Posts

Dell and the Strategic Power of Global Mobility Management

/ /by

It’s more important than ever that companies are able to move people around the world efficiently to match skills to business needs and to build dynamic leadership pipelines — but global workforce mobility represents a huge logistical challenge for even the largest and most agile companies.

In a recent discussion with Dell, I got a glimpse into how the tech giant is harnessing technology to solve a range of key business challenges, including talent development. The talk was a fact-finding mission for our upcoming webinar hosted by Topia, a leader in global mobility management software.

Dell is really at the forefront of the challenge of getting the right people to the right places the right way. Here’s a look at how it’s making it happen.

Dell’s Transformation

For Dell, the importance of meeting the needs of a global workforce is both crystal clear and enormous.

The company’s 2016 acquisition of EMC for a record $67 billion has transformed the legacy company into a multinational technology corporation, creating a truly unique set of workforce challenges. Dell has evolved into Dell Technologies, which includes Dell, Dell EMC, Pivotal, RSA, Secureworks, VMware and Virtustream and which employs more than 135,000 people. As a large and dynamic organization, Dell is always adding to its teams.

As an organization, it is also committed to bringing all of its talent under one umbrella and unifying its many locations under one business culture. But Dell has realized it can’t have a one-size-fits-all approach to global mobility.

First, the company needs to be able to provide a great deal of flexibility to answer the needs of different subsidiaries. It also has to effectively address the needs of an incredibly diverse and distributed employee population, all with their own requirements when it comes to relocation. Finally, the company needs to stay up to speed on changing regulations in all of its locations to ensure compliance.

Global mobility management is Dell’s solution for all three of these challenges.

Making Global Mobility Work

Some of the key requirements of a large-scale global mobility management system are streamlining and making processes more efficient, taking the administrative weight off the shoulders of managers and being able to provide all the data needed to make the best decisions — in the present, in real time, and also in the future.

Fortunately, there are powerful tools that can enable these goals for any organization of any size. In my discussion with Dell, I learned that the ideal mobility software platform should:

  • Automate workflows.
  • Provide dimensional reporting.
  • Provide accurate assignment management.
  • Manage a budget.
  • Forecast future needs and costs.
  • Assist with regulatory compliance.

For employees, successful mobility management software should provide support, services, access, information, flexibility and freedom — specifically the freedom to do some of the work on their own time.

That means 24/7 support; saveable, changeable, interactive task lists; plenty of quality information and guidance; resources to answer questions; and solutions that relate to their life needs as well as work needs.

Mobility Is Talent Retention

What I find so striking about the global mobility challenge is that even though Dell is a massive corporation with immense resources, it sought the services of an outside provider. It knew this was a huge nut to crack and that it wanted its global mobility management to be as evolved and advanced as possible.

Why is this so important? As business has become more global, effective and efficient, worker mobility has become a key selling point in attracting and retaining talent. Dell positions itself as a global organization with opportunities all over the world, and if it’s not providing the best global mobility management it can, the company’s brand could take a hit. So it’s critical to get it right.

I’m looking forward to our webinar conversation about the strategic power of global mobility management, and a look at how Dell used it to solve key business challenges. I’ll be talking to Robin Clowes, head of mobility at Dell, on Jan. 24. So stay tuned. I hope you’ll join us!

 

This post is sponsored by Topia. To learn more from Topia on the talent mobility disconnect, please visit http://www.topia.com/talent-mobility-disconnect.

3 Trends Affecting Global Mobility and the Nature of Work

/ /by

In today’s dynamic and global marketplace, it’s more important than ever that organizations are agile — and they can get there by building adaptive and diverse workforces. That means companies need to be able to move people around the world efficiently to match skills to business needs and to build diverse leadership pipelines. The good news is that workers are jumping at the chance to relocate.

Global mobility enables an agile workforce. I co-founded Topia seven years ago to help companies move people more seamlessly, empower relocating employees and unlock the power of data and insight within mobility.

Agile organizations create more shareholder value because they quickly adapt to changing market conditions. Mobility plays a critical role in this through the access to a global talent pool and more efficiently moving workers into roles that engage them and maximize their skills. Workforce mobility is not some ancillary HR function aimed only at high-level executives, but is essential to every organization’s core business and future-of-work strategy.

We see three trends driving global workforce mobility and the future of work. Smart organizations already understand these dynamics and investing heavily to stay ahead of the curve.

Global Mobility Options Are Now a Must

Today’s complex, global economy makes workforce mobility more important than ever to achieve business objectives. First and foremost, mobility lets organizations access talent they otherwise would miss out on and retain top talent that is at risk of leaving for new opportunities.

We see time and time again in cities across the U.S. and the world that the type of talent you need to support specific functions within an organization may not always be readily available. You have to be flexible.

Mobility is also playing an growing role in attracting and retaining top talent necessary for an adaptive and diverse workforce. A recent survey from Topia and Wakefield Research found that mobility played a large role in persuading professionals to remain at an organization. More than 70 percent of professionals in the U.S. and U.K. said that relocating to another branch in their company would advance their careers — even if the move didn’t include a raise or promotion, the survey found.

Organizations are largely on board. Virtually all HR decision-makers (more than 99 percent) offer mobility options to their employees, the survey found. The problem, however, is that the message isn’t getting through to workers. The survey found that over 40 percent of professionals are not aware of mobility offerings within their own company.

Part of what is driving this disconnect is an approach by organizations to treat mobility as something that’s reactive and reserved for senior leadership. Mobility now has to be a constant when we’re thinking about recruiting, retaining and growing our talent.

Roles Are Evolving Almost as Fast as Technology

Increasingly rapid technology advances are changing roles across nearly every industry, and mobility will play an essential role in helping move the right people into those roles.

HR offers a good example in that it’s evolving into a more self-service function that’s more user-friendly, automated and technology-based — changes that are already the responsibilities that HR professionals deal with in their daily work.

The role of HR has now moved to be a lot more strategic versus tactical — which is a good thing — but it means that the skill set and the type of training that you’re going to employ for new HR talent or people who might have been performing more service roles would need to change.

Changing Demographics Are Reshaping the Workplace

The evolving demographics of the global workforce are creating skills shortages in certain markets and skills surpluses in others. Meanwhile, millennials want to switch jobs and roles more frequently. Both of these dynamics mean mobility will play a key role in how organizations adapt.

The Topia/Wakefield Research mobility survey explored the differences in opinions and perceptions between individuals within large organizations and leadership teams. It found that millennials and subsequent generations are much more likely to seek out global experience quickly compared with previous generations.

Younger workers are more likely to see a transfer as a career-development opportunity, which means they’re more willing to move to a new location without a promotion or pay raise.

Of those selected for transfers, millennials are more likely than other generations to have been relocated by their employer for work. This is true both in the U.S., where 54 percent have relocated at least once (compared with 43 percent for Generation X and 38 percent of baby boomers), and in the U.K., where 61 percent say the same (compared with 52 percent of Gen Xers and 43 percent of boomers.)

If they’re not offered these opportunities, they’re going to leave. The power really is in the hands of the organization, and, most acutely, in the hands of HR leaders in partnership with business leaders and managers, to be having these conversations and looking at career growth and expansion.

This post is sponsored by Topia. To learn more from Topia on the talent mobility disconnect, please visit https://www.topia.com/talent-mobility-disconnect.

#WorkTrends: The Global Workforce

/, /by

People around the world are more connected than ever before, and workers are jumping at the chance to relocate. This week on #WorkTrends we’re joined by Steve Black, co-founder of the HR tech company Topia. He shares new research about the state of the global workforce and employees’ perspective on relocating. This episode is sponsored by Topia.

Black explains how he founded the company seven years ago with CEO Brynne Kennedy, and how the business was driven by their personal frustrations as expats as well as the challenges their employers at the time faced moving people around the world.

“Thinking about mobility from a corporate perspective is really about getting the best talent in the best seat regardless of where that is in the world,” Black says.

Listen to the full conversation or read the recap below. Subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Generational Split

Black dives into a recent survey the company commissioned on mobility, exploring the differences in opinions and perceptions between individuals within large organizations and leadership teams.

Among the findings was an interesting generational split when it comes to expectations and desires regarding mobility. Specifically, millennials and subsequent generations are much more likely to seek out global experience quickly compared with previous generations.

“They’re looking at it as a career development opportunity rather than an income-generating opportunity,” he says. “They’re willing to move to a new location without a promotion or without a pay raise because they see the opportunity for career progression and growth.”

Gender Divide

Black says the survey data helped put hard numbers around workforce dynamics that had been generally recognized in the business world but not detailed. For example, the survey found that 57 percent of men over the course of their careers had an experience of mobility as part of their career, compared with 40 percent of women.

He says this divide is an important metric to explore as business moves toward more gender equity because a key criteria for representation in the C-suite and on boards of directors is often global experience.

“We’re in an interesting chicken-and-egg situation of until we solve the multi-gender splits within mobility, it’s going to continue to be a blocker and challenge down the road in terms of career progression,” he says.

Tech Solutions

Black says he’s seen organizations and their mobility teams struggle over the past decade-plus with carving out enough time to do the hands-on support, counseling and strategic planning elements of HR. The causes, he says, are often resource-intensive compliance tasks that are a part of mobility, such as manually creating documents and interacting with vendors.

“That balance has ended up with much of mobility being more of an operational function than many of the folks in it would like to be,” he says. “That’s where we’re really starting to see technology come into play and chip away at.”

Black says emerging technologies are automating mobility tasks, from assignment letters and repayments to complex cost forecasts for multi-year assignments around the globe. “You’ve eliminated hours of manual time spent gathering information and doing somewhat menial tasks,” he says. “And you’ve freed up time to counsel, support and talk to the rest of the business around outcome ability — and drive talent strategy rather than reacting to it in an operational way.”

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Thank you to Topia for sponsoring this episode of #WorkTrends.

Let’s continue the conversation. Join us on Twitter (#WorkTrends) for our weekly chat on Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m. Eastern, 10:30 a.m. Pacific, or anywhere in the world you are joining from to discuss this topic and more.

Reinventing Talent Management

/2 Comments/ /by

It’s time for companies to enhance their internal talent management programs with a healthy dose of mobility insight! Mobility – the practice of managing domestic or global assignments so that a company has the right talent in place, where and when the placement will be most effective – is growing in importance to fulfill business strategy. Those companies who couple mobility expertise with human resource management methodologies and systems are cutting a new global workforce path for the long term.

Here’s today’s talent scenario: Increased global opportunity and expansion are straining an already tight workforce. Companies doing business around the world struggle with skills gaps and regional talent shortages. Some professions, like those under the STEM (sciences, technology, engineering and math) banner, are experiencing an alarming scarcity of candidates. These issues are some of the most pressing for CEOs concerned with solidifying and growing their global footprint, but they’re not the only challenges. There’s also a need for advanced talent analytics – using statistical analytics to actively identify and solve business issues, centralize staff and integrate data – and predictive analytics, where they can project models and engage in business and workforce scenario planning. Country to country, demographics tell us that the talent shortage will continue for years to come, but we are learning more about how companies can increase their appeal and source talent more effectively.

One of the change agents in HR and mobility innovation is increasingly sophisticated technology. The addition of automation in job search marketing, talent sourcing, communications and outreach is one of the fundamental ways to create engagement and inform potential employees about one’s global brand. Mobile apps are surfacing as a primary interface for many HR-related systems; analytics that come from effective use of big data shed light on employee effectiveness, retention and recruiting; and leadership and performance assessment tools aid in succession planning.

There is powerful and positive change in the making – global employers have learned lessons about recruiting and retention at a dizzying rate in recent years. But there still is a significant disconnect that my industry hopes to influence through our talent management work. Bersin by Deloitte notes that though 75 percent of companies say they’ll increase their mobile workforce, only two percent think they have an exceptional mobility function. Over the last 30 years, HR has moved from operating as a personnel department to more strategic HR, and now is navigating waters that include integrated talent management, steering toward business-integrated HR. The majority of companies, says Bersin, are still fixed in an “operational reporting” phase (where they are more reactive, and their focus is on such issues as data, compliance, consistency, and timeliness) or an “advanced reporting” phase (where they are a bit more proactive and incorporate more decision-making, trend and benchmarking analysis. The goal? To get companies to these top levels, which not quite 30% of employers have reached: “managed talent relationships” (where companies have an analytics-rich, clear talent strategy) or an “inclusive talent system” (where we find fully developed and integrated talent activities aligned to desired strategic outcomes).

Fortunately, the world’s talent pool has never been more mobile, and we see that trend continuing. Most young professionals believe they will have global assignments throughout their careers – that’s an essential characteristic of this group, because they are the next wave of leaders. It’s important, in this environment, for companies to be able to segment talent and identify their top employees; to learn who their emerging leaders are, and where they have employees with the highest potential or exceptional performance track records.  Mobility professionals can help companies position for these needs by aligning with their human resources counterparts in the collective goal to empower HR with mobility knowledge.

Photo Credit: philippineoutsourcers via Compfight cc

#WorkTrends Recap: Mobility: The Changing Workforce

/ /by

The business economy is strong and companies are experiencing rapid growth as a result. That often means expansion into new regions and the need to develop a current workforce to fit those needs, as well as the need to recruit additional talent. These things are made more challenging by the fact that competition for skills today is at its highest. And that’s where technology in general, and mobility in particular, comes in. Companies who focus on mobility as part of their talent strategies are positioning themselves to see the most growth, performance, leadership development, talent acquisition, and talent retention.

On this week’s #WorkTrends show, we talked to Peggy Smith, CEO of Worldwide ERC, the premier global professional membership association for workforce mobility. Peggy discussed how mobility is changing our workforce.

Here are a few key points Peggy shared:

  • Millennials are productive disrupters who are improving the workforce.
  • We live in a customized world and need to deliver customized experiences in the workforce and beyond.
  • People are having global experiences more often today and at younger ages than ever before—understanding that, and adapting it into your culture and operations are keys to success.

You can listen to the #WorkTrends podcast on our BlogTalk Radio channel here.

You can also check out the highlights of the conversation from our Storify here:

Missed this week’s #WorkTrends show? Don’t worry, you can tune in and participate in the chat with us every Wednesday from 1-2pm ET (10-11am PT). Next Wednesday, June 1, we will be joined by the founder of Nimble at Work, Roger Panetta, to discuss how to elicit great performance from your employees.

The TalentCulture #WorkTrends conversation continues every day across several social media channels. Stay up-to-date by following the #WorkTrends Twitter stream; pop into our LinkedIn group to interact with other members; or check out our Google+ community. Engage with us any time on our social networks, or stay current with trending World of Work topics on our website or through our weekly email newsletter.

Photo Credit: Plantronics PR via Compfight cc

#WorkTrends Preview: Mobility: The Changing Workforce

/ /by

Growth is happening on the global front at a dizzying pace, even in the current economy. Companies are expanding into or within regions where they need to build their workforce quickly and efficiently. Often, that means moving talent to the place it’s most needed, and this must happen at a time when competition for skills is highest. Companies that focus on mobility as part of their talent strategy will see the most growth, performance, leadership development and retention.

On next week’s #WorkTrends show we are excited to talk to Peggy Smith, CEO of Worldwide ERC, the premier global professional membership association for workforce mobility. Peggy is going to discuss how mobility is changing our workforce.

We also look forward to discussing:

  • How to build a comprehensive, future-focused talent strategy
  • The changing needs of employees with GenZ and Millennials poised for breakout influence and leadership
  • New iterations of communication, technology and tools
  • Offering employees choices, including customization, global experiences, and dynamic career path possibilities

Mobility: The Changing Workforce

#WorkTrends Logo Design

Tune in to our LIVE online podcast Wednesday, May 25 — 1 pm ET / 10 am PT

Join TalentCulture #WorkTrends Host Meghan M Biro and guest Peggy Smith as they discuss mobility and it’s affect on our workplace.

#WorkTrends on Twitter — Wednesday, May 25 — 1:30 pm ET / 10:30 am PT

Immediately following the podcast, the team invites the TalentCulture community over to the #WorkTrends Twitter stream to continue the discussion. We encourage everyone with a Twitter account to participate as we gather for a dynamic live chat, focused on these related questions:

Q1: How has mobility changed the face and pace of the workforce? #WorkTrends (Tweet the question)

Q2: What are the positive effects of a talent mobility strategy? #WorkTrends (Tweet the question)

Q3: How can mobility open up dynamic career paths? #WorkTrends (Tweet the question)

Don’t want to wait until next Wednesday to join the conversation? You don’t have to. We invite you to check out the #WorkTrends Twitter feed, our TalentCulture World of Work Community, LinkedIn group, and in our TalentCulture G+ community. Feel free to drop by anytime and share your questions, ideas and opinions. See you there!

Subscribe to our podcast on BlogTalkRadio, Stitcher or iTunes:

BTR stitcher_logoItunes_podcast_icon

 

 

Join Our Social Community & Stay Up-to-Date!

Passive-Recruiting

Image credits: StockSnap.io

Introducing the TalentCulture #WorkTrends Chat and Podcast

/ /by

We’ve all seen many a site proclaim significant changes for 2016, but in this case, the proclamation is earned, and real. It’s been quite a ride and I will continue to make new things happen here. My friend in forecasting and futurecasting about the world of work (Kevin W. Grossman) is heading for some exciting new ventures and partnerships, and so am I—right here— with the TalentCulture Community. Kevin is still going to be a featured voice here on the blog as we move forward.

I’m amping up my own podcast, shifting from #TChat to a focus on something new, and we’re incredibly thrilled to announce the launch of #WorkTrends—the new incarnation of our current podcast and Twitter Chat on The Future of Work, but with a sharper lens.

Our new #WorkTrends podcast and Twitter chat kick off on Wednesday, February 10, 2016, from 1-2 PM EST.  It’s the same time and channel for those who participate along with us weekly. 

As you know, my passion is about the workforce and most importantly, its valuable people; both in the workplace as well as how we navigate this amazing new global, multicultural workscape. Things like big data, cloud technology, mobility, and social media continue to influence all things about work as we know it today, and as it will be in the future. How those things impact your brand, recruitment and hiring practices, loyalty, corporate culture, marketing, social media, employee retention and beyond are all things I’ll examine in great detail moving forward.

And yes, I see this as a workscape for The Future of Work. The clarity with which innovation bumps us into a new awareness is the same vision we need to maintain, and that’s what #WorkTrends is all about.

The world of work has so radically evolved in the past decade. It has changed, and when looking back, sometimes it’s hard to fathom the incredible leap we’ve taken. In honor of that evolution, I was reflecting on all the work and adventures Kevin and I have been fortunate to be able to do, and I realized that he and I have taken one incredible social and learning journey together. It’s always a leap of faith to trend cast, particularly when it comes to brand and talent issues these days: like weathercasters, getting it wrong can have profound consequences. We are still searching for answers and asking questions along the way.

But we’ve also managed to get it right. We both share respect for the power of analytics and the importance of cross-generational teamwork, along with an appreciation for the value of employers who understand brand awareness and the candidate experience. We live on mobile devices and in social channels, so the leap to seeing work take on these facets has been a natural one for us, and always exciting to share with the community we’ve created.

As a fellow work-caster, Kevin has been a font of wisdom and a great friend along the way. Kevin also understands, firsthand, the value of seemingly trivial things–like middle initials. I applaud Kevin and all he has accomplished and continues to do at The Talent Board and am looking forward to watching him do what he does best—make great things happen.

As for me, I’m interested in how we dovetail talent, technology and business, enabling the right kind of intelligence without disabling the right quality of interaction for the future of work. What we’re learning about this is incredibly exciting, and in the same vein as we work to forecast new trends. I’m also profoundly impressed by the team of talent and the community I have with me, and you’re going to see the results of all this work I hope.

It’s going to be exciting to set off into 2016 with this super foundation as a jumping off point. So hang onto your hats. Here we go! I have more exploring and collaboration to do. We all do.

Mobile Hiring Hits The Fast Lane #TChat Recap

/ /by

Several weeks ago, we started a #TChat discussion about the rapid increase in demand for mobile recruitment. Why?

Meeting Talent On Talent’s Terms

Smartphones and tablets are now essential tools for many of us, and statistics reveal just how prevalent mobility has become. For example, a report by Marketing Land indicates that nearly 40% of Internet use is driven by mobile devices. And Jibe found that, despite perceived obstacles, 86% of job seekers with a smartphone want to use that device in their search.

Recruiting consultant Michael Marlatt says the staggering pace of mobile adoption shouldn’t surprise us, because mobile devices offer a very personal connection. “It’s one of three things we carry. We never leave home without it. It’s the keys, the wallet or purse, and the mobile device.”

Mobile Hiring: Moving Beyond First Impressions

In this landscape, it makes sense for employers to offer mobile-optimized career sites and application management processes. Mobile-friendly recruitment enhances the candidate experience and gives employers a competitive edge in the quest to find top talent.

Recruitment certainly is a logical starting point. However, it’s only the first chapter in a much larger employment story.

What happens after a candidate is selected? In the critical timeframe between recruitment and onboarding, how can organizations leverage mobile tools to streamline hiring steps? And along the way, how can mobile engagement continue to solidify an employer’s relationship with new recruits?

Ignoring those questions can have costly consequences — for both employer brands and employee retention. So this week, our community expanded the recruiting discussion to look at how mobile technology can transform the entire transition from candidate to employee. To guide our conversation, we invited two experts in hiring process innovation:

• Todd Owens, President and COO at TalentWise, a next-generation hiring platform provider, and:
• Kyle Lagunas, Talent Acquisition Industry Analyst at Brandon Hall Group.

What’s At Stake For Employers?

Why is mobile increasingly vital for the hiring process? As Kyle recently noted, 22% of U.S. turnover occurs within 45 days of employment. If organizations aren’t fast and efficient at bringing new hires up to speed, they’re at risk of adding to those statistics. And with the average cost of turnover at about 20% of an employee’s salary, failure at this stage can have a significant impact on the bottom line.

So, how can HR organizations leverage the immediacy and reach of mobile to make the entire hiring process more efficient and effective? For wisdom from the crowd, check the resource links and highlights from this week’s events, below. Thanks to everyone who contributed ideas and opinions!

#TChat Week-In-Review: Mobile + Hiring = Good Match?

Todd Owens #TChat Preview Video - Mobile Hiring

Watch the #TChat Sneak Peek Video

SAT 11/9:

#TChat Preview: TalentCulture Community Manager Tim McDonald framed this week’s topic in a post that featured brief “sneak peek” hangout video with one of our guests, Todd Owens. Read the Preview: “Hiring: Moving Forward With Mobile?”

SUN 11/10:

Forbes.com Post: TalentCulture CEO, Meghan M. Biro offered 5 guidelines for business leaders who want to make the most of mobile recruiting and hiring. Read: “Leadership Is Catching a Mobile Recruiting Wave.”

MON 11/11 + TUE 11/12:

Related Posts: Two guest bloggers offered related insights:
Read: “Mobile Hiring: A Smarter Way to Seal the Deal.”
Read: “HR Flashback: The Way We Worked.”

WED 11/13:

TChatRadio_logo_020813

Listen to the #TChat Radio show now

#TChat Radio: Our hosts, Meghan M. Biro and Kevin W. Grossman spoke with guests Todd Owens and Kyle Lagunas about the business benefits of extending mobile recruiting strategies to the entire hiring process. Listen to the radio recording now!

#TChat Twitter: Immediately following the radio show, Meghan, Kevin and guests joined the entire TalentCulture community on the #TChat Twitter stream, as I moderated an open conversation that centered on 5 related questions. For highlights, see the Storify slideshow below:

#TChat Insights: Mobile Hiring — HR Evolution or Revolution?

[javascript src=”//storify.com/TalentCulture/tchat-insights-mobile-hiring-hr-evolution-or-revo.js?template=slideshow”]

Closing Notes & What’s Ahead

GRATITUDE: Thanks again to  Todd Owens and Kyle Lagunas for sharing your perspectives on the increasingly vital role of mobile strategies throughout the employment lifecycle. We value your time and expertise.

NOTE TO BLOGGERS: Did this week’s events prompt you to write about hiring or mobile workforce issues? We welcome your thoughts. Post a link on Twitter (include #TChat or @TalentCulture), or insert a comment below, and we’ll pass it along.

WHAT’S AHEAD: Next week we celebrate “community” in a big way — as we look back on 3 years of #TChat at a very special anniversary double header with Hootsuite VP of Talent, Ambrosia Humphrey.

Meanwhile, the World of Work conversation continues. So join us on the #TChat Twitter stream, on our LinkedIn discussion group. or elsewhere on social media. The lights are always on here at TalentCulture, and we look forward to hearing from you.

See you on the stream!

Image Credit: Pixabay

Mobile Hiring: A Smarter Way to Seal the Deal

/ /by

Written by Todd Owens, President and COO, TalentWise

(Editor’s Note: Learn more about issues and opportunities in mobile hiring from Todd and Brandon Hall talent acquisition analyst, Kyle Lagunas. Listen to the #TChat Radio show now.)

During the past few years, innovative technologies have revolutionized HR business processes. The first wave focused on talent acquisition — with the advent of applicant tracking systems, and the recent surge in mobile recruiting. Now, mobile hiring is emerging as the next wave in this era of HR transformation. Why is mobile hiring important? Let’s take a closer look.

The Mobile Workplace Imperative

No one doubts that mobile connectivity is changing the world. 91% of Americans currently own a cell phone, and globally more than 6.8 billion mobile phones are in use. Now, tablets are making tremendous inroads, with sales that outpace mobile phones by a wide margin.

As these next-generation digital devices become central to our personal and professional lives, organizations are recognizing the value of integrating mobile capabilities into every facet of business operations. In fact, mobile technology is just one dimension of the SoMoClo (Social, Mobile, Cloud) revolution that is reinventing the workplace. HR has leveraged the power of SoMoClo for recruiting. The next logical step is hiring.

Mobile Hiring: Building Stronger Candidate Connections

First let’s look at mobile recruiting trends. Each month, one billion job searches are conducted via mobile devices. When properly executed, mobile-friendly recruitment leads to conversion rates that are 5-10 times higher than traditional PC-based recruitment, but at lower cost. A key benefit of going mobile is immediacy. While 70% of mobile searchers act within the hour, only 30% of PC searchers do. It’s no wonder why recruiters are scrambling to source talent through mobile channels.

However, even the best recruiting efforts can be undone when the candidate experience is disrupted by a cumbersome, outdated hiring process. What does it say to the candidate you’ve spent valuable resources recruiting — the one you’ve sourced and attracted through mobile channels — when you send a paper offer letter via snail mail and ask for a reply via fax?

Too often, there is a disconnect between the satisfying high-tech, high-touch experience of mobile recruiting, and old-school hiring methods. Unfortunately, it occurs at the most critical moment — in that stage between the job offer and onboarding. Why take that risk? It’s time for hiring to step up.

The Business Case For Mobile Hiring Now

Early adopters are seeing dramatic results, as the demand for mobile hiring support soars. For example, consider metrics from the TalentWise platform. Our customers send job candidates directly to our mobile-optimized portal to expedite the hiring process. In less than a year, we’ve seen a stunning 5-fold increase in mobile traffic — from only 8% of candidates last year to 43% today. Employers can’t afford to ignore that kind of exponential growth.

Mobile isn’t about devices. It’s about immediacy and “always on” access — and hiring should be, too. A weak hiring process is bound to affect your retention rate. In fact, studies estimate that, without solid on-boarding, 22% of new hires leave within the first 45 days.

Your organization only gets one chance to make a lasting first impression with today’s on-the-go talent pool. A mobile-friendly hiring process can give you a clear competitive edge. Is your offer letter truly digital? Can candidates sign it through a smartphone or tablet? Or must they print an email attachment, sign it, scan it and send it back? That model is just an email twist on a paper-based process, and it comes with all the old compliance risks and security issues of hardcopy workflows.

How To Catch The Mobile Hiring Wave

So what’s the first step to making your hiring process mobile friendly? Take a hard look at your hiring process. Audit every step. Go through it yourself as if you’re a new hire. Decide what is critical, think holistically, and optimize according to your priorities. For example, offer letters and screening authorizations are essential, but 401k enrollment forms may not be as important. HR managers should be able to monitor the status of multiple candidates from their tablets, but payroll may be better managed from a desktop.

Once you have a clear view of your current process, from both a candidate and administrative perspective, you can identify a technology solution that effectively “mobilizes” these functions. The path to a streamlined solution may be easier than you think.

What opportunities and issues do you see on the horizon for mobile hiring? Share your thoughts in the comments area.

WPFl8ZJCTbSWd3aW36zfeEA69ZEo44fOfHHdTeu8j9Q(About the Author: Todd Owens is President and COO at TalentWise and has been with the company since 2006. Previously he held senior Product Management and Business Development roles at Wind River Systems and Siebel Systems. A former United States Navy submarine officer, Todd has twice been recognized as a “Superstar for outsourcing innovation in support of HR organizations” by HRO Today magazine. Todd holds a BS degree from the United States Naval Academy and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.)

Image Credit: Carnegie Library

Recruiting: Going Mobile By Demand? #TChat Recap

/ /by

This week at #TChat Events, the TalentCulture community explored the emerging role of mobile recruiting in today’s world of work.

First, let’s clarify — what does the term “mobile recruiting” mean? CareerBuilder defines it this way:

“The ability to market to prospective talent with or on a mobile device. More importantly, mobile recruiting is about the opportunity to connect with job seekers anywhere, and at any time; provide a better candidate experience; streamline your own process; and engage job seekers in entirely new and unique ways.”

It sounds like a lofty goal — but how do we get there from here? And how are employers overcoming key issues in implementing mobile strategies? To keep the conversation grounded, we welcomed two experts in talent acquisition:

• Jessica Miller-Merrell, SPHR, Founder and Chief Blogger at Blogging4Jobs and
• Rayanne Thorn, VP of Product Marketing and Strategy at Technomedia, global talent management solutions provider.

(Editor’s Note: See highlights from the #TChat events and related resource links at the end of this post.)

Mobile Is Everywhere — Why Isn’t Mobile Recruiting?

Many #TChat participants agreed that mobile recruiting is becoming a necessity, as individuals increasingly rely on smart phones and tablets to connect with information and people in our personal and professional lives.

The convenience of mobile access is rapidly translating into job search behaviors, even though many employers haven’t yet optimized their websites for mobile access. SimplyHired says that the number of workers looking for jobs via mobile devices has skyrocketed, from 2.3 million to 9.3 million in the past year. Talemetry, says that 70% of job seekers are using mobile platforms, while Beyond.com estimates even higher, at 77%. (See the article and infographic.)

However, as the Wall Street Journal explained earlier this year, most companies aren’t moving fast enough. According to a recent CareerBuilder study, only 20% of Fortune 500 companies have mobile-optimized career sites. What is everyone waiting for? Read the full report, “Trends in Mobile Adoption: An Analysis of Mobile Recruitment Efforts Across Industries.”

Mobile Excellence: What Does It Look Like?

So, what does it take for employers to be “mobile recruitment ready”? Ideally, it starts with a website that is that is optimized for mobile interaction. SnapHop, a company that provides mobile talent management solutions, says these elements are necessary for a great candidate experience:

• Support for all mobile platforms — access to sites from anywhere using, any mobile device;
• Location awareness — automatically sense the candidate’s location and filter information accordingly;
• Personalization — tailor information and recommendations by uncovering candidate preferences;
• Social media presence — leverage social channels to connect with candidates and share relevant, timely content;
• Responsive design — ensure that on all platforms, content is easy to skim and consume, and navigation flows with a minimum of resizing, panning, and scrolling.

Upward Mobility: Advantages of Mobile Recruitment

If you’re still not convinced about the business case for mobile recruitment, CareerBuilder for Employers developed a helpful presentation that outlines key issues and opportunities:

And what did the #TChat crowd say about the pros and cons of mobile recruiting? Check the highlights slideshow and other resource links below for great facts, real-world stories and ideas from across the TalentCulture community.

#TChat Week-In-Review: Mobile Devices + Recruiting = Perfect Match?

Jessica Miller Merrell

Watch the preview hangout now

SAT 10/26:

#TChat Preview: TalentCulture Community Manager Tim McDonald framed this week’s topic in a post that featured a brief G+ Hangout video with one of our guests, Jessica Miller-Merrell, Read the Preview: “Mobile Devices + Recruiting = Perfect Match?”

SUN 10/27:

Forbes.com Post: TalentCulture CEO, Meghan M. Biro recommended ways that employers can gain business advantage by embracing mobile strategies. Read: “5 Ways To Use Mobile To Recruit Top Talent.”

MON 10/28:

Related Post: Dan Newman, author of Millennial CEO, offered a broad perspective on the changing of the leadership guard — and its implications for business. Read: “Another Kind of Revolution: Social, Mobile, Cloud.”

WED 10/30:

TChatRadio_logo_020813

Listen to the #TChat Radio show now

#TChat Radio: Our hosts, Meghan M. Biro and Kevin W. Grossman spoke with guests Jessica Miller-Merrell and Rayanne Thorn about how mobile adoption is revolutionizing the recruiting process today’s world of work. Listen to the radio recording now!

#TChat Twitter: Immediately following the radio show, Meghan, Kevin and guests moved over to the #TChat Twitter stream as I led the TalentCulture community through a conversation focused on 5 key questions. For highlights, check the Storify slideshow below:

#TChat Insights: Recruiting Is Rockin’ Mobile Platforms

[javascript src=”//storify.com/TalentCulture/tchat-insights-recruiting-is-rockin-mobile-at-lea.js?template=slideshow”]

Closing Notes & What’s Ahead

GRATITUDE: Thanks again to Jessica Miller-Merrell and Rayanne Thorn for helping us explore the potential of mobile platforms in the recruiting process. Your knowledge and passion are infectuous!

NOTE TO BLOGGERS: Did this week’s events prompt you to write about mobile recruiting trends or issues? We’d love to share your thoughts. Post a link on Twitter (include #TChat or @TalentCulture), or insert a comment below, and we’ll pass it along.

WHAT’S AHEAD: Next week, we dive into another fascinating topic — the role of social media in building brand influence. So save the date (November 6) for another #TChat double-header!

Meanwhile, the World of Work conversation continues. So join us on the #TChat Twitter stream, on our LinkedIn discussion group. or elsewhere on social media. The lights are always on here at TalentCulture, and your thoughts are always welcome.

See you on the stream!

Image Credit: GailJadeHamilton via Flickr

Another Kind Of Revolution: Social, Mobile, Cloud

/ /by

“You say you want a revolution? Well you know, we all want to change the world.” –John Lennon

It’s deja vu on a grand scale — like the Beatles are arriving in America all over again. A huge culture shift is upon us, and the winds of change are blowing in ways that are simultaneously unsettling and exhilarating.

“Boomers” are transitioning out of their careers, and the leadership reigns are slowly-but-surely being handed to Millennials at start-ups, small businesses and enterprises everywhere. Much like when John, Paul, George and Ringo touched down in New York in 1964, at first there was some resistance, but eventually the new guard convinced skeptics and changed minds. In the 60’s, revolution was expressed through music and social change — while today, next-generation leaders are driving disruptive change in technology and business.

New Agents of Change

Cloud computing, mobile devices, “big data” and social media are now prominent fixtures across the business landscape. From solopreneurs to the global enterprise, companies are more connected than ever with their customers, employees, shareholders and stakeholders.

Enabled by connectivity and powered by the cloud, this is more than just “Marketecture,” this is the engine of our business future. Millennial leaders are strongly committed to embracing these technologies and putting them to use in a way that drives their organizations forward, leaning on cloud applications to keep employees connected with anyone, anywhere, anytime. This allows business to continue 24×7×365 if needed, yet provides employees ultimate flexibility to untether from their desks and remain productive.

I don’t see anything wrong with that, do you?

And then there is social media. This phenomenon isn’t just about tweeting #hashtags on Twitter and posting  “likes” on Facebook. Social media offers a whole new way for humans to engage and extend our communities through the most powerful business-building infrastructure in the world — the Internet.

Thanks to social powers, the timeline for building a global business has compressed from decades to days, because word can spread and new markets can be created at a such a dramatically accelerated pace. New ventures everywhere can instantly reach out to potential partners and target markets to ask questions and find solutions for the most simple and complex business problems.

Building the Future, Differently

When the Beatles came to America, they permanently redefined rock and roll. Adding their collective influence to the voices of their time, they made music better for all of us who followed. And today, through social synergy, Millennial leaders seek to do the same for business.

Leaning on the best ideas and innovations that have previously defined success across industries, the CEOs of the future are not content to settle for the status quo. The goals of next-generation leaders may be similar to those before us in some ways, but they are different enough, so our mark will be felt.

We will leverage breakthrough cloud and big data resources to develop businesses that are inherently social, and we’ll create cultures that thrive on collaboration. Like leaders throughout history, our goal is to solve business problems effectively, but we’ll approach those problems very differently. Building a smarter planet through technology is exactly what the Millennial CEO of the future is destined to do.

What role do you think technology plays in next-generation business success? What must Millennial leaders do to succeed in a hyper-connected marketplace? Share your ideas in the comments area.

(Editor’s Note: This post was adapted from the Building a Smarter Planet Blog, with permission.)

Image Credit: Wikimedia Public Domain image archives

Communities Go Mobile With Real World Exploration Apps

/ /by

Thanks to a new set of location-based mobile applications that have cropped up over the past year, our social interactions online are beginning to impact our real world lives in very real ways. Here’s how they work now:

  1. Users open a location-based mobile application like Whrrl, Foursquare or SCVNGR and find recommendations from other users for how to experience different places near them.
  2. Within the applications, users bookmark recommendations that they want to do.
  3. Users then use their virtual to-do lists to explore the world around them.

Here’s a use case: I’m waiting in line at the ticket booth of the San Diego Zoo. To kill time, I open my Whrrl application. I view a few recommendations from other users who have been to the zoo. One recommendation from a friend of mine says, “Get to the back of the zoo right when it opens. You’ll get to see the lions eating their breakfast.”

I think to myself, “I don’t want to miss that!” and I dog-ear that recommendation. Forty minutes later, I’m watching the lions chow down with a few other spectators who were wise enough to download Whrrl. The rest of the park is waiting for the sloth exhibit in the front of the zoo to open. I click the “I did this” button on Whrrl and my friend who made the recommendation about the lions receives a reward within Whrrl.

That reality is evolving quickly, and with it, affiliate marketing is about to change forever.

Recently, Foursquare released its “Add to Foursquare” button, which allows anyone to tag places (and eventually recommendations) into the Foursquare network from anywhere on the web. Here’s where the fun begins. Remember that old  pay-per-click model affiliate marketers used to base their income on? It’s about to be taken to the real world. Here’s how these location-based exploration apps are going to work after a couple of more years of innovation:

  1. An affiliate marketer or influencer will be given designated links to specific recommendations and will plant those links using technology like the Foursquare button.
  2. Users will add those recommendations to their virtual to-do lists, and the marketer or influencer who planted the recommendation will be compensated for the real world “click.”
  3. If a user acts on the recommendation on his/her to-do list, the marketer will be paid even more.

When this world becomes a reality, my friend who made that recommendation at the San Diego Zoo will be compensated with a real world reward (monetary or otherwise). That new incentive may be enough motivation for mass adoption of mobile applications that guide real world experiences.

This is how technology will drive real world action. This is how social influence online can translate to the real world. So what does it mean for your social community? It means that with every new innovation in location-based technology, we are closer than ever to breaking down the boundaries between online and offline experiences.

Twitter chats and LinkedIn groups are on the verge of becoming experience-based, not just interest-based. Niche social networks on Ning will provide digital incentives for real world experiences. Facebook groups will be married to verticals of exploration and activity. As community managers, we no longer need to limit our thinking to what our communities can talk about on discussion boards, chats and blogs. We can now start to strategize about enriching our community members’ lives while they aren’t sitting at their desks pounding away on their laptops.

If you haven’t tried out a location-based app like Whrrl or Foursquare, I highly recommend it. Understanding the dynamics those applications use will be key to running a successful community in the very near future.