Display Specific News and Jobs using Litework
Litework (v 3.4) now has a News Management System built-in, allowing you to organise and publish your Company's news articles. You can categorise each news item according to the job type, sector or location it refers to, which will then allow each page on your website to show relevant news (and vacancies). This not only makes each page look more interesting and focussed for your visitors, it also gives the search engines more related content on each page.
Going Live – Essential Configuration Options
If your new Litework Recruitment Website is about to go live, this is a check list of essential settings. Many of them will be configured for you but it is a good idea to double-check them to ensure that the right information is presented to clients and candidates.
1. Ensure your Contact Details are correct.
HOW?
Go into the Configuration -> Advanced Global Settings options and check / edit the details at the top on the right. They are Site Name, Site Url, Main Contact Name and Main Contact Email.
2. Customise drop-down values
HOW?
Configuration -> Manage Field Options contains many of the simpler drop-down fields.
Some of the more complex fields have their own sections under Configuration:
a) Edit Job Statuses
b) Edit Job Application Statuses
c) Edit Job Groups / Titles
d) Edit Regions / Locations
e) Edit Work Types / Salaries
f) Manage Job Sectors
3. Customise the email templates for Job Application statuses
HOW?
This is done in the same section as b) above, Edit Job Application Statuses. Each email template consists of a subject field and a body field.
The content of these will be used to construct the subject and body of emails. They may contain merge fields, e.g. #Name#, which should generally
be left alone as they will contain actual data when emails are produced. The rest of the text can be customised, such as adding your company name to
the subject as well as adding your standard company email footer at the bottom of the body.
4. Customise Welcome emails and Job Alerts if activated
HOW?
In Configuration -> Configure Emails for Registrations and Alerts. This section contains a number of subject/body templates used to produce various
system emails. Like section 3, the merge fields are dynamic so will automatically be personalised, the standard text should be customised to suit.
Going Live – Optional Configuration Options
The next article will detail the Essential Configuration Options but there are also a number of optional set-up stages that are possible within Litework to tweak the functionality of your website or to make the database more productive.
1. Rename built-in fields to suit your companies terminology - In Configuration -> Manage Built-In Fields
Many of the built-in fields can be renamed, to suit your naming conventions, e.g. CV -> Resume.
2. Add any custom fields your company wishes to capture about candidates, clients or vacancies
See here for more details
3. Tweak search page sizes, sort order, display options - Configuration ->Advanced Global Settings.
Most parameters such as for job searches on both Front-Office and Back-Office can be tweaked here.
4. Setup scheduled tasks to keep things running smoothly
There is an example here for setting up the Job Alerts task
5. Add Key Codes for CV parsing See here for more details
6. Re-arrange screens and apply across company, customising the Litework Dashboard is explained here.
7. Search Engine Friendly links. Via Configuration ->Advanced Global Settings. This option will change all links on the website such as for jobs into friendly permalinks, i.e. without parameters.
Social Bookmarking in Back-Office
Version 3.3 of Litework introduces 2 new features in 1. A preview of how your job will look when published to your website, plus the ability to post your job details directly to the social networking sites: bebo, twitter, del.icio.us, digg, facebook & reddit.
Vacancy Preview & Social Bookmarks
Sending Emails to Candidates
Below is a summary of the different types of email that may be sent to Candidates through Litework. It explains how and when to use them and how to set them up. Various merge-fields are available (see last column) which will be replaced with the data fields specified when the emails are sent out. All emails will be formatted as Plain Text or Html as specified in the advanced settings configuration section.
| Name/Type | When Sent | FROM field | Attachments | Setting Up Template | List of Merge Fields | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Welcome Email | After Cand registers or is added | System Admin | None | Configuration -> Maintenance -> Configure Emails for Registrations and Alerts |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Inactivity Email | After Cand hasn't logged in or applied for a certain period | System Admin | None | Configuration -> Maintenance -> Configure Emails for Registrations and Alerts | Same as Welcome Emails | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Job Alerts | Daily, when suitable vacancies exist and status WARM or HOT | Job Owner | None | Configuration -> Maintenance -> Configure Emails for Registrations and Alerts |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Application Processing - Sendouts, etc.. | After an application is progressed to a new stage | Active Consultant | Map to Client (Interviews only), Plus any manual attachment(s) | Configuration -> Recruitment System Configuration -> Edit Job Application Statuses |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bulk Emailing | When selected from the Candidate Search screen | Active Consultant | Any manual attachment(s) | N/A |
|
Candidate Map with Vacancies
There is now a feature in Litework Back-Office enabling you to quickly pinpoint candidates and vacancies on a map. The Candidate Profile Screen can optionally show "nearby jobs" to give a quick overview of where suitable vacancies are in relation to the Candidate's home address. The feature uses Google Maps V3 and can work across different Countries and work with even very limited information such as a County, City or Postcode.
On the screen-shot below, the red marker shows where the Candidate lives and the blue "A" markers show where the Live "Active" jobs are:
Candidate Map
Special Litework Codes/Tags for the CMS
In the Litework CMS, Page/Template Editors it is possible to insert special functionality using specific LW Codes. This is a summary of what each code does. The codes can be added to Pages and/or Templates by inserting the relevant code where you wish it to appear.
BASIC FORMS
/***LW_LOGIN***/
Will show a standard login form.
/***LW_REGISTER***/
Will show a standard registration form, except:
1. If the currently displayed page is register.php, it will show a login form instead.
2. If a candiate is logged in, then links to Candidate Options will be shown instead.
/***LW_QUICK_SEARCH***/
Displays a Default Job Search form with the following options: Keywords/Job Type, Sector, Location, Workhours, Worktype, Salary & Date Posted
/***LW_REGISTER***/
Displays a Default Candidate Registration form.
FORM COMPONENTS
/***LW_QUICK_SEARCH_KEYWORDS***/
/***LW_QUICK_SEARCH_JOBTYPE***/
/***LW_QUICK_SEARCH_SECTOR***/
/***LW_QUICK_SEARCH_LOCATION***/
/***LW_QUICK_SEARCH_REGION***/
/***LW_QUICK_SEARCH_WORKHOURS***/
/***LW_QUICK_SEARCH_WORKTYPE***/
/***LW_QUICK_SEARCH_SALARY***/
/***LW_QUICK_SEARCH_DATEPOSTED***/
These codes can be used as alternative to the Default Job Search form by specifying fields individually. Create your own form that posts to vacancysearch.php and add any of these tags to display those fields.
/***LW_REGISTER_NAME***/
/***LW_REGISTER_FIRSTNAME***/
/***LW_REGISTER_SURNAME***/
/***LW_REGISTER_WORKHOURS***/
/***LW_REGISTER_EMAIL***/
/***LW_REGISTER_TELEPHONE***/
/***LW_REGISTER_MOBILE***/
/***LW_REGISTER_STATUS***/
/***LW_REGISTER_COUNTRY***/
/***LW_REGISTER_SECTOR***/
/***LW_REGISTER_CV***/
/***LW_REGISTER_JOBALERTS***/
/***LW_REGISTER_CHECKFORM***/
These codes can be used as alternative to the Default Candidate Registration form by specifying fields individually. Create your own form that posts to register.php and add any of these tags to display those fields.
/***LW_LOGIN_EMAIL***/
/***LW_LOGIN_PASSWORD***/
These codes can be used as alternative to the Default Login form by specifying fields individually. Create your own form that posts to login.php and add any of these tags to display those fields.
PUBLIC PAGES / FEATURES
/***LW_RSS_FEED***/
Will fetch and display any RSS Feed. This tag must be inserted before and after the url of the Feed.
For example:
/***LW_RSS_FEED***/http://www.seagrasssoftware.com/rss.php/***LW_RSS_FEED***/
will display the latest Seagrass News
/***LW_FEATURED_CLIENTS***/
Displays a list of the Clients specified as "Featured", including logos if present. The actual No. shown is definable in the Configuration section.
/***LW_LATEST_JOBS***/
Displays a list of Vacancies (up to 7) matching the specified "Sector". This tag must be inserted before and after the shortname (slug) for the sector you are displaying.
For example
/***LW_LATEST_JOBS***/aerospace/***LW_LATEST_JOBS***/
will display all Aerospace vacancies.
/***LW_FEATURED_JOBTYPES***/
Displays a list of the Job Types (up to 15) that have the most Active vacancies in them.
/***LW_FEATURED_SECTORS***/
Displays a list of the Sectors (up to 15) that have the most Active vacancies in them.
/***LW_FEATURED_SECTORS_TAGCLOUD***/
Displays a Tag Cloud of the Sectors (up to 15) that have the most Active vacancies in them.
/***LW_FEATURED_REGIONS***/
Displays a list of the Regions (up to 5) that have the most Active vacancies in them.
/***LW_SHARE_THIS***/
Displays the popular "Share This" social media bar wherever this tag appears.
/***LW_SITEMAP***/
Adds an automatic Sitemap page to your website. i.e. A visual hierarchical list of all pages in the CMS.
/***LW_ROLLING_NEWS***/
Displays a scrolling News Headline ticker. News Items and Display Options are setup in Configuration -> Manage Rolling News.
/***LW_QUICK_SHORTLIST***/
Displays the Candidates "Job Basket", whilst they are applying for jobs on the Website.
/***LW_TOTAL_JOBS_CURR***/
/***LW_TOTAL_JOBS_CLIENTS_CURR***/
Display the current number of Active Jobs and Clients in the system.
/***LW_TOTAL_JOBS_LAST***/
/***LW_TOTAL_JOBS_CLIENTS_LAST***/
Display's the previous year's total number of Jobs filled (and the number of Clients involved).
/***LW_BREADCRUMB***/
Displays a Breadcrumb Trail, i.e. a Line of links from the Homepage down to the Current Page showing the visitor whereabouts in the website structure they currently are.
FEATURED JOB LISTINGS
/***LW_FEATURED_JOBS***/
Displays a list of the Active Vacancies specified as "Featured".
/***LW_FEATURED_JOBS_LOOP***/
Displays Featured Jobs but without any formatting. Instead a widget called LW_FEATURED_JOBS_ITEM is used to specify the layout of each Job.
The LW_FEATURED_JOBS_ITEM widget should contain the html for a single list item, so should start with <li>and end with</li>.
Within this any html can be used in combination with the following field codes to display a Job's details:
/***LW_VACANCY_JOBREF***/
/***LW_VACANCY_SLUGNAME***/
/***LW_VACANCY_SECTOR***/
/***LW_VACANCY_POSITION***/
/***LW_VACANCY_SALARY***/
/***LW_VACANCY_STARTDATE***/
/***LW_VACANCY_LOCATION***/
/***LW_VACANCY_SHORT_DESC***/
The normal way to implement the featured jobs is to create a widget with the code LW_FEATURED_JOBS which contains somewhere the code: <ul>/***LW_FEATURED_JOBS_LOOP***/</ul>
/***LW_FEATURED_STAR_JOB***/
Displays the single Vacancy specified as the Featured Star Job. A widget with this name can be created if you wish to add any html above/around the Featured Job.
A widget called LW_FEATURED_STAR_JOB_SECTION is used to specify the layout of this job.
The LW_FEATURED_STAR_JOB_SECTION widget can contain any of the following field codes:
/***LW_JOBITEM_POSITION***/
/***LW_JOBITEM_STARTDATE***/
/***LW_JOBITEM_DESCRIPTION***/
/***LW_JOBITEM_SECTOR***/
/***LW_JOBITEM_JOBREF***/
/***LW_JOBITEM_LOCATION***/
/***LW_JOBITEM_URL***/
VARIABLES
/***LW_WEBSITE_NAME***/
Displays the name of your Website, "Site Name" in the Advanced Configuation.
/***LW_PAGE_TITLE***/
Displays the current Page "Title" field.
/***LW_TEMPLATE_FILES***/
This tag can be used to reference any user-uploaded files. However most uploaded files such as Images, can simply be referenced using the "images" path.
For example <pre><img src="images/my_picture.jpg" /></pre> will work fine.
/***LW_PAGE_URL***/
Displays the current Page "Url".
/***LW_VACANCY_ID***/
Displays a hidden form field representing the Job a Candidate is currently Viewing/Applying for. Include this on your custom Login/Register Forms to ensure the Vacancy is remembered after logging in.
LOGGED IN PAGES / FEATURES
/***LW_CAND_STATUSCHECK***/
Usually only used on the "Logged In" Candidate Dashboard/Homepage. Displays various prompts to the Candidate as follows:
1. If Job Seeking Status is not 'HOT' display a button asking if they are still looking.
2a. If they a mid-way through a job application it shows a link to carry on the process.
or
2b. If a custom field section has been created with Candidate access enabled, a link to enter/update the information is shown.
or
2c. If the candidate has not uploaded their CV/Resume, they are asked to do it.
/***LW_CAND_NEWJOBS***/
/***LW_CAND_MSGS***/
/***LW_CAND_HISTORY***/
/***LW_CAND_INTVWS***/
Usually only used on the "Logged In" Candidate Dashboard/Homepage. Display the various lists of information for candidates.
/***LW_CLIENT_NEWJOBS***/
/***LW_CLIENT_NEWAPPS***/
/***LW_CLIENT_APPS***/
Usually only used on the "Logged In" Client Dashboard/Homepage. Display the various lists of information for clients.
/***LW_CANDIDATE_FIRSTNAME***/
If a Candidate is logged in this will display their First Name
/***LW_CLIENT_NAME***/
If a Client is logged in this will display their Name
Adding Widgets to Your Website
The Widget Editor is accessed from the Configuration -> Content Management Section ->Manage Widgets. This will present a list of any Widgets already configured with a link to add a new one.
Widgets only require 2 fields, the "Code", which must start with LW_ and the "Body".
The Code will default to LW_NEWWIDGET but it is recommended (from a maintenance point of view) to change NEWWIDGET to something that describes what the widget does, e.g. LW_LOGIN, LW_HEADER, LW_JOBLIST.
The Body field can contain any combination of html and also LW System Codes. When a webpage is displayed that contains this Widget, any LW System Codes will be replaced by the relevant functionality in the Widget Body, which will then be displayed on the page.
Once the new Widget has been saved it can be added to any Page or Template by inserting the code as a LW Tag wherever you want it to appear. E.g. /***LW_NEWWIDGET***/
Setting up the Website Navigation Menus
The Menu Editor is accessed from the Configuration -> Content Management Section ->Manage Menus. This will present a list of any Menus already configured with a link to add a new one.
When adding a new Menu, the first field is the Menu Code, which must start with LW_ . The Code will default to LW_NAVIGATION_ so all that is usually necessary is to add your own descriptor on the end of it, such as MAIN/SUB/TOP/BOTTOM or 1/2/3/4/etc...
The next fields "First Level" and "Level Count" tell the menu where to start in the Page hierarchy and how many levels to go down to. The Level of a Page is simply how low down it is from the top. So if a Page does not have a parent it is 1. If it's parent is a level 1, then the Page is a level 2, and so on. So for example for a main navigation you would normally use 1 for First Level and 1 for Level Count.
When the menu is generated on the website, it will start by displaying the contents of the "Header" field. The header would normally consist of a combination of opening "div", "ul" or "ol" tags. Correspondingly, the "Footer" field should contain matching closing tags. Between the Header and Footer the webpage will display a link to each page, surround by the contents of the "Item Start" and "Item End" fields, which will usually contain open and close "li" tags. There is also a "Styles" field where you can put css styles that control the appearance of the menu.
All the menu fields contain default values which will be suitable in the majority of cases, therefore it may just be necessary to check the value and then hit "Save".
Once the new Menu has been saved it can be added to the template by inserting the code as a LW Tag wherever you want it to appear. E.g. /***LW_NAVIGATION_MAIN***/
Adding Widgets and LW Codes to your Website
Most of the Front-Office features of Litework are automatically integrated into your website, however Litework also provides the Widgets facility and various Special Codes / Tags that enable you to further customise the layout and functionality of your recruitment website.
In the HTML for your Page or Template, a Widget or Code will look something like /***LW_MY_WIDGET***/, i.e. a slash, followed by 3 asterisks, followed by a code starting with LW_, followed by another 3 asterisks and finally a another slash. When the webpage is shown to visitors the code will be automatically replaced with some functionality - a Menu, a Widget or a System Feature/Field.
To create a Menu please see here.
To create a Widget please see here.
To see a list of System Features/Fields tied to LW Codes see here.
There are also 3 special "container" tags that have a start code and a finish code. When these are used, anything inside the 2 tags will be replaced. The functionality of the container tags works as follows:
1. To only display part of a webpage to Logged In Candidates, surround the content with /***LW_LOGGED_IN_START***/ and /***LW_LOGGED_IN_END***/
2. To display content only to Logged In Clients, surround it with /***LW_CLIENT_LOGGED_IN_START***/ and /***LW_CLIENT_LOGGED_IN_END***/
3. To display content only to visitor who are not logged in, surround it with /***LW_NOT_LOGGED_IN_START***/ and /***LW_NOT_LOGGED_IN_END***/
As a simple example, the following message on a page will vary according to who is logged in:
<div id="welcome_msg"> /***LW_LOGGED_IN_START***/You are logged in as a Candidate/***LW_LOGGED_IN_END***/ /***LW_CLIENT_LOGGED_IN_START***/You are logged in as a Client/***LW_CLIENT_LOGGED_IN_END***/ /***LW_NOT_LOGGED_IN_START***/Please login to personalise this message/***LW_NOT_LOGGED_IN_END***/ </div>