Social & HR-More On This

More often we see HR and Agency Recruiters using Social Media to attract applicants for positions and in some organizations to build external candidate pools for future hiring needs. Great stuff you say-it gives you a broader reach and the cost is lower than traditional methods provided. What we also are hearing more about though is that the experience an applicant may be offered through recruiting methods doesn't show up once hired. In a few instances there have been anecdotes that it doesn't even make it to the first step of the interview process. So, you are asking (wise people that you are) - what is the missing link here?

Like anything in HR when we consider what we will do in individual pieces rather than systemically, the results show up in not so great employee and candidate experience. When planning your recruiting practices using social media tools ensure the message (or brand if your into that) that goes out to potential applicants matches what they will experience in the interview process, the hiring process, the orientation (or 'onboarding' if you must), the performance management and employee development cycle. Think about it this way-if Company Superb Experience has the best advertising/marketing program you have ever seen and you decide to become a customer-but that experience does not match the advertising/marketing campaign-the customer loyalty the business was hoping for will disappear pretty quickly. Same goes for the employee experience.

Digital Era Leadership-An Update

Further to my post referring to the work on "What Does It Take To Be A Digital Era Leader?" the link below has some information you will find helpful.

Here’s a link to a diagram that offers some ideas on how to think about leadership skills in the Digital Era, based on the initial round of feedback we received:

http://www.renaissance-solutions.com/.a/6a0115715ccc60970b0168e9e523ab970c-pi

We’d love your feedback on the diagram, the initial set of comments, and/or the core questions we posed in the post. Thanks!

What Does It Take To Be A Digital Era Leader?

Today I am sharing a link to a blog post at the Global Center For Digital Era Leadership that I think is important in today's Digital Era but it can also be helpful if you are working in an environment that requires you to 'think globally'. Courtney, Jerry and I invite you to share your ideas, thoughts, perceptions and questions on this timely and interesting topic.

The link to the blog post is:
http://www.gcdel.org/2012/04/what-does-it-take-to-be-a-leader-in-the-digital-era.html

This is a new project for me although it is aligned very nicely with the work I have been focussing on over the past 3 years. I love working on defining skills and what some now call 'attributes'and looking for ways to help others develop the skills they need to continue to be successful in their careers and to meet their personal goals. This project fits that interest exactly so I am excited to be working on it with two leaders in the field, Courtney Hunt and Jerry Carducci.

Please share your ideas on this topic directly on the Global Center For Digital Era Leadership site, on LinkedIn groups such as SMinOrgs and GCDEL. You are also most welcome to share your thoughts right here on HR Concise & Leadership and I will include them on the primary blog (anonymously) unless you tell me otherwise.

I look forward to hearing from you.

More Musing On Hiring and Social Networks

It is true that people must take responsibility for what they post online but that is only one part of the overall equation.

* Humans tend to make snap judgements of others

* Humans tend to label and box others into groupings that make them feel comfortable

* Humans have biases and fears based on a lack of understanding or a belief system embedded early in life

* Complex employment laws, human rights acts, anti-bullying/harassment and privacy legislation have come into being because of inequities commonly inflicted on others based on humans being humans.

In other words-regardless of how professional, positive or reasonable ones posts online are, there will be someone out there who will see it differently or react to an inherent bias. That reaction does not need to be reasonable, rational or fair, but it can disadvantage someone. I have read so many odd comments by people in a position to hire/not hire or affect ones job candidate status based on a snap judgement coming from a strongly held belief that I consider it to be a good reminder of why we have all that complex legislation.

Humans are humans-the ones posting and the ones looking at those postings to judge others are all inherently flawed. Because we are human. It is too easy to discredit someones competency or job worthiness based on online content-or the content of someone they are connected to, but it simply isn't reasonable to do so in many cases. And in the situation where it may be a valid concern-a bona fide occupational requirement-or the potential harm factor-the decision maker is obligated to ensure that what they think they see/belief/assume is in fact accurate. If you are in Canada a bona fide occupational requirement (BFOR) is defined at this link, although it is good advice regardless of where in the world you are hiring. http://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/preventing_discrimination/page4-eng.aspx

Which is why discussions on topics that have the potential to change our understanding of acceptable social norms is so important. And technology based social networks are changing our understanding of acceptable social norms-we collectively will be better off if we consider the angles.