e-recruitment strategy

Does Social Recruiting Actually Deliver?

What are the questions most often asked of any recruiter (or recruitment guru) who espouses the benefits of using social media in recruitment:

• Does it actually work?
• Can I actually hire somebody by using Social Media?
• Where does direct sourcing fit into this mix?
• Is it really an integrated approach or just another series of 'latest greatest' attempts to change the recruitment continuum?

Lennart Sloof, a keynote speaker at Social Recruiting Conference 2010 in London on 30 November, is going to share not only the strategy and tactics that he delivers as Manager Online Employer Marketing (formerly known as ‘e-Recruitment team’) at Deloitte in The Netherlands, but will discuss what they have spent in all channels: job boards, headhunting, contingency agencies and social media and, most importantly, how they measure the Return on Investment (ROI) of the success of each channel. Today his team is working on a daily basis on content management for the career site and all social media platforms. Everything is being monitored by Google Analytics, which results in optimization as a never ending process. Lennart and his team are preparing the Deloitte recruitment team to adopt these new online recruitment sources and make it part of their daily routines. You can listen to his philosophy and session preview in the video below or on RCEURO.COM at http://bit.ly/aiezh5.

This is exactly why Vic Okezie and Alan Whitford have created Social Recruiting Conference 2010, bringing 10 Corporate HR/Recruitment leaders together to share their journeys in creating and implementing social recruiting and direct sourcing strategies. Our audience is coming from across Europe, representing FTSE and Global 250 companies and mid-size employers. Lennart's speaker colleagues will showcase innovative developments in direct sourcing, how to get the best out of LinkedIn and Facebook and share their own journeys, including the bumps in the road as well as the successes.

We believe that delegates will leave at the end of the day with the answer to the question: Does Social Recruiting actually deliver? YES.

What do you think? What are your experiences? Join us on 30 November by registering at Social Recruiting Conference 2010, watch the live video stream hosted on RCEURO.COM and start contributing to the Twitter debate now on the event hashtag: #SRCONF.

 

Blog Action Day 2010 Water

I want to thank HR Bartender for posting about the Blog Action Day 2010 Water project. Every year on 15 October, bloggers from around the world write about a single topic - in this intance Water.  I have not seen or read this before and was immediately charged to action.  Much of this post highlights thoughts and statistics directly from the Blog Action site. Visit the site, read and think.

The statisics about water usage in the developed world compared to the requirements and challenges in less fortunate locations are staggering.  I will not pontificate  - After all we use bottled water because the lime content in our tap water makes our water unpalatable - but not dangerous or polluted.  Perhaps we need to rethink the worry about a 'fuzzy' kettle and slightly off-tasting cup of tea to a more environmentally aware approach to life.

Why is Water the topic today?

Right now, almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water. That’s one in eight of us. But, water moves beyond just a human rights issue. It’s an environmental issue, an animal welfare issue, a sustainability issue. Water is a global issue, deserving a global conversation.

 

Let's look at an individual statistics that sits squarely in our recruitment hotspot today: the mobile/cell phone

Cell Phones vs. Toilets:
Today, 2.5 billion people lack access to toilets, but many more have access to a cell phone. The iPhone in your pocket requires half a liter of water to charge. That may not seem like much, but with over 80 million active iPhones in the world, that’s 40 million liters to charge those alone.
Plug your iPhone into the wall, and about half a liter of water must flow through kilometers of pipes, pumps, and the heat exchangers of a power plant.

Tools to measure water consumption

The Water Footprint of Products
The Virtual Water Project would like to show the world how much freshwater is used to produce selected products, hoping for people to rethink their consumption patterns. The vast amount of water consumed and polluted in the making of products has an enormous impact on the ecological footprint of human civilization. Carry the iPhone app  Virtual Water digital companion anywhere and grow more concious about how much water our everyday.

The H2O Conserve Water Footprint Calculator
is an interactive tool designed to help you quantify how much water you use, find out how you use it and what you can do to conserve. The Calculator estimates the total amount of water you use, or your water footprint, using information you provide about your water use and habits. The Calculator takes into account not only the water used in your home, but also the water used to produce the food you eat, the products you buy, the energy you consume, and even the water saved when you recycle. You may not drink, feel or see this virtual water, but it makes up the majority of your water footprint.

Visit the site, vote to change the world.

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

 

 

 

 

 

RCEuro.com - RCEURO Thought Leader Conversation - Nerissa Reyes

via www.rceuro.com

What Should Conferences Deliver to the Delegates?

If you haven't logged into a BlogTalkRadio show yet, you missed a real corker yesterday.  @Steve Boese put out his 69th HR Happy Hour show live from the HR Southwest conference, with a room full of outstanding HR practitioners and consultants, many of whom you may be familiar with from the @billboorman TruLondon series, Twitter and blogs.

Steve's show description:  In partnership with our friends from Voice of HR, the HR Happy Hour will talk about the HR conference scene, and our live panel will share their observations about HR conferences and discuss what works, what doesn’t and where they’d like to see HR conferences headed in the future. Recordings of many of Steve's shows can be found in the RCEuro.com Audio and video player, including last night's show.

BlogTalkRadio is live, uncensored internet based broadcasting, with participants dialing in from anywhere in the world.  For this show, Steve had a panel in a conference room plus callers (including yours truly, representing the UK and #SRCONF).  Participants included (using their Twitter handles) @SteveBoese, @TrishMcFarlane, @Stelzner, @loismelbourne, @ChinaGorman, @Seiden, @ChrisPonder, @Frannyo, @fishdogs. My apologies if I missed anyone. 

There has been a recent and lively debate here in the UK about what a conference should look like and deliver, started by Andy Headworth on his SironaSays blog.  My partner for Social Recruiting Conference 2010, Vic Okezie, and I have made some comments, as have leading lights like Jon Ingham, James Mayes, Gareth Jones, Stephen O"Donnell and Bill Boorman.

The debate on both sides of the Pond is what a conference should look like, how should content be delivered -and to whom. Vic has been running a great blog series on the background to organising our event, which you can read here. 

A common theme is that delegates want great content and in particular want real user stories.  Entertainment only speakers, jugglers and lots of give aways (swag in the USA vernacular) are not that relevant. Vendors that deliver real value and information are relevant. Industry speakers who can provide case studies are relevant and desired.  Corporates who have faced challenges (and can talk about them) are highly regarded.

WiFi, mobile reception, twitter back channels, on-site blogging and other interactive elements are becoming the expected norm, as is the use of live streaming for those that can't make it onsite.  Venues that ignore these elements of any conference, not just one that has a Social Media theme, will soon be loosing out to more adaptive locations.

Have a listen to the show in the home page player and send me your comments.  Come register for the #SRCONF event and listen to 10 real life corporate practitioners share their trials, tribulations and successes implementing direct sourcing and social media.  Take part in the Twitter conversation now and, if you can't make it, watch the live stream on 30 November.

A personal journey ends in relief

Let me start by saying that this post is not about recruitment or technology, so feel free to move on now.

I would also like to add that I an in no way as brave as our friend and colleague Steve Newson, who has been sharing his own very personal journey in his battle against cancer very openly. If you know Steve (or even if you don't) and haven't read his posts, please do so here.

Why am I writing this then?  Well, perhaps to see if just one person will move away from Procrastination and take action to ensure your health, mental and physical.

The back story:  I discovered about a year ago that I had a lump/tumour in my back under my shoulder blade.  Long story short, I had what my physio determined was a 'snapping scapula' - my shoulder blade made all sorts of lovely clicks, clacks and movements - which was annoying, mildly uncomfortable and affected movement in both shoulders.  After some amazing detective work on his part, he found out about a relatively rare condition (for men in particular) called an elastofibroma - a fatty growth under the muscles. We did the usual round of MRIs, local specialists and eventually to the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham, the top place in the country for bone growths and tumours surgery.  Diagnosis confirmed -with the upside that it was 99.99% going to be benign.  The only way to be sure would be to take it out, as due to its location any form of needle based biopsy would not be possible.

So, what did I do?  Waffled for 12 months.  Surgery would have to happen - but it was never the 'right time'. Those of you who, like me, run your own business, will understand.  Taking a week or two off (no concrete rule on how long the effect of surgery, or impact on the shoulder movement) means nobody is minding the store.

Went back to see the head of the department in Birmingham this spring who answered some of our questions on post event impact, confirmed that the only way to be 100% sure of it being benign was to cut it out and finally agreed that late July, early August was the best time to do this.  Turned down a slot in June and finally went under the knife 10 days ago.  I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that the ROH team were fantastic, the Ward 12 staff incredible  and the whole process could not have been smoother. And, the good news came in the post over the weekend, confirming that the growth is completely benign.

Why then, might you ask, am I boring you with all of this now?  Because for 12 months this has been hanging over our heads, always in the background are the 'What if?' questions - What if it is malignant? What if it has spread? What if during surgery the back/shoulder muscles are damaged?What if.........

You get the drift.

Relief for both of us now from all those questions. We know I am OK, no Cancer.  Post-op recovery and its blips are just a pain in the rear end, not life threatening.  Getting back to full speed for work is just a matter of time and mind over matter, so to speak.  I met some incredible people, fighting cancer every day.  My ward mate Gordon, who has been beating bone cancer for 6 years, just had a hip (and more) replacement.  No tears, no drama, just getting on with it - embracing life and all that it brings. And, by the way, he showed me some very cool iPhone and IPad apps for artists - creating amazing original work with today's technology.

So, if you think you have something going on, please get it checked out.  Don't wait.  If nothing else, getting rid of the 'What if?' questions will make you and your loved ones a whole lot happier.  And, if there is something there, catching it early absolutely increases your chances of a better life ahead.

If you want to talk to me about my experience, or your own, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Don't be afraid to ask me

A question has been dominating my thoughts the last few weeks - am I unapproachable as a business resource? 

How else to explain that the 100s of people that I have met at conferences, engaged with via social media and even worked with over the last 20 years or so never seem to call to ask for my professional help?  And it isn't just me; I have had similar discussions with a number of colleagues, independent thinkers and operators, who get rave reviews for their knowledge and expertise during a conference, seminar or workshop and then wait for the phone call (or email or text message or tweet) which seldom comes.

Do we need a new theme song? 
"Call me, don't be afraid you can call me, Call me and I'll be around...."
(amended lyrics, with apologies to Petula Clark)

Or is it just that people don't really know what we do?  We are seen in that micro climate of the conference, the workshop, the blog or the Meetup - perhaps we are then pigeonholed into that mini area of expertise that we spoke of or demonstrated on the day.  Does our 'expert' status frighten away possible clients?  Have we not showcased the range of individual skills, talents and help that we can offer?

OK, then, here is my stab at it.  With thanks also to friends and colleagues who have recently sent messages out via LinkedIn and email to explain what it is that they do, helping me to better understand the real value they can bring to an organisation.

Who is Alan Whitford?
I have over 20 years experience in recruitment, human resources, talent management and technology solutions from all sides of the table; as a 3rd party recruiter/headhunter, as an in-house recruiter, defining recruitment processes and strategy, recommending and selecting technology solutions, building and implementing recruitment and web solutions and most recently have built a pan-European community and knowledge portal for the recruitment industry.

Wow, all of that then? But what do I really do?

I can:
    ▪    Deliver my passion for recruitment and the central role it plays in a company's success, no matter what the company size
    ▪    Run in-house workshops/healthchecks on all aspects of recruitment, including the emergence of social media
    ▪    Provide company strategic direction and change management consulting
    ▪    Brainstorm and create business strategy
    ▪    Develop and implement candidate attraction strategies and tactics
    ▪    Focus on candidate relationship management
    ▪    Define and select technology solutions to better enable recruitment and HR processes
    ▪    Measure your recruitment success with ROI workshops

In a nutshell, I can help you define what to do and then help you to actually get it done.  No project or task is too small or to large to work on.   My services can be purchased as stand-alone discrete solutions by the 1/2 day or full day,  or combined in an end-to-end strategy project.  Every completed project has the additional benefit of our free 30 day e-mail review and consultation service, with unlimited questions, helping to ensure that you continue to apply your newly-acquired knowledge to the best effect.

My Key Message: (and a final song lyric - Thanks Elvis)

If you got a problem, I don't care what it is
If you need a hand, I can assure you this
I can help.

How can we stay in touch?
Tel:          +44 7971 864620
email:     alan@abtechpartnership.com, alan@rceuro.com
Skype:     awhitford
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/alanwhitford
Twitter:     alanwhitford

And, as a final note, if I can't help you, I almost certainly know someone who can and will happily refer you on.

Thanks for listening. I look forward to working with you.

Best regards

Alan

Talkback Mobile Recruiting - 5 May 2010

On 5th May 2010, Allthetopbananas.com is running the TalkBack Mobile Recruiting event.

Talkback Mobile Recruiting aims to discuss your ideas for mobile solutions to support the recruitment industry. Dave Martin's blogs about the event and the Twitter hashtag conversation, #tbMobRec, can be read in his blogs below or on his blog site, akatopbananas.You set the agenda, tweet your views via the hashtag.

Dave's video introduction to the event is below.

But, what is my take on Mobile Recruiting?  I support it, believe it is inevitable, in fact, I believe it is already here.  Albeit, I might have a slightly different take.  My comments on Dave's blog post:

As to the big question - to me mobile is as mobile does.  I have been 'mobile' since 1993 when I packed my first Mac powerbook, an inkjet printer and took off to Asia Pacific for a non-recruitment related project.  However, I still had to make placements back here.  Mobile then was using a borrowed Motorola cell phone (the first clam shell model), hard wiring my laptop to a Wellington New Zealand motel phone jack, using Compuserve email and completing the candidate introductions, interview follow up and final negotiations.

In other words, to me Mobile is another style of communications.  GeoLocation services, apps, M sites, Facebook, Twitter andLinkedIn on the mobile -  these all depend on the candidate's and the employer's preferred means of communication. 

Despite the increased penetration of the Internet and a wide range of services one can use on a Smartphone - I still believe that the mobile phone's original purpose - talking to each other - will remain the 'killer app'. Particularly as the number of mobile phones in the UK exceeded the total population in 2006 and in 2008, adults in the UK had an average of 1.8 mobile phones.

What are we looking for at a conference?

10 days to go before I get on the big bird to Chicago and then a bus to Madison to join the TruCrew and a great line-up of track leaders  and participants to share knowledge at TruUsa .  I am leading some tracks (Job Board 2020, Culture Clash, JIT Sourcing)  and hope to pile into many others while there.

I have been thinking a lot lately about the future of traditional conferences, the Unconference movement and the more ad hoc ‘conferences' that we have on social media gatherings on Twitter with #hashtags like #TNL. Check out the radio show that Tru co-founder Bill Boorman and I conducted on Tuesday this week on hashtags and a range of Twitter tips from #mrbill

I was one of 3 speakers at a ‘traditional' event today, hosted by Recruitment Consultant Magazine , in Manchester (that is England, not New Hampshire). We ran the same event a couple of weeks ago in London (England, not Ontario) Recruitment Conference IT and Technology 2010 #recconfit2010  You might have seen my exciting effort at breaking the ice with audience in London.

Targert audience for both events was professional recruitment consultants (agencies), along with a smattering of technology suppliers and media types.  

I had the pleasure of leading off with a presentation on Social Media (a recurring theme, as I had the same slot at this conference a year ago). Raymond Pennie (@rpennie) of Kamanchi followed talking about creating effective strategies (with some focus on the impact of technology) and Felix Wetzel (@FelixWetzel) of Jobsite (a major #TruLondon sponsor) discussed candidate and advertiser behaviours (now and future) along with sharing some interesting research

Why do I bring this up when I am supposed to be writing about #TruUsa?  In one word: Engagement

I have spoken at, chaired or led more than 200 conferences, workshops or events over the last 10 years or so.  Which ones have given me the most buzz, the most satisfaction?  Other than Global Recruitment Conference 2008 , which I organised and chaired in Amsterdam, with an outstanding group of global thought leaders and delegates, I have to say that it has been those events where I set up or ran workshops/breakout groups. Why? Because in that environment, you get the engagement of every delegate/attendee - either with you as a session leader or with the others in the room.

In a sense, today confirmed that. We had an excellent group of delegates, professional and committed to their industry and their business, eager to learn from the 3 Talking Heads and the hosts.  All 3 of us tried to engage with the delegates (none of us are what might be considered wallflowers when it comes to speaking to an audience).  We had a few in the audience who were willing to discuss their company, strategy, questions and experiences. Feedback from delegates at the breaks and the post event drinks was excellent, delegates were happy, had learned and gathered real value from the day. The organisers (Jim and Gary) had two successful events and the sponsors/exhibitors did well.  But for Felix, Raymond and I, it felt a bit like an opportunity lost - for the delegates to engage in real debate and discussion with each other throughout the afternoon (although it did happen during the breaks).

That brings me full circle to Engagement - the real essence of an Unconference.  Track leaders start a conversation, hoping to guide it a bit and sometimes act as a referee if required.  The participants in the track drive the discussion/debate -its direction may go places other discussions just cannot reach.  In any session, the engagement of individuals - with each other, with a track leader or two (if we are lucky) is exhilarating.  Learning what challenges others have (Hey, look at me, I'm not so far behind) or successes someone is experiencing (Hey, if he/she can do that, we sure can!) - make it worthwhile flying 4,000 miles and taking a 3 hour bus ride to get to Madison. As it was worth it for the North Americans who flew over for #truLondon.

I can't wait. See you all there - or on video feeds on RCEURO, hashtag #TruUsa, twitter posts @rceuro, @alanwhitford or whatever means we come up with to share the experience.

As #mrbill says, it isn't just about the conference, it is about the conversations that happen for weeks leading up to an event and months afterwards. That is what I call: Engagement.

Looking ahead to TruLondon II and TruSource in London

Wow, less than 4 weeks to go and the Bill Boorman phenomena takes on its latest iteration with TruLondon II  and TruSource 17-19 February.

Inspired by RecruitFest in Toronto last year, Bill has grasped the Unconference model with both hands and taken it into places and worlds unknown.  We have all gratefully jumped on board, giving us a chance to share knowledge and learning with colleagues and strangers on a level playing field. No more are we seen as just 'talking heads', but as session Track Leaders. But. to me, even that  is a misnomer. We are active participants, learning as much as we teach.



The only downside?  I want to sit in on every session, itch to put in my $.02 with other leaders, learn from the delegates, ask them what they really want to see happen in recruitment and share in their triumphs as well as sympathise with their disappointments.

What will I be doing?
Talking about Job Boards 2020 with long time collaborator Keith Robinson  and online marketing expert Simon Lewis.

Looking at the Cultural Clash of cross border recruitment (as a Yank abroad for over 30 years, I have experienced this first hand in many countries) with  Brit Jon Ingham, American Laurie Reuttimann, Canadian Geoff Webb and Dee Allan from Singapore.

Discussing Bill Boorman's pet topic (one of many), Phoenix Recruiting with blogger and thinker extraordinaire, Andy Headworth.

Linking up with Shane McClusker to explore my own Talent Puddle principle; hoping to extend and question this concept.

Oh, and while this is going on, RCEURO will be there to conduct interviews, report on the action, broadcast online radio with our European Thought Leaders track and the Bill Boorman shows.

Come one, come all and enjoy a great three days.  Click here for Registration:

Read more about TruLondon, listen to the online radio shows and watch some of the video on the RCEURO site.

Graduate Recruitment Process Snapshot - Middle East

Clair Wilson, founder of Better Resourcing Ltd, is embarking on a thumbnail study of graduate employment behaviours and expectations for a Middle East based employer.

We would like any of our readers who are engaged in employment in the region to pass on this survey to their graduate resources, or invite them to take the survey via the link here.

The survey will be open until 5 February and is designed to help employers in the region improve their graduate recruitment processes and experience.

Thanks for helping out.

Thoughts for 2010

I have been invited by Bill Boorman to record a video with some of my thoughts and hopes for the recruitment industry for 2010. This was part of Bill's amazing #HRCARNIVAL initiative that he has been running on his Norton Folgate: The Recruiting Unblog. Bill has now posted over 80 Vlogs ranging from 1-5 minutes from the great and good of recruitment from around the world -  a real testament to the reach he has achieved in the last 12 months.

It has been an honour to work with Bill.  He has included me in his 'Manic Monday' of three BlogTalk Radio shows: 6am for Australia/New Zealand. Noon for UK/Europe and 6pm for the US audience.  You can listen to the latest shows on the players on this blog or by visiting the RCEURO site.

I hope you enjoy the video. Please get in touch with comments or suggestions.

Have a great 2010.