with which he has matched through a view 530 in the mobile application (as shown) or through the user interface of another type of computing device. The view 530 can include information about the opportunity, such as the title of the position, the pay rate, the name of the employer, the location and schedule of the opportunity, requirements for the opportunity such as language requirements, a dress code, or a list of items to bring, or other information about the opportunity. The user can accept the opportunity directly through the view 530, without interaction with a human associate with the system or the employer. The worker is automatically scheduled for the opportunity at the specified times via a straightforward, efficient interaction with the view 530. Referring to Fig. 21B, once the user has accepted the opportunity, a view 532 displaying a confirmation of the schedule of the opportunity is displayed and the user is prompted to confirm his acceptance of the schedule.

[0121] In some examples, the user to whom the opportunity is presented is given a time limit within which to respond to the opportunity, e.g., to accept or decline the

opportunity. In some examples, the opportunity is presented concurrently to multiple users and the first user to respond with an acceptance is assigned the opportunity.

[0122] Referring to Figs. 22 and 23, in some examples, prior to the user beginning an opportunity, the user is asked to complete additional enrollment steps, such as providing information to facilitate a background check (through a view 630), information for direct deposit of pay with the user's bank (through a view 730), tax information, or other information. In some examples, one or more of these enrollments steps are completed during the registration process rather than after an opportunity has been offered to the user. In some examples, one or more of these enrollment steps is not relevant for a particular opportunity. For instance, some employers may not request a background check, or some employers may pay a user with a check rather than through direct deposit.

[0123] The ability to complete related pre-employment tasks without human intervention, such as without intervention by a human resources professional, enables the user to efficiently complete these tasks and frees human resources professionals at the employer to focus on other tasks.

[0124] Referring to Fig. 24, the user may choose to decline an opportunity, e.g., if he does not like the opportunity, if he is not available for the scheduled hours, or for another reason. If the user declines an opportunity, the user can enter an explanation of his reasons for having declined through a view 830. In some examples, the user's

explanation can be used by the system in matching the worker with future opportunities, e.g., so that future opportunities presented to the user are more likely to be accepted. For instance, if the user indicates that the opportunity is too far away, the system may update the location criteria stored in the user's record. If the user indicates that he does not want to be a ticket taker, the system may store in the user's record an indication that future ticket taker opportunities are not to be presented to that user.

[0125] Figs. 25-27 are screenshots of an example user interface with which the user can interact at the time of the opportunity. Through the user interface, the user can check into the opportunity to indicate that he has arrived and is ready to work; and check out of the opportunity to indicate that he has completed his shift. The check in and check out processes can be completed without intervention by the employer, such as without intervention by a supervisor or a human resources professional, thus freeing those professionals to focus on other tasks. In the example of Figs. 25-27, the user interface is the interface of a mobile computing device (e.g., a smartphone). In some examples, the user interface can be the display screen of another type of computing device, such as a desktop or laptop computer.

[0126] Referring to Fig. 25, at or before the scheduled time for the opportunity, a notification 930 can be presented to the user. In the example of Fig. 25, the notification 930 is a push notification that is displayed on a home screen of a mobile computing device. In some examples, the notification 930 can be a sound, a vibration, a text message, an email, an alert within a mobile application for the system, or another type of notification. In some examples, the type of notification is set by the system. In some examples, each user can specify a preference for the type of notification he would like to receive. In some examples, the user can specify a preference for the timing of the notification, such as how far in advance of the opportunity the notification is to be provided.

[0127] Referring to Fig. 26, at the time of the opportunity, the user is prompted to check into the opportunity via a view 1030. When the user checks into the opportunity, the user's status in the user database is updated to indicate that the user is present at the opportunity. In some examples, the user is enabled to check into the opportunity when his location (e.g., as determined by GPS, WiFi, or another positioning technology) matches the location of the opportunity. Location-based check-in prevents a user from checking into an opportunity before he has actually arrived on site. In some examples, the user can be automatically checked into the opportunity when his location matches the location of the opportunity.

[0128] Referring to Figs. 27A and 27B, at the end of the opportunity, the user is prompted to check out of the opportunity via a view 1130. In some examples, the user is prompted to rate his experience at the opportunity. In the example of Figs. 27A and 27B, the user is presented with two rating options: a positive rating and a negative rating. In some examples, additional rating options can be available, such as three or more rating options. In some examples, the user's rating of an opportunity can influence the future opportunities presented to the user. For instance, if the user assigns a positive rating to the opportunity (as shown in Fig. 27A), the system may be more likely to present similar opportunities to the user in the future, such as opportunities with the same employer, with the same or a related title, with the same or similar set of qualification attributes, or otherwise similar opportunities. Conversely, if the user assigns a negative rating to the opportunity (as shown in Fig. 27B), the system may be less likely to present similar opportunities to the user in the future. In some examples, if the user assigns a negative rating to the opportunity, the user is exempted from any remaining occurrences of the opportunity. For instance, if the user assigns a negative rating to an opportunity scheduled for five consecutive days, the user is exempted from any remaining days of the opportunity.

[0129] Figs. 28-30 are screenshots of an example user interface through which an employer can access information about users assigned to an opportunity offered by the employer. Through the user interface, the employer can access a list of the users scheduled to report or already reported for an opportunity and can access information about each user, such as information about a user's work or educational history, skills, certifications, tools, or ratings received for previously completed opportunities. When a user completes the opportunity, the employer is prompted to rate the user, which information can be used to assign future opportunities to the user. In the example of Figs. 28-30, the user interface is the interface of a computing device, such as a desktop or laptop computer. In some examples, the user interface can be the interface of a mobile computing device.

[0130] Referring to Fig. 28, the employer can access a list of the users assigned to the "Barista - Morning shift" opportunity through a view 1230. The view 1230 shows which assigned users have checked into or out of the opportunity. Referring to Fig. 29, the employer can select a user to view detailed information about the user through a view 1330. In some examples, the view 1330 for a given user can show information such as the user's skills and level of proficiency for each skill, previous opportunities completed by the user, the rating the user received at his previous opportunities, or other information about the user. In some examples, the view 1330 can also show information about the user's certifications and tools.

[0131] Referring again to Fig. 28, after a user checks out of an opportunity, the employer is prompted to rate the user. In the example of Fig. 28, the employer is presented with three rating options: a positive rating and a negative rating. In some examples, other numbers of rating options can be available, such as two rating options or four or more rating options. In some examples, the employer's rating of a worker can influence future opportunities presented to the user. For instance, if the employer assigns a positive rating to a user, the system may be more likely to present similar opportunities to the user in the future, such as opportunities with the same employer, with the same or a related title, with the same or similar set of qualification attributes, or otherwise similar opportunities. Conversely, if the employer assigns a negative rating to a user, the system may be less likely to present similar opportunities to the user in the future. In some examples, if the employer assigns a negative rating to the user, the user may be exempted from any remaining occurrences of the opportunity. In some examples, the user may be given the option to hire the worker as a permanent employee. If the user is hired, the user's user record can be migrated to an employer-specific system.

[0132] Referring to Figs. 30A and 30B, in some examples, a summary view for an opportunity can be available that shows qualification attributes, other attributes such as language, schedule, and location attributes, wage, and the names and in or out time of the workers hired for the opportunity. [0133] We describe here an approach to providing network resources, e.g., web pages, pages of a mobile application, etc., to a user based on attributes associated with the user. A system receives a request associated with one or more attributes and one or more criteria. Responsive to the request, the system queries a database storing user records, each user record associated with a corresponding user, to identify a user record having attributes that match the attributes associated with the received request and satisfying the criteria associated with the received request. The system provides network resources to a user associated with the identified user record, the network resources providing the user with access to information about the request. For example, the network resources provided to the user can provide the user with access to information about the request.

[0134] In some examples, the request can be a request for a user possessing one or more qualification attributes associated with an available opportunity for employment, such as skill, tool, or certification attributes. In some examples, the request can be a request for a user satisfying one or more criteria associated with the available opportunity, such as a criterion indicative of an employment affiliation of the user, a criterion indicative of a work schedule of the user, or other criteria. The database storing user records can be queried to identify a user record associated with a user possessing the one or more qualification attributes indicated by the request and satisfying the associated criteria. Network resources provided to the user associated with the identified user record can provide the user with access to information about the opportunity.

[0135] In some examples, multiple systems can provide network resources to users, e.g., based on the user's employment affiliation. The user record associated with a user can be transferred from one system to another system, e.g., responsive to a change in the user's employment status.

[0136] In some examples, an opportunity offered by a particular employer can be for a user already employed by that employer, in which case the system acts as a staffing coordinator, placing employees into shifts according to employer's scheduling needs and employee's abilities and scheduling availability. In some cases, an opportunity is restricted only to employees. In some cases, the opportunity can give first preference to employees and second preference to other users of the system, e.g., to find temporary workers if no employee is available or qualified. In some cases, the employer is part of a coalition of employers who share labor resources, and an opportunity by an employer may give first preference to its own employees, and second preference to employees of other employers in the coalition if none of its own employees are available and/or qualified. The opportunity can be restricted to only employees and coalition employees or can also be offered to non-employee users of the system, e.g., to find temporary workers if no employee or coalition employee is available and/or qualified.

[0137] In some examples, an opportunity offered by an employer can be offered only to a user of the system who is already an employee of the employer or otherwise employed by the employer, such as a contractor to the employer. For instance, the system can act as a scheduling coordinator to assign shifts to employees of a coffee shop based on the scheduling needs of the coffee shop (e.g., as represented by opportunities offered by the coffee shop through the system) and based on the availability of the employees.

[0138] In some examples, an opportunity offered by an employer can be offered to either a user of the system who is already an employee of the employer or otherwise employed by the employer or to a user of the system who is not an employee of the employer. The user to whom an opportunity is offered can be determined based on one or more rules defined by the employer. For instance, an employer may indicate that an opportunity is to be offered to a non-employee only if no qualified employee is available for the opportunity.

[0139] In some examples, an employer may belong to a coalition of employers, such as employers in a similar field and geographical location. For instance, several independent coffee shops in Brooklyn may form a coalition. An opportunity offered by one of the coffee shops in the coalition can be offered to either an employee of that coffee shop or to an employee of another one of the coffee shops in the coalition (sometimes referred to as coalition employees). The user to whom an opportunity is offered can be determined based on one or more rules defined by the employer offering the opportunity or defined by the coalition. For instance, a coalition of employers may indicate that an opportunity offered by a particular one of the employers is to be offered first to a qualified employee of the particular employer, and if no such employee is available, to a qualified coalition employee who has worked or is scheduled to work less than 20 hours during the week of the opportunity. The ability to offer opportunities to coalition employees can help employers in the coalition to find qualified workers who have direct experience in environments that the employers regard as similar, e.g., if their own workers are unavailable or would otherwise be scheduled for overtime.

[0140] Referring again to Fig. 1, the opportunity record 122 for an available opportunity 104 can include an affiliation attribute for a user to be assigned to the opportunity. For instance, the affiliation attribute can indicate whether an opportunity offered by an employer is to be assigned only to a user who is an employee of the employer, to a user who is a coalition employee, or to a non-employee user.

[0141] The opportunity record 122 for an available opportunity 104 can include rules to be applied when identifying users for the opportunity. The rules can represent business goals or rules established by the employer, such as a minimization of employees scheduled for overtime, a desire to keep employees scheduled at consistent times and on consistently staffed teams where possible, an approach to staffing openings resulting from unplanned absences, or other business goals or rules. An example rule can indicate that an opportunity offered by an employer is to be offered first to a user who is an employee of the employer, and then to a user who is a coalition employee, and then to a non-employee user. An example rule can indicate that a user may not be assigned an opportunity if doing so would cause the user to be scheduled for overtime, such as for more than 8 hours of work in the day of the opportunity or more than 40 hours of work in the week of the opportunity. An example rule can indicate that, during an unplanned absence (e.g., when an employer denotes within the system that an employee is an absent), employees, such as qualified employees of the employer or qualified coalition employees, can be notified that an opportunity is available. The party that accepts the notification first can receive the shift.

[0142] Some information stored in the opportunity record 112 for a particular opportunity 104 offered by an employer 106 can be entered by or on behalf of the employer, such as the title of the position, information about the employer, a location of the opportunity, a schedule for the opportunity, a description of the opportunity, or other information. Some information stored in the opportunity record 112 can be determined by the system 100, in conjunction with input from or on behalf of the employer. For instance, the attributes engine 130 can identify qualification attributes to be associated with the opportunity 104 and/or a level of proficiency associated with each qualification attribute based on information about the opportunity, such as based on the title of the position, as described above.

[0143] The match engine 140 identifies one or more users (e.g., the user 102) as qualified for a particular opportunity 104 based on a comparison between the qualification attributes possessed by the users 102 and the qualification attributes associated with the opportunity 104, according to any rules indicated in the opportunity record 122. For instance, to identify users for a particular opportunity 104, the match engine 140 can query the user database 110 to identify those user records having all of the qualification attributes included in the opportunity record 122 for the particular opportunity 104 and having the affiliation attribute indicated in the opportunity record 122. In some examples, the opportunity record 122 for the particular opportunity includes a level of proficiency associated with one or more of the qualification attributes, and the match engine 140 can query the user database 110 to identify those user records (e.g., record 1 12) having all of the qualification attributes included in the opportunity record 122 and having the indicated level of proficiency for each of one or more of the qualification attributes. We sometimes refer to user records (e.g., record 112) that have all of the qualification attributes included in the opportunity record 122 for a particular opportunity, having the indicated level of proficiency for each of one or more of the qualification attributes, and satisfying any rules indicated in the opportunity record 122 as user records that are matched with the opportunity record.

[0144] In some examples, the opportunity record 122 can include rules that indicate a weighting factor for one or more of the qualification attributes included in the opportunity record and/or for the affiliation attribute included in the opportunity record. The match engine 140 can apply each weighting factor indicated in the opportunity record to the respective qualification attribute and/or affiliation attribute in each user record in order to identify user records that are matched with the opportunity record. The weighting factors can enable users that possess particular qualification attributes to be identified, can help implement an employer's preference for staffing internal employees over temporary workers, or other goals. The use of a weighting factor can enable an employer to implement preference and to access skills, certifications, and/or tool proficiencies that may be available in a large labor pool even if those skills are unavailable in the employer's own labor pool.

[0145] Referring to Fig. 31, a system 10 can support both the system 100, described above, and an employer-specific system 200. The employer-specific system 200 is operated by or on behalf of a particular employer 206, and the role of the employer- specific system is to act as an internal staffing system that enables opportunities 204 offered by the employer 206 to be offered to employees 202 of the employer 206. In some examples, the employer-specific system 200 can be implemented as part of an internal communications network (e.g., an intranet) 205 of the employer 206. The opportunities 204 offered through the employer-specific system 200 are inaccessible to users 102 of the system 100, and conversely the employees 202 of the employer 206 cannot be offered opportunities 104 through the system 100. [0146] Through the employer-specific system 200, an employee 202 (e.g., a permanent or temporary employee, a contractor, or another affiliation) of the employer 206 can be provided with network resources 205 associated with an opportunity 204 associated with the employer 206. Through an interaction with the network resources 205, e.g., provided via an internal communications network of the employer 206, the user 202 can accept the opportunity 204.

[0147] The operation of the employer-specific system 200 is generally similar to that of the system 100, described above. The employer-specific system 200 is implemented by a server 201 that is operated by or on behalf of the employer 206. The server 201 can access a user database 210 that stores a user record 212 for each employee 202. The user database 210 can be separate from the user database 110 that forms part of the system 100. The user records 202 can include information such as the information included in the user records 1 12, described above. For instance, the user record 212 for an employee 202 can include biographical information about the employee, work history or educational history information, employee preferences such as location preferences or schedule preferences, or other information. The employee record 212 can include qualification attributes (e.g., skill, certification, and/or tool attributes) possessed by the employee and/or a level of proficiency associated with each qualification attribute.

[0148] In some examples, the qualification attributes and/or level of proficiency for each qualification attribute can be determined by an attributes engine 230 that queries an attributes database 232 that is specific to the system 250 in order to identify potential attributes possessed by an employee. For instance, the attributes database 232 can include job title records 234, each of which includes a job title for a position with the employer 206 and a list of one or more qualification attributes associated with the job title. An attributes database 232 that is specific to the system 250 can enable the employer 206 to define job titles and associated qualification attributes that reflect the qualification attributes that a person is likely to have acquired when working in a position with a particular job title at the employer 206. For instance, the employer 206 can create a job title record 234 for an uncommon job title (e.g., "Cocktail Experience Manager") that would otherwise be unavailable in the general attributes database 132 of the system 100.

[0149] In some examples, the attributes engine 230 can query the attributes database 132 that is part of the system 100. By querying the attributes database 132, the attributes engine 230 can gain access to job title records 134 for common job titles or for job title records 134 that have been accumulated based on the system 100's analysis of large numbers of user records 112 from the general public. In some examples, the attributes engine 230 queries both the attributes database 132 and the attributes database 232.

[0150] The employer-specific system 200 includes an opportunity database 220 that stores an opportunity record 222 for each available opportunity 204 offered by the employer 206. The opportunity records 222 can include information such as the information included in the opportunity records 122, described above. For instance, the opportunity record 222 for an opportunity 204 can include the title of the position represented by the opportunity, qualification attributes (e.g., skill, certification, and/or tool attributes) associated with the opportunity, a level of proficiency associated with each qualification attribute, a location attribute for the opportunity, a schedule attribute for the opportunity, a description of the opportunity, or other information. In some examples, the qualification attribute and/or level of proficiency for each qualification attribute can be determined by the attributes engine, e.g., by querying one or more of the attributes database 132 and the attributes database 232.

[0151] A match engine 240 identifies one or more employees (e.g., the employee 202) as qualified for a particular opportunity 204 based on a match between the qualification attributes possessed by the users and the qualification attributes associated with the opportunity 204. The match engine 240 can also identify users based on other information, for instance, by identifying user records having location or schedule attributes that are consistent with the location or schedule attributes for the opportunity. The match engine 240 can apply any rules indicated in the opportunity record 222 for the opportunity in order to identify qualified employees that satisfy the employer's business goals or objectives.

[0152] A network resource engine 250 renders a network resource, such as a web page or a page of a mobile application, for presentation to one or more of the employees 202 whose employee record (e.g., record 212) was identified by the match engine 240. The network resource can include information about the opportunity 204. Through the network resource, the one or more employees 202 are prompted to respond to accept or decline the opportunity 204. When an acceptance is received from an employee 204, the employee record 212 for the employee 204 is updated to reflect that the employee 204 is assigned to the opportunity 204. If an employee declines the opportunity, the opportunity can be presented to another employee.

[0153] The employer-specific system 200 enables the employer 206 to utilize his labor resources efficiently, for instance, by scheduling qualified employees for shifts in which the employees are available while minimizing the amount of overtime work undertaken by the labor force. The scheduling and staffing capabilities of the employer-specific system 200 can provide a manager with free time to devote to other tasks.

[0154] In some examples, the employer-specific system 200 can be utilized as a career development system for employees. For instance, an employee can view ratings received from managers or supervisors, e.g., to help the employee understand his strengths and weaknesses. The employee can access a list of internal positions for which he is qualified, e.g., based on a match between the qualification attributes in the employee's user record and the qualification attributes of the internal positions. The employee can access a list of internal positions for which he is almost qualified, e.g., positions for which the employee lacks one or more qualification attributes. The employee can access information about projects and/or trainings that can help the employee to gain qualifications that would help him become qualified for one or more additional internal positions.

[0155] In some examples, the employer-specific system 200 can be utilized as an employee management system, e.g., to allow a supervisor can view user records for the employees she supervises. For instance, the user record for each employee can include a group attribute indicative of an internal group to which the employee belongs, such as a corporate division, a practice group, a group of employees sharing the same manager, or another type of group. A supervisor for a group can access the user records for all of the employees in the group. For instance, the user record for a supervisor can include a group attribute indicative of the internal group to which the supervisor belongs and a role attribute indicative of the user's role as supervisor. The presence and/or value of the role attribute enables the supervisor to view and/or edit the user records sharing the same value for the group attribute.

[0156] In some examples, the supervisor can view ratings received by the employees, e.g., enabling the supervisor to monitor employee performance. The supervisor can access a list of internal positions for which an employee is qualified, e.g., enabling the supervisor to encourage the employee to take on a new project or work with a new internal group. The supervisor can access a list of internal positions for which an employee is almost qualified, e.g., for which the employee lacks one or more

qualification attributes. Access to this information can enable the supervisor to encourage the employee's career development, e.g., to prompt the employee to take on projects or attend trainings that would help the employee gain qualifications that would help with her career progression. [0157] In some examples, the employer-specific system 200 can be utilized to facilitate internal staffing, e.g., for internal opportunities or projects. Using a search interface of the employer-specific system 200, a hiring manager, project manager, or other user can search for internal employees having specific qualifications, such as skills, certifications, or tool proficiencies. When a search is initiated for a particular set of qualifications, an opportunity record having the desired qualification attributes is created. Internal user records having qualification attributes that match the qualification attributes of the opportunity record are identified, e.g., as described above. This internal search capability allows internal expertise to be effectively leveraged, e.g., by making employee's skill sets accessible to managers throughout the company.

[0158] Referring to the example of Fig. 31, although the user 102a is qualified for the opportunity 104a, the user 102a may still be subject to affiliation rules or other rules associated with the opportunity. In an example, if the user 102a is a coalition employee but not an employee of the employer offering the opportunity 104a. If the opportunity is to be offered first to employees of the employer who possess two out of the three qualification attributes associated with the opportunity, then the user 102a may not be offered the opportunity despite being qualified for the opportunity. In an example, if the user 102a has already been scheduled to work 40 hours in the week of the opportunity, then the user 102a may not be offered the opportunity even if the user is the most qualified for the opportunity.

[0159] Referring to Fig. 32, in an example process, an opportunity associated with one or more skills is offered for a position with an employer (340). The opportunity can also be associated with one or more rules, such as rules indicative of an affiliation, rules indicative of scheduling management (e.g., overtime management), or other rules. For instance, in the example of Fig. 31 , the opportunity for a Title B position offered by an employer is associated with the qualification attributes X, Y, and J and is associated with an affiliation attribute indicating that the opportunity can be offered only to employees of the employer. A query is undertaken to identify users in the system who satisfy the rules associated with the opportunity (e.g., users who are employees of the employer) and who possess the qualification attributes associated with the opportunity (342). For instance, the user database is queried to identify user records that include qualification attributes matching those associated with the opportunity. The user database can also be queried on other attributes (344), such as location or schedule attributes, to identify user records that are suited for the opportunity. The opportunity is offered to one or more of the users whose user record is identified by the query or queries (346). [0160] Figs. 33-36 are screenshots of an internal resource management system implemented for employee career development.

[0161] Referring to Fig. 33A, a user can view a list 540 of internal positions and a list 542 of external positions held. Through these positions, the user may have accumulated qualifications. Referring also to Fig. 34, the user can access a list of skills associated with one of these internal positions (in the example of Fig. 34, the "Lead Designer" position) to access a list 544 of the qualification attributes for the position that the user possesses. The user can also view and/or edit his level of proficiency for each of the qualification attributes, e.g., as previously entered by the user or by a supervisor or manager. In some cases, e.g., for the skill "Draw detailed or technical illustrations" 546, the user can access a list of tools associated with the skill, e.g., to view and/or edit tools at which he is proficient.

[0162] Referring now to Figs. 33A and 33B, the user can view a list 548 of internal positions for which he is qualified. These positions are identified based on a match between the user's qualification attributes and the qualification attributes of the positions. Presenting the user with a list of positions for which he is qualified enables the user to explore internal opportunities, e.g., opportunities he may not have otherwise been aware of.

[0163] The user can also view a list 550 of internal positions for which he is nearly qualified for. A position for which the user is nearly qualified is a position for which the user possesses most, but not all, of the qualification attributes associated with the position. Referring also to Fig. 35, the user can access a list 552 of qualification attributes associated with one of these internal positions (in the example of Fig. 35, the "Art Director" position). The user can indicate if he possesses any of these qualification attributes. Referring again to Figs. 33A and 33B, the user is also presented with a list 554 of training opportunities that can enable the user to acquire one or more qualification attributes, e.g., to help the user qualify for additional internal positions.

[0164] The user can also view a list 556 of employees the user supervises. Referring also to Fig. 36, for each employee, the user can access a list 558 of the employee's previously held internal and external positions and lists 560 of positions for which the employee is qualified and/or nearly qualified. The user can also be prompted 562 to rate the employee's proficiency in one or more skills associated with the employee's current position. [0165] Figs. 37-38 are screenshots of an internal resource management system implemented for internal staffing. A user, such as a project manager or a hiring manager, can create a position 940 and identify one or more desired qualifications 942 for the position. A list 944 of qualified candidates can be displayed to the user. The qualified candidates can be internal candidates and/or external candidates, e.g., depending on user preferences. The user can select one of the qualified candidates to view additional information about the candidate, such as the candidates current and/or previous positions, the candidate's qualifications, ratings, or other information. The use of the system for internal staffing enables a hiring manager or project manager to become aware of employees who are well suited to a project even if the manager may not necessarily have previously come into contact with these employees, thus facilitating the efficient use of employee qualifications within the company.

[0166] In some examples, a user 102 of the public system 100 may be hired as an employee (e.g., a full time or part time permanent employee, a contractor, or another type of employee) of the employer 206 of the employer-specific system 200. For instance, the user 102 may have previously completed an opportunity 104 at the employer 206 that had been offered through the public system 100, and performed well enough to have been offered a permanent position at the employer 206.

[0167] The system 10 can enable the transfer of the data stored in the user's user record 112 in the public system to a new user record 212 for the user in the employer-specific system 200. By transferring these data, any information accumulated about the user during the user's participation with the system 100 can be retained, thus enabling the user to be matched in the future with appropriate opportunities 204 offered through the employer-specific system 200. For instance, any qualification attributes included in the user's user record 1 12 can be transferred to the new user record 212, thus saving the user from having to undergo a new enrollment process in which he indicates the qualification attributes (e.g., skill, certification, and/or tool attributes) he possesses. User preferences, such as location or schedule attributes, can also be transferred from the user record 1 12 in the system 100 to the new user record 212 in the system 200, such that the user can be offered opportunities 204 through the system for which he is available.

[0168] The system includes a transfer engine 50 that can implement the transfer of information from the user record 1 12 into a new user record 212 in the system 200. The transfer engine retrieves information from the user record 112 stored in the user database 110 and stores the information in a temporary storage, such as a table 52. The transfer engine 50 also retrieves information about a record format of a new user record 212 created for the user in the user database 210 of the employer-specific system 200. The transfer engine 50 can format the information stored in the table 52 into a format that is compatible with the record format of the new user record 212. The transfer engine 50 can then provide the formatted information from the table 52 to the system 200, where the information is stored into the new user record 212.

[0169] In some examples, the record format for the new user record 212 can include one or more fields that are not present in the user record 112 from the system 100. In some cases, the transfer engine 50 can prompt the user for information to complete these fields. In some cases, these fields can be left empty.

[0170] In some examples, the employer-specific system 200 may have proprietary information, such as proprietary qualification attributes, that do not necessarily correspond to the attributes used in the system 100 (e.g., the qualification attributes stored in the attributes database 132). In some cases, the transfer engine 50 can identify one or more proprietary qualification attributes corresponding to each of the qualification attributes included in the user record 112. For instance, the transfer engine 50 can refer to data, such as a table, that maps correspondences between the proprietary qualification attributes of the employer-specific system 200 and the qualification attributes of the public system 100. In some cases, the transfer engine 50 can identify one or more proprietary qualification attributes that are similar to each of the qualification attributes included in the user record 112. In some examples, the transfer engine 50 can present the identified proprietary qualification attributes to the user 102, to the employer 206, or both, for confirmation, prior to providing the identified proprietary qualification attributes for storage in the new user record 212.

[0171] In some examples, information from a user record (e.g., record 212) in the employer-specific system 200 can be transferred to the public system 100. In some examples, information from a user record (e.g., record 212) in the employer-specific system 200 can be transferred to a different employer-specific system operated by or on behalf of a different employer.

[0172] Referring to Fig. 39, in an example process, a request to transfer a user record for a user from a first system (e.g., a public system) to a second system (e.g., an employer- specific system) is received (380). For instance, the request can be made because the user is or will become an employee of the employer associated with the employer-specific system. Information from the user record in the first system is retrieved and stored in a temporary storage (382), such as a table. Information indicative of a record format of user records in the second system is retrieved (384). In some examples, the user can be prompted to provide additional information that is indicated in the record format of the user records in the second system, but that is not included in the information retrieved from the user record (386). The additional information is stored in the temporary storage. In some examples, proprietary qualification attributes in the second system are identified that correspond to the qualification attributes from the user record in the first system (388) and stored in the temporary storage. The information stored in the temporary storage, including any additional information provided by the user and any identified proprietary qualification attributes, is formatted according to the record format of the user records in the second system (390). The formatted information is provided to the second system for storage in a new user record for the user (392).

[0173] Other implementations are also within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request associated with a first attribute, the request representative of an opportunity for employment, the attribute representative of a qualification associated with the opportunity for employment; querying a database to identify a record including a second attribute satisfying the first attribute associated with the request, the second attribute included in the record having been determined based on other information in the record; and

serving, to a computing device operated by a user associated with the identified record, a network resource providing the user with access to information about the request.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising updating a table to include a representation of the identified record.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising updating a data storage to include an identifier of the identified record.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising updating a data storage to include a reference to the identified record.

5. The method of claim 1, in which the second attribute is the same as the first attribute.

6. The method of claim 1, in which the second attribute is different from the first attribute, and in which identifying the record includes querying an attribute database to determine that the second attribute is related to the first attribute.

7. The method of claim 1, in which the request is associated with an opportunity record, in which the first attribute associated with the request is included in the opportunity record.

8. The method of claim 1, in which the first attribute is associated with a first level, and in which querying the database includes querying the database to identify a record in which a second level associated with the second attribute matches the first level associated with the first attribute.

9. The method of claim 1 , in which the request is associated with multiple first attributes, each first attribute having a respective weighting factor.

10. The method of claim 9, in which querying the database to identify a record includes identifying a record having second attributes satisfying the first attributes subject to the respective weighting factors of the first attributes.

11. The method of claim 9, comprising determining a score for the record based on the second attributes and respective weighting factors, and in which identifying the record comprising determining that the record has a score higher than a threshold score.

12. The method of claim 9, comprising determining a score for each of multiple records based on the second attributes and respective weighting factors of each of the multiple records, and in which identifying a record comprising identifying the record having the highest score.

13. The method of claim 1, comprising:

querying the database to identify a second record, the second record not having a second attribute that satisfies the first attribute; and

serving, to a computing device operated by a user associated with the identified record, a network resource providing the user with access to information to obtain the second attribute that satisfies the first attribute.

14. The method of claim 1, in which first attribute comprises one or more of a skill attribute, a certification attribute, and a tool attribute.

15. The method of claim 1, the second attribute included in the record having been determined based on a job title included in the record.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for causing a computing system to:

receive a request associated with one or more attributes, the request representative of an opportunity for employment, each attribute representative of a qualification associated with the opportunity for employment;

query a database to identify a record including the one or more attributes

associated with the request, the one or more attributes included in the record having been determined based on other information in the record; and

serve, to a computing device operated by a user associated with the identified record, a network resource providing the user with access to information about the request.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, the instructions causing the computing system to update a table to include a representation of the identified record.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, the instructions causing the computing system to update a data storage to include an identifier of the identified record.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, the instructions causing the computing system to update a data storage to include a reference to the identified record.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, in which the second attribute is the same as the first attribute.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, in which the second attribute is different from the first attribute, and in which identifying the record includes querying an attribute database to determine that the second attribute is related to the first attribute.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, in which the request is associated with an opportunity record, in which the first attribute associated with the request is included in the opportunity record.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, in which the first attribute is associated with a first level, and in which querying the database includes querying the database to identify a record in which a second level associated with the second attribute matches the first level associated with the first attribute.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, in which the request is associated with multiple first attributes, each first attribute having a respective weighting factor.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 24, in which querying the database to identify a record includes identifying a record having second attributes satisfying the first attributes subject to the respective weighting factors of the first attributes.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 24, the instructions causing the computing system to determine a score for the record based on the second attributes and respective weighting factors, and in which identifying the record comprising determining that the record has a score higher than a threshold score.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 24, the instructions causing the computing system to determine a score for each of multiple records based on the second attributes and respective weighting factors of each of the multiple records, and in which identifying a record comprising identifying the record having the highest score.

28. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, the instructions causing the computing system to:

query the database to identify a second record, the second record not having a second attribute that satisfies the first attribute; and

serve, to a computing device operated by a user associated with the identified record, a network resource providing the user with access to information to obtain the second attribute that satisfies the first attribute.

29. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, in which first attribute comprises one or more of a skill attribute, a certification attribute, and a tool attribute.

30. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, the second attribute included in the record having been determined based on a job title included in the record.

31. A method comprising :

receiving a request associated with a first attribute, the request representative of an opportunity for employment;

querying a database to identify a record including a second attribute satisfying the first attribute associated with the request;

serving, to a computing device operated by a user associated with the identified record, a network resource providing the user with access to information about the request; and

responsive to user interaction with the network resource, updating the identified record to indicate a relationship between the identified record and a record associated with the received request representative of the opportunity for employment.

32. The method of claim 31, comprising updating the record associated with the received request to indicate the relationship between the identified record and the record associated with the received request.

33. The method of claim 31, comprising: querying the database to identify multiple records each including a second attribute satisfying the first attribute; and

serving, to multiple computing devices each operated by a user associated with one of the identified multiple records, the network resource.

34. The method of claim 33, comprising serving the network resource to the multiple computing devices concurrently.

35. The method of claim 34, in which updating the identified record comprises updating the record associated with a first user to interact with the network resource.

36. The method of claim 33, comprising serving the network resource to multiple computing devices sequentially.

37. The method of claim 36, comprising serving the network resource to the multiple computing devices in an order based on a ranking of user records for the users operating the multiple computing devices.

38. The method of claim 37, in which the ranking of the user records is based on a score indicative of the second attribute of each record satisfying the first attribute.

39. The method of claim 36, in which serving the network resource comprises; serving the network resource to a first computing device; and

after a predefined amount of time, serving the network resource to a second computing device.

40. The method of claim 39, in which updating the identified record comprises updating the record associated with a user operating the second computing device.

41. The method of claim 36, in which serving the network resource comprises: serving the network resource to a first computing device; responsive to user interaction with the network resource, serving the network resource to a second computing device.

42. The method of claim 41, in which updating the identified record comprises updating the record associated with a user operating the second computing device.

43. The method of claim 41, in which the record associated with the received request includes multiple portion attributes, and in which the user interaction with the network resource includes a selection of one or more of the multiple portion attributes.

44. The method of claim 43, including updating the record associated with the received request to indicate a relationship between the identified record and the selected one or more portions attributes.

45. The method of claim 44, comprising updating the record associated with the received request to indicate a relationship between a second identified record and one or more other portion attributes.

46. The method of claim 31, comprising updating a table to include a representation of the identified record.

47. The method of claim 31 , comprising updating a data storage to include one or more of an identifier of the identified record and a reference to the identified record.

48. The method of claim 31, in which the second attribute is the same as the first attribute.

49. The method of claim 31 , in which the second attribute is different from the first attribute, and in which identifying the record includes querying an attributes database to determine that the second attribute is related to the first attribute.

50. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for causing a computing system to: receive a request associated with a first attribute, the request representative of an opportunity for employment;

query a database to identify a record including a second attribute satisfying the first attribute associated with the request;

serve, to a computing device operated by a user associated with the identified record, a network resource providing the user with access to information about the request; and

responsive to user interaction with the network resource, update the identified record to indicate a relationship between the identified record and a record associated with the received request representative of the opportunity for employment.

51. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 50, the instructions causing the computing system to update the record associated with the received request to indicate the relationship between the identified record and the record associated with the received request.

52. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 50, the instructions causing the computing system to:

query the database to identify multiple records each including a second attribute satisfying the first attribute; and

serve, to multiple computing devices each operated by a user associated with one of the identified multiple records, the network resource.

53. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 52, the instructions causing the computing system to serve the network resource to the multiple computing devices concurrently.

54. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 53, in which updating the identified record comprises updating the record associated with a first user to interact with the network resource.

55. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 52, the instructions causing the computing system to serve the network resource to multiple computing devices sequentially.

56. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 55, in which serving the network resource comprises;

serving the network resource to a first computing device; and

after a predefined amount of time, serving the network resource to a second

computing device; and

in which updating the identified record comprises updating the record associated with a user operating the second computing device.

57. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 55, in which serving the network resource comprises:

serving the network resource to a first computing device;

responsive to user interaction with the network resource, serving the network resource to a second computing device; and

58. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 50, in which the record associated with the received request includes multiple portion attributes, and in which the user interaction with the network resource includes a selection of one or more of the multiple portion attributes.

59. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 58, the instructions causing the computing system to update the record associated with the received request to indicate a relationship between the identified record and the selected one or more portions attributes.

60. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 59, the instructions causing the computing system to update the record associated with the received request to indicate a relationship between a second identified record and one or more other portion attributes.

61. A method comprising :

receiving a request associated with a first attribute and a criterion, the request representative of an opportunity for employment, each first attribute representative of a qualification associated with the opportunity for employment, the criterion representative of a target affiliation;

querying a database to identify a record including a second attribute satisfying the first attribute associated with the request and including a third attribute satisfying the criterion associated with the request, the first attribute included in the record having been determined based on other information in the record; and

62. The method of claim 61, comprising updating a table to include a representation of the identified record.

63. The method of claim 61, comprising updating a data storage to include an identifier of the identified record.

64. The method of claim 61, comprising updating a data storage to include a reference to the identified record.

65. The method of claim 61, in which the criterion is representative of an employer.

66. The method of claim 61, in which the criterion is representative of a coalition of employers.

67. The method of claim 61, in which the criterion is representative of a first target affiliation and a second target affiliation, and in which querying the database includes: querying the database to identify a record for which the third attribute matching the first target affiliation; and

if no record including a third attribute matching the first target affiliation is

identified, querying the database to identify a record for which the third attribute matches the second target affiliation.

The method of claim 61, comprising:

querying the database to identify a second record associated with a second request representative of a second opportunity for employment, the second record including a third attribute satisfying the criterion, the second record not including an attribute satisfying the first attribute; and

serving, to the computing device, a network resource providing the user with access to information about the second request.

The method of claim 68, comprising:

identifying a training opportunity associated with an attribute satisfying the first attribute; and

serving, to the computing device, a network resource providing the user with access to information about the training opportunity.

70. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for causing a computing system to:

receive a request associated with a first attribute and a criterion, the request

representative of an opportunity for employment, each first attribute representative of a qualification associated with the opportunity for employment, the criterion representative of a target affiliation; query a database to identify a record including a second attribute satisfying the first attribute associated with the request and including a third attribute satisfying the criterion associated with the request, the first attribute included in the record having been determined based on other information in the record; and

71. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 70, the instructions causing the computing system to update a table to include a representation of the identified record.

72. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 70, the instructions causing the computing system to update a data storage to include an identifier of the identified record.

73. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 70, the instructions causing the computing system to update a data storage to include a reference to the identified record.

74. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 70, in which the criterion is representative of a first target affiliation and a second target affiliation, and in which querying the database includes:

querying the database to identify a record for which the third attribute matching the first target affiliation; and

if no record including a third attribute matching the first target affiliation is identified, querying the database to identify a record for which the third attribute matches the second target affiliation.

75. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 70, the instructions causing the computing system to: query the database to identify a second record associated with a second request representative of a second opportunity for employment, the second record including a third attribute satisfying the criterion, the second record not including an attribute satisfying the first attribute; and

serve, to the computing device, a network resource providing the user with access to information about the second request.

The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 75, the instructions g the computing system to:

identify a training opportunity associated with an attribute satisfying the first attribute; and

serve, to the computing device, a network resource providing the user with access to information about the training opportunity.

A method comprising:

receiving, from a computing device associated with a first user, a request to

access a second user record of a second user, the second user record including a group attribute and a qualification attribute;

determining that a first user record of the first user includes a role attribute

sufficient to permit access to the second user record, and determining that the group attribute of the first user record satisfies a group attribute of the second user record;

based on the determining, serving, to the computing device associated with the first user, a network resource providing the first user with access to the second user record;

querying a database to identify an opportunity record including a qualification attribute, the qualification attribute of the second user record satisfying the qualification attribute of the opportunity record; and

serving, to the computing device associated with the first user, a network resource providing the first user with access to the opportunity record.

78. The method of claim 77, comprising querying the database to identify a second opportunity record including a qualification attribute, the qualification attribute of the second user record not satisfying the qualification attribute of the opportunity record.

79. The method of claim 78, comprising service, to the computing device associated with the first user, a network resource providing the first user with access to the second opportunity record.

80. The method of claim 78, comprising serving, to the computing device associated with the first user, a network resource providing the first user with access to information about a training opportunity associated with an attribute satisfying the qualification attribute of the second opportunity record.

81. A method comprising :

receiving a request for transfer of information associated with a user from a first computing system to a second computing system;

retrieving information stored in an existing user record for the user in the first computing system;

retrieving information indicative of a record format of user records in the second computing system;

formatting the retrieved information according to the record format of the user records in the second computing system; and

providing the formatted information to the second computing system, the

formatted information for storage in a second user record for the user in the second computing system.

82. The method of claim 81, in which retrieving the information stored in the existing user record comprises storing the retrieved information in a table.

83. The method of claim 82, in which formatting the retrieved information comprises formatting the information stored in the table.

84. The method of claim 81, in which formatting the retrieved information comprises identifying a field indicated by the record format that is not present in the existing user record.

85. The method of claim 84, comprising prompting the user for data for the identified field.

86. The method of claim 81, in which formatting the retrieved information comprises identifying a second attribute of the record format that corresponds to a first attribute of the existing user record.

87. The method of claim 86, in which identifying the second attribute comprises accessing a table storing information indicative of correspondences between first attributes and second attributes.

88. The method of claim 81, in which the second computing system is operated by or on behalf of an employer.

89. The method of claim 81, in which the information stored in the existing user record comprises a qualification attribute.

90. The method of claim 81, in which the information stored in the existing user record comprises information indicative of past employment of the user.

91. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for causing a computing system to:

receive a request for transfer of information associated with a user from a first computing system to a second computing system;

retrieve information stored in an existing user record for the user in the first computing system;

retrieve information indicative of a record format of user records in the second computing system; format the retrieved information according to the record format of the user records in the second computing system; and

provide the formatted information to the second computing system, the formatted information for storage in a second user record for the user in the second computing system.

92. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 91, in which retrieving the information stored in the existing user record comprises storing the retrieved information in a table.

93. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 92, in which formatting the retrieved information comprises formatting the information stored in the table.

94. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 91, in which formatting the retrieved information comprises identifying a field indicated by the record format that is not present in the existing user record.

95. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 94, storing instructions for causing the computing system to prompt the user for data for the identified field.

96. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 91, in which formatting the retrieved information comprises identifying a second attribute of the record format that corresponds to a first attribute of the existing user record.

97. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 96, in which identifying the second attribute comprises accessing a table storing information indicative of correspondences between first attributes and second attributes.

98. A computing system comprising:

a processor and a memory, the processor and memory configured to:

receive a request for transfer of information associated with a user from a first computing system to a second computing system; retrieve information stored in an existing user record for the user in the first computing system;

retrieve information indicative of a record format of user records in the second computing system;

format the retrieved information according to the record format of the user records in the second computing system; and