Tag: hiring

4 HR Trends to Watch in 2011

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

As we wade into 2011, HR is bracing for the inevitable undercurrent of change. If there’s one thing in the Human Resource industry that’s constant, it’s constant evolution. That’s why we’ve put together a list of the top trends to watch in the months ahead, and how they can change how you hire and how you manage your employees.

1. “Humanizing” companies with perks such as daycare, flex time, work-at-home opportunities, and a looser attendance policy.

2. Cutting the fat—as budgets continue to tighten, HR personnel are called upon to be the gatekeepers of effective programs, and to help eliminate what doesn’t work.

3. Succession planning: more than cross-training, there’s a growing demand for battle-preparedness in the likelihood of staff turnover.

4. Greenifying: HR staff are being called to take an active role in reducing the company carbon footprint—that means finding new ways to eliminate paper in favor of electronic storage, initiating recycling drives, and sponsoring employee riding-sharing programs.

Signing off for now,

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Troubleshooting Your Hiring Strategy

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In tough economic times, becoming complacent doesn’t pay. With a larger applicant pools, it’s possible for HR departments to tap into greater wells of talent: a double-edged sword. On the one hand, finding the best of the best becomes more of a reality. On the other, the sheer mass of applications to wade through to get into that position takes time—and as you know, that means money.

Of course, the strategy that maximizes your time is recruitment advertising. The tactics you use should aim not for the quantity of applicants, but the quality. Tailor your media—articles and web postings—with language that challenges an applicant as much as invite their resume. If you’re looking for extremely qualified applicants, don’t be afraid to ask for that up front.

Agencies like us exist to maximize the dollars you spend in recruitment initiatives with results that improve the functioning of your organization. We welcome all questions!

Signing off for now,

Buyer Advertising
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An Agency Advantage: Perspective

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If you have a favorite book, you know that every time you re-read it, it loses a little bit of punch. A week of your favorite food may send you to Fresh City, hungering for a little variety. Even your favorite song, on loop, will make you feel as if you’re hanging out in an elevator. The truth is, the more familiar material is, the more we become blind to its effects. The same holds true for companies who write and produce their own hiring marketing material.

Whether your hiring campaign is being considered by management, product experts, or internal team members, it’s likely for them to simply assume key benefits and essential elements that just don’t register for someone browsing online or flipping through a magazine. For a business deciding on a hiring strategy, the results could be disastrous.
One great advantage of any agency can deliver is a little perspective. As outsiders, agency professionals immediately engage by considering a message from the viewpoint of an audience. This is such a critical process of attracting new talent—and frankly, communicating any marketing message.

If you’re testing your current employee messaging, ask yourself these questions: Is what I’m saying immediately apparent to my audience? Why should they care about what I’m saying? Is my content too detailed? Not detailed enough? Thinking like a consumer is something agencies are trained to do, and through audience-first perspectives, help you arrive at an optimized brand and hiring strategy that could work wonders for your organization.

Signing off for now,
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Incenting the Masses

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It’s a topic that receives less attention as the recession lingers: recruitment incentives. Despite having a swelling of potential recruits per opening, as hiring managers, you know that quantity doesn’t always translate into quality. The best solution for filling an open position is to first attract top talent, and then keep them at your organization. But with limited budgets, how do you make this happen?

Consider allowing more personal expression into the workplace. Although an admitted time sink, companies are experimenting with opening up sites like Facebook and Twitter—often for business, networking related purposes. Companies are also providing time for music and exercise, finding that the resources they’re expending catering to high-performing employees is more than worth the investment.

Above all, remember that a plethora of available talent doesn’t necessarily translate into increased productivity, and ultimately higher revenue for your business. Taking the time to plan a thoughtful, fun, creative, rewarding workplace is a great strategy for truly utilizing emerging graduates with a lot to offer your organization.

‘Till next time,
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Measuring Your Online Hiring Campaign

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It’s a bit of a challenge even using traditional media: gauging the success of a hiring campaign. Throw in the relative new-ness of social media and the oft-lacking tracking tools from the likes of Facebook and Twitter, and you can rapidly find yourself launching hiring campaigns in the dark. Without reliable methods of tracking you investment, it’s hard to say if your social media hiring efforts are paying off. There are ways to assess what you invest, however.

The most important thing to remember is that an online hiring campaign isn’t strictly a game of numbers. You’ve furthering your employer brand. You’re increasing engagement. You’re disseminating information about your place of business. To evaluate effectiveness, you need to look at traditional online metrics including page views, landing page visits (if you’ve set up your system that way), and fan/follower counts. Actual conversions or hires remains a solid method to determine whether your campaign is working or not.

New, Web 2.0-savvy ways of tracking your hiring efforts include counting the frequency of re-tweets and searching out mentions of your campaign in other “new media” sources such as blogs and on personal posts. Using traditional and emerging metrics, evaluating your campaign makes a shift from quantitative to qualitative, but is still a very real and obtainable goal.

Signing off for now,

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Writing a Brilliant EVP: Starting Out Strong

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They’re called Employee Value Propositions, and their purpose is simple: clearly outline the benefit of working at your organization. The start of a good hiring campaign often starts with a well-written, well-thought out EVP statement.

There are a few very good reasons to take the time and do things right. On the one hand, a great EVP provides at-a-glance discovery of your organization for employees-to-be. On the other, it’s an essential element in organizing the various pieces of a hiring campaign. A EVP makes a good “checklist” against which you can compare your online hiring efforts. Your Facebook recruitment posts. Your job fairs.

When actually sitting down and writing your EVP, you’ve got to stand out from the competition. Differentiation is essential if you hope to make a difference and catch a potential recruit’s attention. “Great benefits” and “teamwork” won’t make the cut—in fact, there isn’t anything more guaranteed to make a candidate’s eyes glaze over than reading everything he or she has seen a million times. Instead, use your EVP as an opportunity to relate what makes your company a great place to work. And be honest. Ensure your employee brand matches the reality of your workplace. An honest, upfront portrayal is necessary to attract the types of employees you want working in your office. As with most things HR, it isn’t always about quantity, it’s about quality.

Until next time,

Buyer Advertising
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