In 2008 Are Things Going To Change?

So, work has been crazy in the world of recruitment technology and I have abandoned my blog. I'm still doing a lot of reading and I read an article regarding the changes that may or may not be facing recruitment in 2008. For the most part, healthcare and retirement related markets will probably be safe. However, there is still the shortage to think about.

The writer of the article (Kevin Wheeler) talked about these things. The internet will continue to be a big part of recruiting. Sourcing jobs will probably replace the traditional recruiter in most businesses and social networks are here to stay. If you don't love them now you better figure out how you will.

As I read more and more I'm convinced that recruiters should learn more and better skills to stay ahead of the market. I've said this before... recruiters need to know how to source. Use the internet, learn how to use things like Google Ad words, social networks. Go where your recruits are going. Do they have a favorite place to hang out?

Now I'm rambling, so have a great day.

Is Branding the Answer?

I've read so much about branding over the past year that I feel like I should at least visit the idea. Many large companies use branding and for the most part, reputation in a community (large or small) is key to attracting the right kind of candidates. I was eating out this weekend and noticed my drink coaster. It was an employment advertisement. What a way to put your needs out in front of the public. The next time I hear someone complaining about not finding a job... I'll send them there. Ok, back to branding.

Here are some of the long-term and short-term benefits of branding for any organization. Immediately, it rallies your recruitment troops to join a cause. In Monster's case using "Your calling is calling." Who wouldn't follow that? If marketed right, a new branding campaign brings attention and spotlight your way. You may also reap a higher than normal participation in your employee referral program.

Long term results could be revealed in a number of ways. You may see candidates that are higher quality, your offer-acceptance rate could increase, retention-retention-retention, better results from your college recruiting, and increased manager satisfaction due to all of the above.

If your current recruitment strategies lack the results you are looking for you may want to group with your HR executives. An investment into the impact and return-on-investment of employment branding will help build management's perception that Recruitment and HR is a contributor to the bottom line.

Blogging Recruits and Retains

Ok, so I'm doing my daily reading today and came across a request for "ninja bloggers". These are recruiters that use Web 2.0 technology for recruitment and retention. So I thought to myself could blogging really help recruit and retain? Well, I suppose if a recruiter starts a blog (like me) and maintains an active list of qualified people who actually want to read it. Once they swallow the hiring hook then you could use the same blog to get people excited about where you work to stay excited. Yes, I believe it could work.

Now, the question begs, how does any recruiter really have time to produce a blog that is worth reading? You need to commit to producing this blog on a weekly basis, at least. What kinds of things do you talk about? Perhaps, why you fell in love with your job and what makes you happy about working there. No crap though! How about some good community news or real customer testamonials. Where do you get this kind of information? duh, Marketing.

Here's how I would start. Just do it. Maybe use a newsletter to get people interested. With all the Talent Aquisition Systems out there surely they can provide you with a list of your applicant's email addresses to start with. What about your employees? Don't they have email address you can collect. Look, they can always unsubscribe if they want to.

Blogs don't have to be fancy. They just have to be a good read and provide information that makes you stop and think. Kinda like the "ninja blogger" article I read today.

First Post

So my first blog post for Real Recruitment. I always look forward to the holidays because jobseeker traffic slows down a bit and I can get caught up on my to-do list and organization for the coming year. I use these weeks to clean out everything. My email, files, desk, piles in the floor... whatever! Starting fresh in 2008 gives me a sense that I can really do this job and stay on top of it.

I read an article today about innovation in recruitment. The author of the article suggested that we need to get down to the bare basics of recruitment. A telephone. How realistic is that. People can't reach me as it is. I hate the telephone. I hate dialing it, waiting for someone to answer, playing phone tag, answering it without knowing who is on the other line, getting the pesty jobseeker that wants information on every job instead of going to the website and reviewing.

Technology is our friend and we should use it to our advantage. I have a bad habit of being too short and sweet in my email communications. I'm not suggesting that we write the next great novel but something the jobseeker can feel good about. We should be informative and there should definitely be a call to action.

The key is to keep your hot candidates engaged in the process from the start. Make sure your hiring managers are making decisions quickly. Do you ask them when they want to make a hiring decision when they send you the requisition?