Blog | Jennifer McClure`

Social Recruiting – The Level Playing Field

Today’s post is a guest post from my friend, Mike Larsen. Mike is a former Director of Monster.com and the Founder & CEO of job search and reviews website InsideTrak based in Sydney, Australia. Mike helped me with a project I was working on a couple of years ago related to what’s new/what’s next in the world of recruiting, so when he offered to share some of his insights related to social recruiting, I gladly accepted!

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Last year, there was a lot of hysteria in the press about companies and recruiters using social media to ‘snoop’ on candidates, with more than 90% admitting to having researched potential hires using social media, according to social media monitoring service Reppler.

Surprised? Me neither.

As the human backbone of the Internet, social media has for quite some time provided recruiters with access to an incredible amount of free and publicly available information (check your Facebook privacy settings folks) that should assist in making a great employment match.

I’m all for it.

What might surprise some companies and some recruiters is that candidates are using these same tools (and more) to accessing detailed information about YOU. While Glassdoor certainly pioneered this space, they have been quickly followed by others in the US such as CareerBliss, and in Australia my site InsideTrak.

While some employers might find this a little confronting I believe the majority are seeing this trend as an opportunity to receive real time feedback from current staff, while increasing their number of new hire success stories with eyes-wide-open recruits.

Just as social media has transformed the consumer branding space, so now follow employment brands. As recruitment professionals, it’s quite simply our new reality.

Consider the playing field leveled.

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Unbridled Talent LLC is a consulting and advisory firm providing services to clients in the areas of recruiting & human resources strategy, employment branding and leadership/career development. We offer keynotes, workshops and training that inspire and teach business leaders to be more effective in their careers and as leaders of their organization’s most valuable resource – people. Contact us to schedule an event or to discuss our strategic consulting and advisory services.

Written by Jennifer McClure

Pieces of Me – March 29, 2013 Edition

“Pieces of Me” is a regular feature here on the blog, where I’ll share a bit of what’s happening, what’s kicking around in my head, resources I’d like to bring to your attention and a peek into the world as I see it – through lenses colored by Human Resources, Recruiting, Leadership and Career Development.

Something awesome that happened:

Tuesday of this past week (March 26th) was my 5 year Twitter anniversary!

Way back in March 2011, I wrote about the value I had received from Twitter during the first three years in a post titled “Celebrating Twitter As A Business Communication Tool” – and I still feel very much the same today. For me, Twitter is the gift that keeps on giving!

According to Wikipedia, the appropriate gift for the 5 year milestone is Wood. But I still want a pony.

Something I learned:

Well, I re-learned this one.

Recruiting isn’t just about finding the most qualified person or finding someone who matches the skills and experience needed for the position. It’s also not just about finding someone who “fits” the company’s culture. Even if you source candidates who match all of those criteria, it still won’t work out if you haven’t considered the personality of the Boss and whether or not it’s a match for the potential New Hire.

Some employees like lots of direction – and some Bosses aren’t wired that way. Some employees like minimal direction and some Bosses want to be very involved. Neither style is necessarily wrong on either side of the equation and both sides can usually move a bit in each other’s direction, but it’s highly unlikely there will be a match made in Heaven if the Boss and the New Hire’s style of work aren’t a match.

Good recruiting is hard, yo. It’s about way more than just finding people.

Someone who made a difference:

Lance Haun is the wind beneath my blogging wings. Since I moved this blog to WordPress several years ago, he’s helped me with everything from “Oh my gosh, my website is down!” to “I don’t know how to add a badge to my site, can you help?”. This past week, I asked Lance if he could increase the font size on my website – because I couldn’t see my posts anymore with my eyes that I refuse to clothe in glasses. He’s a Champ like that.

But really, Lance is way more than someone who helps me with this website. He’s one of the original HR bloggers (along with Laurie Ruettimann and Kris Dunn) and I’ve learned so much from him over the last few years as he’s moved from HR practitioner, start-up geek, ERE.net Community Manager and now the Editor-In-Chief at SourceCon.

Lance is awesome and I’m happy to call him a friend. He’s got a practical, no-nonsense approach to business, HR, recruiting – and occasionally politics and sports. That’s why he’ll always be Your HR Guy to me.

If you haven’t done so already, check out Lance’s blog, blog, blog, blog and follow him on Twitter.

A resource I’d like to share:

Mercer recently released their Talent Barometer Survey, which includes the results from their study of the talent practices of leading global organizations. You can download the 20 page Executive Summary for free at www.mercer.com/talentbarometer.

The Talent Barometer Survey includes findings related to changes in Talent investments, characteristics of an effective Workforce Planning process, key takeaways related to how organizations are addressing the educational gap and the importance of Talent Reviews within an organization to enhance the availability and quality of Talent in the organization.

Juicy.

Throwback:

In November 2012, I was quoted in an article that appeared in the Los Angeles Times – “Put Your Best Face Forward Using Digital Technology”. This article is probably the only place where you’ll find a quote from me related to how pimples may or may not affect the job search process.

I think the gist of what I was trying to say was “be yourself and put your best self out there in your job search”.

Or something that sounded way better.

Upcoming Goodness:

On April 11, 2013, I’ll be hosting the Sourcing and Recruiting Social Summit 2013 in Washington, DC.

I’m excited about channeling my inner Oprah while introducing some of the most knowledgeable and experienced Recruiting and Sourcing professionals in our industry. Who knows, everyone may just end up with a new car once the conference is over. “No dream is too wild, no surprise too impossible to pull off”!

If you want to learn from some of the best, join us in DC next month! Use the code JM100 when registering to receive $100 off the registration fee.

The World As I See It:

I’m not a huge Las Vegas Fan, but I seem to end up there 3 – 4 times a year for conferences and events. So I look for the pretty stuff and hold on to my money.

Bellagio lobby Chihuly glass sculpture — Chihuly Glass Sculpture – Bellagio – Las Vegas, NV

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Written by Jennifer McClure

What Keeps Senior Level HR Professionals Away From Industry Conferences?

This year, I’ll be attending my 5th SHRM Annual Conference & Exposition June 16 – 19, 2013, which will be held in the beautiful windy city of Chicago.

It’s the BIG show. Picture 10,000 – 15,000+ HR and industry professionals all gathered in one place to get their learn on, to network and to shop till they drop in the Expo Hall for free squeezy balls, pens and drawings for iPads – and maybe a new product or vendor while they’re at it.

I find the conference, the people and the content incredibly valuable each year. But if it’s such a great event, why do senior level professionals make up such a small percentage of attendees at the annual conference – or equivalent industry events?

Check out the attendee breakdown from the 2012 SHRM Annual Conference below. Only 12% of attendees were from the top of the profession. Go to a local SHRM chapter meeting and this group is even less likely to be in attendance.

I’m glad to see that HR professionals at all levels attend the conference and keep coming back year after year.

So why don’t the senior level pros consider it a “must attend” event? What’s missing for them?

I’d love to hear your feedback and thoughts in the Comments section.

Let’s talk about how we can connect with the upper levels of HR in a meaningful way!

I’ll be speaking at the 2013 SHRM Annual Conference this year for the second year in a row – twice! I consider a huge honor!

If you’ll be there (register here), I’d love for you to join me!

MEGA SESSION: The Future of HR: Four Keys For Creating Competitive Advantage Through Innovative People Strategies (1.25 Strategic HRCI credits)

MEGA SESSION: Talent Shortages & Skills Gaps: Equip Your Organization For New Battlefronts In The War For Talent (1.25 General HRCI credits)

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Written by Jennifer McClure

Using Social Media In HR & Recruiting [SLIDESHARE]

Since signing up for a LinkedIn account in early 2006 (member #5,852,039 here), I’ve considered myself a “Social Media Anthropologist”, because I love to study how social media affects the entire employment process – from personal branding, job search, employment branding, recruiting, human resources and employee development.

During that time, I’ve sought out and followed many of the pioneers in our industry who are leading the way and companies who are implementing “best practices” – and I’ve utilized social media to expand my network, attract and recruit talent, communicate with employees and build my personal/business brand.

In the last 8 years, I’ve had the opportunity to share what I’ve learned (and what I’m learning) with business leaders at a variety of industry and corporate events, and I often share those presentations privately with my clients via my Slideshare.net account.

Recently, I opened up several of my previous presentations for public access on Slideshare and I’d like to share one of my Using Social Media In HR & Recruiting presentations from 2012 with you here.

Using Social Media In HR & Recruiting – Jennifer McClure – Oct 2012 from Jennifer McClure

Since the world of social media is constantly changing, this presentation is constantly evolving and regularly updated. The latest version will be the basis for my upcoming pre-conference workshop at the 2013 Louisiana SHRM Conference in Baton Rouge on April 7, 2013. In this workshop, we’ll be digging deeper into developing a social media strategy, choosing tools, managing time and content, as well as “social” recruiting.

I’m looking forward to learning more and sharing more about how social media impacts the employment process in 2013!

Share Your Feedback:

I’d love to hear from you on the challenges you face with implementing a social media strategy in your organization. What do you want to learn more about? What’s new and exciting to you? Share with me in the comments and help me to make 2013’s presentations even better!

Written by Jennifer McClure

Pieces Of Me – March 22, 2013 Edition

“Pieces of Me” is a (new) regular feature here on the blog, where I’ll share a bit of what’s happening, what’s kicking around in my head, resources I’d like to bring to your attention and a peek into the world as I see it – through lenses colored by Human Resources, Recruiting, Leadership and Career Development.