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The State of the Job Market [Report]

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Jobvite recently released its Recruiter Nation Report 2016, offering insight into the state of social recruiting and the current job market. The data tells two stories: What recruiters need to know and what job seekers need to know today. Let’s take a deep dive into the report findings and what they mean to you.

Before we explore data points, it’s always important to get the context around the information being presented. In the case of a report, we’re talking about the methodology. To gather the data below, Jobvite surveyed 1,600 HR and recruiting professionals in a variety of industries, all within the U.S.

Now, onto the facts.

The Current Job Market: What Recruiters Need to Know

Recruiters need quality talent today more than ever. Despite the very possibility (and, in some cases, reality) of automation changing the face of the workforce, only a handful of respondents—10 percent—said their company would embrace automation in the next three years. Interestingly, more than three quarters of respondents said they had increased hiring, and 86 percent said they didn’t expect layoffs for the next year.

What’s it mean? Recruiting is increasingly competitive, with industries like hospitality, manufacturing, healthcare, and technology leading the charge. Here are more key insights into what recruiters need to know about the state of the job market:

  • Negotiating salary is normal. According to more than half of the recruiters Jobvite polled, candidates are more likely to ask for higher pay than they were just one year ago. Not surprisingly, 43 percent of job seekers said they left a position in the last year because of concerns about compensation. Bottom line? Have the discussion.
  • Don’t go rogue on benefits. Because of the talent shortage, enticing top talent is more important than ever. How? Yes, workplace culture is uber-important, but so are old fashioned benefits. Seventy-eight percent of respondents said dental and medical coverage was the most attractive benefit, and 65 percent cited a 401K. Interestingly, but not at all surprisingly, 44 percent of respondents indicated a casual dress code and workplace flexibility had strong appeal, too.
  • Internal hires and referrals win. Not surprisingly, the best talent comes from within: Internal hires (38 percent) and employee referrals (34 percent).
  • Don’t forget to leverage social. Most recruiters—87 percent, to be exact—go to LinkedIn to vet potential candidates. They also frequent other social platforms like Facebook and Twitter (see Figure 1 for a full breakdown). Don’t forget, though, that digital is a two-way street—59 percent of job seekers research the culture of potential employers before saying yes to an interview. If your company has a blasé presence in the social media space, or worse, isn’t using social at all, that sends a message to candidates, whether intentional or not.

Jobvite Recruiter Nation Report 2016

Figure 1. Source: Jobvite Recruiter Nation Report 2016

The Current Job Market: What Job Seekers Need to Know

It’s a good time to be a job seeker; as businesses become more tech savvy and leverage more digital tools to get ahead of the competition, they need more—and different typesof—talent to support those efforts. This fact is evidenced by Jobvite’s projection that recruiters are facing a talent shortage—something I wrote about in more detail here (Read: The Talent Recruitment Reality: A Good Candidate is Hard to Find). Better news? Sixty-nine percent of recruiters reported their company had increased hiring efforts within the last twelve months, and many—just over two-thirds—aren’t opposed to increasing salary offers to land the right candidate.

Here are other highlights from the report relevant to job seekers:

  • Use social wisely. If you’re apt to overshare on your social feed or tend to misspell a word or use inappropriate photos (or language), hear this: Recruiters are watching, and they don’t like it. A whopping 72 percent of recruiters said they dislike typos on social, a higher percentage even than those who said they didn’t care for pictures of alcohol consumption (42 percent). Selfies are still safe, though, as they only turn off 18 percent of those polled—a figure actually down from 2015. Be careful, though—41 percent of recruiters said seeing a photo of a candidate before an in-person meeting can affect their impression.
  • Your attitude and appearance matter. Recruiters care about your appearance, with 46 percent reporting that how a candidate dresses can impact the results of a first interview. If you’re in real estate or finance especially, dressing too casually can be a deal killer, almost 80 percent of the time. Your attitude also counts. Some 78 percent of those polled said enthusiasm was the most important factor in deciding whether to hire a candidate post-interview—shockingly, a figure slightly higher than that for “command of requirements.”
  • Tell the truth. A whopping 75 percent of respondents reported they see job seekers regularly beef up their prior work experience. They’re on the lookout for that and other infractions such as inflating a salary, fudging the time at a previous job, and more (see Figure 2 for a full breakdown.)

Jobvite Recruiter Nation Report 2016

Figure 2. Source: Jobvite Recruiter Nation Report 2016

What’s Next?

Can you relate to any of the data points above, either as a job seeker or as a recruiter? What does the state of the job market look like from your vantage point? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Additional Resources on This Topic:

Americans Uncertain About the Future of Work, 2016 Jobvite Job Seeker Study Shows
2016 Job Seeker Nation Study Reports on the Future of Work
Marketing (and Showcasing) Your Corporate Culture During Recruitment

This article was first published on Work Connect Blog.

Do This, Not That. How to Nail Social Recruiting

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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.

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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.

A version of this was first posted on Huffington Post.

The 5 Levels Of Social Media Recruitment Maturity

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In the world of talent acquisition, it is all about hiring the right person at the lowest cost and at the right time.

After talking to numerous global companies in a myriad of industries, it has become clear that recruitment has unfortunately become an afterthought. Sourcing and recruiting are done as needs come up, and there are very few repeatable processes or procedures in place. Interviews are done differently every time, based on interviewers’ skills, experience, and domain knowledge. The lack of reliable scoring mechanisms produces inconsistencies with no meaningful data to assess and compare candidate profiles.

Add to that scenario the hiring manager’s needs and inputs. The challenge then becomes how to make an effective hiring decision that can be justified with quantifiable data.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to become one of the best places to work, and we all wish that there was a magic formula to achieving that status. The companies that get there are the ones that are able to attract, engage and hire top notch talent through data-driven employer branding strategies.

But before crafting such a strategy, talent acquisition leaders first need to understand their organisation’s current level of maturity and social media adoption. The term “maturity” refers to the degree of formality and optimization of processes. Using “reactive” and “proactive” strategies as endpoints — a reactive strategy might involve copying and pasting job descriptions from one social channel to the next and then waiting for the applications to flow in, while a proactive one forecasts future openings, and relies on relevant data and social media outlets to engage and attract quality hires.

The Capability Maturity Model was devised by the Software Engineering Institute, a R&D center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense to help improve existing software development processes. In this model, organizations go through ad-hoc practices, to formally defined steps, to managed result metrics, to finally active optimization of these processes. Since talent acquisition is a process-driven activity, can the maturity model be effectively used to gauge its level of maturity?

The CMM model has five levels and businesses cultivate new tactics as they progress through each level. In software development, a truly reactive strategy could take about two to five years to reach the top level, although not every company will move through the model in the same way. Below is its application to social recruitment. 

Level #1 — Initial (or Random Acts of Recruiting)
At this first stage, positions are filled as they become available. Organizations rely heavily on job boards and their not-so-mobile-friendly career site to advertise their openings. They are using outdated technology for applicant tracking, or even basic tools like spreadsheets and emails. Talent acquisition is really seen as an afterthought.

Social engagement is bottom up and led by individuals who have a passion for social media. An example of this might be a recruiter posting jobs or searching on social channels for candidates via their personal account.

Level #2 — Repeatable

Companies that have reached this level of maturity have developed a better appreciation for the importance of high-impact talent acquisition and social media. Recruiters may start building talent pipelines by working more closely with hiring managers and senior leaders.

Value creation is still limited to the ability to disseminate corporate messages to attract candidates. Engagement with external stakeholders’ is at its early stages. Technology needs become more apparent, but truly integrated systems are not yet in use. An example might include an organization manually posting company updates and jobs to a LinkedIn company page, or tweeting company updates and jobs from an official company Twitter account. Organizations implement cloud-based ATS to better manage internal workflows. 

Level #3 — Defined

At this level, the adoption of social media extends to mass collaboration and becomes a part of the culture. Social engagement starts to materialize through these internal networks and external communities. Recruiters take a leading role in cultivating and formalizing the employer brand, and start nurturing their talent communities. Marketing see the positive impact of such social recruitment campaigns and begin to reap the benefits of such synergies. Essentially, what candidates experience when engaging with an organization makes an impression which they will eventually share across the social networks.

By enabling such collaboration across all levels and by capturing and putting into action the resulting insights, organizations can truly begin to realize demonstrable business value.

Level #4 — Managed

Reaching Level 4 requires more enterprise wide technology and more cross-platform strategies, combined with stronger external and internal relationships. Senior leaders start supporting proactively changes in HR and see it as a competitive advantage. Social media sourcing, employer branding, and community recruiting programs are all in place and running efficiently. Talent pipelines are healthy and growing.

Hiring managers now need to make sense of the data gathered from these programs in order to tweak their social engagement strategies for greater impact. KPIs start to be formalized and monitored.

Your Time-to-Fill Fact Book: Must Read Tactics for Decreasing Time-to-Fill

Reducing time to fill is one key way your organization can decrease its cost per hire, be more productive, and maintain a competitive hiring edge—yet doing so isn’t always easy. However, by asking the right questions about your recruiting process, lowering time to fill can be achievable. In “Your Time-to-Fill Fact Book”:

  • Understand why decreasing time to fill doesn’t mean sacrificing your quality of hire
  • Identify the common communication inefficiencies that increase time to fill
  • Determine if your application process is too complex—including how much time candidates spend on each step

Level #5 — Optimized

The highest level of social recruitment maturity is the ability to use big data to optimize business outcomes. Examples include the analysis of resourcing insights and people analytics to identify long-term recruitment challenges and anticipate changes in the workforce. Real-time website and social analytics metrics are driving the talent marketing strategy. 

Action Plan to Get There

Having a proactive social recruitment strategy requires more than just having the latest HR technology and dumping career related or job posts on social channels. Recruitment leaders should view the progress of their organization towards maturity as a continuous improvement journey. In essence, recruitment organizations can become optimized when HR leaders have internalized the following four points.

  1. Demonstrate a strong knowledge of the company’s strategy, and actively participate in the direction of the business and its human capital.
  2. Adopt a forward thinking approach and try to anticipate cultural changes in the workforce (e.g. millennials). Some changes can be unforeseen; respond quickly to such challenges and avoid disruption to business operations.
  3. Use data to improve hiring and social engagement decisions. This consists in collecting and analyzing meaningful insights to measure performance and optimize social recruitment campaigns.
  4. Stay ahead of the social recruitment curve by investing in new products and services that will help automate and rocket fuel talent marketing and employer branding campaigns.

A version of this was first posted on Eremedia.com

How to Bootstrap Your Social Recruiting

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YOU WILL NEED:

  • Google Drive with master folder (social HR) and assorted subfolders
  • One Google Spreadsheet for each position (you can use this for multiple locations in one sheet by just adding a location option)
  • One Powerpoint document (use Google’s version)
  • Chrome browser, add-on, and mobile application
  • Internet
  • Smartphone 

Templates/Training Material

  • Prepare all scripts into templates (email, LinkedIn messages, Twitter messages, Instagram messages, simple text)
  • Create personas to target (3–8 dependent on your purpose/market/product)
  • Find a visual to associate these personas (optional)
  • Put personas in a powerpoint (1 slide per persona)
  • Name the powerpoint “Training Manual”
  • Write out your mission and your tagline for your business/product/purpose.
  • Put this on it’s own slide in the powerpoint, should be #3
  • Put each script into it’s own slide
  • Write out your plan on how you are going to execute each script

EX:

  1. Search entrepreneurs
  2. Add them on LinkedIn
  3. Follow them on Twitter
  4. Wait for their acceptance
  5. Reach out 5 minutes after acceptance
  6. Build rapport
  7. Find out what they are interested in get the lead
  8. Put into database
  9. Follow up within 48 hours
  10. Schedule follow-up
  11. Mark end result
    • Keep track of all your resources you use in the process on one slide. Make this the last slide.
    • Reorder your powerpoint + create table of contents slide

EX:

  1. Table of contents
  2. Logo slide
  3. Mission/tagline4–12 (or fewer)is personas
  4. 12 (or fewer) — last is scripts
  5. Last is resources
    • You can use this to train anyone on quick recruiting or to bring a potential recruiter up to speed. 

Organization

  1. Download Google Drive (Chrome add-on, use chrome browser, mobile application) This will create a fluid and easy experience that will save you time.
  2. Create a folder and name it “Social HR”
  3. Create a subfolder for each medium you plan to target to keep track of results / don’t forget to include in-person and referral resumes
  4. Create a subfolder within each subfolder for analytics
  5. Create a Google Spreadsheet document See Screening tab for details:
    • Each time you receive a resume or contact information
    • If you receive contact information but no resume, create a reoccurring weekly calendar event to remind to follow-up, 1x per week on different mediums each week.
    • Once you receive the resume, erase the reoccurring calendar event and store in the medium folder that is applicable.
    • Create a new tab by duplicating the “Screen template” tab for your new candidate
    • Input their information
    • Keep track of any updates or notes along the way
    • Keep people moving through the pipeline

Screening

  1. Create a Google Spreadsheet for each position you are screening forName them in this way:[Abbreviated role in two letters] Recruiting Process
  2. Create one Google Spreadsheet first to create a quick template Then go to File > make a copy > rename it as mentioned above
  1. The template tabs should be in this order:
    • Process
    • Schedule Email (added for just in case)*
    • 2nd Schedule Email
    • Screen Template
    • Screen: [Their Last Name]
  1. Whenever you receive a candidate:
  • Save their resume on Google Drive in the proper folder
  • If it makes it easier for you, you can create subfolders within each role to better manage multiple locations.

EX: Los AngelesCreate a reoccurring follow-up event reminder in your calendar with their:name, email, contact number, location, position

  • Go to your applicable Google Spreadsheet and:
  • Click on the right bottom arrow on your Screen template tab and click duplicate
  • Input their information in fields
  • Input any dates of follow-up or interview times
  1. Once you have scheduled someone, open up your calendar and send them a calendar invite.
  1. Create calendar invite
  • If it is not a video interview, take off the video link.
  • In the notes, add their: Full name, Email, Phone, Attach resume via Google Drive
  • Make sure to share their email on the document by clicking on it to share
  • Change the color of the invite block to green
  • Send it and make sure you are ready 5–10 minutes before the interview.
  • The more prepared you are, the faster and smoother the interview will go.
  • Always mark the progress or any notes during the interview process (as there will be multiple interviews)
  1. When you make a hire, change the color of the tab to green and rename it: HIRED: [Last name] Then put notes on the date they were offered, etc
  • “Hide” this sheet using the right down arrow of the tab to clear up space for new candidates in your pipeline.

Screen Template

  • Name
  • Date
  • Phone
  • Email
  • Source
  • Position applied
  • Location
  • OK with relocation?

Introduction

  • Intro questions

Rapport

  • Rapport questions

Resume

  • Resume questions

Experience

  • Experience questions

Culture Fit

  • Culture fit questions

Closing

  • Closing statement
  • Open for candidate questions
  • Closing schedule details
  • Closing rejection details

Interviewing 

  1.  Whenever you are interviewing, it is always suggested to take notes or have takeaways.
  • When you have a process that is defined, you can focus on the real information — them.
  • The questions you ask are important to the direction your call is going to take.
  • Some questions and probably most questions will not be on your template but try to stick within your allotted time frame.
  • No one respects anyone that doesn’t respect their own time.
  • Lead intentionally and set the standard the moment they meet/talk to you.

2. Utilize your Google Spreadsheet (EX: Screen: Mendoza) to your advantage.

  • Make sure you are paying attention to them most of the time aside from writing notes.
  • If you are more comfortable or prefer to take notes after, that is fine but just make sure you follow through.
  • You may think that you will remember all the details but you will forget, trust me.
  • It’s doing a disservice to you if you fail to set up the candidate for success.
  • Get every detail you can possibly get and dig deep.

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  • To change the color code of a tab: go to the right of the tab (down arrow), click the down arrow, click change color
  • At the bottom of each spreadsheet, mark yes or no after you speak to the candidate.
  • If you reject a candidate, make sure to change the color to red and send the reject email then select “hide sheet” on the bottom arrow of the tab.

Remember to always save your screen template by duplicating it when you have a new candidate

  1. Use a process for following up as each candidate will not always answer or make their scheduled interview.
  • Life happens so plan for it in your process.

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  • I use this template:

If you want to download my template, feel free to download it here for free: template.

A version of this post as first published on medium.com on 2/12/16

Three Key Recruiting Methods to Find More Candidates

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Considering how important it is to just about everything a business does, it’s a surprise that hiring isn’t given more strategic attention. With the advent of affordable hiring software, there’s no longer any excuse for this. Here are three key recruiting methods that will help you get a hiring process that works and a flow of better candidates.

  1. Is social recruiting for real?

Attracting job candidates with social recruiting

Social recruiting has sometimes been touted beyond its capacity to deliver, but it can help. You need to create buzz around the jobs on your careers page. LinkedIn has scores of groups you can join, mention jobs in, or initiate general discussions around a role, a company or industry.

Smart companies make sure they have created Facebook groups or a Facebook Jobs tab, or even run a Facebook ad campaign, with the sole purpose of attracting potential candidates. Your biggest fans are a good place to look when you’re hiring. Add as many touch points as possible between you and prospective candidates.

Social media has a role, but you cannot afford to ignore job boards. Depending on the nature of the role being hired, free job boards should be the first port of call.

  1. Job boards still essential

Some job boards, like Indeed, also offer free options that can be combined with paid ones. SimplyHired and Glassdoor offer free postings when you access them through an ATS like Workable. For the most effective places to post your jobs, check out our job board directory, which enables you to choose job boards based on industry, location, and cost (paid versus unpaid).

Don’t post your jobs on Friday evening, or by Monday, they’ll be last week’s news. Wait until Sunday evening or Monday morning and advertise your roles when the candidates are most active. Most job boards use freshness as a factor in ranking job search results.

Job board recruiting advice from Jeff Dickey-Chasins, Job Board Doctor

When the volume of candidates is the priority, LinkedIn, Indeed, and Craigslist are the top sites for posting paid job listings on account of their popularity, functionality and reach. These provide the maximum return on investment (ROI).

Are paid job boards always the way to go? No. There are many jobs where the free job boards can perform adequately. Indeed, for example is the biggest job board in the world. Indeed’s free version has a huge amount of candidate traffic and can provide great candidates. The decision on which job boards are best for you needs to happen on a role-by-role basis.

  1. Candidate sourcing 101

Advertising has its limits and referrals are great but sometimes they won’t provide you with enough leads to be confident that you’re making the right recruitment decisions. Which leaves you looking for those “passive candidates”, the ones who aren’t actively seeking a new job.

This used to be known as headhunting although these days there’s also strategic sourcing of job candidates (think of it as headhunting before the kill). The key to this is to know as much about your prey as possible. The necessary steps should already be familiar from your hiring plan and job descriptions.

Picture your ideal candidate and ask these three questions to begin building a profile:

  • What experience would they have?
  • What kind of job are they doing now?
  • Which companies have good people doing this job?

Once you have a profile the sourcing begins. The good news is that there are more sourcing tools than ever, and everyone will already have a digital footprint. Github is strong on programmers, TalentBin is a good all-rounder, and then there’s LinkedIn, the biggest professional network. Browse profiles and make a long-list of prospects.

Now begins the courtship. You need to put your research to work in framing an approach. Start with prospects whom you can reach out to using your existing network. Utilize the hard-won experience of recruiters when it comes to cold-calling (usually via email) prospects outside your network.

Recruiting advice from Rob Long Workable VP for Growth

Make sure to warm up your cold call. With a bit of research and a concise, personalized message, you’ll improve your chances of getting a response from the passive candidates you approach.

The recruitment funnel

Done properly, your recruitment process should resemble a funnel. What you’ve seen here belongs at the top of the funnel — the wide net you cast to get the highest number of quality applicants. For the rest of it, look to our Recruiting Strategies Guide For Small Businesses. You’ll find mini-case studies, interviewing techniques, tips for leveraging recruitment software, and advice from recruitment experts such as Tim Sackett, Mervyn Dinnen, and TalentCulture’s own Meghan M. Biro.

About the Author:

Christine Del Castillo is the Community Manager at Workable where she primarily works on community building, digital content creation, and social audience development. She frequently writes about HR tech, hiring, and recruiting for Workable

 

photo credit: No 3 – green paint via photopin (license)

 

Workable is a client of TalentCulture and sponsored this post.

This Sink Or Swim Social Recruiting Reality Check

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What a difference six years makes. Or doesn’t make. At least when we’re swimming in the parallel pools of social marketing and social recruiting.

When you dive into those social pools with me, you’ll find that way back in the latter half of 2009 there were about six million monthly Twitter users. Back then I worked for HRmarketer and wrote one of the first social media marketing guides for the HR and recruiting technology marketplace titled Conversation Starters: Social Media Marketing in the HR Marketplace. You can actually still download it. Right on.

It was a pretty comprehensive undertaking back in the day. I was proud of it, HRmarketer was proud of it. And if I recall the overall feedback was positive – at least for the 12 people who read it. I gest, there were a few more than 12 thankfully, but either way at the time it seemed to be a valuable resource.

I reminisce now because my friend Mark Willaman, the founder of HRmarketer and fisher VISTA (the agency side of the business I helped launch), reached out to me recently to talk social marketing shop, and it got me thinking about all the work we had done together how the market has changed (or hasn’t changed) when it comes to social. By the way, they’ve got a great social listening tool called Insight.

Today there are over 300 million monthly Twitter users – that’s almost a 5000 percent increase. I’ve reaped the benefits of social marketing over the past six years, including growing the TalentCulture #TChat Show audience with Meghan M. Biro, but the pH balance of the social recruiting pool is off.

Sure, many of us have seen research that shows the prevalence of social recruiting practices on the employer side. In fact, an forthcoming Dice survey, 9 out of 10 recruiters are using social media in talent acquisition. The same research shows that social media has improved or is greatly improving tech recruiting results including quality of candidates, referrals and time-to-hire.

Yes, social has become the tool for promoting jobs, building brands, sourcing candidates, creating relationships, and vetting applicants. Jump on in. Two recent powerhouse recruiter guests on the TalentCulture #TChat Show – Stacy Zapar, Founder of Tenfold, and recruiting strategist, trainer and advisor; and Allison Kruse, Senior Manager of Social Media and Talent Acquisition at Kforce – concur that the business value is there. They both agreed that:

As far as asking for a financial investment, there’s a lot of things that we can do for free on social; it’s just going to take an investment of time, effort and training (which isn’t exactly free, but still). The return comes down to knowing where you should use social for the candidates you’re targeting how we are all treating candidates, when it comes to messaging and engaging with them online. It doesn’t really matter what social media site it is – it’s “social” media. Keep the social there, treat people with respect, treat candidates with respect.

Social has enabled us to have exponentially wider reach but be infinitely more targeted within that population, so it’s the best of all worlds. This is something that social has enabled us to do, and we can do our homework and we can craft custom messages to our audience because we’re able to learn about them through all of their social codes. So, social is a fabulous tool and a way for us to create a great candidate experience and be much more efficient with our time and just yield better results, period.

Absolutely. I’m all about improving candidate experience. Forthcoming 2015 Talent Board candidate experience research confirms that social recruiting has been growing on the employer side over the past few years.

For employers, the following are considering “differentiating” when it comes to engaging job seekers prior to applying:

  • LinkedIn Pages (Job/Career Specific) – 56%
  • LinkedIn Groups (Job/Career Specific) – 37%
  • Twitter Feeds/Notifications (Job/Career Specific) – 32%
  • Facebook Pages (Job/Career Specific) – 24%

But what about for job seekers? Where are they researching via social prior to applying?

Across industries, they’re going here:

  • LinkedIn Career Page(s) – 30%
  • Online Groups (LinkedIn, Yahoo, Google+, Other) – 26%
  • Employer Reviews (Glassdoor, Vault, Great Rated!) – 24%

Makes sense. But here’s where the social recruiting pool goes cold:

  • Facebook Career Page(s) – 5%
  • Twitter Feeds/Notifications – 2%

Not much seeker swimming going on in the Twitter pool, you know? And it doesn’t improve when you look at the differences between internal recruiters who reached out directly or if job seekers are doing their own research. Nor have the numbers improved over the past few years Talent Board has been doing this recruiting candidate experience research.

That doesn’t mean there’s not value in making a social listening investment, and then working with your talent acquisition teams to develop targeted social recruiting campaigns that are measurable and repeatable for where those candidate populations are swimming (and seeking, even if they don’t know it yet).

But those savvy social recruiters (and marketers) who are succeeding are also keeping this sink or swim social recruiting check in mind. Now tweet that fives times fast.

#TChat Recap: How Social Recruiting Makes the Talent Business Case

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Do you ever wonder how prevalent social recruiting is today – especially versus five years ago? Or what are considered best practices for reaching out to candidates on social sites? Social recruiting is no longer a trend. It’s the new norm. According to new Dice research, 9 out of 10 recruiters are using social media in talent acquisition.

This week, the TalentCulture community enjoyed a fast-paced and high-energy discussion about how social recruiting makes the talent business case with this week’s guests: Stacy Zapar, Founder of Tenfold, and recruiting strategist, trainer & advisor; and Allison Kruse, Senior Manager of Social Media and Talent Acquisition at Kforce.

Social media has become the tool for promoting jobs, building brands, sourcing candidates, creating relationships, and vetting applicants. Dice research also shows that social has improved or is greatly improving tech recruiting results including quality of candidates, referrals, and time-to-hire.

Think social media is big now? It’s only getting bigger, along with its importance to tech recruiters looking for results. However, there is some art and science to doing it right. Listen to the recording and review the #TChat highlights to learn more.

Thank you to all the TalentCulture sponsors, partners and supporters!

#TChat returns Wednesday, Dec 9, 2015 @ 1 pm ET/10 am PT. The TalentCulture team will be talking about our favorite #TChat shows from 2015. Join us and share your favorite #TChat moments from this year.

Join our social communities and stay up-to-date! The TalentCulture conversation continues daily. See what’s happening right now on the #TChat Twitter stream, in our LinkedIn group and on our Google+ community. Engage with us anytime on our social networks or stay current with trending World of Work topics on our website or through our weekly email newsletter.

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#TChat Preview: How Social Recruiting Makes the Talent Business Case

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The TalentCulture #TChat Show is back live on Wednesday, December 2, from 1-2 pm ET (10-11 am PT).

On November 18, we talked about how wellness programs improve employee performance, and on December 2 we’re going to discuss how social recruiting makes the talent business case.

Social recruiting is no longer a trend. It’s the new norm. According to new Dice research, 9 out of 10 recruiters are using social media in talent acquisition.

In fact, the same research shows that social media has improved or is greatly improving tech recruiting results—including quality of candidates, referrals and time-to-hire.

Social has become the tool for promoting jobs, building brands, sourcing candidates, creating relationships, and vetting applicants. Recruiters know this is the future, and they’re investing their time and money accordingly to make the talent business case.

Tune in LIVE online Wednesday, Dec 2 — 1 pm ET

#TChat Events: How Social Recruiting Makes the Talent Business Case

TChatRadio_logo_020813#TChat Radio — Wed, Dec 2 — 1 pm ET / 10 am PT

Join TalentCulture #TChat Show co-founders and co-hosts Meghan M. Biro and Kevin W. Grossman as they talk about how social recruiting makes the talent business case with this week’s guests: Stacy Zapar, Founder of Tenfold, and recruiting strategist, trainer & advisor; and Allison Kruse, Senior Manager of Social Media and Talent Acquisition at Kforce.

Tune in LIVE online Wednesday, Dec 2 — 1 pm ET

#TChat Twitter Chat — Wednesday, December 2 — 1:30 pm ET /10:30 am PT
Immediately following the radio show, the team will move to the #TChat Twitter stream, where we’ll continue the discussion with the entire TalentCulture community. We invite everyone with a Twitter account to participate, as we gather for a dynamic live chat, focused on these related questions:

Q1: How prevalent is social recruiting today versus five years ago? #TChat  (Tweet this Question)

Q2: What are the best ways to initially reach out to candidates on social sites? #TChat  (Tweet this Question)

Q3: How has social recruiting improved tech recruiting and recruiting overall? #TChat  (Tweet this Question)

Until then, we’ll keep the discussion going on the #TChat Twitter feed, our TalentCulture World of Work Community LinkedIn group, and in our TalentCulture G+ community. So feel free to drop by anytime and share your questions, ideas and opinions. See you there!!!

Subscribe to our podcast on BlogTalkRadio, Stitcher or iTunes:

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

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Use SEO to Enhance Your Recruiting Process

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This month, over 226 million people will search Google for job postings.  If your job postings aren’t displaying on the first page, you could be missing out on candidates.  So how does a recruiter get their job postings featured on the first page of Google? Contrary to that salesman’s pitch, they don’t hold spots open for anyone.  The best way to feature your job postings prominently is with SEO.  SEO, or search engine optimization, is increasingly being adopted by savvy recruiters.  Used during the recruiting process, it can be a secret weapon.  SEO can translate to more visibility for your open positions and more candidates. If you’re not flush with resumes, SEO can be your game changer.

How to Effectively Use SEO in Your Recruiting Process

SEO may be a new tool to many recruiters, but it doesn’t have to be intimidating.  SEO can become second nature in no time.  So how does a recruiter insert SEO into the recruiting process? Try the following methods:

  • Film a Job Posting Video.  Search engines are increasingly showing more visuals in the top few spots of search results.  If you want to be among those in the top, you should film a video.  Video currently accounts for 62% of all internet searches.  Whether people are searching for information about a company, job postings, or entertaining cat videos, video represents the most widely searched and shared media today. Video job postings are wonderful tools in the recruiting process because they are also highly shareable. Candidates can view the video, assess whether the position sounds like something they’d like, and share it with their friends.  This boosts links to your job position and attracts candidates.  Your recruiting process could be improved dramatically by filming a video of open job positions.
  • Write Keyword Driven Job Postings.  All SEO is driven by keywords.  Keywords inform a search engine what your post is about.  When there is a great mixture of organic keywords in your job posting, it tells search engines that your posting is relevant and important to job seekers. The key is to not overstuff your keywords in a posting.  You don’t want every other word to sound like spam.  Focus on creating a well written job posting and then evaluate whether you’ve included a healthy mix of keywords.  For example, if you’re hiring for a sales director in New York, you’ll want to feature these keywords within your text.  If your job position only mentions them once within a block of 400 words, you communicate less relevance to search engines.  Top performing job postings feature keywords peppered throughout their text.
  • Share Socially. SEO’s two main components are links and keywords.  Social media is a great place to combine both efforts and attract more candidates.  Try tweeting out a link to your video job posting with a hashtag of your keywords.  These stand out in users’ news feeds and are hard to ignore. I see video job postings in my Twitter feed all the time and am always tempted to click on them.  The more your followers share your post, the more you’re visible to networks of potential candidates.  This can be a game changer in your recruiting process!

The key to being effective at SEO is to keep it simple.  As a recruiter, your primary focus is to attract and hire talent, not build back links to job postings all day. Using these three SEO tools alone you can increase visibility of your job postings today.  Try it out and see how many new candidates you can attract!

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The Major Hiring Trends That Every Hiring Company Needs to Know

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Finding the right talent continues to be an urgent issue for companies. As the economy continues to improve, businesses are experiencing intense competition in the job market. Yet, when it comes to the critical work of talent acquisition, many companies fail to focus their full attention to this urgent need.

In iCIMS’ recently published U.S. Hiring Trends report, we reviewed job creation and demand trends within the United States across all industries, geographies, and company sizes. We discovered there is a notable gap between talent demand (defined as the number of available positions) and talent availability (defined as the quantity of applications). Additionally, we looked at passive candidates, people who are interested in your brand but not yet ready to apply for a new job, and found there are key trends in certain industries, geographic locations, and company sizes. The following presents these findings, and what companies can do to address today’s new trends in talent acquisition.

Data Insights

Whether you’re an organization seeking top talent or a candidate searching for your next career, a little data goes a long way. After analyzing many data points around the concentration of available jobs in the U.S, we found multiple trends tied to available jobs vs. available talent by industry, geography, and company size.

  • The pharmaceutical and construction industries have the most notable gap between talent demand and talent availability.
  • The South has the highest demand for talent with the lowest number of applicants entering the hiring pipeline for open positions compared to all other regions. However, when company size is controlled, the West has the highest demand for talent.
  • All companies, regardless of size, have more applicants entering the hiring pipeline than the number of open positions.

The Rise of the Passive Candidate

According to a 2015 iCIMS survey, 64 percent of job seekers said they would consider joining a talent pool to receive company updates. We examined candidates that have expressed passive job interest and are registered in talent pools by industry and found the following insights:

  • Retail and Healthcare is Prime for Passive: More than half of all passive candidates – people who are interested in your brand but not yet ready to apply for a new job – are interested in companies within the retail and healthcare industries.
  • Passive Candidates Convert Quickly in the Midwest: The Northeast region has the highest concentration of passive candidates interested in jobs. However, the Midwest region has the highest rate of converting passive candidates to active applicants.
  • If You Build Talent Pools, the Candidates will Join: All companies, regardless of size, have more applicants entering talent pools than the number of open positions.

While it’s understood that events beyond our control may affect the ebb and flow of how competitive a certain market is, talent acquisition teams now have the tools they need to take control – regardless of the economic conditions or trends.

As these changes continue to impact the way job seekers search for the right role and employers approach talent acquisition, iCIMS will continue to analyze the data and provide insights into the hiring landscape on a quarterly basis. To learn more about the recent trends, please consider attending the webinar, “How to Create and Maximize Talent Pipelines” hosted by Meghan M. Biro at 2:00 p.m. EDT on October 6, 2015.

 

Image Credit: Bigstock

What Small Business Can Learn About Recruiting From Big Business

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It seems like it’s always the biggest companies that dominate our news feeds. Small businesses can push their way through, too, but how? How are we supposed to make a big impression to a large audience? Simple–social recruitment.

Here are a few of the best practices for social recruiting and why it’s important for your small business. And remember: Now’s the time to make your web presence mobile-optimized or you’re getting the boot from Google.

Consider Your Talent Pool

Who are you trying to attract? Mark Zuckerberg (@MarkZuckerbergF), creator of Facebook, said he only hires employees he would work for. Nearly half (49 percent) of recruiters who recruit online say the talent pool has immensely improved quality. Small business means you’re more likely to engage with everyone more often, which is why hiring for cultural fit is important to maintaining a team who works comfortably together. Happy employees tend to be 12 percent more productive than their unhappy coworkers.

Who Are You Reaching Out To?

If you’re hiring for specific positions, specify your posting accordingly. Mary Porter, Nordstrom’s director of talent acquisition, says companies need to engage their audiences through content. Porter suggests using motivational messages to attract your ideal candidates. Seventy-three percent of recruiters are recruiting candidates socially through creating engaging content. Start by:

  • Defining your audience
  • Locating them on social media
  • Looking into what favorite pages and trends they follow
  • Mimicking and creating based on those trends and pages

Think Outside The Box

Wow your audience by creating and placing content in unconventional areas. Taco Bell, for example, posts content on Pinterest one of the lesser used recruitment media. Taco Bell is known for their ahead-of-the-curve thinking on social platforms. You don’t need to be a tech company to create innovative content to reach your audiences.

“Creativity and innovation are a big deal to today’s top recruits. Idea-driven work is more interesting and stimulating than routine work, and if your workplace doesn’t actively employ a culture of innovation, the chances are good that you’ll be passed over by excellent talent,” says the Switch and Shift team.

Improve Employer Branding

Even if your open positions may not seem exciting, market their best parts. Nordstrom ran into a similar issue: Porter said hiring for finance positions isn’t as fun as hiring for retail employees, but the positions must be filled. In creating a more attractive outreach procedure, the team produced video testimonials and featured current employees working the same positions on the company website. In two years, video will be 74 percent of internet traffic, so follow in Nordstrom’s footsteps and make video a part of your recruitment strategy.

As an alternative, write a bio feature on employees who work in departments and positions for the jobs you wish to fill. Not only is it an avenue for employers to explain daily activities to your prospective candidates, it also increases employee recognition. Only 46 percent of senior managers view employee recognition programs as a worthwhile investment. The number one reason employees leave their position is because they don’t feel appreciated and recognized. Two birds with one stone–appreciate existing employees while promoting a job opening!

Ninety percent of candidates are using mobile devices during the job search. Don’t be afraid to try new tactics to pull in the candidate pool of your dreams. Think outside the box, think like your audience and promote your organization through a true and positive light.

 

Photo credit: Bigstock

#TChat Recap: Workplace Trends Through The Eyes Of Millennials

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This week the TalentCulture team discussed workplace trends through the eyes of Millennials with Frank Moreno, Vice President of Product Marketing at PeopleFluent, the leading total workforce HCM technology company.

There are a lot of misconceptions about how the digital generation works, and what motivates them to stay engaged and perform in the workplace. What do you need to know as an employer?

Listen to the recording and review the Twitter chat highlights below to find out what millennials need and want in the workplace.

https://twitter.com/fmoreno44/status/646739656734842880

What’s Up Next? #TChat returns Wednesday, Sept 30th: #TChat Radio Kicks Off at 1pm ET / 10am PT — Our radio show runs 30 minutes. Usually, our social community joins us on the Twitters as well.

Next #TChat topic: The Neuroscience of What Keeps Leaders Up at Night – Wednesday, Sept 30th, 2015 — Our halfway point begins with our highly engaging Twitter discussion. We take a social inside look at our weekly topic. Everyone is welcome to share their social insights.

Join Our Social Community & Stay Up-to-Date! The TalentCulture conversation continues daily. See what’s happening right now on the #TChat Twitter stream in our LinkedIn group, and on our Google+ community. Engage with us anytime on our social networks or stay current with trending World of Work topics through our weekly email newsletter. Signing up is just a click away!

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#TChat Recap: Candidate Experience Through The Eyes Of The Job Seeker

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This week the TalentCulture team discussed the importance of the candidate experience with Joe Essenfeld, Founder and CEO of Jibe; and Ivan Casanova, SVP of Marketing and Product at Jibe.

There is a growing disconnect between how candidates find and connect with companies online. Career sites represent the largest source of hire, and yet too many recruiting leaders overlook that. To truly understand what drives candidate behavior on the Web, you need to see the experience through the eyes of job seekers.

To learn more, listen to the recording and review the Twitter chat highlights below.

https://twitter.com/Jibe/status/644203222941495297

What’s Up Next? #TChat returns Wednesday, Sept 23rd: #TChat Radio Kicks Off at 1pm ET / 10am PT — Our radio show runs 30 minutes. Usually, our social community joins us on the Twitters as well.

Next #TChat topic: Workplace Trends Through The Eyes Of Millennials – Wednesday, Sept 23rd, 2015 — Our halfway point begins with our highly engaging Twitter discussion. We take a social inside look at our weekly topic. Everyone is welcome to share their social insights.

Join Our Social Community & Stay Up-to-Date! The TalentCulture conversation continues daily. See what’s happening right now on the #TChat Twitter stream in our LinkedIn group, and on our Google+ community. Engage with us anytime on our social networks or stay current with trending World of Work topics through our weekly email newsletter. Signing up is just a click away!

Passive-Recruiting

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What You Need to Know About the New Candidate Journey

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Central to talent acquisition’s success is the task of continuously optimizing candidate conversions. The word “continuously” is imperative here, because it’s a task that never ends. Back at the turn of the millennium, nearly every company in the world had to change their perspective on and approach to candidate conversions because of the rise of job boards. And now, in 2015, we’re seeing a number of other transformations.

To really understand these transformations, though, it’s important to take a step back. We must consider the evolution of the journey candidates take while searching for a job, and the various touch points along the way. What was once a job-board-to-career-site-to-apply journey has become much more complex. The rise of the internet—as well as its uses and how people to connect to it—has changed everything.

We tend to think of the new candidate journey as having three distinct phases: discovery, nurturing, and applying. There’s an interesting number of similarities between these three phases and how digital marketers think of the buyers’ journey and the concept of inbound marketing. This isn’t a coincidence—in fact, it coincides with the rise in the popularity of the term and practice of recruitment marketing.

Just as buyers now start their journey with research on Google and social media and rating sites, so do job seekers. CareerBuilder recently released data showing that as many as 73% of candidates now begin their job search in Google—far more than any job board.

This is all part of the discovery phase of the new candidate journey. The variables that go into this phase alone have turned organizations’ top-of-the-funnel recruiting strategies upside down. It’s more vital than ever that companies consider and optimize their employer brand, social recruiting strategy, the content they create, how easy their jobs are to find on Google, and much more.

Once job seekers actually make it to the career site through one of these entry points at the top of the funnel, it’s no longer a one-and-done scenario. The best digital marketers understand they’re not going to convert every buyer in their first interaction, and recruiters need to think the same way about candidates. This is where the nurturing phase of the new candidate journey comes into play.

Today’s leading companies are deploying tools like job alerts and talent networks on their career sites, enticing job seekers to opt-in and essentially become part of their candidate pipeline. Candidates may not be ready to apply, but they’re interested in the company and its positions. When used correctly, a pool of candidates that chooses to be contacted can deliver major returns to key metrics like cost-per-applicant and time-to-fill over time.

In some scenarios, large global companies are able to build up such a pipeline that reaches several million people in a short period of time. As one example, a consumer electronics retail chain organically grew its talent pipeline with the use of job alerts and virtually eliminated its job board spend for the holiday hiring surge, simply because it had a massive group of people waiting to hear about new opportunities in each location.

When a candidate is ready to apply—which could be on their first visit to the site or after visiting over time via nurture marketing—today’s companies have to be prepared to impress them with an awesome apply experience. This means the ability to apply on any device, with the same level of quality that matches modern consumer brands. Digitally-savvy job seekers have little patience for bad experiences these days, and whatever patience that’s left is running out quickly.

This is perhaps one of the greatest areas of opportunity, given that so many companies are behind the curve in their apply experience. According to The Talent Board’s 2014 Candidate Experience research, even among award winners nearly 50% only received 3 out of 5 stars on their application process.

The new candidate journey has been influenced by job seekers’ changing behaviors and preferences for finding information. This is much more of a transformation than it is a trend, as it is completely changing the way recruiters and talent acquisition leaders think about connecting with top talent. At the same time, the tools required to effectively pull in, nurture, and convert talent have evolved as well. The idea of optimizing candidate conversions has taken on a whole new meaning.

 

#TChat Recap: Leveraging Social Recruiting Legally

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Leveraging Social Recruiting Legally

Using social recruiting to determine if a candidate is worth investing in is a sensitive process. But it is a modern-day practice being widely used, and it needs to be understood before it is greatly misinterpreted. Finding talent is a tough business, but screening candidates becomes too delicate of a process to simply let content on a candidate’s social profile affect their candidacy. This week, our community was joined by: Jason Morris, Co-Founder, COO and President of EmployeeScreenIQ; and Nick Fishman, Co-Founder, EVP and CMO of EmployeeScreenIQ. Both specialize in helping organizations screen talent efficiently. They taught our community about the value in screening talent, but also how it is vital for every organization to perform it.

The embedding of social media in our DNA has proven to provide constant change to old processes and adaption to new ones in the World of Work. It is what has brought about the usage of screening candidates by checking their social media accounts. But why? What does social media screening teach us? The reality is:

Ultimately, every organization searches for a glimpse into a candidate’s character and his/her skill sets. Evaluating candidates goes beyond reading resumes and checking references. It extends to evaluating the content they post on their social networks. Truth be told:

The trouble with socially screening candidates is that our perceptions can be misleading in the process. Sure, there are some scenarios that showcase why certain selfies or socially shared thoughts should remain unpublished. However, understanding the difference between viewing a family holiday selfie versus a spring break group selfie is about learning how to interpret character.

Simply saying, social recruiting goes by checking social networks. There is a big digital world out there. It’s also about finding an effective means for screening candidates. Find an effective means for screening talent, because investing in people means coming up with the best possible answer for knowing what you’re getting. We cannot forget that:

When it comes to hiring talent it is better to be safe than sorry. Yes, we all know that hiring talent costs money and that there are high turnover rates associated with it. Still, verifying talent is about being strategic. It’s about keeping your organization healthy. When we hire new talent, it changes the chemistry that exists and we must adjust with it. However, we owe it to our current employees to be diligent when it comes to hiring talent. Social recruiting is an alternative means to evaluating talent, but it has to be thoughtful and mindful of all legalities. Hiring talent is a serious business. We must understand what our social recruiting game plan is and what it looks for.

What #TChat-ters Shared About Social Recruiting

What’s Up Next? #TChat Comes Back Next Week! On Wednesday, Dec. 17th!

TChatRadio_logo_020813-300x300#TChat Radio Kicks Off at 7pm ET / 4pm PT — Our weekly live broadcast runs 30 minutes. Usually, #TChat-ters listen in and engage with our Twitter community.

#TChat Twitter Kicks Off at 7:30pm ET/ 4:30pm PT — Our Social Hour midpoint begins and ends with our highly engaging 30 minute Twitter discussion. We enjoy taking a deep social dive into our weekly topic by asking 3 thought adrenalizing questions. So join in on the fun during #TChat and share some of your brain power with us (or tweet us @TalentCulture).

Become A Part Of Our Social Community & Check Out Our Updates! 

The TalentCulture conversation continues daily on Twitter, in our LinkedIn group, and on our Google+ community. Engage with us anytime on our social networks or stay current with trending World of Work topics through our weekly email newsletter. Signing up is just a click away!

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#TChat Preview: Using Company Culture To Attract In-Demand Candidates

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The TalentCulture #TChat Show is back live on Wednesday, October 15, 2014, from 7-8 pm ET (4-5 pm PT). The #TChat radio portion runs the first 30 minutes from 7-7:30 pm ET, followed by the #TChat Twitter chat from 7:30-8 pm ET.

Last week we talked about the HR Technology “mic drop,” and this week we’re going to talk about how to use company culture to attract in-demand candidates.

Because it’s hard enough today to find and source the most in-demand tech talent. And with the high competition for these “holy grail” candidates, it’s not just the job that needs to stand out — your company must, too.

This means you need to learn how to build and communicate a company culture that attracts the best tech pros. Period. You need to develop a work environment that most appeals to in-demand tech professionals, and all professionals for that matter, and how you should effectively promote that culture in your social recruiting efforts.

When you learn how to build and communicate a work culture that attracts the most sought-after tech candidates, it means you know how to identify the aspects of your unique culture that most resonate with your target candidates.

Join TalentCulture #TChat Show co-creators and co-hosts Meghan M. Biro and Kevin W. Grossman as we learn how to use company culture to attract in-demand candidates with this week’s guests: Jim Stroud, Senior Director of RPO Recruitment Strategies at Randstad Sourceright, and Shravan Goli, President of Dice.

Related Reading:

Meghan M. Biro: 5 Ways To Reinvent Your Recruiting Strategy

Mary Lorenz: How Yahoo, Facebook and Zappos Recruit Tech Talent

Josh Bersin: How Do We Excite, Manage, and Retain the Tech Team?

Ashley Zito Rowe: Recruiting Is Becoming More Technical

Telle Whitney: Men Initiating Change Is an Important Step Toward Eradicating Tech’s Bro Culture

Yoree Koh: Twitter’s Diversity Report: Women Make Up 30% of Workforce

We hope you’ll join the #TChat conversation this week and share your questions, opinions and ideas with our guests and the TalentCulture Community.

#TChat Events: Using Company Culture To Attract In-Demand Candidates

TChatRadio_logo_020813#TChat Radio — Wed, October 15th — 7 pm ET / 4 pm PT Tune in to the #TChat Radio show with our hosts, Meghan M. Biro and Kevin W. Grossman, as they talk with our guests: Jim Stroud and Shravan Goli.

Tune in LIVE online this Wednesday!

#TChat Twitter Chat — Wed, October 15th — 7:30 pm ET / 4:30 pm PT Immediately following the radio show, Meghan, Kevin, Jim and Shravan will move to the #TChat Twitter stream, where we’ll continue the discussion with the entire TalentCulture community. Everyone with a Twitter account is invited to participate, as we gather for a dynamic live chat, focused on these related questions:

Q1: What are the reasons why critical tech talent is so hard to source today? #TChat (Tweet this Question)

Q2: What are key strategies for building company cultures that attract the right candidates? #TChat (Tweet this Question)

Q3: How should companies promote company culture in their social recruiting efforts? #TChat (Tweet this Question)

Throughout the week, we’ll keep the discussion going on the #TChat Twitter feed, our TalentCulture World of Work Community LinkedIn group, and in our new TalentCulture G+ community. So feel free to drop by anytime and share your questions, ideas and opinions. See you there!!

Recruiters: What's Your Behavioral Interviewing Strategy?

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Written by Deepa Barve

Behavioral interviews are increasingly popular as the “in” thing in in recruitment techniques.

These days, you’ll find tons of online resources that share all sorts of advice for candidates about how to ace a behavioral interview. Yet oddly enough, recruiters often only receive a simple template with a list of standard “behavioral questions.”

But here’s the catch for recruiters: What you do with the interview answers is far more important than the questions, themselves.

Make The Most of Behavioral Interviewing

To get more value from every interview session, keep these three tips in mind:

1) If at first the answer doesn’t succeed, ask, ask again

Behavioral interviewing is based on the belief that past behavior is a predictor of future performance. The keywords here are “past behavior.” Too often, candidates have a tendency to respond to questions hypothetically. But that only tells you what they think they would do (or think you want them to do) in a particular situation. It’s not what they’ve actually done in a similar situation.

If candidates can’t think of a past example, broaden the parameters of the question. Suggest they provide an example from their personal life instead of a professional example. You could also try rewording or paraphrasing the question to help stumped candidates respond appropriately.

2) Know your ideal answer before you ask the question

Interpreting responses to behavioral questions can be tricky. These questions are typically multidimensional, so the answers can be complex and misleading. Some candidates are also adept at this sort of interviewing, and have practiced the art of sounding eloquent while avoiding an authentic, relevant answer.

Each specific behavioral question is typically meant to assess a particular skill. Having a good idea of what you’d like to hear (similar to creating an ideal performance profile) will help you hone in on the competency or skills you’re assessing.

For example, consider the question, “Tell me about a time when you’ve failed at work.” Answers may range from “I’ve never failed” to some version of, “I’m human and I’ve made many mistakes.” Candidates may describe a mistake with negligible impact or reveal details of a huge blunder.

Ultimately, the actual mistakes they made don’t matter. But how they reply does.

The ideal response should include three components: 1) details of the mistake, 2) remedial action they initiated to correct it, and 3) steps they took to prevent it from happening again. The third element — the “applied learning” component — is most important. Very few candidates actually cover the second or third aspects of an answer, unless they’re prompted.

3) Dig deep to make this conversation really count

Prior to an interview, you’ve probably sifted through volumes of resumes and profiles to find a few candidates worth getting to know. You might have also invested time in intermediary steps such as phone screens to create a short list of candidates that seem worthy of a behavioral interview. So make every moment count. Ask follow-up questions to probe deeper. And ask clarifying questions to understand the context surrounding a candidate’s examples.

Be curious, but don’t interrogate. Make it a conversation. Assure them there are no right or wrong answers. Some answers may not impact a hiring decision, but may simply indicate areas where training or coaching are required. Don’t jump to conclusions. Instead, seek complete and accurate information that can ultimately inform your hiring decisions.

Above all, aim to disarm job candidates. After all, you’re trying to get a glimpse of how they behave outside the interview setting. If you’re committed to finding the right talent this way, then it’s worth conducting these interviews right.

Your Turn

What are your thoughts? Have you tried any of these three behavioral interview techniques? What else do you recommend?

Deepa-Barve1(About the Author: Deepa Barve is Sr. Recruitment Leader at SSOE Group, an architectural and engineering consulting firm. Deepa has more than seven years of recruiting experience in engineering, healthcare and hospitality. Her career advice articles are also featured at www.examiner.com.)

(Editor’s Note: This post is adapted from Brazen Life, with permission. Brazen Life is a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. Hosted by Brazen Careerist, it offers edgy and fun ideas for navigating the changing world of work. Be Brazen!)

(Also Note: To discuss World of Work topics like this with others in the TalentCulture community, join our online #TChat Events every Wednesday, from 6:30-8pm ET. Everyone is welcome at events, or join our ongoing Twitter conversation anytime. Learn more…)


Image Credit: Stock.xchng

Recruiters: What’s Your Behavioral Interviewing Strategy?

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Written by Deepa Barve

Behavioral interviews are increasingly popular as the “in” thing in in recruitment techniques.

These days, you’ll find tons of online resources that share all sorts of advice for candidates about how to ace a behavioral interview. Yet oddly enough, recruiters often only receive a simple template with a list of standard “behavioral questions.”

But here’s the catch for recruiters: What you do with the interview answers is far more important than the questions, themselves.

Make The Most of Behavioral Interviewing

To get more value from every interview session, keep these three tips in mind:

1) If at first the answer doesn’t succeed, ask, ask again

Behavioral interviewing is based on the belief that past behavior is a predictor of future performance. The keywords here are “past behavior.” Too often, candidates have a tendency to respond to questions hypothetically. But that only tells you what they think they would do (or think you want them to do) in a particular situation. It’s not what they’ve actually done in a similar situation.

If candidates can’t think of a past example, broaden the parameters of the question. Suggest they provide an example from their personal life instead of a professional example. You could also try rewording or paraphrasing the question to help stumped candidates respond appropriately.

2) Know your ideal answer before you ask the question

Interpreting responses to behavioral questions can be tricky. These questions are typically multidimensional, so the answers can be complex and misleading. Some candidates are also adept at this sort of interviewing, and have practiced the art of sounding eloquent while avoiding an authentic, relevant answer.

Each specific behavioral question is typically meant to assess a particular skill. Having a good idea of what you’d like to hear (similar to creating an ideal performance profile) will help you hone in on the competency or skills you’re assessing.

For example, consider the question, “Tell me about a time when you’ve failed at work.” Answers may range from “I’ve never failed” to some version of, “I’m human and I’ve made many mistakes.” Candidates may describe a mistake with negligible impact or reveal details of a huge blunder.

Ultimately, the actual mistakes they made don’t matter. But how they reply does.

The ideal response should include three components: 1) details of the mistake, 2) remedial action they initiated to correct it, and 3) steps they took to prevent it from happening again. The third element — the “applied learning” component — is most important. Very few candidates actually cover the second or third aspects of an answer, unless they’re prompted.

3) Dig deep to make this conversation really count

Prior to an interview, you’ve probably sifted through volumes of resumes and profiles to find a few candidates worth getting to know. You might have also invested time in intermediary steps such as phone screens to create a short list of candidates that seem worthy of a behavioral interview. So make every moment count. Ask follow-up questions to probe deeper. And ask clarifying questions to understand the context surrounding a candidate’s examples.

Be curious, but don’t interrogate. Make it a conversation. Assure them there are no right or wrong answers. Some answers may not impact a hiring decision, but may simply indicate areas where training or coaching are required. Don’t jump to conclusions. Instead, seek complete and accurate information that can ultimately inform your hiring decisions.

Above all, aim to disarm job candidates. After all, you’re trying to get a glimpse of how they behave outside the interview setting. If you’re committed to finding the right talent this way, then it’s worth conducting these interviews right.

Your Turn

What are your thoughts? Have you tried any of these three behavioral interview techniques? What else do you recommend?

Deepa-Barve1(About the Author: Deepa Barve is Sr. Recruitment Leader at SSOE Group, an architectural and engineering consulting firm. Deepa has more than seven years of recruiting experience in engineering, healthcare and hospitality. Her career advice articles are also featured at www.examiner.com.)

(Editor’s Note: This post is adapted from Brazen Life, with permission. Brazen Life is a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. Hosted by Brazen Careerist, it offers edgy and fun ideas for navigating the changing world of work. Be Brazen!)

(Also Note: To discuss World of Work topics like this with others in the TalentCulture community, join our online #TChat Events every Wednesday, from 6:30-8pm ET. Everyone is welcome at events, or join our ongoing Twitter conversation anytime. Learn more…)


Image Credit: Stock.xchng

2014: Year of the Social Employer Brand Ambassador

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We already know that social media is extremely powerful for business communication. Essentially, anyone with an internet connection has the potential to cultivate and grow a brand. Corporate brand, product brand, personal brand, employer brand — the possibilities are limitless.

It’s as easy as flipping on a light switch! Well maybe not that easy, but social channels have blown traditional media out of the water, and there’s no going back.

Of course, with its potential to drive brand development, social proliferation can also have a huge impact on talent acquisition and retention. How does that work? The idea in leveraging social media to grow a brand is through a fan base that we call “brand ambassadors.” Collectively, your ambassador group functions like a marketing and promotional team that amplifies the message for whatever it is that you’re trying to sell — products, services, yourself or your organization.

Employer Brand Ambassadors: What’s the Challenge?

If you’re an employer, which audience should be your biggest, most important source of brand ambassadors? Customers? Industry thought leaders? Local media outlets? Nope — it’s your employees. But do organizations currently view employees this way? Based on my experience in working with HR executives, I struggle to say yes.

We know that social media instantly connects you with the online world, and the most effective way to grow an employer brand is through social media channels — Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn, blogs, Instagram, Pinterest — the list goes on. So ideally, if employees are your prime brand ambassadors, and social media is the best way to grow your brand, you should be able to say that, when your employees interact with others on social channels, they’re effectively promoting your organization as a great place to work.

Are you confident making that claim? Unfortunately for most employers, the answer seems to be NO!

Enter My Bold Prediction for 2014

With the holiday season upon us, we’re seeing our share of blog posts about HR Technology predictions for 2014. One of many good reads is from Craig Bryant at the TLNT blog, “5 Predictions for Where HR Technology is Going in 2014.”

My key prediction is a tad bold, but here goes: I think that organizations are ready to give their employees the right tools, so they can easily represent the company as brand ambassadors on social media. In other words, employers will actively explore and implement cloud-based solutions that make it simple for employees to curate and share high-quality, on-brand content with their connections.

Why Does This Shift Matter?

The biggest barrier organizations face when integrating social media across business functions is the inability to ensure a consistent, coherent brand message and voice. It’s about mitigating risk and ensuring that employee social media activity creates a net positive impact, and doesn’t result in PR fiascos. (Case in point: HMV employees react to firing on Twitter.)

Organizations that figure out how to remove these barriers so employees can comfortably operate as employer brand ambassadors will see huge gains in all facets of their business. Think about it — if your company has 500 employees, and each employee has an average social media network of 300 people, that’s a direct network of 150,000. All of these 150,000 connections have a network of their own, so before you know it, you’re reaching millions — all because you enabled your inner circle.

Mark my words: 2014 will be a watershed year of “employee enablement.” Organizations will gain momentum by creating and supporting brand ambassadors who come from within their ranks.

There are very few players in this space, but watch for momentum in the year ahead. You’ll want to look at platforms like PostBeyond, Jostle and EveryoneSocial to see how they help organizations support employees as brand ambassadors. Fasten your seat belts ladies and gentlemen, 2014 is going to be a milestone year for social HR business tools!

(Editor’s Note: To discuss World of Work topics like this with others in the TalentCulture community, join our online #TChat Events every Wednesday, from 6:30-8pm ET. Everyone is welcome at events, or join our ongoing Twitter conversation anytime. Learn more…)

Image Credit: Pixabay

Recruiting: Going Mobile By Demand? #TChat Recap

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mobile Is Everywhere — Why Isn’t Mobile Recruiting?

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

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

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

Mobile Excellence: What Does It Look Like?

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

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

Upward Mobility: Advantages of Mobile Recruitment

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

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

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

Jessica Miller Merrell

Watch the preview hangout now

SAT 10/26:

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

SUN 10/27:

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

MON 10/28:

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

WED 10/30:

TChatRadio_logo_020813

Listen to the #TChat Radio show now

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

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

#TChat Insights: Recruiting Is Rockin’ Mobile Platforms

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

Closing Notes & What’s Ahead

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

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

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

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

See you on the stream!

Image Credit: GailJadeHamilton via Flickr

Recruiting + Mobility = Perfect Match? #TChat Preview

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(Editor’s Note: Looking for a full collection of highlights and resources from this week’s events? Read the #TChat Recap: “Recruiting: Going Mobile by Demand?“)

Are you reading this post on a smartphone or tablet? If so, you’re among 35% of TalentCulture visitors who interact with us via mobile devices. And those numbers are growing fast — in only the past 6 months, the rate of mobile TalentCulture visitors has increased by more than 100%.

But this big mobile shift makes us wonder what the impact is on “people-oriented” business processes like recruiting.

Just how rapidly are employers integrating new communication channels into the hiring process? And what issues and opportunities are arising from all of this innovation?

Mobile Recruiting Trend Snapshot

Participants at the recent Mobile Recruiting Conference (MREC) confirmed that job candidates are increasingly connected while “on the move,” and recruiters recognize the implications. For example, according to Talent HQ Mobile Recruiting Insights:

•  62% of passive job seekers use a mobile device to research potential employers
•  61% have a better impression of a brand after a favorable mobile experience.
•  62% of recruiters say that mobile recruiting is the top trend for 2014

According to industry analyst Josh Bersin, companies like LinkedIn and Prudential already attract more than 50% of their candidates through mobile channels. Yet, other organizations seem to be lagging behind. Talent HQ reports that only 16% of U.S. talent acquisition “leaders” have optimized their career sites for a mobile audience — including only 26 of the Fortune 500 companies.

So, what does this mean for today’s changing world of work? That’s what we’ll explore this week at #TChat Events, with two well-known talent acquisition experts:

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

Recently, Jessica framed the topic in a brief “sneak peek” Hangout with me. Watch now:

What are your thoughts about the emerging role of mobile technology in finding and hiring top talent? Join us this week to share your ideas and opinions!

#TChat Events: Mobile Devices + Recruiting = Good Match?

TChatRadio_logo_020813

Tune-in to #TChat Radio

#TChat Radio — Wed, Oct 30 — 6:30pmET / 3:30pmPT

Our hosts, Meghan M. Biro and Kevin W. Grossman talk with Jessica Miller-Merrell and Rayanne Thorn about the changing dynamics of recruitment. Tune-in LIVE online this Tuesday afternoon!

#TChat Twitter — Wed, Oct 30 — 7pmET / 4pmPT

Immediately following the radio show, we’ll move this discussion to the #TChat Twitter stream, where Dr. Nancy Rubin will moderate an open chat with the entire TalentCulture community. Everyone with a Twitter account is invited to participate, as we address these questions:

Q1: Does mobile recruiting enhance an employer’s value proposition?
Q2: What is keeping some employers from adopting mobile recruiting?
Q3: For candidates, has mobile job search reached critical mass?
Q4: Is mobile recruiting mostly about hiring young candidates?
Q5: Look ahead 10 yrs. What tools will drive recruiting?

Throughout the week, we’ll keep the discussion going on the #TChat Twitter feed and on our LinkedIn Discussion Group. So please join us share your questions, ideas and opinions.
We’ll see you on the stream!

Image Credit: Stock.xchng

Why Recruiters Should Bet on Technology

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Hiring the best talent for your company’s open positions should never feel like a gamble. Yet all too often, recruiters feel like they’re just rolling the dice, hoping to discover the ideal candidate.

Fortunately, the hiring process no longer has to feel like a game of chance, thanks to a wealth of smart new technologies, from social media sourcing to video interviewing. It’s always a good move to leverage innovative tools that can help make recruitment faster and easier.

The infographic below (compiled by Spark Hire, an online video resume and interviewing platform), shows that more employers are taking their chances with HR technology. It also suggests some compelling reasons why. For example:

•  94% of recruiters plan to use social media in their recruitment efforts
•  More than 6 in 10 employers now use video interviews in their hiring process
•  Big data is expected to generate 4.4 million jobs by 2015
•  Companies will spend more than $2 billion on gamification services by 2015
•  70% of active job seekers are using mobile devices to look for jobs

New HR technology can help remove the guesswork from the hunt for top talent. Mobile recruiting can make it easier for candidates to apply, while video interviews can help you see beyond a candidate’s online poker face. If you roll the dice and apply winning technology across the recruiting process, the odds are likely to give you an advantage in today’s talent acquisition game.

Does your organization compare with others in applying new technology to HR? Check out infographic below, and share your opinions in the comments area!

What do you think? What new hiring technology has helped your company the most?

The Social Workplace: Nowhere To Hide #TChat Recap

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“A lack of transparency results in distrust and a deep sense of insecurity.”
–Dalai Lama

Excellent point. But the Dalai Lama’s quote begs a key question: In the social workplace, how much transparency is too much? Moreover, what does “privacy” really mean today, for employees as well as employers?

Obviously, there are no simple answers. And best practices only continue to shift, as social tools and conventions evolve. However, this issue affects everyone in the world of work. So that’s why TalentCulture invited a social-media-savvy HR attorney to help our community explore these issues at this week’s #TChat forums. We were thrilled to welcome Mary Wright, former General Counsel at employment litigation firm Ogletree Deakins, and founding Editor of HR Gazette, a daily online newspaper for HR professionals and employment lawyers. (For event highlights, see the links and Storify slideshow at the end of this post.)

Social Disclosure: Less Is More. Or Is It?

Ubiquitous social media channels. Smartphones with cameras. (Does anyone remember “old school” film cartridges anymore?) Circles of “friends” we’ve never even met face-to-face. It seems like nothing is truly private anymore. Most of us share photos, post comments and tell the world whatever pops into our minds throughout the day. But how does all that activity expose us professionally in unwanted ways? And what are the implications for the organizations we represent?

Here’s the kicker question: In an open social environment, how can companies encourage employees to serve as brand ambassadors, while ensuring that those same individuals use appropriate discretion?

Knowledge Is Power

As many #TChat participants noted this week, the answers start at the top. Senior executives must lead by example and encourage others to follow. Treating employees with candor and respect means that candor and respect will likely be returned. Communicating company objectives and priorities helps employees feel valued and empowered. And clarifying social policies provides a framework that makes it easier for employees to comply. Sharing more information with employees doesn’t need to put employers at risk. Instead, it can create a spirit of collaboration and strengthen employee engagement.

At the same time, employers should respect employee privacy. Again, leading by example is key. Managers should avoid gossip around the office and outside of work. This sounds like common sense, doesn’t it? And yet, I’ve overheard managers openly discussing an employee’s personal hardships, including private medical information. When managers breach that kind of trust, it leaves a memorable impression for everyone involved.

Amplify This? Think Before You Go Social

These days, social media adds another dimension. Employers can no longer afford to operate without documented social media policies. But what should the guiding principle be? Here’s a simple idea from Dave Ryan:

And what is an employee’s responsibility when interpreting social policies? Jen Olney offered sound advice:

https://twitter.com/gingerconsult/status/383017281405853696

Or perhaps for some of us, that sequence should be Stop. Think. Stop some more…and more…and more…then send.

In other words, before posting a comment or photo, consider for a moment who may see that information. How might they perceive it — for better or worse? Ask yourself, “Would I want my grandmother or daughter to see what I am about to make public?” Remember, once you post it, you won’t have control over where it may be seen, or how it will be interpreted. So perhaps the very best policy is for each of us to take responsibility for ourselves, and err on the side of caution.

To see more about this week’s conversation, see the resource links and Storify highlights slideshow below. And if you have ideas, feel free to share a comment, or post in the #TChat stream. This is just the start of an ongoing dialogue — so please weigh-in anytime!

#TChat Week-In-Review: Workplace Privacy vs. Transparency

SAT 9/21:

Mary Wright

Watch the Hangout with Mary Wright now

#TChat Preview: TalentCulture Community Manager Tim McDonald framed the topic in a post that features a brief G+ Hangout video with our guest, Mary Wright. Read the Preview:
“TMI: A Fresh Take On Privacy By An HR Lawyer.”

SUN 9/22:

Forbes.com Post: TalentCulture CEO, Meghan M. Biro outlined 5 issues for business leaders to consider about transparency in today’s social world. Read: “Private Workplace Lives In a Public Social Age.”

MON 9/23:

Related Article: Entrepreneur David Hassell talked about why and how trust is the most precious currency for any new venture. Read: “Want to Build a Business? Lead With Trust.”

TUE 9/24:

Forbes.com Post: TalentCulture CEO, Meghan M. Biro shared compelling leadership lessons learened from a cultural clash at a software company in transition. Read: “5 Social Skills Business Leaders Must Master.”

WED 9/25:

TChatRadio_logo_020813

Listen to the #TChat Radio show now

#TChat Radio: Our hosts, Meghan M. Biro and Kevin W. Grossman spoke with Mary Wright about legal issues and implications surrounding privacy in the workplace — from multiple perspectives: employers, employees and job candidates. Listen to the radio show recording now!

#TChat Twitter: Immediately following the radio show, hundreds of community members gathered with Mary on the #TChat Twitter stream for an expanded discussion about this topic. For highlights from the event, see the Storify slideshow below:

#TChat Highlights: Transparency vs. Privacy In The Workplace

[javascript src=”//storify.com/TalentCulture/tchat-insights-transparency-vs-privacy-in-the-wor.js?template=slideshow”]

Closing Notes & What’s Ahead

GRATITUDE: Thanks again to Mary Wright for adding your insights to this week’s discussion. Your legal and HR expertise added depth and perspective to a topic that increasingly affects us all.

NOTE TO BLOGGERS: Did this week’s events prompt you to write about information sharing in the new era of social business? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Post a link on Twitter (include #TChat or @TalentCulture), or insert a comment below, and we’ll pass it along.

WHAT’S AHEAD: Next week, we tackle another “world of work” hot topic — The Dark Side of Workplace Effectiveness — along with two of the HR community’s best-known social commentators: John Sumser, editor-in-chief of HRExaminer; and William Tincup, CEO of HR consultancy Tincup & Co. So save the date (October 2) for another rockin #TChat double-header.

In the meantime, we’ll see you on the stream!

Image Credit: Pixabay

The 3 “Rs” of Hiring “A” Players

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Recruitment + Referrals + Retention

If you want to attract top talent, and keep those high performers on your team (as I assume every employer does), it’s important to create a virtuous cycle. You’ll find it in cultures driven by passion, where employees are treated with respect, and candidates are treated like employees. There’s a continuous loop of positive reinforcement.

It sounds simple enough. So, when companies miss the mark, where do they go wrong? I think many organizations approach recruiting as an isolated objective. But the most effective talent strategies are built on three components that work together to complete the loop:

1) Recruitment

Today the employee experience starts long before the first day at work. With the growth of Glassdoor and other “talent marketplace” sites, anyone can comment about you as a prospective employer, even if they never receive or accept an offer. Your reputation is critical in attracting top talent, so it’s essential to treat candidates with the same level of attention and respect that you extend to employees.

2) Referrals

Unhappy, disengaged employees typically don’t refer friends to their employers. On the other hand, smart employees won’t refer weak candidates to an employer they like. That psychology naturally favors referral programs for organizations devoted to employee success. With the right structure and nurturing, a referral program can help develop a vibrant culture, where people are committed to working toward a common purpose. You can empower your workforce to select for cultural fit, while dramatically reducing recruiting costs, and decreasing the time needed to help new employees achieve peak performance.

Check out the SlideShare presentation below for more insights about the power of referrals.

3) Retention

When building your recruiting strategy, don’t neglect your organization’s current workforce realities. For example, is your employee turnover rate unacceptably high? If your company faces a retention problem, accelerating recruitment is like shoveling water out of a sinking boat. It’s smarter to focus on plugging the hole. If you address the problems that cause employees to leave, you’ll not only have fewer positions to fill, but you’ll also attract top performers more easily. Savvy candidates quickly sense a toxic or chaotic culture. On the other hand, passion and engagement are contagious, and will draw qualified candidates to your door.

Integrated Approach = Business Benefits

WR_247Recruit_SM_404x404

Attend the on-demand webinar now

In HR, we know better than anyone that the quality and commitment of people on your team are the foundation of business success. If your talent strategy considers what happens before, during and after every hire, you’ll create a sustainable framework for top performance.

For more talent acquisition and retention advice, listen now to Achievers’ recent “24×7 Recruiting” webinar, featuring TalentCulture founder Meghan M. Biro.

Image Credit: Stock.xchng

The 3 "Rs" of Hiring "A" Players

/ /by

Recruitment + Referrals + Retention

If you want to attract top talent, and keep those high performers on your team (as I assume every employer does), it’s important to create a virtuous cycle. You’ll find it in cultures driven by passion, where employees are treated with respect, and candidates are treated like employees. There’s a continuous loop of positive reinforcement.

It sounds simple enough. So, when companies miss the mark, where do they go wrong? I think many organizations approach recruiting as an isolated objective. But the most effective talent strategies are built on three components that work together to complete the loop:

1) Recruitment

Today the employee experience starts long before the first day at work. With the growth of Glassdoor and other “talent marketplace” sites, anyone can comment about you as a prospective employer, even if they never receive or accept an offer. Your reputation is critical in attracting top talent, so it’s essential to treat candidates with the same level of attention and respect that you extend to employees.

2) Referrals

Unhappy, disengaged employees typically don’t refer friends to their employers. On the other hand, smart employees won’t refer weak candidates to an employer they like. That psychology naturally favors referral programs for organizations devoted to employee success. With the right structure and nurturing, a referral program can help develop a vibrant culture, where people are committed to working toward a common purpose. You can empower your workforce to select for cultural fit, while dramatically reducing recruiting costs, and decreasing the time needed to help new employees achieve peak performance.

Check out the SlideShare presentation below for more insights about the power of referrals.

3) Retention

When building your recruiting strategy, don’t neglect your organization’s current workforce realities. For example, is your employee turnover rate unacceptably high? If your company faces a retention problem, accelerating recruitment is like shoveling water out of a sinking boat. It’s smarter to focus on plugging the hole. If you address the problems that cause employees to leave, you’ll not only have fewer positions to fill, but you’ll also attract top performers more easily. Savvy candidates quickly sense a toxic or chaotic culture. On the other hand, passion and engagement are contagious, and will draw qualified candidates to your door.

Integrated Approach = Business Benefits

WR_247Recruit_SM_404x404

Attend the on-demand webinar now

In HR, we know better than anyone that the quality and commitment of people on your team are the foundation of business success. If your talent strategy considers what happens before, during and after every hire, you’ll create a sustainable framework for top performance.

For more talent acquisition and retention advice, listen now to Achievers’ recent “24×7 Recruiting” webinar, featuring TalentCulture founder Meghan M. Biro.

Image Credit: Stock.xchng