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Recruiting On Social Media

Ingrid Baker — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:48:00 +0000

Ok, on the one hand social media is creating havoc in the workplace. On the other hand, it is the latest job recruiting tool for professional recruiters. An article in the Wall Street Journal talks about recruiters and the sites they turn to when “trolling” for candidates.

In recent history Monster.com was a major player. There was a fee for employers to post their jobs online. Then things started changing. Craig’s List was one place where jobs started appearing. Then companies developed their own accounts on LinkedIn, touted as a professional site for networking. There they posted jobs and participated in discussion groups related to their businesses. LinkedIn developed a hiring solutions segment with tools to help recruiters in their search. The site has a reputation for having a comprehensive resume database, and is a go-to site for executive talent.

Now..we have Facebook entering the market. Companies have also developed accounts on these sites, and post jobs and videos of current employees on the site. There is much discussion among the various website companies as well as recruiting professionals about using this tool. On the one hand, LinkedIn execs said that users regarded LinkedIn as their professional life, and Facebook as personal. In their focus groups, job candidates were sharply averse to being contacted through Facebook for jobs. On the other hand, Monster.com execs acknowledged that the Facebook recruiting platform is growing rapidly. Their company has launched their own Facebook append it has grown to 800,000 users in a couple of months.

Right now all the players are seeing an increase in activity and revenues. The future, however, seems to be in the social networking arena, with more and more companies adding those skills to their recruiting departments. As individuals spend more time on the social networks, the recruiting power of these sites can only grow. One reason Facebook is a target for the recruiters is that individuals spend a lot more time on the site, and one company found that candidates are 50% more likely to apply for positions found through Facebook than other means.

The result of all this discussion seems to be that both companies and job seekers are going to have to spend some time developing their skills in using the social network sites. Just what we all need – more lessons to learn! Good hunting, all of you.

Verifying Education Credentials Not the Last Step

Ingrid Baker — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 20:34:27 +0000

Employers know that verifying a job applicant’s educational credentials is an important part of any background check. Usually that confirmation consists of a letter or phone call to the educational institution requesting the applicant’s dates of attendance and any degrees or certificates awarded. That isn’t enough in the current diploma market!

The economic climate and lack of enough qualified applicants for certain occupations has resulted in a rash of diploma mills in this country and abroad. In addition, the popularity of distance learning programs has made it easier to provide phony educational credentials. In the last year, the number of such institutions was up 48%, according to an article on the Society for Human Resource Management website. Many of these institutions offer educational degrees and certificates to foreign workers eager to enter the US market. As of this month, the report states that 1008 such institutions have been identified in the United States.

In addition to the fake documents, the employer may also have difficulty in verifying that an educational diploma abroad is equivalent to one issued in the US. Hiring employees who don’t have legitimate credentials, or who don’t have equivalent training from abroad, exposes employers to significant risk. There should be as much of an emphasis on checking educational backgrounds as in checking any other factors in the process.

Many HR professionals are unaware of the magnitude of the $1 billion international diploma mill industry, and are not validating the issuing institution. Suggestions by one background check service suggestion that U.S. schools can be validated through the U.S. Department of Education or the Council on Higher Education Accreditation. Verifying the legitimacy of foreign institutions requires more effort, but any professional background check should be able to provide information. (wikipedia has a fairly thorough list, though they caution that it is by no means the last word).

Contractor Rules – Do You Qualify?

Ingrid Baker — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 21:26:34 +0000

First let me state that I’m not a lawyer, just a law-abiding citizen. I do pay attention when folks mention problems in the HR world and it seems complying with IRS rules for contractors is very important, and receives a lot of attention. So I’ve hunted around to get input from various groups on what to watch out for. Here goes.
First, the guiding principles of a contractor vs. employee:
The general rule is that an individual is an independent contractor if the payer has the right to control or direct only the result of the work and not what will be done and how it will be done. The earnings of a person who is working as an independent contractor are subject to Self-Employment Tax.
You are not an independent contractor if you perform services that can be controlled by an employer (what will be done and how it will be done). This applies even if you are given freedom of action. What matters is that the employer has the legal right to control the details of how the services are performed.
From another source, findlaw.com, I find a 20- factor checklist to determine whether you are an independent contractor. Lawyers can always give more detail. I’ve highlighted most of the list. Here is the quicksummary of when you’re NOT independent.
1. You receive specific instructions on how to do the work from the employer.
2. Training to perform the task in a specific manner, by an experienced employee.
3. Integration of the “contractor’s” services into the business operations.
4. Services must be rendered personally.
5. If the hiring supervisor is responsible for hiring and paying assistants but not contractors, the inference might be made that it’s an employment situation.
6. Continuing relationship – contracts should have a clear ending
7. Set hours of work.
8. Full time required.
9. Doing work on employer’s premises required.
10. Order or sequence of how to do task is set.
11. Regular oral or written reports – implies control.
12. Payment by hour, week or month rather than by task performed or contract term.
13. Payment of business or travel expenses.
14. Furnishing tools or materials
15. If worker has significant investment in the workspace not reimbursed by employer it indicates independence.
16. Working for only one entity implies control and thus employment.
Isn’t life interesting?

The Winter Tech2 Online Job Fair

Ingrid Baker — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 19:01:13 +0000

Don’t miss it – this is a unique event. It’s easy and free to all. Our site, www.nmvirtualjobfair.com, will host a winter virtual job fair January 24-28 for tech companies in New Mexico.
This concept was developed to meet the needs of busy HR & recruiting personnel who spent a lot of time standing in booths at job fairs. It also helps out the job seekers, saving them from having to stand in line to meet with recruiters. The fair provides a way for companies to feature current jobs and draw attention to their opportunities, and for job seekers to get relevant feedback.
Hiring in our state has seen small increases recently in the private sector, and our hope is that this year will see more growth in the tech sector. People currently looking for new opportunities have their work cut out for them, though, as companies manage tight budgets and look for new ways to be more efficient. Candidates with broad experience and multiple talents can add value in small organizations needing to grow.
The 2011 Manpower Outlook Survey found mixed news for US job seekers according Jeffrey Joerres, CEO of Manpower Inc. He says:
“Seasonally adjusted data for the United States indicates the most optimistic first-quarter hiring sentiment in three years, yet 73 percent of employers indicate they will keep staff levels unchanged. So while we’re seeing positive signals in the data, only time will tell if we’ve reached the inflection point in the U.S. labor market recovery.”

Everyone keep at it and let’s make 2011 a good year for the tech industry.

Social Media Recruiting

Ingrid Baker — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 18:01:42 +0000

The movie “The Social Network” has stirred interest again in the many ways social networking can be used. One market that is expanding rapidly is online recruiting and hiring for corporations and even small companies.
An increasing number of recruiters and organizations are turning to LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and more obscure niche social networking sites to speed up the recruitment process and reduce costs. The process does, however, need to be managed appropriately.
As I browsed LinkedIn I saw company (group) memberships that allowed current and past employees to join, and there were job listings on the site. Some provided alternative links for non-employees to check out jobs. I also noticed that companies join professional organizations in their industry and through that link attract more-qualified candidates for their needs.
There are a number of ways to use the social media to recruit. Company blogs may include job opportunities with links to social media sites provided. For a specific set of skills a company may post a technical question on their network and use the responses to identify a potential recruit. The social networks also provide another way for a company to highlight their organization to attract a specific group of people. Organizations may encourage employees to create a LinkedIn account to enhance its employee referral program.
Cautions for companies diving in to the new social media – don’t stop using your other sources, but allocate efforts among the different recruiting tools. Also, make sure that your application process is sophisticated enough for the new group of tech-savvy applicants. Seamless processes help insure that the folks you are interested in will get through. Otherwise they may just get impatient and move on to another opportunity.
For job seekers, the trick is to get involved in these networks by searching for appropriate groups and individual links that further your career search. As mentioned above, getting involved in discussions related to your experience could get you noticed by a recruiter. Make sure that your own social network page is professional and targeted to the market you are interested in.
As always, good luck!

A New Twist in Recruiting Techniques

Ingrid Baker — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:44:50 +0000

Recruiting is moving into the mobile network arena with a twist. An article in SHRM “HR Magazine” (Feb. 2010) highlights the new method of connecting with potential job seekers. Companies are providing options to the generation that lives on their mobile devices thru SMS (short messaging services). This lets job seekers opt in to receive information on opportunities within a company, as well as communicate with the potential employer on their mobile device.
One company that uses SMS finds that email marketing open rates are in the single digits, while their SMS messages are read 92% of the time. For them this method of communication makes a lot of sense. Texting options are available on most mobile phones and so the outreach is very successful.
Companies using this method add information to their advertising or career pages to allow the job seeker to sign up for the distribution network. The recruiter must also provide an opt-out method for the service. Then they are free to capture mobile numbers and send messages at will.
To manage the contact information, recruiters can sort by location, or create segmented codes that identify the type of opportunities (SALESJOBS, TECHJOBS). Then as hiring needs arise there is a ready and interested group of applicants to contact.
For the company using this service, some effort is required to make their recruiting presence mobile-friendly. Not all emails designed for desktops will work well in this mobile environment. This is a new opportunity for companies that provide solutions for marketing & recruiting systems.
Job seekers can stay on top of the latest career news in an organization they want to work for without having to constantly access their website or career center. They also have another opportunity to reach the recruiters directly and update them on any new developments in their careers.
Obviously this new recruiting technique is just in the early adopter stage, and won’t replace other media. Still, it is worth checking out for both employers and applicants.

“Overqualified” Gets Mixed Reviews

Ingrid Baker — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:28:48 +0000

So few jobs, so many applicants. Recruiters processing applications start eliminating resumes based on their own criteria. In industries where layoffs have been significant staffing professionals are less likely than usual to consider someone who doesn’t specifically meet their job requirements.

Job seekers who have been laid off and who possess great credentials or experience are looking hard for their next job. Many are perfectly willing to take a less challenging position and would be grateful for the job. An article in SHRM Staffing Management quoted a variety of employers on their views of “overqualified”. In particular the recruiter for a pharmaceutical company is looking for a precise fit. The recruiter views with suspicion someone who applies for a job beneath their qualifications. The candidate wouldn’t automatically be disqualified, but they definitely wouldn’t have an edge over others.

There are a lot of reasons for this view. The prevalent belief is that the candidate will keep looking for better opportunities and move on as soon as something opens up. Also the “overqualified” applicant may not be able to fit in as a regular employee after years of a leadership or executive position.

There is another view in this debate, however. First, the new talent strengthens the knowledge base of an organization, and might even shorten the orientation process if they are already familiar with the industry. Second, it is a signal to other employees that this is a good company to work for. Finally , there isn’t any guarantee that an overqualified person will leave sooner than the more appropriate candidate. One hiring professional believes that having a highly talented candidate for a short time is more valuable than a mediocre employee who stays on.

SO – for the “overqualified” job seeker, given the above issues, your task is to present yourself as willing to hang in there for the long term, and eager to work with this new company. Your ability to add a new perspective, balanced with the emphasis on wanting to do the job you are hired for, are the selling points that may get you a great opportunity. Everyone wants success.

Spring High Tech/Green Tech Virtual Job Fair

Ingrid Baker — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:31:26 +0000

It’s that time again, and we have scheduled our Spring virtual job fair for March 15-19, online at www.nmvirtualjobfair.com. We held our first virtual high tech fair last fall and it was well received by job seekers and employers. The venue was created to help both busy employers and job seekers find each other without having to stand in line or in a booth.

We also wanted to provide that personal attention to the potential employee, and to do this we asked the hiring company to acknowledge and respond to the applicant right away, letting them know how their resume stacks up and where the company is in the hiring process.

This mode has been used in other areas and some of the media groups hold online job fairs to keep it simple but also maintain a personal connection. As there are more and more job fairs the job seeker has to make choices according to their time limits, and this virtual fair eases that pressure while giving information on what’s happening right now in the tech industry.

Job seekers might also make a better online presentation by using the social network pages to film a self interview, or contact companies that can help with that product. If that isn’t possible, addressing the reasons why you would be the perfect applicant as it relates to the open position helps give the recruiter a little better picture of your abilities. There is one caution we would offer to the applicant. Read the job descriptions carefully and make sure you fit with the type of candidate the company is looking for. It doesn’t’ help your cause to apply for jobs that you aren’t qualified for.

Get your job description/resume ready and sign on on March 15 – 19 to participate in this exciting event. See you (online) there.

The Virtual Job Fair Experience

Ingrid Baker — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:44:14 +0000

In the current employment market there is a strange phenomenon occurring. Job fairs abound in the larger cities—at times there is one or more scheduled per day. Universities and community colleges as well as local companies or commercial recruiting groups all have their day. Job seekers also abound. At many of these fairs there have been many more job seekers than jobs.

As a result the job/career fairs become disheartening for the applicants and grueling for the recruiters present. There has to be a better way!

The New Mexico High Tech/Green Tech Virtual Job Fair provides a more pleasant atmosphere for both parties involved. This fair is a boutique event catering to high tech companies with jobs in New Mexico. Our first event was held October 12-16, 2009 and was well received.

The fair is promoted as any other event, and the jobs listed are current and available. The recruiters respond and give timely feedback to applicants, but from their office computer. They get the extra visibility a job fair provides but can manage the process much more efficiently. Especially for some of the smaller companies where staff wears many hats, it has been a positive experience.

For job seekers as well, the event is more pleasant. Rather than standing in line with hundreds of other job seekers, one can apply from home and still get a response as to whether the employer is interested in their resume. At that point further follow up can be arranged if the employer so chooses.

Best of all—parking is never a problem!