Networked Insights » recruiting

Overheard during the week ending 7/16/2010

Derek Meissner — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 19:43:27 +0000

The big players are getting bigger, but we’re worried about security, privacy, and the government AND we’re getting nickel-and-dimed to death in the process.

Hello ladies. How are you? Fantastic. Does your man look like me? No. Can he smell like me? Yes. Old Spice sets the social standard.
It’s social… if you can pay. And it certainly won’t be anonymous. The Sun Chronicle is now charging to comment.
The @earlybird gets the worm. Or does it? Twitter tries to monetizing their growing traffic numbers by tweeting out deals. Will it work?
Mobile users of Facebook are taking it to the street. Facebook has 150 million mobile users, up 50% from 3 months ago.
I always feel like somebody’s watching me (but it’s my fault). Friends (and criminals, I suppose) can know your every move, but only if you let them. Geolocation is causing growing concern about security in a mobile world.
This land is your land. This land my land. However, it’s only your land if you have the proper documentation to prove you are a citizen. Despite the public’s willingness to blame immigrants for the nonexistent Arizona crime wave, most Americans are embarrassed by the nation’s “political class.”
Looking for a job? Get ready to compete with recent college grads, over-qualified applicants, and an aging population on the verge of retirement (or so they thought). Get you and your resume through the virtual front door to the person doing the hiring.

Overheard during the week ending 1/2/10

Derek Meissner — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:59:29 +0000

Social media became a part of our everyday lives in 2009. What fortunes will 2010 bring?

10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1… Happy New Year! A look back on the biggest stories involving social media in 2009.
Twitter expert wanted in 140 characters or less. E-commerce startup seeks social-media marketer that “tweets in their sleep.”
Just give it plenty of sun and occasionally add water. Social-network advertising expected to continue to grow in 2010.
What is the recipe for PR success? Blending social media with traditional media is a challenging prospect for those looking to develop media-relation campaigns.
It’s a wonderful (social-media) life. Facebook attempting to block “social-network suicide.”
There is nothing to fear but fear itself. Companies are wary about negative conversations around their products as they mull over social-media strategies.
Not everything that glitters is gold. 2009′s top social-networking mistakes to avoid in the new year.

Social Media, Meet HR

Brian Johnson — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:41:28 +0000

As the wave of social media crested over individual users and began to wash onto the beaches of business, it was unclear which business function would face the quickest erosion of tried and trusted practices. While we were eagerly using message boards and online communities to change how we maintained relationships, influenced opinions, and even found new friends, there were few early indications as to which aspect of corporate America would be the first to harness the energy and possibilities of this trend.

And the winner is… human resources. There has been no more widespread adoption of social media benefits across the enterprise than in the process of finding, recruiting, attracting, and keeping top talent. Say it ain’t so – the department that in some companies still relies on time-clocks is leading change?

You want disruptive influence? How about spending less than $200 to fill a position that would have cost $30,000 – $40,000 to fill via traditional recruiting services. Such was a recent experience using LinkedIn. This single tool has provided both enormous efficiencies in traditional hiring processes (promoting openings, finding candidates, screening applicants, checking referrals,) and massive cost savings (recruiters, job boards & newspaper ads, HR staffing). It is almost single-handedly killing the job board industry.

Then there are the social media tools that help HR stay current with salary trends. Glassdoor.com leverages the newfound willingness that people have towards sharing their pay information and general opinions about their employer. The implication for companies is twofold: 1) a quick and easy way to access highly specialized and regionalized pay data; 2) an opportunity to get a different perspective on the ever changing workplace culture. Both were difficult pieces of data to get previously.

And one of the newest trends in HR is to use social media participation itself as a qualifier for potential new hires. Brazencarreerist exists to connect companies to talented bloggers on the premise that individuals with the discipline, assertiveness, and confidence to regularly publish their opinions on the web will translate into a highly effective workforce.

So while customer service, product development, and marketing functions all are still trying to figure out where to tie-in to the social media madness, HR has found the biggest and most consistent ROI thus far. HR winning a race to be progressive?? It really is a new world.