Social Media's Role in Today's Recruiting

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Are you strategically thinking of recruiting tomorrow’s talent for today’s employers? If not, your recruiting goals could possibly come up short….

With the overflow of Social Media the recruiting process for many HR professionals and employers has changed dramatically! Remember a few decades ago when a resume usually reflected only one or two employers over a 10 to 15 year span? Those same resumes often included characteristics such as dedication, loyalty and stability.

Fast forward 20 years….to today. Recruiting trends reflect talent pools of resumes which now commonly list multiple employers and within a short 3 to 5 year span. They also regularly include characteristics of adaptability, diversity in skills and talent. How does this translate in today’s market? Productivity numbers have been on the increase for several months, and output per Hour has increased by 3.5% in the first quarter of 2013 while hourly compensation has been reduced by 6.9%.

Output per Hour  : +3.5 % (r) in 1st Qtr of 2013

Hourly Compensation : -6.9 % (r) in 1st Qtr of 2013

Unit Labor Costs : -10.0 % (r) in 1st Qtr of 2013

Output : +5.3 % (r) in 1st Qtr of 2013

Hours of All Persons : +1.8 % (r) in 1st Qtr of 2013

Do you see a trend here…?  Employers have learned to do more with less. But where do we find that multifaceted, low cost employee?  The answer may surprise you… .employers are now reconsidering how to strategically recruit this socially multifaceted generation.

Taken from an article titled The New ROI for Social Media Recruiting, “emerging among recruiters a recognition that social media is a marketing and promotional tool. The effectiveness of sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, even Pinterest is probably not in the number of hires or even applicants a company can trace directly to one of the social media sites. Instead, as recruiting consultants Gerry Crispin and Mark Mehler reported last year, social media is a channel of influence.

You can’t not be there, one of the round-table participants observed, because candidates, potential candidates, and those whom you hope to attract and someday hire will see your absence from the social media landscape as a negative.”

Recruiting poorly is equally negative. You should not only have a presence but an active and attractive one, too. Perhaps the key is a blend of the old and the new. This new social media generation may offer more “bang for your bucks”, a welcomed sight as many employers are faced with driving higher productivity and creativity (fresh and new ideas), as well as, lowering costs.

In an attempt to help employers find candidates and lower their costs, we at NEX21 Partners are happy to introduce our newest division, Best Dealer Jobs. We are taking an active approach and the use of social media to unite employers, specifically those in the equipment sales, parts and service industries, with qualified potential employees. Please see our site at www.bestdealerjobs.com

Staying in your Lane

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As you are driving down a street you may decide to change lanes and do so with ease…. Some things you will likely consider are using a turn signal, checking your mirrors and any blind spots, and then carefully moving into the next lane.  While this blog is not about changing lanes in this context, we are applying this concept to the business world.

Have you ever found yourself repeating the old analogy, “It’s not rocket science, even I can do it”?  Essentially you are implying you can easily ‘change lanes’ and are capable of not only do the job for which you were hired, but can also assume and execute the tasks of another! Perhaps your education, personal skill set or previous work experience has trained you to lean toward this way of thinking, but there are some pitfalls associated with this approach. If you ‘change lanes’ without checking those ‘blind spots’ what hazards are being overlooked?

Respect - Does respect for the person performing the task diminish when you ‘change lanes’ and assume their responsibilities or part of their workload? Are implying ownership of tasks that are not assigned in your wheel house?

Productivity - If you had to perform that task on a daily basis, would you really enjoy it? How would it hamper your current workload and daily duties?

Morale - Would you be able to remain passionate or creative about the task? Would taking on the task improve everyone’s workload or skew it? By taking on the task is the company ‘morale’ improved or weakened?

Commitment - Would you choose and/or be able to dedicate time to the success of that task for the necessary duration?

When you find yourself ‘changing lanes’ it shouldn't be with the attitude 'Anything you can do, I can do better!' Take a moment to step back and evaluate your position. Your goal should be for the overall objectives given to each member to be accomplished efficiently and effectively. Your motives should be for the greater good, company-wide success.

There will inevitably be times when ‘changing lanes’ is necessary, but knowing when to by-pass a task or when to pull over and help should be approached with care and deliberation. ‘Changing lanes’ abruptly and into oncoming traffic can be harmful and perilous to your working relationships and the business culture. Navigate with extreme caution!