Employer Branding

When the labor market is weak and job-seekers are desperate for work, overwhelmed recruiters sometimes default to treating applicants like cattle – an undifferentiated mass of mostly unqualified individuals firing off resumes wherever they can.

All of the Oscar buzz has gotten us excited over at TalentMinded, so today we have decided to recognize some of the best recruiting videos and strategies from 2011 and years before to create our own mini-Oscars (sorry, no statues).

In recent weeks we’ve seen a lot of outpouring of grief over the now dead SOPA legislation. The law’s critics claim that, if passed, the law would end the Internet as we know it, threaten our way of life, and confirm the Mayans were right. We periodically experience this type of mass hysteria, whenever something seems to threaten the “promise of the Internet” — the last time was over net neutrality. That so-called promise has to do with the perceived “free” flow of information: articles, stories, videos, songs, or content. What’s gotten lost in this noise is that that nothing is free. The current business model of the Internet has simply shifted dollars from content creators to content aggregators. Advertisers sponsor content so users can pretend it is “free.”

With YouTube recently announcing a milestone of 4 billion views per day (including mobile video views), there’s no question that mobile and online video consumption isn’t slowing down. In fact, recent stats show that over 50% of the U.S. population watch online video at least once per month, and over 14% of the population watch video via mobile phone. The question is, how can you use online video to enhance your recruitment marketing strategy?

These Best Companies are stepping it up with treats like free hotel stays and cupcake truck visits to keep their employees happy.

In 2011, several studies revealed both job seekers and employers moving into the social space. In fact, one survey reported 16% of job seekers found their most recent position through a social network. To capitalize on this trend, you can implement a social referral program that encourages current employees to reach out to their personal networks online.

Recently I read an interesting piece on the AdAge Digital site about a different kind of 1%, (that was an awkward transition, admittedly), specifically the 1% of a company or a brand's social media fans that seem to actively engage with said company or brand. The article, titled 'Study: Only 1% of Facebook 'Fans' Engage With Brands', recounts a recent piece of research conducted by the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute that claims to show that only about 1% of the self-identified 'fans' of a brand on Facebook, (certainly not the only social platform, but indeed the largest), actually 'engage' with the brand by commenting, tagging, sharing, etc. actively with the brand and the content.  The vast, vast majority, the other 99%, simply identify as fans, get exposed to some of the brands' content, and continue on with whatever else they were doing.

HR and talent management leaders are constantly striving to become more strategic. But more often than not it seems that when they are presented with a strategic alternative that really breaks new ground, they retreat and stick with the status quo. However, if you are serious about making a strategic impact and you take a minute to reflect, it’s hard to think of many things that could have more of a strategic impact than increasing corporate revenues.

Gen Yers aren’t specifically using Facebook for business, but with an average of 700 “friends” and a propensity to change jobs after two years, the lines between social and business are so blurred they aren’t even aware it’s happening.

Young professionals want to work for Google, Apple and Facebook. Investment banks? Not so much.

A number of the big-name innovators in talent acquisition — the Sodexos, the PepsiCos, and others — are all trying to find a smooth way to get candidates using smart phones excited about a job at their companies, to apply for jobs without having to navigate a corporate careers site on the phone, all the while staying compliant with government rules, and not wreaking too much havoc on the employer’s applicant tracking system.

In the toughest job market in years, the 56,900 college students responding to a survey by Universum USA remained loyal to Google, placing it atop the list of most attractive employers for the fourth consecutive year. Like last year, half the top ten was comprised of government agencies and nonprofits. Two newcomers to the top 50: the National Institutes of Health, which ranked No. 1 with science students, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which had a strong showing with business students. Big winners included Amazon, up 11 spots from last year to No. 37; big losers included American Express, down 31 spots to No. 97.

Here's how to promote your company's message through your most passionate and social-media-savvy employees.