Month: September 2016

Which Social Media Platforms are Most Effective When Recruiting Millennials?

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

Those born in roughly the 1980s and 1990s are defined as millennials, and a recent article in Time highlighted that these millennials are now officially the largest generation within the working class [1]. Recruiters need to know how to attract and retain the top talent in the millennial generation, and social media may be the key. Discover which social media platforms are most effective when it comes to recruiting millennials.

LinkedIn
Currently, LinkedIn occupies a 40 percent market share for those seeking jobs in the United States. While it may only have 300 million users annually [2], far less than other social media platforms, it may still be the best place to start when seeking millennials because existing users are focused on their careers. Recruiters in search of millennial talent should be prepared to hunt for suitable candidates as well as post job opportunities.

Facebook
Without question, the largest social media network on the planet is Facebook, with more than 1.49 billion users, many of them daily viewers [3]. Of that staggering number of users, approximately 42 million are between the ages of 18 and 24, and an additional 44 million are between the ages of 25 and 34. In terms of sheer reach, particularly when companies are recruiting a highly specific candidate, Facebook can offer the greatest potential to get as many eyes on your career opportunity as possible.

Instagram
When Instagram recently surpassed 300 million users worldwide [4], surpassing Twitter in the process, it highlighted how a younger generation prefers to use social media. Quick, to the point and highly visual, Instagram is a fantastic way to attract millennials [5]. Instagram can be used to create a corporate culture that appeals to millennials, and it can also be searched through hashtags to find specific users who may make ideal candidates.

Twitter
Thanks in part to the mobile nature of Twitter, more than 100 million users log in daily. However, the demographic is far younger, overall, than Facebook, with 95 million Twitter users under the age of 29 [6]. For recruiters targeting a demographic of millennials, Twitter can be an effective method of reaching the right audience.

[1] http://time.com/3854518/millennials-labor-force/
[2] http://mashable.com/2014/04/18/linkedin-300-million-users/#tmgMHMvoaZk9
[3] http://newsroom.fb.com/company-info/
[4] http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/10/not-a-fad/
[5] http://www.inc.com/jt-odonnell/a-powerful-way-to-use-instagram-to-recruit-employees.html
[6] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141118182103-28964915-social-media-user-statistics-age-demographics-for-2014

How Much Flexibility is a Good Thing When Attracting Top Talent?

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_09Businesses are only as good as their employees. In order to be the best, companies must hire the best. Sometimes, acquiring top talent requires significant time, patience and a creative mindset.

The best employees on the market know their worth. They look for ideal positions and can usually demand that. Therefore, when a business is seeking one of these highly talented individuals, that business must offer more than what they currently have. The top choice for today’s companies is workplace flexibility.

What Is Workplace Flexibility?

A flexible work environment hands over the reins to employees. They may be able to set their own hours. Some may feel more productive in the early morning or late in the evening. Some employees may wish to work longer hours on a daily basis in order to have more time off each month or even every week. Still, others may opt to telecommute full or part-time. Offering this type of flexibility has been proven to attract and retain better employees.

Why Offer Flexible Hours?

Aside from being an intangible benefit to employees, a flexible work environment is smart money for employers. This is especially true when full-time telecommuting is an option. Workers who perform their duties at home save the business on the cost of supplies, energy and even insurance. Likewise, employers can hire all over the world. This broadens the pool of applicants, but it also can lower salary requirements. Whereas a top-notch marketing executive in New York City can easily command over six figures, that same employee in Mid-Missouri tops out at about $60,000.

Is There Such a Thing as Too Much Flexibility?

One issue that employers may run into is offering to be too flexible. Not every employee is cut out for telecommuting. Those that need to be managed closely, have difficulty meeting deadlines or are easily distracted may need the cocooning of a traditional 9 to 5 job. However, those employees also are unlikely to be among the talented few. It is far better for employers to risk offering workplace flexibility to attain and retain the best and the brightest than to risk losing them to a competitor.

Ways to Promote a Spirit of Teamwork in Your Organization

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_017Teamwork is something that, at least on the surface, every business says they value. However, teamwork is more than a buzzword to be used in recruitment; it is a vital element of success, and Stanford Business School even believes that it can boost manufacturing productivity [1]. In any industry or field, your organization can promote a spirit of teamwork through each of the following ways.

Encourage Social Interaction

Goofing off on the company dime is generally something that is frowned upon, but many businesses actually see an increase in productivity if they allow for social interaction during office hours. Rachel Rodriguez, writing for CNN, says that a weekly happy hour, game hour or craft day can boost creativity and teamwork [2]. This may be especially true in work environments where isolation is normal, such as in computer programming or accounting.

Create a Team Structure

In large corporations, employees can often break off into individual cliques, which may cause some personnel to feel left out. In order for the whole company to benefit, it may be necessary to create a team structure, putting staff into set teams of a specific number. These teams can collaborate, share responsibilities and inspire one another. At Microsoft, teams are limited in size. Peter Drucker of Microsoft says, “Teams work best when there are few members…if a team gets much larger it becomes unwieldy [3].” This advice might encourage your business to create teams of up to 15 people, but no larger.

Encourage Free Speech

The natural power differences in a typical business leave some employees afraid to speak up against changes, increased production demands or new strategies. However, the best teams function when everyone feels like they can contribute and voice their opinions. Encouraging free speech is key in order to enjoy the results of “higher trust, increased productivity and rich creativity,” according to an article in the New York Times [4].

Businesses that foster a spirit of teamwork can see major benefits in the workplace. An organization that wants to improve teamwork might encourage free speech, create a formal team structure and encourage social interaction.

[1] https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/encouraging-teamwork-can-boost-manufacturing-productivity

[2] http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/29/living/play-at-work-irpt/

[3] http://business.time.com/2013/07/17/microsofts-new-mission-to-create-real-teamwork-not-just-teams/

[4] http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/13/jobs/want-teamwork-encourage-free-speech.html?_r=1