It’s not an exaggeration to say that in today’s fast-paced, connected, “always on” world, a social media recruiting strategy is a must have. If you don’t have one in place, you will, without question, quickly fall behind your competition.
However, there are right ways of doing social recruiting, and there are wrong ways. And the ROI on doing it wrong is, well, pretty low. But what do we mean by “doing it wrong?” Isn’t social recruiting just about reaching out and connecting with people online? Well…sort of. The problems arise when a company oversteps, for lack of a better term. Things like overselling, appearing too pushy or spammy, forgetting basic online etiquette, or trying to be painfully hip and “on trend,” will result in potential hires being turned off, at best, or you’ll see your efforts roundly skewered online, at worst.
Bad Move, Microsoft
Microsoft just experienced this first hand, when a recruiting email recently went viral. Attempting to hit a young, intern-age crowd, to say they went over the top might be an understatement. Here’s a screen grab courtesy of The Daily Dot.
Aside from the inappropriate language and emphasis on “getting lit,” this is a classic case of incorrectly painting an entire generation (young Millennials) with the same brush. In so doing, Microsoft is also potentially alienating a huge swath of their audience—females—with their “bro-like” attempts at humor and cringe-worthy, high-five’ing camaraderie.
This example might be the exception rather than the rule when it comes to social recruitment fails. But it clearly illustrates the importance of focusing your social recruitment strategy on the dos, while also being able to recognize the don’ts (should they periodically pop up). Let’s take a look at some of the ways recruiters can help ensure their social media outreach is a success.
How to Succeed at Social Media Recruiting
Make sure your own social profiles are up to date and complete. First impressions count more than ever these days. People today are digitally savvy, and with all the cyber-scams out there, always have their eyes peeled for anything that looks the least bit dubious. Having a professional, up-to-date profile, one that includes compelling photos, a well-written bio, as well as links to any related websites or contact forms will go a long way toward helping you build trust.
Focus on your audience, instead of your business. While this might seem counterproductive, stay with me here. If you’re only sharing, publishing, and promoting job opportunities, your social properties are going to look and feel like your only interest is in selling—which is a huge turn off in social. Instead, mix it up with engaging content that provides real value to your followers. Include tips and tricks on job hunting, resume writing, and interviewing. And be sure to use images and video! Emails that include video have click through rates 200 to 300 percent higher than those that don’t. And 92 percent of mobile video watchers will share that video with others, always a key consideration in our mobile-driven age. And, last but not least, when that great content gets shared, don’t forget to respond with a personalized thank you!
Be judicious with direct messages on any social platform. Many social media users experience a range of emotions when it comes to unwanted direct or private messages, and believe me, none of them are positive. Your best bet is to do a bit of “courting” out in public, begin to develop a relationship with a potential hire, and then go so far as to ask them if it’s ok to take your conversation private. And please, don’t set up automated direct messaging on any of your social profiles. Instead, make the time to respond personally to people. You’ll make a positive impact, and avoid getting blocked.
Speaking of time, make sure you set some aside for social recruiting. Social media recruiting, if you’re doing it right, takes time. As I mentioned above, building real relationships with people is a big part of any social recruiting strategy’s success, and that requires consistency. Once you’ve developed those relationships, nurture them by making sure you respond promptly to questions and queries. Curating (or creating) value-driven content for your communities also takes time, and if you want your followers coming back to your sites regularly, you need to have continuity in your publishing schedules. And, if you want to become recognized as a trusted, “go-to” recruiter, you’ll have to spend some time every day interacting online, engaging with other people’s communities, as well as reading, commenting, and sharing other people’s content as well.
Remember to be human, and to have fun. Use natural language, and sound like a human being, not a robot. Of course, you want to be sure you know your audience, and taper and tone of your “fun” depending on which platform you’re using—perhaps a little more serious on LinkedIn, and more playful on Facebook. Be ever mindful of online etiquette, and remember that sarcasm and snark can often be misread through text, not matter how many winking emojis you add. Use your good judgment, and remember—there’s a fine line between an appropriate amount of fun and going overboard. Just ask Microsoft.
What do you think? Have you had great results from your social recruiting? Do you have any secrets you would like to share? I would love to hear your comments.
00Meghan M. Birohttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngMeghan M. Biro2016-10-26 06:30:592020-05-31 16:39:54Do This, Not That. How to Nail Social Recruiting
What does it take to recruit top talent in today’s business environment? Is a nonstop employer commitment essential? And how can companies link recruiting and retention more closely, for better business results?
Learn from the experts at a very special webinar this Thursday, July 25, at 1pm ET/10 am PT. At 24×7 Recruitment TalentCulture CEO, Meghan M. Biro, and Achievers Talent Acquisition Manager, Kate Pope, will engage in a dynamic discussion about the factors that make or break recruiting strategies.
“I’m passionate about exploring best practices in talent management — and forums like this create an opportunity to share ideas with a broader community” Meghan says. “Earlier this year, TalentCulture and Achievers joined forces to help generate conversations that elevate the future of work. This brings that concept to life in a way that can make a real difference for talent-minded professionals.”
Throughout the webinar, members of the TalentCulture community are invited to share highlights and questions on Twitter by tweeting with Achievers’ #A_Chat hashtag.
Change. We all feel it. It’s become a relentless business reality — and the pace just continues to accelerate.
Now, however, the structure of work itself is changing. This means HR processes and programs are also shifting in fundamental ways.
The evidence is all around us. HR organizations are becoming flatter, more flexible and more agile — as we discussed several weeks ago when exploring “Talent in the Cloud.” And increasingly, talent strategies are driven by insights from relevant research and data analysis.
What does this suggest for the next chapter on the human resources management front? What issues and opportunities should be foremost on HR practitioners’ minds?
These are the questions that the HRO Today Forum will tackle in Philadelphia, April 30-May 2. And that’s what we’ll also discuss throughout the coming week in the TalentCulture community.
Tune into #TChat Radio – Live on Tuesday or on-demand after
Join us this week, as our TalentCulture community examines what it means to create and sustain a world-class workforce:
#TChat Radio — Tuesday, April 16 at 7:30pmET / 4:30pmPT Elliot joins hosts Kevin W. Grossman and Meghan M. Biro to tackle key issues facing today’s HR practitioners, and how data is increasingly being used to shape talent planning, acquisition and management.
#TChat Twitter – Wednesday, April 17 at 7pm ET / 4pm PT Everyone is welcome to join our open, online Twitter forum, as talent-minded professionals exchange ideas in real-time about these key questions:
Q1: What are the primary elements of today’s world-class workforce? Why? Q2: Can gamification really help us recruit, engage and retain employees? Why/why not? Q3: The contingent workforce continues to grow; how can companies truly integrate with FT employment? Q4: Why are manager and employee self-service technologies so important to the enterprise? Q5: Will mobile workforce communication/collaboration circumvent other forms? Why/why not?
Throughout the week, we’ll keep the discussion going on the #TChat Twitter feed and on our new LinkedIn Discussion Group. So please join us share your questions, ideas and opinions.
We’ll see you on the stream!
https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/ChangeAhead_TimThumb.png.jpg440883Tim McDonaldhttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngTim McDonald2013-04-13 16:25:592020-05-25 16:38:58Building a World-Class Workforce #TChat Preview + Video
In the world of work, the lights are always on and we’re always on the move — especially this week! You don’t want to miss any of the action. So stay with us each day. We’ve got ya covered!
It’s all about keeping you connected with one another — and with all the latest trends and hot topics in HR, talent management, careers and business leadership. So climb aboard the good ship TalentCulture, and fasten your seat belts, as we set sail for a week of discovery in the human side of business.
We’ll see you on the stream!
00TalentCulture Team + Guestshttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngTalentCulture Team + Guests2013-04-09 09:36:332020-05-25 16:38:21BONUS: #TChat Live with Recruiting Trends
Experts from across the industry are coming together for this very special one-day event in Washington D.C. to showcase innovative tools, techniques, and strategies necessary to strengthen and expand your organization’s talent pool in today’s social business world. You’ll also learn how to optimize sourcing and recruiting channels, and attract the right candidates through social media, mobile outreach, employment branding, screening, and much more.
Social media is still relatively new to many companies, so this event couldn’t be more timely.
#TChat Event Connects Attendees with Digital Community
The day’s activities culminate with a very special live #TChat forum, where Meghan and Kevin will moderate and review the day’s tips and takeaways with onsite speakers and attendees – as well as the online TalentCulture community.
If you’re in the Washington D.C. area, please join us live at the event — or stream with us online via #TChat and #rtrends channels. Either way, this should be an interesting and informative day.
Let’s see what it means to bring face-to-face interaction together with the virtual community. It could be the start of a very big trend! “See” you in April!
00TalentCulture Team + Guestshttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngTalentCulture Team + Guests2013-03-08 17:26:382020-05-25 16:25:44Join #TChat at Recruiting Trends Social Summit
The more we use social media, the more our personal interactions are crossing over into the workplace. While it makes sense to be authentic in the digital realm, this new level of transparency can touch some major pain points in your corporate culture, and challenge processes that don’t accommodate this new type of open communication.
What does it all mean for organizations as well as individuals? These are the issues we’ll address this week in the TalentCulture community.
To kick-off the conversation, I spoke with Jamie Notter, co-author of the book, Humanize (How People-Centric Organizations Succeed in a Social World). Jamie will be a featured guest on #TChat Radio, Tuesday Feb 19 at 7:30pmET, and he’ll join #TChat Twitter Chat as a moderator on Wednesday Feb 20, at 7pm ET.
Here’s a quick look at how Jamie defines brand humanization – and why he feels it’s important for everyone to understand it better:
Click to watch “Humanize” co-author Jamie Notter in this #TChat sneak peek interview
00Meghan M. Birohttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngMeghan M. Biro2013-02-16 17:17:592020-05-25 16:19:45When Brands & Humans Meet: #TChat Video
It’s no secret that social media has become a game-changing influence on customer-facing business functions. The immediacy and transparency of social business requires a whole new level of flexibility and responsiveness from marketing and sales. But along with that shift, organizations are feeling an associated pull to integrate social tools and processes into other business functions, as well.
This is both a tremendous challenge and opportunity — with potential to transform every aspect of business life. So naturally, there are profound implications for Human Resources. But as TalentCulture‘s Meghan M. Biro noted in a recent Forbes.com post (5 Ways to Rockstar HR Leadership), common sense can be a powerful guiding principle — especially when innovation is in the air.
This shift isn’t just about socializing HR operations with new technology. At a deeper level, it’s about the cultural shift that HR can choose to model and champion for others. When disruption is a way of business life, resiliency is its closest ally. Therefore, as change becomes the only constant, HR leaders can play a critical role in moving their organizations toward more adaptive, agile cultural norms.
Talent 2.0 — No Turning Back
This was the focus of yesterday’s #TChat discussion “HR Rockstars – Moving at the Speed of Business,” prompting 340 contributors to step into the spotlight and breathe life into the agenda with a nonstop stream of ideas that echoed across Twitter. In only one hour, 2,100 tweets generated 11.7 million impressions. That loud collective voice, scrolling by at breakneck speed, is a living example of social HR rock stars in action!
The hour was marked with many high notes — most of which are captured in the Storify slideshow at the end of this post (see below). So, rather than trying to recap overall sentiment, the smartest way to honor the session might simply be to get out of the way, and let the highlights speak for themselves.
But before I step aside, I’d like to share several items that resonated with me:
“The speed of business is the speed of the slowest decision…” @IncentIntel
Implication: HR serves the larger organization — it does not control pace, flow or direction. However, it can influence those factors. This is where HR can add value, with proactive guidance.
“In a complex work environment, capacity to negotiate agreements & hold each other accountable is key. Speed can’t depend on hierarchy” @SusanMazza
Implication: By forging relationships based on mutual interests and trust, HR can create a framework that decentralizes decision-making, while minimizing friction and inertia.
“The best talent is not looking for work, but they’re social. Successful HR is networking to recruit talent.” @ValaAfshar
Implication: The strongest candidates are already working at the speed of business. HR must keep pace and catch them in that stream — or face the consequences of letting socially adept talent pass by.
Implication: As illustrated in Jesse Lyn’s post about NASA’s Apollo project, “Where” is important, but “Why” is even more vital — especially in complex, uncertain, fast-moving environments.
The Road Ahead – Are We There Yet?
With so many thoughtful, relevant ideas about how to move HR to the next level, I wonder: How many organizations have arrived or are even close to achieving a 2.0 vision? And how long will it take before it becomes a reality for the rest of us?
Let’s Keep the Conversation Alive! If you joined last night’s forum, which ideas were most meaningful for you? How will you apply them? Please tell us! Add comments below — or if you blog about it let us know by posting a Twitter link with the #TChat hashtag. We’d like to share your ideas with the TalentCulture community here and via @TalentCulture.
Coming Up on #TChat
Join us next week (Wednesday at 7pmET/4pmPT), as we dive more deeply into the concept of Employee Engagement. Look for a full preview next Monday via @TalentCulture and #TChat. Thanks again for your interest and your contributions!
Storified by TalentCulture · Wed, Oct 10 2012 20:45:18
TONIGHT! #TChat is jammin at 7pmET. Grab a front-row seat for “#HR Moving Speed of Biz” Qs https://talentculture.com/culture/tchat-preview-hr-rock-stars-business-speed/ http://pic.twitter.com/4eXcQoDa @kkruseSocialMediaSean
BOOM! >> Q1: What exactly is the “speed of business” Why do we penalize HR for not moving at it? #TChatMeghan M. Biro
A1 In a lot of corps, HR responds to shortages rather than proactively identifying potential shortcomings.So, slower. #TChatJanis Stacy
A1: Sometimes the speed of business must be tempered, esp when the tools haven’t caught up to the concepts. #tchatSalary School
A1: HR is often an afterthought when key decisions are made #tchatAlli Polin
A1: HR not seen as an asset looked at as overhead and treated accordingly, not kept informed or asked for input. #TChatRobert Rojo
A1. Doesn’t this all boil down to HR getting a ring seat when decisions are made? #tchatTerri Klass
A1 – hr needs to push out admin to the fringes to focus on the core needs of the org… that will increase response/speed #tchatPaul Hebert
@gingerconsult A1: Are HR pegged as being behind the times because they are? or because its perceived? <== BOTH IMO! #tchatCASUDI
A1. Sometimes HR hears about things much later than the rest of the organization. Problem with that. #tchatTerri Klass
A1: Shipping versions avoids news to wait for perfection…which never happens anyway. The business wants that. #tchatBill Cushard
A1 So, what drives HR? Innovation – compliance? Enlighten me… #TChatMarla Gottschalk PhD
A1 Perhaps it’s a perspectives thing. Business focuses on meeting customer needs and HR focuses on the corp itself. #TChatJanis Stacy
A1: HR needs to think more like software developers and product mgrs…and ship services in versions… #tchatBill Cushard
A1: Must blame someone for reason our business is not moving as fast as we say it is. #HR good target #TChatSean Charles
A1: The customer (biz) determines the speed and HR has to understand & adjust. Innovation is an HR competency! #tchatLaTonya Wilkins
A1:How fast the processes are executed, some of which we have no control or say in. #TChatRobert Rojo
#Leaders – Tough to escape? @MRGottschalk: A1 Is it the speed of innovation? What sets the speed? #TChatMeghan M. Biro
A1: HR is often too busy w/admin to focus on #innovation or business change #tchatAlli Polin
A1 – most decisions in business are made on front lines – HR is back at field HQ – can’t keep up if not in the fray no? #tchatPaul Hebert
A1: The speed of business oughtta be the speed of humans, and nothing else. #TChatBrent Skinner
A1. “Speed of Business” the rate at which human potential converts into performance/profit. Orgs focus on outcome before input (HR). #tchatSalima Nathoo
A1: If you don’t move fast enough, you end up like MySpace or AltaVista and you don’t even know what hit you. #tchatBill Cushard
A1. Not sure about penalizing HR, BUT business must keep pace w/market & support systems must keep stride. #tchatSheree Van Vreede
A1 Is it the speed of innovation? What sets the speed? #TChatMarla Gottschalk PhD
Love! And Welcome Ian! @ianclive: A1 Speed of business is illusion – HR has to keep relevant and on time! #TChatMeghan M. Biro
A1 – confusing activity with productivity – speed with responsiveness? #tchatPaul Hebert
A1. HR has to reconsider a lot of things when change occurs: compensation, career paths, job descriptions, culture, etc – its a lot #tchatAshley Lauren Perez
A1. Trying to keep up with all the constant changes but HR can get bogged down in legal junk. #tchatTerri Klass
A1 Speed of business is illusion – HR has to keep relevant and on time! #TChatIan Welsh
A1: speed skills. #tchatBill Cushard
A1: In the past, HR has been too focused on compliance & therefore didn’t move “at the speed of business.” #tchatBob Lehto
A1: The speed of biz is the speed of tech, but why must it be? Would ppl mgmt be better moving @ speed of humans? #tchatBrent Skinner
#TChat – A1 – Speed of your business can be defined by your client/customer needs. In today’s market, you had better be fast.Michael!
A1..the “speed of business” is knowing that if you slow down, competitors behind you will quickly pass you!! #tchatTrevor Acedne
A1. HR might fall behind bc it’s one of the few depts that encompass EVERYTHING and EVERYONE. gotta wait for everyone to be on board #tchatAshley Lauren Perez
A1. Speed that leaders say is needed to support a competitive strategy. HR is rightfully cautious on human commitments. #tchatThinkCEO
A1: Business moves based on a 1000 decisions a day & HR not always kept in the loop until it’s radical change #tchatAlli Polin
A1: To be agile with the market — but, someone’s gotta help watch those messy, pesky humans. #tchatKevin W. Grossman
A1: hr (i think) is oushing hard to move butoften lacks a seat at the table with CXO to get momentum #tchatJen PhillipsKirkwood
A1: Moving ahead of the pack, yet HR gets pegged as being antiquated and behind the times #tchatJen Olney
A1 – speed of business is the speed of the slowest decision – for HR that means many slower depts. impede HR #tchatPaul Hebert
A1: “Speed of business” is instant today. #HR often gets penalized because it’s often a culture of compliance + transactions. #TChatAndrew Henck
A1: Speed of business for HR is “adoption AFTER industry wide verification” (& for good reason). They’ll never be Buzz Lightyear. #tchatKeith Punches
A1) isn’t that code for “doing more with less” after a round of downsizing? #tchatRich Grant
>> Q2: “If it wasn’t for those pesky humans”: Why do we need HR to regulate ourselves? #TChatMeghan M. Biro
A2: “Who” says we need #HR to regulate ourselves? Think about that for a minute. #TChatBrent Skinner
A2: Like the idea in theory, in practice HR would need more power/responsibility in certain inds 2 meet the compliance dept halfway #tchatSunny Shao
I’ve seen HR override mgrs. Haven’t you? MT @shawnlacroix A2 I dislike idea of HR as police/regulators. Ultimately action is from mgr #TChatExpertus
A2: We don’t need #HR to regulate ourselves; we need it to facilitate our “selves.” #TChatBrent Skinner
A2. Maybe HR needs to lead with presence and humanity. The regulations will follow and protect. #tchatTerri Klass
A2: In entrepreneurial companies, don’t have formal HR. Try to lead with good practices, build culture, keep some consistency. #TChatJon M
A2 – is HR in a codependent relationship with management – allowing them to NOT do their job with their employees? #tchatPaul Hebert
A2. HR changes the speed of business execution to the speed of business effectiveness. #tchatThinkCEO
A2 I dislike the idea that HR is the police or regulators. Ultimately any action comes from the manager Employees don’t work for hr #tchatShawn LaCroix
A2. HR helps protect employees from themselves and others. HR helps protect the business from themselves and hot-messed employees #tchatAshley Lauren Perez
A2 HR is needed to regulate as
management will not regulate themselves – a worsening situation! #TChatIan Welsh
A2: HR too often is the voice of reason when biz forgets that the bottom line is people impact #tchatAlli Polin
A2: I think a fear of risk & trend toward #mgmt “taking things off the plate”—once functions are moved, there’s a disconnect. #TChat #HRShawna Kelly
A2: Self-Discipline is not effectively taught in the workplace therefore we must manage it #TChatSean Charles
A2: HR keep the chaos to a minimum and brings process to the workplace #tchatJen Olney
A2. HR establishes the guidelines that keep us from overstepping the line. We’re only human, we make mistakes. #TChatGabrielle Kur
A2 Good point about #HR bringing the “consistency” ingredient (missed who tweeted this?) #tchatCASUDI
A2. Sometimes these regulations help create a foundation to build an innovative workforce for the future. #tchatAshley Lauren Perez
A2 HR have to be the fastest thinkers in a reactive crisis driven environment! As fast as anyone else #TChatIan Welsh
A2: Do we? HR should be measured on employee relations results. More engaged employees=fewer issues. Freedom & seat at table are key #tchatLaTonya Wilkins
A2 HR role should enable not regulate #tchatMorag Barrett
A2: We need an effective people function that we can align ourselves to (culture/values/mission). #TChatAndrew Henck
A2. HR is a special brand of leadership and we need it to regulate business to stay human in practice not on paper. #tchatSalima Nathoo
A2: Hey, it would be great if “HR” could stay focused on attraction, recruiting, hiring, developing and retaining, right? #tchatKevin W. Grossman
A2: HR is often order among chaos! #tchatKiara Robinson
A2: Without the human, wouldn’t HR just be IT? #TChatJanis Stacy
A2. HR helps limit workplace chaos and helps ensure we have a consistent answer when we’re questioned why we do certain things #tchatAshley Lauren Perez
A2: Que The Human League “I’m only human. Of flesh and blood i’m made. Born to make mistakes” #tchatKeith Punches
A2. Honestly- somedays I feel like it’s too regulated but i know that it is this way to ensure everything is fair #tchatAshley Lauren Perez
A2: The muscles between non-HR brains, mouths and fingertips are usually fast-twitch. HR..slow twitch. #tchatKeith Punches
A2. (HR knows that) not everything that can be counted matters, & not everything that matters can be counted. Einstein #tchatThinkCEO
Q3 How can leadership (including HR) help reduce need to self-regulate & create cultures of trust & productivity? #TChatMeghan M. Biro
A3: Hiring, being cognizant about what kinds of people & actions you want in that trusting enviro—then build/remodel accordingly. #TChat #HRShawna Kelly
A3: Have expectations and hold people accountable! #tchatRob McGahen
A3: We need thermostats to efficiently control our energy/heat, do you think Human behavior is easier and may not need regulation? #TChatJanis Stacy
A3: in complex wk envirnmnt capacity to negotiate agreements and hold each other accountable is key – speed cant depend on hierarchy #tchatSusan Mazza
A3: Regulate not too much, not too little, smartly & not myopically. Then, trust the free people market. #tchatBrent Skinner
A3: Lead by example, hold everyone accountable and reward excellence. Be an encourager. #TchatLori~TranslationLady
A3. we’re all adults in the workforce (mostly)- lay down the expectations and let people rise to the occasion- they may WOW you #tchatAshley Lauren Perez
A3: If your people function wants to trust your folks, let them run w/ that bold idea and take a risk. #TChatAndrew Henck
A3: By respecting each individual’s ability to be productive and re-inforcing expectations positively. #tchat #HRTess C. Taylor, PHR
A3: Empower employees to take personal accountability for successes & failures of their team #TChatSean Charles
A3. Publicly align & include HR in strategy initiatives; show the value people play in growth. #tchatThinkCEO
A3: Let the front lines lead too! Everyone plays a part & needs to be accountable #tchatAlli Polin
A3. In a way, don’t we all need a model to look to for an example of what to do/not to do? #tchatGabrielle Kur
#Tchat A3: develop strong practices for #accountability and a culture that facilitates people holding each other accountableSusan Mazza
A3: We **still** need to find ways to measure data and stay human as leaders #TChatMeghan M. Biro
A3. HR needs to be *consistently* taken seriously as a business partner that impacts the bottom line in a positive way. #tchatSalima Nathoo
A3. by giving people the resources, mentoring, feedback, and space to prove their trustworthiness and productivity #tchatAshley Lauren Perez
A3 put ownership of employee issues/decisions on managers. Lead with integrity. #tchatShawn LaCroix
A3 leaders have to start by trusting the employees and themselves to always make the best decisions on their own (walk the talk) #TChatDonna Rogers, SPHR
A3: Throw out the time clock. Ask your people how they work best. Adapt + empower. #TChatAndrew Henck
A3: Social skills and impulse control development from early education on. #tchatKevin W. Grossman
A3 HR professionals should be allowed to show and use their facilitation skills, instead of regulatory. #TChatMelissa Lamson
A3: Being accessible, guiding without dictating – people will rise to meet the expectations of them #tchatAlli Polin
A3. Through consistent, clear, and honest COMMUNICATION across all levels and channels of the organization. #TChat #HR #SocialBusinessSamantha Sallovitz
Bam! @marksalke: A3: By placing trust in empowered people & trusting them to do right thing. People in appropriate roles will excel. #tchatSean Charles
A3: Reward leaders for good people management practices (retention, succession, engagement, etc.) #tchatLaTonya Wilkins
A3: We always need to “self regulate”. Better question(?) “how do we help employees increase their emotional maturity” #tchatKeith Punches
A3 Hire RIGHT in first place with people/individuals that fit & can contribute to culture long term. #tchatCASUDI
A3: By placing trust in empowered people and trusting them to do the right thing. People in appropriate roles will excel. #tchatMark Salke
Model trust by trusting and treating employees like the adults they are. Lead by example. #duh A3 #TChatJocelyn Aucoin
A3. Leadership needs to create a culture of accountability and concern for one another. #tchatTerri Klass
A3: Bold #leadership that is forward thinking and knows they hired people for a reason, equipping them for success. #TChatAndrew Henck
A3: Psychological and workplace simulation screening. What? Don’t look at me that way. #tchatKevin W. Grossman
A3. Is HR considered leadership? #tchatSheree Van Vreede
A3: By setting up guidelines and giving mgrs tools to be effective, HR can facilitate efficient business. #tchatSalary School
A3 – reinforce those doing it right – get rid of those not – pretty simple. Assumes co’s think ppl mgtmnt is a core mgr skill #tchatPaul Hebert
Q4: What metrics should leadership (including HR) focus on to move at the speed of business & why? #TChatMeghan M. Biro
A4 Biometrics – Happy and healthy staff will row the company better than sad, frustrated people. #tchatEnzo Guardino
A4: Sorry, but I think most employees don’t trust HR metric input, so I don’t know how relevant those metrics are. #TChatJanis Stacy
A4- and cros
s aggregate co data with other biz market intelligence to predict trends and proactively change direction of co vision #tchatJen PhillipsKirkwood
A4 Dispute resolution, grievances, litigation, satisfaction data #TChatIan Welsh
A4: Use same business levers and translate to fit HR; apply metrics that are quantifiable and not “HR centric.” #tchatLaTonya Wilkins
A4: The data proves out the results seen in the bottom line that the leadership brings in the intangibles they bring to the table #tchatJen Olney
A4: Whatever is needed in your industry to grow profits and customer satisfaction. #tchatRob McGahen
A4. HR metrics have to tie/translate to EBITDA growth; plenty companies have gone under w/happy employees. #tchatThinkCEO
A4 Cost per lost employee – #TChatMarla Gottschalk PhD
A4 Bottom line(?) resulting from up-tic employees v employee turnover(?) from down-tic employees #tchatCASUDI
A4: When was the last “town hall/office hours” with your CEO? Folks in agile orgs believe in the CEO’s vision + move with them. #TChatAndrew Henck
A4.There’s often an over-dependence by leadership on metrics.Data can be misconstrued+attitude,integrity+commitment are hard2measure #tchatRichard Brody
@brentskinner A4: IMO engagement surveys tell the story but not why the results are the way they are. How do you dig deeper? #tchatAmanda Sterling
A4: Cost per hire, retention, profit per employee #TChatSean Charles
A4 – Retention and increased revenues are key indicators of moving at the speed of business. #tchat #hrTess C. Taylor, PHR
A4: Is there a glimmer of excitement and engagement in the eyes of your team members? An eye test of leadership. #TChatJon M
A4 Creating the conditions for flexible work structures & agile business processes are critical, too! #TCHatMelissa Lamson
A4 – as a manager my only concern was were my staff getting promoted, better or leaving (sometimes that is the best thing) #tchatPaul Hebert
@AlliPolin @MeghanMBiro A4: like your point about staying AND thriving no point having dead weight #tchatAmanda Sterling
A4. Turnover stats are critical and is there a culture of happiness and growth. #tchatTerri Klass
A4: Metrics that help optimize structure and control organization costs, while maximizing productivity =good for HR #tchatSalary School
A4: Engagement metrics prob tell a big story. If they’re down, maybe you’re moving too fast for your talent engage. #tchatBrent Skinner
A4: employee engagement for starters + track new ideas created/submitted by employees. If # is high, they’re on board. #tchatTony Vengrove
A4: Pockets of vol & invol turn over tell a story that matters to the #culture and people #tchatAlli Polin
A4: Another question for your people function: “How supportive were folks w/ the last change initiative?” #TChatAndrew Henck
A4 #Globalexpansion & #global image should be assessed & measured. What are people saying about you around the world? #TChatMelissa Lamson
A4: Retention, years of service and recruitment data are key performance indicators for leadership for HR to review #tchatJen Olney
@KeithPunches A4. How about measuring employee capability progress – e.g. newbie >> rockstar? #tchatBob Lehto
A4: Top line revenue, profit/loss, accounts receivable/payable, cash on hand #TChatSean Charles
A4: Focus on the key performance indicators for your company! Happy employees and happy customers doesn’t hurt either. #tchatKiara Robinson
A4: Although there are tangible items, the intangibles matter, like how engage ppl are & level of innovation happening. #TChatJon M
A4. Retention * Productivity / EBITDA = 1 Big Happy Family #tchatThinkCEO
A4. Progression and performance metrics- we want to retain quality talent- how are we ensuring that they aren’t outgrowing us? #tchatAshley Lauren Perez
A4: Recruiting AND Retention data! Are your employees *staying* and thriving? #TChatMeghan M. Biro
A4 profit, growth and leaders/experts developed/ promoted and/or lost/turned. Cost of bad hire. #tchatShawn LaCroix
A4. All about value creation ultimately, so revenue/employee? #tchatBob Lehto
A4: Skills, competencies … who has them, where are they, how does it match w/future demand #tchatAlli Polin
A4 whatever metrics that are important in that industry – business must partner head to head with HR and vice versa. #TChatDonna Rogers, SPHR
A4: Retention, attrition, average years of service. These will show pockets where HR growth needs to happen. #tchatKeith Punches
A4 – whatever the companies metrics for success are… #tchatPaul Hebert
A4: Metric questions for your people function: What’s your turnover like? When was your last hire? How engaged are your folks? #TChatAndrew Henck
A4. when HR/Leaders hire someone, they should be forward thinking. How could this employee develop and progress in the co? #hiresmart #tchatAshley Lauren Perez
A4. Less metrics, please! #tchatSheree Van Vreede
A4. I think a lot that HR should consider should come straight from the employees- they make the business #tchatAshley Lauren Perez
Q5: Tech only moves @ the speed of biz if humans do too, so what kind of tech helps us meet in the middle? #TChatMeghan M. Biro
A5. Keep it simple, and keep it human. #tchatBob Lehto
A5: You have to give your people something they can actually use effectively, some are just to intimidated by the hi tech tools! #TChatRobert Rojo
@MeghanMBiro A5: Unified Communications including view of availability of SMEs, vdi, collaboration #TchatHope
A5. tech is awesome and efficient but there needs to be some HUMAN to it. otherwise #hrtech will automate us all out of HR jobs :) #tchatAshley Lauren Perez
@TranslationLady A5: Best when it’s a mix of old school and tech. Makes HR uhh, Human and Relating hehe. #TChatJanis Stacy
A5: Lo-tech should be the new hi-tech #tchatJen Olney
A5.the last thing you want to do is frustrate your employees with tech they don’t understand or don’t know how using it benefits them #tchatAshley Lauren Perez
A5: Email reminders for weekly “TalkWalk”—write 3 ?s needing deep thought—then get colleagues away from desks to walk/think together. #TChatShawna Kelly
A5: Focus on tools that invite collaboration, align with business goals and met the needs of the teams. Productivity shd be forefront #tchatJen Olney
A5: @JanisSpirit Great to use what is effective Old School combined with New School = GREAT! #TChatLori~TranslationLady
A5 tools that represent your brand well to internal/external clients. #tchatShawn LaCroix
A5: The right tech fits the org culture but should increase collaboration & real-time info #tchatAlli Polin
A5: A good ol’ fashioned face-to-face hallway conversation that solves a problem or sparks an idea. #TChatJon M
A5. tools that are relevant to the business, the mission, aligned with HR goals, and is user friendly for all people in the biz #tchatAshley Lauren Perez
A5 – telephone #tchatPaul Hebert
A5: Tools that are work with the needs of the business not for the sake of being the latest and greatest fad #tchatJen Olney
A5: Socialize your expectations of the value to be realized from social technology and engagement #TChatMeghan M. Biro
A5 Tech can move faster than anyone to handle a crisis and slower than HR working on a project #TChatIan Welsh
A5: Technology that connects people to customers, to ea
ch other, and to the business. Aligned, efficient, productive…. #TChatJon M
A5. The best tech is low tech: talk to people & listen. That’ll get you moving faster than any spreadsheet or report. #tchatThinkCEO
A5. Social tech because conversation and collective intelligence is the ultimate platform for workplace communication. #tchatSalima Nathoo
A5 Implement the tech that fits the employee focus/needs ~ be flex it changes:-) #tchatCASUDI
A5: Old school tech might help for a start. Business lunches or coffee with employees maybe? #TChatJanis Stacy
A5: Good judgment for balancing tech/people to meet your needs is invaluable. #TChatAndrew Henck
A5 Siri #tchat #lolShawn LaCroix
A5: In order for technology to move @ the speed of business, it must honor the human element #tchat #hrtechTess C. Taylor, PHR
00Kathleen Krusehttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngKathleen Kruse2012-10-11 12:07:532020-05-22 14:49:06HR Shifts to the Fast Lane: #TChat Recap
“I don’t want to be out here doing nothing. It’s dangerous.”
This from a 14-year-old boy in Chicago who should be in school, but is not, because of the Chicago Teachers’ strike. This isn’t a rebuke of why he’s not in school, it’s just a brief commentary about the phrase itself as metaphor for the power of social and informal learning.
Many of you have heard the quote, “An idle brain is the devil’s workshop,” which comes from H.G. Bohn‘s Handbook of Proverbs, published in 1855. Its Biblical origins comes from the belief that hard work keeps us focused and out of trouble, and without it, we can only conceive evil deeds from laziness. But with the latest in neuroscience research, we now know that our frontal cortex has much smaller windows of focal strength during the course of the day, that we need idle breaks in thought, to allow the mind to rest and revitalize, letting what we’ve absorbed during the focal spikes to reengineer our synaptic pathways.
Of course I don’t literally mean that teenagers should be roaming the streets unchecked with no formal or informal learning in place. I’m segueing more to the adult world of work and how the progressive enterprise understands how we truly learn and adopt and adapt — and it is doing what it can to integrate this into the workplace, from applicant to alumni.
But we’ve got a lot of “process debt” to deal with. Similar to “technical debt” that refers to layers of outdated programming code that we just overwrite instead of starting fresh, process debt is the same thing when it comes to change management in the workplace. Our decades old learning and development processes haven’t changed much even in the light of research referenced above. We still throw the new employee handbook at new hires, make everyone sit for day-long training seminars where we check out halfway in, and then we silo ourselves in self-branded promotional kiosks with limited if any exposure outside the firewall to valuable content from informal learning channels.
I’m talking about social channels, of course — which of course we’re getting access to anyway inside and outside the firewall, via mobile and tablet devices.
The democratization of social learning is here to stay, and we should embrace the shorter bursts of quality peer-to-peer interaction and actionable insights. By letting us do what we’ve already been doing for thousands of years, the sharing and learning around relevant topics across brand agnostic open networks, organizations can channel the crowd-sourced mindshare and elevate the great global enterprise of empowerment and improvement.
“I don’t want to be out here doing nothing. It’s dangerous.”
The good news is, we’re not doing nothing. The danger is in resistance, not idleness.
Did you miss this week’s preview? Click here, and check out all the crowd-sourced mind-sharing below, channeled through a slideshow of your #TChat tweets. Thank you, Joe Sanchez (@sanchezjb), for your guest moderation of yesterday’s chat. We look forward to seeing everyone next week.
A2: Isn’t #learning the point of working? To teach, connect, grow? You can make money all kinds ‘o ways. Don’t need a job for that. #tchatLara Zuehlke
#tchat a2 asked them what area they would like to receive more trainingSage Bramhall
A2: by using tools like #SoMe – being progressive examples #tchatKathy Herndon, GPHR
A2 Leaders need to challenge employees to answer their own questions, not provide answers, make people uncomfortable at times #tchatPam Ross
A2 Allow people room to “fail forward” #tchatWandaHopkinsMcClure
A2 Worked 4 comp that encouraged ppl 2 join Toastmasters & allowed time during work hrs. & considered it part of annual learning goal #TchatCyndy Trivella
A2 Looking back and admitting what didn’t work – then moving on. #tchatMarla Gottschalk PhD
A2: Leaders have to be intentional effort to offer and gain a new perspective so that everyone can see situations in fresh new ways. #tchatJen Olney
A2: by Fostering dialogue, setting an example & connecting employees to the org objectives #TChatNissrine Ghannoum
#tchat A2 you can help others learn. Adults are hard but make them love learning as much as u thru example. I provided proff dev. For 8 yrs!Sage Bramhall
A2: Share learning experiences and demonstrate the importance. Allow opportunities for self and team to apply learning on the job #tchatLaTonya Wilkins
A2 Leaders have to be open to feedback and change. Modeling learning from experience so that employees learn. #TChatPam Ross
A2. Leaders can take interest in what their team wants to learn and pursue. Ask. Listen. Integrate ideas. #tchatTerri Klass
A2: Everyone already knows how to learn, they just need to be reminded to keep doing it at work (managers and peers can help) #TChat #TChatFaronics HR
A2: Encourage EEs to trust themselves & ask questions. If they didn’t already know how to learn, they wouldn’t have gotten very far. #tchatBright.com
A2 The leaders should encourage participation without the fear of failing or making mistakes #tchatRitu Raj
A2: #Leaders need to be OK in their own skin. Insecurity is what erodes #learning & growth. Leads to micromanaging. #TchatLara Zuehlke
A2 – be willing to walk the walk as well as talk the talk when it comes to learning. Many ldrs don’t do this #tchatBrad Galin
A2 There’s value in teaching people how to ask questions – the right questions. #tchatJoe Sanchez
A2) lead by example. Show them you are open to their ideas by accepting their honest appraisal of current status quo. #tchatKeith Punches
A2) Lead by example, a leader who is still passionate about learning themselves will naturally encourage those around them. #tchatBlair Hite
A2 Companies can include “fun” time learning into the mix so it’s not always a classroom or CBT learning experience. #TchatCyndy Trivella
A2) give them some breathing room. Let them figure things out; consult when needed #tchatRich Grant
A2: Leadership has 2 drive it, need 2 encourage, can’t b afraid of failure use it 2 develop the culture and character of organization #tchatRobert Rojo
A2: I believe you should teach by modeling. #tchatTyrrel Walker
A2: Leaders must be committed to a day-in and day-out shift in attention and practice to learning and make it consistent #tchatJen Olney
A2. Stay present; stay on message; and keep listening. #tchatSheree Van Vreede
A2 Mentoring might be good start… #tchat #csuite #leadership #workplaceGood Business
A2 At Teamalaya, all employees are willing to do the dirty work. It will show future employees that we’re willing to do w/e it takes. #tchatTeamalaya
A2. They can create the conditions that give people permission to learn without boundaries or borders #tchatSalima Nathoo
A2: By starting everyone in preschool. Really. Soft skills and learning cultures start there. #TChatKevin W. Grossman
A2 Mgrs can set reasonable expectations for a set # of learning hrs per month/yr. and tie learning into the performance expectations. #TchatCyndy Trivella
A2 model learning, be open to it, provide learning at every opportunity, ask questions, challenge assumptions, don’t give answers #TChatPam Ross
A2: Identifying + recognizing the strengths + learning styles of your team is key. #TChatAndrew Henck
A2: Set an example and then provide the same opportunity #TChatBarb Buckner
a2) ask them the questions; don’t spoon feed them the answers #tchatRich Grant
A2 Model the behaviors. #tchatMarla Gottschalk PhD
Late summer on the deck in Ann Arbor. @SocialMediaSean #tchat http://pic.twitter.com/OtjDfSOQMark Salke
Q3 How can an organization leverage informal social learning opportunities? #tchatJoe Sanchez
A3: Provide UNSTRUCTURE time to think, dream, mastermind,tinker, explore reflect- genius is not a lightening bolt #TChatAngela Maiers
A3. Recognizing informal learning value and understanding its benefits, could be a good start #TChatLilian Mahoukou
A3: Orgs can leverage informal #SocialLearning by mixing it up – provide content that provokes personal and professional interest #tchatTeala Wilson
A3: Build intentional reflection and inquiry into meetings and exchanges. Questions like, “What did you notice when…”#tchat #hsdinstituteRoyce Holladay
A3 – Create intersections – social is fast moving & ideas spring up – then do something w/those ideas as a jump board for learning #TchatLeAnna J. Carey
A3) @hjarche @C4LPT and others promote narrating work. Within the org, this goes a long way to show others how it’s done. #tchatTom Spiglanin
A3 employees are a great way to bounce ideas around about new ideas and new opportunities. #TChatKZO Innovations
Less social media. More face to face. More work. More production. Less chat. #TChat A3Lois Martin
A3: Afford ppl the freedom to learn using a method that makes sense for them, often is met with less resistance. #tchatRandy Thio
A3: Peer to peer teaching opportunities allow everyone a chance to gain knowledge. Create the space and time to make it happen #tchatJen Olney
A3 Learning is caught; not taught. Communicate, collaborate, celebrate together. #tchatWandaHopkinsMcClure
A3: Effective learning cultures already expect folks to bring outside (formal/informal) learning in + share it. #TChatAndrew Henck
A3: YouTube and TED are excellent sources of inspirationand information which can start ur creative juices flowing! @AngelaMaiers #TChatZenYinger
A3: We need to invite someone we don’t know well or from another area to lunch…. break bread, break barriers. #TChatJon M
A3. Embrace social learning as critical to innovation and cutting-edge knowledge. #tchatTerri Klass
A3: Make it public. So many opportunities in social learning to highlight your learning culture #TChatSean Charles
A3: Buy letting us do what we’re already doing. Sharing and learning around relevant topics across brand agnostic open networks. #TchatKevin W. Grossman
A3: Approach everything as a learning opp. Encourage learning by doing, observing, teaching. #tchatBright.com
A3 Onboarding is one opportunity. Social learning def. required. #tchatMarla Gottschalk PhD
A3: give people some downtime to process and collaborate. Need to let go of control! #tchatBrad Galin
A3. Build a social sandbox in the workplace and champion creative sandcastle architects. #tchatSalima Nathoo
A3) Identify existing pockets where social learning success exists & seek ways to cross-pollinate/expand/amplify on those examples #TchatExpertus
A3: Create an org culture that first values “out of the box” thinking + innovative learning opps. #TChatAndrew Henck
A3 Leverage by creating an environment which supports informal learning opps, ie, outta cubicles! It’s culture & physical #TchatClaire Crossley
A3: Provide UNSTRUCTURE time to think, dream, mastermind,tinker, explore reflect- genius is not a lightening bolt #TChatAngela Maiers
A3 – an open work environment – no cubicles – and encourage collaboration thru social media… #tchatRichard S Pearson
A3: accept unorthodox learning styles. org leadership retreats, to bond teams, and give back to community. displays comm, & collabora #tchatPlatinum Resource
A3 Informal learning allows ppl to learn in a place, time and thru a venue (i.e., mobile device )to fit employee’s learning style. #TchatCyndy Trivella
“@SocialMediaSean: Tweet a photo of where you are tweeting from tonight. Love to add pictures to the Storify. #TChat” http://pic.twitter.com/tSX0nbrhFar North Media
Q4 Why do learning cultures create competitive advantage? #tchatJoe Sanchez
A4 – The struggle after a company has been ramped up is ‘the founders dilemma – can you scale? #TchatLeAnna J. Carey
A4) Seeing love for failure. OK. But it’s how we attend respond & adjust & move forward that is the source of value in failure #TchatExpertus
A4 – barriers can be overcome by continually evolving the teaching models through an innovation lens #TChatLeAnna J. Carey
A4: Learning cultures tend to be more civil. #tchat #leadership #learningLindaFisherThornton
A4: there’s a jack welch quote about comp advantage is orgs that that learn fast ad convert that learning into action.. #tchatBill Cushard
A4: Adaptable to responding to external changes,competitive to innovations. The culture of learning is always shifting into high gear #tchatJen Olney
A4: A #LearningCulture creates a competitive advantage by allowing ideas and innovation to flow and be heard #tchatTeala Wilson
A4 Competition fosters efficiency–> production. Experts learn & produce. Leaders teach WHILE they learn & produce. #TChatJoseph Ned
A4: The more you “Learn” the more you “Earn” in life & business #TChatSean Charles
#TChat A4:More opportunity 2 empower employees to learn new things as well as challenge them, instead of “just showing up at work”! #rewardsMichael!
A4) Knowledge hoarding is a tactic for failure. Knowledge sharing is like passing down the recipe for success. #tchatTom Spiglanin
A4: To emphasize to employees to go the extra mile, be accountable & define expectations. #tchatRobert Rojo
A4: a learning culture is able to embrace diversity and this allows good mixing of ideas to bring new ones to life. #tchatBrad Galin
A4 Companies can have customer satisfaction recognition programs that R tied into learning new procedures/processes. #TchatCyndy Trivella
A4) because learning cultures = innovation = competitive advantage #TChatRich Grant
A4. Because they are inclusive, not exclusive. #tchatSheree Van Vreede
A4 I think a good place to look in organizations where and what learning is required, that also goes for tacit and general learning #tChatRitu Raj
A4. Encouraging emps to take part in their own education is empowering…and contagious #TChatKara Singh
A4: Learning cultures are inherently adapting to the changing needs of the day. #TChatAndrew Henck
A4. There are always opportunities to learn. It’s not only up to the mentor but the individual to take the lesson. #TChatKara Singh
Tweeting from Michigan State – #TChat http://pic.twitter.com/SfuOOLWoMarla Gottschalk PhD
Q5 How do you know whether or not an organization’s culture is conducive to learning? #tchatJoe Sanchez
A5 How they react to mistakes – do they learn from it or sweep it under the rug? #tchatAmy Do
A5. By profiling managers… are they multipliers or diminishers? The latter ones don’t leave room for failure and practical learning #TChatLilian Mahoukou
A5: Active Listening , Questioning & raising awareness #TChatNissrine Ghannoum
A5 transparent processes – opening up for feedback & taking it seriously – represent a learning culture #TChatMiriam Brosseau
A5 – It’s important to assess the appetite for change – can close up some barriers! #TchatLeAnna J. Carey
A5 The best learning, especially in business, comes from discovery. How does the org take what’s been discovered and create insights? #tchatJoe Sanchez
A5 you FEEL it! There is a good vibration in the air. #TChat #tchatLori~TranslationLady
A5) I facilitate a social session with newer employees to get to heart of our culture, which is knowledge sharing. Walk the talk. #tchatTom Spiglanin
A5 Leadership must set a purposeful direction for continual learning. Can’t be haphazard. #tchatTerri Klass
A5: I find there is a strong sense of humility in learning focused organizations. #TChatSean Charles
A5 An organization that fosters innovation, trying out new ideas – is more likely to be a learning organization #tchatKimbra Fox
A5. I’d agree on the fact that employees may be the ones to give some key evidences #TChatLilian Mahoukou
A5 Really, all you have to do is look around. If things aren’t changing, people aren’t learning. #TchatRedge
A5) In our org, a VP welcomes every new employee, even if some weeks it’s just one or two. #tchatTom Spiglanin
A5: Find out about an org’s rate of internal mobility and process for determining strategy & best practices #tchatTeala Wilson
A5- Examine how the highest level employee interacts with the lowest…if you see/feel the hierarchy probably not a learning org #TChatAngela Maiers
A5 How they react to mistakes – do they learn from it or sweep it under the rug? #tchatAmy Do
A5 open your network and find people who work there to talk to. They won’t hesitate to share if they are in a great (or horrible) co. #tchatRichard S Pearson
A5: Ask one of their regular employees what the company mission statement is! #tchatRandy Thio
A5: Are the leaders challenging their employees to push their own status quo beyond its limits and seek new perspectives? #tchatJen Olney
A5: if they are in survival mode or not. those they want to survive, tend to skip out on training & learning #tchatPlatinum Resource
A5) do SVPs and above ask more questions than make pronouncements? #TChatRich Grant
A5 How boring are the meetings? :) #tchat #csuite #leadership #workplaceGood Business
A5: If the org culture values failure + innovation, it is conducive to #learning #TChatAndrew Henck
As a manager you can either command excellence or help build excellence. Leaders always choose the latter. #tchatVala Afshar
@TerriKlass Dont use White Boards. Use butcher paper and markers. More creative thought. #tChatGenny Harrison
People can be human. Learning, growing, flawed, passionate, humans. Groups like that learn w/ and from each other. #tchatMatt Monge
@TerriKlass I got your jealously ripening in my yard right now http://www.twitpic.com/aqgpwe #TChat pina coladas for everyone!Sylvia Dahlby
00Kevin W. Grossmanhttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngKevin W. Grossman2012-09-13 12:14:282020-05-22 14:46:51Channeling Crowd-Sourced Mindshare: #TChat Recap
It had been but a few days since I had joined Twitter. My time on the stream was spent searching terms like HR, workplace and innovation, and following those who shared content in these areas. I had been watching and listening to see who and what resonated with me, what ignited my brain, what made me go “ah-ha” when no one was watching me behind the comfort of my computer screen.
It came suddenly — 140 characters of a call to action. I couldn’t leave an idea behind, I just couldn’t and I didn’t. I typed what I thought and I clicked it out to the Twitterverse. I left everything on the social stage, and what happened next was unexpected and extraordinary: My tweet was quoted in the recap blog post. Validation — someone out there was listening.
By leaving no idea behind, I left an impression, a meaningful one, and here I am one year later writing the recap for the very chat that indoctrinated me into the social world of work.
Field Trip
I had the honor of attending the 13th Annual Illinois State Human Resource Conference and Exposition held just outside Chicago this week as a #TChat ambassador and collaborator. I helped facilitate our first-ever live #TChat event integrating social engagement with a traditional, brick-and-mortar conference. That’s what this week’s #TChat was about — leading at the intersection of social and physical, HR and digital, people and potential.
This week’s #TChat was also about removing the barrier blocking perceptions about social HR — by simply talking about social HR with workplace leaders on the front lines. When we remove walls, we find that we’ve always been just a few steps away from greatness, connecting face to face and sharing opportunities. This is HR 4.0 – it’s about celebrating the art of the social conversation across the organization, whether in person or in 140 characters.
Report Card
An A+ goes to our community at the conference and on Twitter, as well as our panel of leaders for waving the flag of workplace culture. That’s what it’s really about at the end of the day, right? We create the conditions for an organization to thrive in a sustainable way, and there will be more on that next week. As for this week’s event, we came from different countries and technologies, paraded our ideas, and cultivated connections. The exchanges were epic, and the event was unprecedented. #TChat Live at the Illinois State HR Conference & Expo was an Olympic event in the World of Work. …and everyone came out a winner.
Editor’s Note — Thank you for joining this week’s special-edition #TChat #ILSHRM event. Next week’s #TChat will occur at the regular time: 7pm ET (6-7pm CT, 4-5pm PT, or wherever you are). We look forward to seeing you there.
Image Credit: Stock.xchng
00Salima Nathoohttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngSalima Nathoo2012-08-09 10:05:422020-05-22 14:44:51HR Is Not the Quiet Kid in the Boardroom…Anymore: #TChat Recap
HR means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. To me it’s been my career. I’m not sure how else to write this in the moment. I have a lot of respect for HR practitioners that are KICKING it in the trenches every day.
Ask someone on the street and they’ll say, “The lady who tells me I’m hired, gives me my employee handbook and sets up my benefits.” Ask someone inside a company and they’ll say, “The guy who tells me I’m hired, gives me my employee handbook and sets up my benefits.” Ask executive management and they’ll say, “The lady who tells me I’m hired, gives me my employee handbook and sets up my benefits.”
Wait, what? This cannot be….HR is so much more. And yes, this includes talent management and employer branding and…marketing and CEOs. We are all uniting and becoming social. This pretty much includes many different units in the workplace. Why we call #TChat The World of Work. It’s everyone.
Unfortunately lots of people (still) dislike HR departments and many still view them as the office caricature, the resume screener, back office administrator and compliance office police officer that nobody wants to work with, one of the grim realities HR pros deal with on a daily basis. The reality is so many more also know how to keep the hiring pipeline full, how to help deal with difficult or disruptive employees, and how to build and sustain an attractive workplace culture.
But let’s be honest: HR is usually seen less as curators of workplace culture and more as the police brought in to direct traffic or quell a riot. So how do we change it up? What can we do to be seen as core to the management team, positive influences, trusted partners committed to building a rewarding and resilient workplace?
Sociable vs Social – There’s a Big Difference
The key for HR is to become more human; to be more social. This doesn’t mean office birthday parties or the annual holiday party or having a beer with the work gang after work. What it means is that we have to stop focusing on managing risk and start focusing on creating and sustaining social interactions in the workplace — to hiring responsible and accountable employees who communicate and collaborate and all the other buzz “c” words you can think of, as well as doing their jobs (and then some) to help the business grow and thrive.
We have to drop the game face and show our human side. People, after all, work for people, follow people to jobs, leave jobs because of people. We have to be people before we can lead.
Right?
In the interests of exploring what it means to be more human on the HR job and how that pays dividends in small business and the enterprise, we’ve decided to look at what it takes to become social HR leaders in this week’s TalentCulture #TChat World of Work. From using social technologies and tools to spark disruptive change in the workplace to dissecting the qualities of leadership, we’re eager to hear what the community of chatters thinks about what it takes to be a social HR leader.
Susan Avello (@SusanAvello), someone who knows a thing or two about social HR, will be our guest moderator. Alongside her, to field your tweets, will be yours truly (@MeghanMBiro) and Kevin W. Grossman (@KevinWGrossman), as well as Sean Charles (@SocialMediaSean), Salima Nathoo (@SocialSalima) and Brent Skinner (@BrentSkinner). Be sure to join us at 7 PM EST / 4 PM PDT!
This will also be a preview to our first-ever World of Work live #TChat Session at the 13th Annual Illinois HR Conference & Exposition, one of the many HR Super Social Hero events that occur throughout the year. I want to personally thank Dave Ryan (@DaveTheHRCzar), Susan Avello (@SusanAvello), Donna Rogers (@DonnaRogersHR), John Jorgensen (@jkjhr), and many , many other friends who have always supported our efforts to make the World of Work more social. I like hanging out my friends in the trenches and it all starts with #ILSHRM coming up next week August 5-7, 2012. Our live session will be Monday, August 6, from 5-6 pm CST. I’m honored to be here with many of my friends and colleagues.
Here are the questions we’ll be discussing in this week’s #TChat (and next week at #ILSHRM):
Q1: In HR and the world of work, what does it mean to do the opposite of what’s been done to spark disruptive change?
Q2: What are the traits that make for a great HR pro?
Q3: How do great leaders lead in business today and why?
Q4: What are the cool new HR technology tools and why?
Q5: Where does social media make sense as an HR and recruiting tool and why?
So join us tonight, Wednesday, August 1, and if you’re in Chicago starting on August 5, come see us at the Illinois State SHRM session! Meghan M. Biro and Kevin W. Grossman look forward to discussing the above questions with our esteemed panel:
Geoff Webb (@SocialHRGuy) and Salima Nathoo (@SocialSalima) will be our special live audience moderators — because like our weekly online #TChat, this session’s all about participation and inclusion — for everybody. Let’s be inclusive and social. We can do this.
Great news is unfolding or so it seems. It appears that job growth is not only on the upswing but also showing sustained growth. For the first time in years the unemployment rate is under 8.5 percent (although it’s easy to quibble with what the ‘rate’ really measures). All this is good news for the recruiting/talent industry, which, according to Josh Bersin, is a $124 billion USD market….Did I just say that?!
For starters, 2011 was the year social recruiting took off. Arguably it’s more cost-effective to use social channels than it is to bring in an outsourced or contingent recruiting firm. Add talent management and talent community software, and you’ve brought a new level of automation to recruiting, using social channels, at a much lower price point than would be possible using a big-name firm (or even a few hyper connected talent management pros – we still exist too).
Secondly, CEOs worry about a lot of stuff, and recruiting talent is not always in the top five unfortunately. CEOs worry about the Board of Directors, hitting financial targets, maintaining leadership in their industries, staying ahead of competitors and maintaining positive brand awareness. While having the right people on board affects all of these, it’s not, by itself, a CEO’s job 1. So tell the CEO you need to spend X dollars on recruiting and he or she is going to ask why. And you better have a compelling, fact-based story.
Third, social media’s impact on recruiting talent has changed everything for all of us. I mean EVERYTHING. We’re talking more than LinkedIn, which by itself was a game-changer. Back to talent communities, talent management software and other uses of social media in the workplace – recruiters have to be ahead of the trends and adjust their business models accordingly. Those who don’t will fail. Maybe not tomorrow, but definitely in the short-term future. Leaders need to adjust models for hiring talent as well. This cuts both ways.
So while the economy may be adding around 200,000 jobs a month, fewer of those will be sourced via traditional recruiting. New recruiting models are emerging every month. So this week on TalentCulture’s World of Work –AKA #TChat– we’re going to have a difficult discussion for Leaders, HR and recruiting rock stars about 2012 Recruiting Trends. We rotate topics every week that are timely to bring you the latest and greatest information.
Yes, so much unfolds, but who is getting in on this giant market? How can leaders decide what to do next?
So let’s come together to explore what to do with the $124 billion dollar industry. Because you can’t buy every single recruiting model at once. Or can you? Join us Wednesday night on #TChat The World of Work February 8th from 7-8 pm ET (6-7 CT, 4-5 pm PT), where recruiting and leadership “buy in” topics are in the hot seat. Join me, Kevin Grossman, Maren Hogan, Sean Charles and Kyle Lagunas for a very special #TChat.
Q4: Is the contract recruiting model old school and costly? Why or why not?
Q5: What other recruiting models, both corporate or contract, are emerging and why?
00Meghan M. Birohttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngMeghan M. Biro2012-02-07 10:06:132020-05-20 18:11:15Talent Leadership & a $124 Billion Question: #TChat Preview
Join us for the #TChat Radio show tonight at 7 pm ET (4 pm PT) where our special guest is John Sumser, the principal analyst for HRxAnalysts and founder and managing editor of The HRExaminer Online Magazine.
***
We’re not really as social as we think. According to a new social media research report from Ventana Research, most organizations (59%) still actively prohibit social media usage. Also, HRxAnalysts recently published the 2012 Index of Social Technology in HR and Recruiting and the research report documents the ongoing shift in how organizations acquire and manage technology. Surprisingly, social media is slow to take hold — the major social media companies are nearly a decade old and still HR and recruiting penetration is less than 20%.
And yet, even with the mixed bag of all things social in our greater work/life worlds, there is always community.
What exactly does that mean? Community means different things depending on who you speak with or what you read. For example, talent community has received many mixed reviews of late–with some saying it’s just a fluffy buzzword created by vendors wanting to sell online applicant sourcing software, internal mobility software and people management software. Talent is apparently the bad word, so let’s throw it out.
Then there are those social community critics who say that when it comes to mixed online communities like those found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, no one can really be “friends” with hundreds and thousands of people. I agree, but who said anything about being friends?
Sure there’s Dunbar’s number, the theoretical cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships, which happens to be on the average 150 people. But we’ve been living in communities for thousands of years, and we sure as heck haven’t all been friends all the time — cue scenes violence and war and the like.
I’ve got my own limited number of stable relationships (friends and family) as well as greater “friendly” connections via my own local community and my online communities. Face time is important for the smaller concentric rings of true friends and family, but face time isn’t a reality for most people with whom I will never have a chance to meet in person (although I can see you via video technologies these days, giving face time a whole new dimension).
I’m a big open experiment of work and play because I know at any given time someone out there can help me with something and I can help them with something, whatever that means. That’s what community is all about, right? Don’t limit it to sourcing applicants and and slapping “talent” on it. Keep it open to all things work and life and to moving the ever-evolving (hopefully) positive human agenda forward with endless possibilities.
We’re all part of interconnected communities — inter-coms — and it’s these inter-coms that keep us connected and real in work and in play. Social technologies finally give us the ebb and flow reality for communities that otherwise would never know the others existed.
So, we’re actually more social than we think. Right on.
***
Join us for the #TChat Radio show tonight at 7 pm ET (4 pm PT) where our special guest is John Sumser, the principal analyst for HRxAnalysts and founder and managing editor of The HRExaminer Online Magazine. For those of you who don’t know John, he’s an icon in the HR/recruiting space and his work explores the people, technology, ideas and trends that drive the evolution of the HR and Recruiting functions. HRxAnalysts recently published the 2012 Index of Social Technology in HR and Recruiting, an exhaustive study of the trends and directions of next generation technology, much of which we’re going to discuss with John today.
We’ll also be running the parallel online #TChat with the following questions:
Q1: Why do companies still prohibit social media in the workplace today?
Q2: What are the primary social technologies used at companies today and why?’
Q3: What exactly is social recruiting and has it been truly successful for organizations? Why or why not?
Q4: We talk so much about external-facing social recruiting, but what’s going on inside with HR, recruiting and internal mobility?
Q5: What’s the difference between resume databases, talent pools and talent communities as in social recruiting and #HRtech?
Q6: @JohnSumser states that there’s not much social about social tech. Do you agree or disagree and why?
The #TChat Twitter chat and the #TChat Radio Show are created by @MeghanMBiro and @KevinWGrossman; hosted by them and @MarenHogan; powered by @SocialMediaSean and @CatyKobe; and our partners include @HRmarketer, @talentmgmttech, @Focus, #HRTechChat and #TNL.
If you’re not familiar with our weekly Twitter #TChat (TalentCulture Chat) or TalentCulture blogging community, we are a collective of business leaders, social media advocates, workplace culture and career professionals, and we discuss the World of Work. It’s about re-imagining how we, as leaders, acquire, empower and retain our workforce today, with emotional connectivity and global cultural inclusivity — the intersection of Talent + Culture.
https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.png00Meghan M. Birohttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngMeghan M. Biro2011-12-14 10:14:062020-05-20 18:02:41Getting Social with Social Technology: #TChat Radio
There are thousands of them: Strategists, Specialists, Editors, Coordinators, Contributors, Community Managers. And that’s just in California. When you search for “social media jobs” on Indeed, for example, there are nearly 6,000 related jobs that come up. I have no idea what it would’ve been like just five years ago, but I’m sure it was only a fraction of that.
All things social have permeated the enterprise, as well as small to mid-size business. Both B2C and B2B companies, non-profits and government agencies alike are creating social media careers.
What’s really driving it all? Social recruiting and social marketing – sourcing applicants and sourcing buyers. Since the meteoric growth of social network populations, it behooves companies to source “leads” from these populations. Early adoption is over and we’ve headed right into the heart of mainstream social.
But there’s also a newer third wheel to this social media hubbub. It’s customer service community management. The democratization of the consumer’s voice has created more transparency than companies had planned on. And because they no longer control the message (how many times have you heard that in the past few years?), the buyer controls them.
In fact, some companies have gotten better at social customer service than their traditional channels. For example, last year I needed to cancel an online subscription to Adobe. I tried doing it online, emailing them and calling them, but to no avail. At the point of being livid with frustration, I went on twitter and tweeted from the rooftops for them to cancel my subscription. Within hours it was taken care of by one of their “community managers.” Amazing and fascinating at the same time. I’m sure you’ve read dozens of similar sentiments.
And now we’re seeing employment brand community managers around social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and others as well as HR/recruiting technology vendor community managers. These are talent/lead acquisition relationship builders first, sourcers and salespeople second.
Yep, headed right into the heart of mainstream social and not a moment too soon. Get your social skills on everyone!
Join us tomorrow night on #TChat, November 30, from 7-8 pm ET (4-5 pm PT), when we’ll take a closer look at social media careers today. @MeghanMBiro will moderate and here are the questions we’ll cover.
(EDITORIAL NOTE:To see highlights from the chat event, see the Storify Slideshow at the end of this post. Thanks!)
Q1: When you hear “social media careers” what do you think of?
Q2: What are the primary skills that make for savvy social media careers?
Q3: Companies are hiring social media everything, but what’s the best way to source and screen these applicants?
Q4: Do HR/recruiting departments need social media managers to help with employment brand? Why or why not?
Q5: Social media careers have to be community-centric and constantly engaging. Why?
Q6: What businesses/industries have the best social media managers? The worst?
https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.png00Meghan M. Birohttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngMeghan M. Biro2011-11-29 12:22:432020-05-20 18:02:08Exploring the Heart of Social Media Careers: #TChat Preview & Recap
I just finished interviewing potential hires for two open positions at my company, and I was reminded why I founded Come Recommended in the first place.
Back in 2009 when Come Recommended launched, it was a professional networking site for internship and entry-level job candidates and employers. But in order to gain access to the community, all members (including employers) had to “come recommended.”
Our technology allowed potential members to send recommendation invites, which brought recommenders to a page that first asked for their relationship to the candidate or employer and then provided a specific set of questions depending on that relationship. Unlike LinkedIn, Come Recommended members couldn’t choose whether or not to show these recommendations…they immediately appeared on the member’s profile after the recommender hit Submit. Once a member had three recommendations (good or bad), they were granted full access to Come Recommended’s online community.
Why all the trouble just to get into a networking site? Because I was fed up with the exact reason I’m writing this post today: Candidates often look great on paper, only to disappoint majorly at some point during the hiring process. Even though Come Recommended is now a content marketing and digital PR consultancy (I know, complete change of direction), I still find myself butting heads with this issue.
I am convinced — as I have been for a long time — that many more people would be employed if they just took a closer look at what they might be doing “wrong” during their job search.
Instead, they get angry and blame employers and hiring managers for their troubles. Don’t get me wrong, there are way too many companies out there looking for the “perfect” candidate they will never find. But you need to take control of your job search — your career — if you ever hope to be happily employed. And that might even mean paying someone (oh, the horror!) to help you perfect your application materials and hone your job searching skills. Believe it or not, career coaches and resume writers exist to help you — and have valuable skills worth paying for.
I wish I was wrong, I really do. I wish candidates that truly weren’t a good fit for my position looked just as bad on paper as they do during the interview process. Trust me, it would save me a lot of valuable time. Unfortunately, that’s just not the case. And that’s not to say these folks aren’t a great fit for some other position out there — they very likely are — but not mine, which is my primary concern.
For one of the two positions I had open, I interviewed approximately 25 people — and had zero problem narrowing the list down to three after interviewing everyone. By their experience on paper (or in this case, their LinkedIn profiles), all 25 should have made excellent hires for this particular position. Why didn’t they? Here are just a few examples:
Nervous laughing: I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and call it nervous laughing, although one candidate was laughing so hard during the entire interview that I thought I was being punked on a radio show.
Going for a world “you know” record: How many times can someone say “you know” in the same sentence? Six, apparently. In. The. Same. Sentence!
Disliking a virtual working environment: One of the questions I ask candidates is what they liked most and what they liked least about their previous positions. One candidate told me she disliked working in a virtual (sometimes called remote or telecommute) environment…which Come Recommended happens to be. (This is made clear in all our job ads.)
Calling from a rave: Not one, but two candidates I interviewed had loud music and conversations going on in the background of their interviews. While I can’t confirm they were clubbing, it sure sounded like it.
Putting me on hold: Yes, that’s right, one candidate put me on hold for a while to confer with someone else in the room before answering a question.
Telling me your life story: The first question I ask candidates is the ol’ “tell me about yourself.” Your answer to this question should be anywhere from 30-90 seconds. Two candidates took 30 minutes (yes, minutes) to respond.
Never leaving your script: I have a feeling one candidate got a hold of my full list of interview questions from another candidate…because she stopped me at one point and told me I “missed one” that she really wanted to answer. She proceeded to tell me what the question was and clearly read her answer to it from a piece of paper.
Not truly wanting to work for my company: Nothing gets my attention more than a candidate who tells me she’d rather be in grad school or working at a law firm than my company. (Sarcasm.)
Unfortunately, this list could go on…and on. Some of you reading this might not even believe these stories because they seem too (trying not to write “stupid”)…unbelievable. I would never do something like that, you’re thinking. Really, are you sure? What I find unbelievable is that people would purposely tank job interviews. Perhaps it’s time you evaluate what you could be doing wrong in the eyes of hiring managers and recruiters…and do something about it.
https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.png00Heather Huhmanhttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngHeather Huhman2011-08-01 09:30:152020-05-20 17:27:04Why You're Always the Interviewee and Never Hired
Weekends aren’t the usual time for companies to drop market-making news, but it happened this weekend, when Monster announced the launch of BeKnown, a networking application which marries the social-media savvy and vast audience of Facebook (more than 750 million users) with the track record and recruiting muscle of Monster
I was prepared in briefings last week so it was not a complete surprise to me. I’m still pondering the ramifications of this shiny tool. But it happened, and in the reporting that accompanied the announcement, one observation went unsaid.
Old School, Meet New School
For recruiters and talent management pros everywhere, it’s an announcement that’s been a long time coming. I’ve known the team at Monster for many years and through many of it’s revisions. As one of our #TChat media partners I offer Monster a huge congratulations and am very pleased about the news. And while some companies may feel a bit threatened or fear disintermediation, it is a good thing for our industry. Time will tell how quickly people and companies can adopt the new technology in a way that is useful.
For job seekers, it’s a revolution that continues to unfold. Revolutions change things, and people have to figure out how to use the change to their advantage – and do it quickly. Does this mean no more need for recruiters? Absolutely not, and more on that later too.
With BeKnown, job searchers – passive or active – have a new tool with which to create professional networks. Users can construct an old-school presentation of their accomplishments – a social resume – and float it out, while keeping their personal and professional networks separate, into the powerful, new school Facebook stream.
There are other real contenders in this game – LinkedIn, with ~100 million users, and an early innovator giant kudos goes to BranchOut, a Facebook application created by a bunch of smart, Silicon Valley VC-backed entrepreneurs. There is zero question they are early adopters in this space. Both are excellent tools, but neither has the recruiting backbone of Monster. I wonder how this will play out in the marketplace. Will be interesting to watch the developments.
What does this mean for recruiters?
We will have to be smarter and work harder for clients to prove our value. But I’d argue that the vastness that is Facebook will turn out to be a great thing for recruiters who continue to pivot quickly to offer services to help clients bridge the worlds of social interaction and job search. I’ve been to Leadership and HR conferences and talked to lots of recruiters in the past few years, and most of them have been looking for something like BeKnown. Why? Because most recruiters are already social media-savvy, but most companies don’t have the bandwidth to construct social communities to attract prime recruits. BeKnown could be a/the invaluable bridge.
What does it mean for job seekers?
More access. A new channel, in a familiar Facebook form. More than 700 million other users, loosely-connected into a huge job-sharing and job-hunting network. What BeKnown doesn’t have that recruiters offer: a tight, focused relationship, built on trust, with a professional who knows the ins and outs of job hunting, personal branding, talent management and career-building.
BeKnown will create disruption, but it also will create opportunity for job seekers and recruiters. What it won’t do? Replace relationships.
The loose bonds many of us have with Facebook friends are fragile, transient things, made more transient by frequent, subtle tweaks to Facebook’s algorithms which create a social filter many users barely notice. Facebook’s privacy issues and lack of transparency are real concerns that will continue to be managed. Nevertheless, BeKnown is a step forward for job seekers at a time when many need the extra help and visibility. And for recruiters, it’s a missing piece – a social edge, a new channel, a new way to add and prove the value of relationships.
It’s old school meets new school. And I could not be happier.
https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.png00https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.png2011-06-27 09:46:522020-05-20 17:18:54Monster's BeKnown Disrupts: Meet New School Social Networking
There are core values and ideas that will remain eternal. However, the shape and form in which they manifest themselves constantly changes through time due to improved technology or cultural shifts. Think of what marriage, transportation, or news outlets looked like or meant to people in different periods, and you’ll see what I mean.
I believe the resume will never die. As long as a majority of companies hire their employees based on knowledge, resources, and experience, the resume’s purpose will remain vital in the process. I do believe, however, that the form in which a resume manifests itself is slowly growing outdated. Just as the email attachment replaced the mailed print copy, one of the following below could easily replace the email attachment as the next standard resume.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn, a social networking website for professionals, has rapidly taken off since its founding in 2003, with the company now boasting over 100 million users and over $160 million in annual revenues. Just as Facebook became the platform on which we interact with our friends, LinkedIn is becoming the platform on which we interact with contacts and companies. People of all ages are realizing the wealth of potential and opportunity awaiting them on the website, and flocking to start their own accounts.
With one’s experience, education, recommendations, contact information, and just about everything else conveniently listed on one’s page, it only takes a quick profile look-up from HR to find everything they need to know about an applicant. Perhaps in the future, LinkedIn may even go beyond allowing users to simply submit applications to posted jobs, building tools and services (like video chat, applicant evaluation software, etc) onto its platform to allow for the entire hiring process to take place on its website. With the company’s continued sustained growth and innovation, it is likely that this will usurp the traditional resume.
Video
It has become relatively easy in this day and age to create high-quality homemade videos. Video cameras (or phones) and simple-to-use editing software are everywhere, and uploading content to the web is a breeze. A video resume allows an applicant to present himself or herself in more dimensions to a recruiter by showcasing creativity, personality, and interests while still communicating qualifications and experience
Additionally, the visual presence of the applicant allows him or her to speak more directly to a recruiter than any cover letter could ever allow, making for a more compelling personal pitch. This format has already started to become more prevalent: for example, Cambridge-based tech start-up SCVNGR now accepts videos in lieu of a cover letter. There are even companies, like TalentRooster, which specialize in producing such videos for hopeful hires who would otherwise produce something laughable, like this. Or awesomely ambiguous, like this.
Personal Pages
With more people embracing personal branding and establishing their presence on the web, it becomes important to tie all their outlets together. Recruiters don’t just want to see a resume anymore; they want to learn about your opinions, values, and personality, which they can extract from your online activity.
Whether it’s a WordPress blog, YouTube account, or a Twitter handle, every digital footprint left generates exposure and adds value to an individual’s personal brand. A personal page aggregates everything into one convenient location for a recruiter to look through. Additionally, like video resumes, a personal page allows you to add creativity and a visual presence in a way a traditional resume cannot. Such sites are quite easy to set up: building a solid fan page on Facebook or a splash page on About.Me or Flavors.Me can be completed in less than half an hour. For those willing to go the extra mile and spend a little cash, purchasing themes, domain names, and outside help can help add a little flair.
The death of the email attachment resume is fast approaching. Thanks to the web, applicants no longer have to submit anything beyond their basic information, for a plethora of information about them is already readily available online and Google-able. It’s not hard to imagine a future job application reduced simply to this:
https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.png00TalentCulture Team + Guestshttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngTalentCulture Team + Guests2011-06-06 09:28:432020-05-20 17:08:48New Technology Changing The Future of Resumes
I spent most of this past week at the HRO Today conference in Las Vegas as a member of the blog squad, and what do I have to show for it? A new appreciation for HR and Recruiting technology innovation – that’s what.
On the personal side, new friendships were made and old bonds renewed. In short, a very good conference. I even had an opportunity to sing along with dueling pianos – talk about a Talent Show. Right up my alley. We had many laughs. What happens in Vegas is not always meant to stay in Vegas after all.
This week’s #TChat was a highlight of course. As I referenced earlierin the week, The HRO Analyst Study was pretty fascinating from my perspective. So while there’s plenty of HR technology out there, much of it is focused on talent management and recruitment. HR and recruiters just are not perceiving what’s out there as innovative, perhaps because most of what we’re seeing isn’t screaming cloud, mobile application. What the survey found, instead, was a gap in perceptions of innovation.
For example, 62 percent of technology providers think it’s vital to innovate in talent management technology – but only 33 percent of practitioners agree. Even more telling: 70 percent of providers surveyed think talent management technology supports work, while practitioners – 37 percent – view the technology as ‘just gadgets’.
But wait, there’s more – over 70 percent of practitioners surveyed say providers ‘rarely or never’ talk to them to gauge whether their offerings align with the practitioners’ business strategies and goals. Yikes, what a disconnect! As a “recruitment practitioner” (one of my hats) I’m hoping there are many more of us who see these innovative tools as a must have – I certainly fall into this grouping.
So let’s go to Door #1 and a review of my stint as a judge on the iTalent2 Demo Competition. The talented roster of hopefuls: BranchOut a solution that helps people tap into their Facebook friends network to find career opportunities; InternMatch a brilliant yet simple application that simplifies finding interns and marketing internship opportunities for organizations of pretty much any size; JobScore a social media-enabled talent management application; SmartRecruiters a winner (did I say it is free?) application with a great SaaS recruiting solution; Wednesdays a team building and employee engagement application built on social media networking, and Work4labs, with a very cool application that enables career sites on Facebook. Quite an impressive array of new technologies included here.
As a judge who ended up being closer to Simon Cowell than Paula Abdul as we first thought – I was way careful about the numbers I gave each company featured, never going past 8 on a scale of 1-10. Apologies to the contestants if that seems harsh, but we’re talking about my passion here: innovation meets matching people talent with new career opportunity.
I have a weak spot for technologies that do it well. In classic start-up form no company or application is perfect just yet. Innovation is truly about creating a culture of working and reworking ideas where it’s ok to make mistakes in the early innings. I found flaws in each application from either a usability or branding perspective. It will be exciting to watch their progression in the coming months. There were almost too many good things on offer for the judging panel.
SmartRecruiters won – it’s a free (yes, free), social-media enabled application that helps companies recruit top talent. The pitch was strong, the website is user friendly, it’s organized and the people are enthusiastic about it’s potential in the market.
I have a soft spot for InternMatch. I mentor as many interns as I can and many people know I’m an advocate for these programs. Pay it forward and all, interns are a great resource for any company – and actual work experience with actual companies is part of a complete education.
I’m so energized by the people I met, the ideas that were presented, the technology that is available right now that will make talent recruiting and hr management so much easier and more productive. I can’t wait to talk to people (and clients) about what I’ve heard about in Vegas and beyond. Onward we go.
https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.png00Meghan M. Birohttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngMeghan M. Biro2011-05-28 13:55:542020-05-20 17:07:56HRO: Engagement Perception and Social Recruiting Technology
Usually, one of the key characteristics of champions is that they have an amazing ability to prevent themselves from making unforced errors. Opponents will often try to force you into situations that they can utilize to their advantage. But, if you can do those things that you do well on a consistent basis without making mistakes, you will often come out ahead. As we know, nothing is more important for the sustainable competitive advantage of employers than the ability to continually attract, recruit, and retain top employees.
As we move further and further into the emerging territory of socialization and online recruiting there is an increased opportunity to make unforced errors. The primary reason is that the rules aren’t well defined so both candidates and employers are as awkward as two teenagers on a first date. Each wants to impress the other, yet neither knows exactly what to do or how to do it. This uncertainty is combined with the fact that there are some people who would be totally happy to see you fail. The key is to stay focused on your employer value proposition and effectively communicate that with candidates.
If not, you’ll find yourself making unforced errors which will compound the already difficult challenges of recruiting in an emerging environment.
So, what are the unforced errors that you should be on the lookout for?
Instigators
As long as people have been interacting in the online environment, there have been a small group of people who are interested in stirring the pot for no other reason than to make others angry. These people who have far too much time on their hands will attempt to take advantage of the increased access to employees to engage in anti-social behavior. Without discipline, your company can easily end up making an unforced error. This can happen by either engaging in unprofessional back/forth discussions or circular arguments.
To prevent this, you must remember the purpose of your online activity. Your #1 goal is to attract, recruit, and retain the top talent that will increase the competitive advantage of your organization. Anything that is counter to that purpose should be ignored. The immediacy of social media and social networking makes it more likely that instigators will try to bait you into arguments. But, you should take steps to ensure that ambassadors for your organization have the discipline to maintain their composure when engaged by instigators.
Disgruntled Candidates
After going through perhaps a phone screen or an in-person interview, this person has not advanced to the next stage in the process. Unfortunately, they don’t agree with your rationale. So, their goal is to create a scorched earth policy within your current social recruiting efforts. This person will not make it clear that they are a candidate that wasn’t selected. Instead, they will try to use social discussions to highlight perceived flaws within your company that they feel will make your opportunity less attractive to prospective candidates.
It is important to diplomatically take these discussions offline. Not because you are trying to create the impression that your company is without flaws, but instead these people are presenting information about your company without the proper context (rejected candidate who has a score to settle). These discussions can be extremely confusing to prospective candidates and can do significant damage if your employees engage publicly.
Competitors
As we’ve seen from the different anti-poaching agreements that have recently come to light, most employers recognize the need to win the war for talent. Competitors have an opportunity to create unforced errors by using their industry knowledge as well as their understanding of your competitive advantage.
Often, competitors will not have deep insights about what exactly it is like to work at your company. But, their knowledge is dangerous enough to create challenges with your social recruiting efforts. If you are in a discussion with someone who appears to have the level/quality of information as a competitor, it is important to reinforce your unique value proposition. Remember, your competitor is just as convinced that their value proposition is superior to theirs as you are. This is a great opportunity to communicate exactly what your advantages are for prospective candidates. Don’t be tricked into argue your value proposition on their terms.
As an increasing number of employer and candidate interactions happen within the online environment, it is extremely important not to make unforced errors. We see that there can be a variety of different scenarios that might lead you in this direction. What other unforced errors have you seen employers make and what advice do you have for preventing it?
About the Author: Omowale Casselle (@mySenSay) is the co-founder and CEO of mySenSay. We help top companies and future leaders make better employment decisions.
https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.png00TalentCulture Team + Guestshttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngTalentCulture Team + Guests2011-05-27 10:19:172020-05-20 17:07:42Preventing Unforced Social Recruiting Errors
The analyst panel was a great group that included Madeline Laurano, Talent Systems Analyst of The Newman Group; Mark McMillan, co-founder of Talent Function Group; Katherine Jones, Principal Analyst of Bersin & Associates; Jayson Saba, Senior Research Associate of Aberdeen Group; and myself. Look for collaborative content to come from this group and HRO Today about the state of innovation in HR technology.
The survey itself revealed that while providers for the most part feel they are highly innovative, the practitioners disagree. This is contradictory of where many vendors are with their customer service and user adoption, because time and again late vendors will tell you that besides customer advisory councils, focus groups and user group gatherings, some SaaS deployed products have created the “sandbox” approach.
This is where customers can play with features and enhancements before they’re live. They’ve also created online care/idea centers where customers can suggest, vent and collaborate. However, the democratization of customer product development hasn’t quite closed the gap yet.
My fellow analysts and I agreed that innovation must be something new, or a re-imagining, of how technology can drive efficiencies in HR/recruitment processes and activities as well as contribute to overall business growth. It must take into consideration the how and why of the workplace today — the best practices in acquiring, empowering and retaining talent. It can’t be a gadget for gadget’s sake just so the vendor can say, “Hey, you can log in to our system on your smart phones now.”
“To do what exactly?”
“To do…cool stuff. You know.”
“No, I don’t. Can I download your system information to a spreadsheet?”
“Why would you want to do that when you’ve got our perfectly good system to work within?”
“To do…cool stuff. You know.”
Maybe you’ve heard some of that kind of conversation. But, HR practitioners need to also better educate themselves on the use of technology in the workplace and even take business “tours of duty” in finance, operations, IT, customer service and more to understand what it means to run and grow a business, not just keep it in compliance and be risk-averse.
We posed similar survey questions to #TChat-land last night (questions below), and there was a resounding agreement on one thing:
Tech and innovation is great to a point, as long as it helps to humanize acquiring, empowering and retaining the workforce.
Q1: How important is technology innovation in acquiring, empowering and retaining a workforce today?
Q2: Are HR and recruitment technology providers truly “innovative” today? Why or why not?
Q3: Are HR and recruitment practitioners truly “innovative” today? Why or why not?
Q4: How have technology innovations impacted end users’ experiences? Using it or not?
Q5:How do you use technology to support business strategies and objectives?
Q6: Do HR and recruitment technology innovations support the work, or are they just gadgets? Why?
Q7: What can practitioners and providers do to facilitate and improve technology innovation?
Q8: In summary, what do you think it means to be innovative in the HR and recruiting business today?
Thank you all who participated last night! We’re taking an extended Memorial Day weekend break from #TChat next week, but we’ll resume on Tuesday, June 7
https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.png00Kevin W. Grossmanhttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngKevin W. Grossman2011-05-25 21:45:252020-05-20 17:07:29HR Innovation Should Keep us All In Business: #TChat Recap
We’ve talked before about how hot the theme of ‘innovation’ is. In the technology world, much of what’s filed under ‘innovation’ is related to cloud technology, or mobile, or ‘apps’. What isn’t so hot, in my observation, is technology that links innovations to people. And so it is here at the HRToday conference in shiny Las Vegas, where technology is everywhere, but the links to employees and workforces are not so clear.
I’m looking forward to visiting the technology demos, and especially speaking with today’s analyst panel, which is bringing a group together to discuss the ‘innovation gap’ in HR technology. As I wear my “everyday practitioner” hat it is apparent to me that we still have some major holes to contend with. Reality Check!
At today’s panel, our hosts for this event, HRO Today, have brought together a great group including Kevin W. Grossman of Ventana Research; Madeline Laurano, Talent Systems Analyst of The Newman Group; Mark McMillan, co-founder of Talent Function Group; Katherine Jones, Principal Analyst of Bersin & Associates, and Jayson Saba, Senior Research Associate of Aberdeen Group. This group of analysts – many with a focus on talent management – are discussing a survey HRO Today ran earlier this year of over 100 buyers and providers of HR technology. The survey’s goal was to get a better pulse on the pace of technology innovation.
So while there’s plenty of HR technology out there, much of it is focused on talent management and recruitment. HR just isn’t perceiving what’s out there as innovative, perhaps because most of what we’re seeing isn’t screaming cloud, mobile or app. Very interesting.
So, what should the role of the buyer and the technology provider be in pushing innovation? My take:
Collaborate to innovate, but do it differently, depending on which side of the table you sit on. If you’re an HR tech buyer, make your technology recommendations based on how, say, innovative recruiting technology can help you build an innovative company. Don’t worry about the technology being innovative per se; that’s the role of the provider.
Providers of technology, listen to your customers. Ask about their recruiting and retention challenges, and think about how to use social media technologies to enhance the technology suites you’ve already built.
With smart solutions like these available, could there be a disconnect between technology innovation and HR? I say a big yes, and the survey seems to have found the same scenarios unfolding with their samples.
I base my observation both on what I see here in Vegas, and more on what I’ve been experiencing in the market for the past three years. Sure, there’s lots of HR technology. Solutions that target enterprises are probably doing fairly well. But the real struggle is in the SMB, where most people look for and find work.
Workforce technology, perhaps more than other technology solutions, needs to scale. It needs to be useful for the 10 person company and the 10,000 person company. And when we talk about tech innovation in HR and recruiting, please hold the spreadsheets and go long on social media. That’s the edge case.
SharedXpertise and the HR Demo Show just completed a survey on what industry stakeholders, both practitioners and providers, think about innovation in HR technology.
Based on that premise, we want our #TChat community to chime in on the subject later today. Tonight’s #TChat questions are:
Q1: How important is technology innovation in acquiring, empowering and retaining a workforce today?
Q2: Are HR and recruitment practitioners truly “innovative” today? Why or why not?
Q3: How have technology innovations impacted end users’ experiences? Using it or not?
Q4:How do you use technology to support business strategies and objectives?
Q5: Do HR and recruitment technology innovations support the work, or are they just gadgets? Why?
Q6: What can practitioners and providers do to facilitate and improve technology innovation?
Q7: In summary, what do you think it means to be innovative in the HR and recruiting business today?
Back to the conference floor. More thoughts from me soon. Cheers to Vegas!
https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.png00Meghan M. Birohttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngMeghan M. Biro2011-05-24 16:07:222020-05-20 17:07:17Innovation Gap Realities Workforce Technology: #TChat Preview
There are technologies that transform an economy (railroads), and technologies that lead to an industry (and an economy) treading water (railroads.) HR technology is a transformative set of technologies, one I can’t wait to dig in to. The place to see what’s coming up for us HR and Recruiting practitioners is the HR Demo Show, to be held May 24-25 at The Venetian in Las Vegas.
Did I say Las Vegas? Yup. I will be making an appearance on a blog squad that includes friends like Maren HoganCraig Fisher and Geoff Web. I also look forward to meeting Jessica Miller-Merrell IRL for the first time. Fun times.
In this case I’m talking about new technologies for the workplace and talent management, not trains. Technologies have transformed many businesses and industries and displaced others. But its value as a creator of strategic value has been under attack for some time.
Flashback way back yonder to the year 2003 Nicholas Carr published ‘IT Doesn’t Matter’ in the Harvard Business Review, followed by a book, Does IT Matter? in 2004. His argument (to paraphrase the article, and some of Carr’s rebuttal of various criticisms): because IT is structural, built in to a company’s operations, it is no longer a strategic differentiator or source of advantage to businesses. Sure, it helps with competitiveness – you need to be on par with those in your industry in your use of IT to survive – but it’s no longer a source of tremendous advantage. IT has become a commodity.
Back to the present. Not so fast. Technology is very much transforming industries. In Recruiting and HR specifically, technology is a transformative power because today’s social tools have the power to enable emotional connections between employers, employees and job seekers (future employees). This is a hugely important tool for connecting with and hiring the right talent. And it’s no sceret I love any valuable tool that helps employer’s humanize their workplace brand when recruiting new people to teams. Job seekers “buy into” a workplace culture when they accept a job offer – it’s an emotional connection made with people first and foremost.
Things are changing fast in the world of software tools designed to support Recruitment and HR functions within a workplace. As Kevin W Grossman says, the next five to 10 years should be an interesting time for talent management technologies in our space. Cue the flash and sizzle: be at the HR Demo Show to hear what’s changing.
So much is exciting. I am going to look at things that promise much improvement for talent management in the workplace:
Humanizing talent acquisition—by facilitating human interaction and establishing emotional connections between employers and job candidates. Taleo looks like an interesting option here.
Helping to build an employment brand—by creating talent communities via social, mobile, cloud and collaboration technologies and activities.
Going beyond standard applicant tracking system features—by reaching into the CRM realm to keep the pipeline filled with truly qualified candidates, to grab and nurture candidates’ interest, and to empower global recruitment and multi-lingual outreach. Kenexa has an interesting set of offerings, as does Epicor.
Getting social networking to work effectively by driving applicants back to companies’ career portals; giving companies a clearer picture of their social media efforts/effectiveness, and helping them track and manage referrals more efficiently.
I’ll be attending talks on RPO, HRO and MSP practices and IT solutions, and reporting back to you. There’s a ‘demo’ in the show name, so I’ll be going to demos of various interesting and geeky offerings – right up my alley. I’ll be separating the very cool from the not-so-cool and on where we can use new technologies for strategic, competitive advantage.
It’s Vegas, so there will definitely be a stroll and a dance (or five) down the Strip (no cards, please) or a stop at the Red Square. There will be opportunity to connect with my fellow HR and Recruitment practitioners and purveyors of HR systems. And there will be lots of opportunity to find out about talent management, and how systems will help our industry make this a priority to stay innovative.
Join me in Vegas. Or check in here and hear what I’m hearing. HR/Recruiting technologies are on the cusp, and I don’t want to miss the opportunity, the transformation, the prospect of creating competitive advantage.
https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.png00Meghan M. Birohttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngMeghan M. Biro2011-05-04 15:31:372020-05-20 17:02:43HR Demo Show Vegas – Humanizing Employer Brands Makes Me Happy
Today’s post is by Ty Abernethy — founder and CEO of ZuzuHire, a multimedia candidate screening tool incorporating video, voice, essay and multiple-choice questions. He has a background in executive recruiting, and currently manages the finance/accounting recruiting division of Chase Professionals.
The hiring process is changing–not only for companies and recruiters, but also for candidates. With companies facing challenges like budget cuts and understaffed recruiting departments, they are looking at new tools to simplify the hiring process. Things are changing quickly, and it’s hard to keep up. But it’s also difficult to tell which tools and innovations will stick once the dust has settled. Here’s a breakdown of some of the exciting new technologies that will (most likely) stick and how candidates should adapt to keep up.
Ding, Dong the Job Boards Are Dead (well sort of…)
Once upon a time, all hiring strategies went like this: 1) post an ad to a major job board, 2) review resumes, 3) interview, 4) and hire. But things are changin’. Now, with the advent of social media, companies and recruiters have so many more recruiting gadgets in their tool kit. And with aggregate job sites like Indeed and SimplyHired, there is no longer a need for employers to post with the major job boards. Companies can use the smaller, lesser known (and cheaper) boards and get great results. And LinkedIn has now become the largest “resume” database in the world. Soon companies and recruiters will use LinkedIn profiles interchangeably with resumes. And before too long, companies will start allowing applicants to apply to their job postings via the “Connect with LinkedIn” plug-in instead of having to upload a resume. For candidates, this means they must have a professional, updated, and detailed profile.
Video Is Not Just For Pop Stars!
Video is fast becoming a major component to the hiring process, both as a marketing tool and as a candidate screening and interviewing tool. Companies are realizing that the more they differentiate their jobs from their competitors’, the easier it is for them to attract exceptional candidates. And video is a great way for a job seeker to get to know a company better. YouTube and Facebook videos help to give a company a face and a personality and make candidates more excited about the organization. Additionally, video offers a great time saving solution for companies during the interviewing process. Companies can interview candidates in a fraction of the time by incorporating video, and save on travel costs as well. Very soon it will be commonplace for companies to screen and interview candidates via video before bringing candidates in-house to interview. Job seekers need to purchase a webcam so they can keep up!
Mobile! (It’s not just a town in Alabama!)
Mobile recruiting will be huge in the future. Currently, companies looking for a competitive edge have started to incorporate mobile apps and text messaging into their recruiting campaigns. New technology allows recruiters to send out a job via an app and candidates can “check in” if they are available. Recruiters see not only that the candidate is available, but where he/she is geographically located. Then recruiters can reach out to candidates that are in the closest proximity to the job. Crazy, right! Additionally, recruiters now have the capabilities to mass text message candidates with job specs. Instead of having to wait for a candidate to check his/her email, recruiters send the message directly to the one device candidates never put down—their cell phones! Powerful stuff, especially for recruiters sourcing for time-sensitive temp jobs. Job seekers should update to smart phones to keep up.
How Job Seekers Should Adapt
Job seekers that adapt the fastest will see the best results. Being prepared for these changes really helps a job seeker stand out from the crowd. First off, it’s imperative for candidates to leverage their social media communities. Great sites like StartWire make it extremely easy to keep your networks updated on your job search and to ask for assistance and support along the way. It is imperative to find and apply to jobs within the first 24 hours that they are posted. Candidates should set up Indeed and Bing job alerts for target job titles in their geographic location. Signing up for social media job search tools like BraveNewTalent can also be quite effective for finding companies that are hiring. Job seekers should purchase a webcam and become comfortable communicating and interviewing online. If job seekers can keep up, they will stand out among the crowd.
The times are a changin’, and if you adapt you will thrive. What are you doing to update you recruiting or job search strategy?
Hello all, Jeff Waldman here. As my first post, I am sharing the latest articlefrom my blog. I look forward to becoming the newest contributer to Talent Culture and hope you all enjoy my writing!
I’ve been itching to write something about social recruiting… why? Because people who should be all over social recruiting and leveraging it as a strategic practice to build kick-ass organizations just don’t get it.
Hmmm… “the Jeff Waldman brainstorm session”…
I took a blank piece of paper and jotted down any idea that came to mind when I asked myself why people don’t really get it. I wrote a few things down, then put the piece of paper away and did some other work, came back to it a few hours later and wrote a few more things. Here’s a bit of a summary of what I came up with.
HR, who supposedly is responsible for attracting and recruiting new talent has absofrickinglutely no clue how to utilize social recruiting. And…. they should.
Forget about technology for a second, it’s been my experience that HR is not very good at being proactive with building talent pools and pipelines, and integrating workforce planning, succession planning and talent management functions into the day to day business. Note: if you’re not strategic then spending any amount of time using social recruiting is a complete waste of time!!! In fact, it’ll more of a detriment to what you’re trying to do, building and developing a recognizable and solid employer brand.
The role of HR in most organizations, regardless of what HR people say their role is, is really nothing more than reactive, administrative in nature, and frankly viewed as a cost centre. No wonder why I cringe when I see the way over-priced Masters in HR program that York University recently started offering… I still haven’t seen anything in their course curricula that has anything to do with real business.
There are obvious demographic characteristics associated with using technology —- e.g. “I’m 50 years old, I don’t want to touch social media….. it’s a foreign world to me so I’ll let one of our junior 20 something year olds figure it out… let me just continue doing my thing as I’ve always done it”!!
These were the common themes, and there are many other points that came to mind but the key thought is this:
All social recruiting really is, is a highly effective tool to proactively and strategically support the business attract and hire the best talent out there…. simple as this! The principle of talent attraction is not new one bit, but HOW someone does it is new….. TECHNOLOGY. By the way, in addition to social recruiting being highly effective it is extremely cost effective, which in this day and age, never hurts the bottom line of your organization.
What Social Recruiting is Not…
Don’t forget that the core purpose of social media is engagement… conversation, interaction, consistent and constant dialogue, finding common interests globally, sharing, collaborating, caring and relationship building. However, I see on a daily basis people/companies that I am following “pushing” content out without really caring about the conversation and dialogue. They are missing out on a huge opportunity that is literally served up to them on a silver platter. Why would I care what a company says if they have never shown any interest in what others are saying and doing? I value reciprocity, and pushing 100% of the time does not demonstrate reciprocity whatsoever.
Here’s an example that I think you’ll recognize. You’re following company X and you see a tweet on Twitter from this company that they are hiring a Marketing Manager… they include the link to the job posting that takes you to their website. That’s it… they may tweet about this job more than once. You then take a look at the history of this organizations’ tweets and you notice they are of the same variety, and they have only tweeted 15 times during the past year. Everything is pushed content. What’s different about how this company is using Twitter versus putting a job ad in Craigslist or Workopolis? You guessed it….. NOT A FRICKING THING… This is NOT social recruiting!!
The Point…
Social recruiting is not rocket science. It’s just a really effective way to proactively and strategically build the most talented and best organization possible. However, and I hate to break this to you but hard work is required on an ongoing basis in order to reap the benefits that social recruiting has to offer. All of those descriptive words that I used earlier to describe what social media should be are things you need to employ when using social recruiting.
The principle of building relationships have never changed, and never will. The tactics you use to do this though have changed, and technology is that change. If you want to compete with companies that “get it” then you better start fully embedding social recruiting into your day to day activities.
Be proactive, be strategic, be smart and help your company achieve their business objectives. Technology is not a scary beast that can never be mastered and learned. Find someone in your organization that understands the finer points of social media who can give you a demo of each of the primary social media tools (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn).
Then leverage the desired technological platform(s) to engage, converse, talk to, share with and reciprocate with other people…. you’ll be amazed how quickly and effectively you’ll meet and connect with people you would never have met otherwise. The senior executives of your organization will hail you as a hero to being “the one” who single handily increased the level of your workforce talent while reducing real costs associated with HR. They will LOOOOOOVE YOOOUUUU!!
https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.png00Jeff Waldmanhttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngJeff Waldman2011-01-17 18:10:322020-05-20 16:45:33What Social Recruiting IS and IS NOT: Welcome to TC, Jeff!
That was most surprising to me in last night’s #TChat on interviewing. The fact that most of the participants didn’t think live webcam interviewing was viable.
Here’s a quote: “Skype interviewing is like buying a car on EBay. Saves a trip, but not always worth the hassle.”
Why is it such a hassle? I understand the U.S. still falls behind other nations in big Internet bandwidth and solid connectivity, but between basic Internet connections, webcams and Skype to Cisco’s TelePresence Meeting Solutions, we can connect so easily these days live and in person without really being “in person”.
Even smaller firms are hiring remote, virtual teams around the world, and it’s just not fiscally feasible to fly folks in for face-to-face interviews.
Phone screening works well for early-on interviews, but a lot of non-verbal queues are missed when you can’t see the person — and that goes for interviewer and interviewee. Sure you can “sense” verbal queues via tone and responses, but there’s still interpretation lost without “seeing”.
I thank Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter for having my back: “I think Skyping will become a ‘norm’ for interviewing; is fairly comfy, easy venue, in my experience. Just go to quiet room, dial up.”
Right on.
Otherwise most participants last night agreed that better interview preparation for employer and applicant are necessary to improve the potential hiring exchange rate.
I agree with one of Meghan’s final points: “Key take away = Questions should be open — ended; avoid questions that can only be answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’.”
That’s the basic premise to behavioral interviewing — probing past performance with scenario-based questions will predict future performance. You’re not going to get much insight when you ask an applicant “tell what your strengths and weaknesses are.” But you will when you discover how the applicant acted in specific employment-related situations.
One other point I liked from last night was the fact that interviewing, at least early-stage interviewing, is more about screening out those who don’t make the cut versus identifying hiring potential of those who do.
Here were the questions we asked last night:
Q1: Why are interviews so important in the screening and hiring process?
Q2: Why are so many employers and applicants “bad” at interviews?
Q3: What are the advantages and disadvantages to phone screening?
Q4: How much are employers using live video calls for virtual team interviews (Skype)?
Q5: Why are behavioral interviews better than traditional interviews?
Q6: It’s been said that even the best applicants can train to even best a behavioral interview. What to do?
Q7: How can emotional intelligence be assessed in behavioral interviews? And can it be?
Q8: Any interviews gone bad stories? Do spill. I will repeat them in the recap.
I’m going to probe question 7 more in another post, but in the meantime, here’s a Monster article on the subject of interviewing and emotional intelligence. And it’s hard to tell stories in Twitter because it takes a lot more space that 140 characters, so if any of you want to send me your “interviews gone bad” stories for future fun recapping, please send to me at kgrossman (at) marcomhrsay (dot) com.
The stats from last night were again fantastic. Who says you can’t engage on Twitter? We had well over 100 people participating in the actual #TChat hour contributing over 1,200 tweets.
Dang.
Meghan and her savvy TalentCulture team, the TC community and little ol’ me, are again very grateful for you all and for your participation. You gave us some great ideas for future topics and we look forward to next week already!
Here are some insightful #TChat tweets from last night:
https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.png00Kevin W. Grossmanhttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngKevin W. Grossman2010-12-01 10:21:352020-05-20 16:39:23What? No Skype Interviews? #TChat Recap
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