Authenticity

Matt Duren did a great presentation for a small group I facilitate - The Staffing Alliance of Maryland Employers (Project SAME).   The topic was “How to Build a Social Recruiting Strategy on a Budget.”    Matt understands how to work with a budget.  He works for a big, well-known, well-run, cost-conscious company (see his LinkedIn profile if you want to know which one).  Matt and his colleagues have done some great things.

What really impressed me about their social recruiting strategy was how authentic they were.  They started the entire initiative by looking at their employment brand – asking “who are we to our employees?”   They did not take the bland “we care about people” pablum that is locked securely inside picture frames on every office wall.  They did not even use their well known consumer brand.  Instead they really looked at what makes them attractive to their current and future employees.   They pulled together a cross-disciplinary team of people and distilled down dozens of factors into a handful that really mattered – they looked hard at what promise they could keep to their candidates.  Then they worked really dligently to convey that information as accurately as possible using social media.  Yes, they used some very interesting tools, yes they are way ahead of other employers, and of course after Matt finished his (excellent) presentation everyone was asking questions like:

• “How many people did you end up hiring as a result of the initiative?”
• “What was your return on the investment in social recruiting?”
• “What did your CEO have to say about it?”

But what was most interesting was not the metrics or the ROI.  What was really interesting was what he said the senior executives cared about:

• Did we attract and hire the very best people we could?
• Did people join the company for the right reasons?
• Did the new employees get what they expected when they arrived?

Authenticity.   Telling the right story – keeping promises – that’s the heart and soul of social media recruiting.  If you don’t get that part right, nothing else you do matters.

Using Social Media in Recruiting

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn – some predict that HR professionals not using social media to communicate with candidates will soon be roadkill.   To avoid that grisly fate, perhaps you might want to join us on Thursday, February 12th, when Sourcing Researcher Kelly Dingee will speak at the Staffing Alliance of Maryland Employers (Project SAME).  

Newbies and experts alike are all welcome, and the meeting is free.   Come find the answers to your most pressing questions.  Will it help me get better recruiting results for less money?  Why bother with it?  If I have to pick just one place to start, which one is most worth the time?  How do I learn more about it?  What does it really cost?  And, of course, why are “social media elites” saying I will be roadkill if I don’t?

The meeting will be held from 3-5 pm at the Rockville campus of Montgomery College.   For more details and to register, visit the Project SAME website.

Importing Talent

Derek Wilkinson, a Principal at Slayton Search Partners, spoke at The Staffing Alliance of Maryland Employers today. It was a lively conversation.

One topic we touched on is a favorite of mine – importing talent in a turbulent market. One thing that fascinates me is talent migration. I already see signs that the strong Washington job market is importing great people from the rest of the county. Similarly, Derek has been getting alot of interest in his timely thought-piece on who will be scooping up the most talented commercial bankers released from Wall Street. It’s a must read for corporate finance professionals, and you can download it here.