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

Maintaining a Sense of Accountability

Creating and maintaining a sense of accountability in today’s organization is critical to the success of strategic organizational goals. But for many organizations this is often a difficult task.

Merriam- Webster online dictionary defines Accountability as: an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions.

In the article “Why is Accountability so Hard?”, Cathy Missildine, SPHR  explores the reason why organizations may struggle with this goal and provides solutions that may resolve potential or existing accountability issues facing organizations and managers today.

Oftentimes managers and employees fail to see the return on investment (ROI) as it relates to the day-to-day functions of the organization. Whether there is the need for performance assessments, coaching or disciplinary action, without accountability to these and other standard operating procedures (SOP) the chance of organizational failure increases.

We all would like to pick and choose goals and responsibilities guaranteed for success, but at what cost to the items or tasks left behind? As leaders we have an obligation to the organization to maintain and reflect Accountability in our communication and interactions with those we come in contact with!

So ask yourself, are you accountable for those things you view as time consuming to your day?