The Hiring Site » Social Media

7 Habits of Highly Effective Employment Brands: How Leading Companies Recruit and Retain Great Employees

Mary Lorenz — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:01:23 +0000

What makes an organization a “best place to work?” Check out these common practices of companies that are frequently recognized among job seekers, consumers, industry analysts and – not least of all – their own employees for being great places to work.

They’re not afraid to relinquish a little control. Despite reports that over half of employers still ban social networking at work, companies who’ve embraced it have found tremendous reward in enabling employees to use social media. Zappos was one of the first companies to embrace social media, giving employees the freedom to use Twitter. The strategy has worked well for the online shoe retailer: By enabling employees to talk freely about their jobs, new products, or other interesting aspects of company life, they’ve effectively made their employees into brand advocates, and created buzz about being a great place to work. More recently, Whole Foods has taken a similar approach to social media, believing that letting individual employees’ personalities shine through is essential to for social media to work well and engage people.
They embrace new media as a recruiting tool. Staffing firm Kelly Services, a 2008 Best Place to Work in Western Pa., created a virtual community in Second Life to provide job seekers with an interactive experience to see what it’s like to work for Kelly. It has also helped to create buzz about Kelly and differentiate the firm from its competitors. For much the same reason, staffing firm Spherion decided to leverage the current popularity of viral video when it created its Web series, “The Temp Life.” Seems to be working: the 17-episode series is clearly resonating with audiences, with over 1 million views to date.
They embrace new media as an engagement tool. IBM did it with Beehive. Best Buy did it with Blue Shirt Nation. Now, companies of every size are utilizing online social communities for internal purposes - engaging employees and keeping them informed of important company news, events and projects. Over 50,000 companies worldwide, including Fox and Adobe use microblogging site Yammer, while companies like Starbucks and Pepsico have found success with cfactor’s “enterprise social networking” solution.
They think outside the Facebooks. Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of users on Facebook, Twitter and other social media giants? Think “niche.” That’s what Seattle-based Tableau Software did recently when it needed a Web developer with extensive knowledge of Drupal: the company’s recruiters began surfing social networking sites that catered to Drupal enthusiasts, where they eventually found their new hire.
They ask for employee feedback (and actually listen to it). Feedback from Aetna’s employee surveys – administered regularly to enable employees to voice their thoughts about how the company is doing and where there is room for improvement – led to the establishment of Aetna’s current recognition program, The Aetna Way Excellence Awards, according to CEO Ronald Williams in an interview for our Leadership Series. Leadership recognized that employees wanted more company-wide recognition events, so they delivered. “That whole program came about as a result of employees’ suggestions that came through the survey,” Williams said.
They work in partnership with Human Resources. “People decisions are some of the most important decisions I make, so I make those decisions in collaboration with my HR partners,” says Stryker CEO Steve MacMillan in a recent interview with CareerBuilder. “Responsibility for our people may be a human resources function, but we all manage it together.” It’s no accident that Stryker is a three-time winner of the “Gallup Great Place to Work Award,” in addition to other best place to work honors.
They actively encourage learning and development. Smart companies know the power of providing opportunities for professional development and personal growth in helping to retain top talent. Spectrum Health does both: The company’s relationship with University of Michigan provides opportunities for leadership members to gain experience in project-based work. And its EXCEL Professional Development Model program recognizes and provides monetary awards for nursing staff for academic and professional accomplishments, as well as community service.

What about you? What particular practices make your organization a best place to work?

Follow CareerBuilder for Employers on Facebook – You Just Might Become the Proud Owner of an Award Winning Jack in the Box

Stephanie Gaspary — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:12:51 +0000

A few years ago I had the opportunity to attend a two-day corporate training event at the Human Performance Institute. The Institute’s message is all about managing energy – not time - as the key to sustained high performance.

While the information presented was really powerful, the one line that stuck with me all these years was something one of the nutritionists said. She said, “waste or waist,” meaning leftover food can either be wasted or go straight to your waist. Now choose the lesser of the two evils.

Well, “waste or waist” may be applicable for food, but at CareerBuilder, we hate to waste anything. And to my joyful surprise, when I arrived at work today I found 10 pristine CareerBuilder Jack in the Boxes left behind in a dark storage room.

You may not know this, but Jack took home the gold medal in the Special Promotions category of the 2008 BMA Tower Awards. So, needless to say, he’s kind of a big deal, and finding this guy robbed of all of his glory in a dark storage closet was kind of like finding a few extra Emmy statuettes carelessly tossed into the laundry hamper. (Relatively speaking, the Jack in the Boxes are probably more akin to statuettes from the Daytime Emmy’s, but still…) That said, here’s my challenge to you: Help me find this award-winning guy a good home.

What does this mean for you? Well, if you want to be a proud owner of the award winning Jack, simply become a fan of our employer Facebook page, CareerBuilder for Employers AND leave a comment on our Facebook Wall about a topic you’d like us to discuss on Facebook. We’ll choose 10 lucky new followers at random to win. This offer expires Monday September 28 at 5 pm CST. Don’t let our lonely Jacks go to waste!

Facebook fans have the opportunity to receive exclusive info and promotions, as well as interact with fellow fans (and us of course!).

GM’s Buick Rejection on Twitter — and What We Can Learn From It

Amy Chulik — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:38:17 +0000

If a friend tells you they’re not a huge fan of your three wolves T-shirt, well, maybe you’d defiantly wear it to dinner anyway because you know it looks, um, fabulous. But if your customers or candidates told you a new product of yours was hideous, would you scrap it? Well, that’s exactly what General Motors Co. recently did, with its recent cancellation of plans to launch a new Buick sport-utility vehicle after asking for feedback from its customers, employees, and many others about the vehicle — and then actually listening to that feedback.

As Vice Chairman of GM Tom Stephens wrote on the GM FastLane blog after the decision was made:

The Buick crossover we showed received consistent feedback from large parts of all the audiences that it didn’t fit the premium characteristics that customers have come to expect from Buick.

The negative buzz all started when Twitter users started calling the vehicle a “Vuick,” a reference to GM’s Saturn Vue that provided the basis for the Buick. Consumers’ complaints stemmed around the idea that the Buick was simply a retread of the Vue, rather than a new design. Add hashtag #vuick to a tweet, get others talking about it, and before you know it — Twitter’s all abuzz about it. And apparently, GM was watching — and listening. And the criticism didn’t end there.

We were all struck by the consistency of the criticism of the compact crossover. And what we decided to do in response is a good example of the essence of the new General Motors… acting quickly, and boldly, and listening to feedback from customers, employees, dealers, media and just about anyone else with an opinion, Stephens continued to say on the GM FastLane blog.

It appears that social media is taking companies to task in their business practices and behaviors. With customers, clients, and candidates reacting and sharing information and opinions on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, businesses are forced to take a harder look at what they’re doing — or suffer the consequences of ignoring the chatter and damaging valuable relationships.

I believe that this is a positive movement. Business practices are becoming not only more transparent, but more interactive. As an employer, you have probably already noticed this interactiveness if you participate on social networks. Social networking Web sites are be valuable tools for companies to embrace in order to connect with candidates, establish a brand presence online, and build valuable relationships.

It’s important to remember that you have the power to build or destroy relationships with candidates. You can ignore them or answer questions defensively, or you can reach out, engage, help — and, as GM did, listen. Really listen to what candidates and employees want. After all, it’s the best free advice out there.

So I ask: Are you paying attention to what your candidates and employees are saying about you? How are you responding?

Nearly Half of Employers Use Social Networking Sites to Screen Job Candidates

Mary Lorenz — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:27:57 +0000

Wow…according to CareerBuilder’s latest survey, the number of employers using social networking sites to screen candidates has more than doubled in the last year.

Out of more than 2,600 hiring managers, 45 percent reported using social networking sites to research job candidates’ backgrounds for information that verified – or supplemented – the information on their resumes. This finding represents a huge increase from the 22 percent of hiring managers who said the same thing last year.

The most popular site to search, not surprisingly, is Facebook, followed closely by LinkedIn and MySpace. Searching blogs and following candidates on Twitter were also popular means of screening. (Looks like you’re safe, Friendster users.)

(Side note/shameless plug: As of yesterday, hiring managers have a new social networking site on which to research candidates: Brightfuse, CareerBuilder’s new professional networking site. Check out the press release here.)

Of those who searched social networking sites to screen candidates, as many as 35 percent found content on that caused them not to hire the candidate, such as:

Provocative/ inappropriate photographs or information (53 percent)
Content about drinking or using drugs (44 percent)
Bad-mouthing of previous employers, co-workers or clients (35 percent)
Poor communication skills (29 percent)
Discriminatory comments (26 percent)
Misrepresentation of qualifications (24 percent)
Shared confidential information from a previous employer (20 percent)

Speaking of poor communication skills…14 percent of hiring managers have disregarded a candidate for sending a message using an emoticon such as a smiley face, and 16 percent did the same when a candidate used text language (e.g. GR8 for “great”) in an email or job application.

But it’s not all bad news for job seekers: 18 percent of hiring managers have found content on social networking sites that convinced them to hire the candidate. The top examples include:

Profile provided a good feel for the candidate’s personality and fit within the organization (50 percent)
Profile supported candidate’s professional qualifications (39 percent)
Candidate was creative (38 percent)
Candidate showed solid communication skills (35 percent)
Candidate was well-rounded (33 percent)
Other people posted good references about the candidate (19 percent)
Candidate received awards and accolades (15 percent)

(Side note/shameless plug #2: CareerBuilder customers with Resume Database access can take advantage of our new Applicant Explorer tool, which does the screening for you by automatically scanning social networks and blogs to find applicant information. Check out the video below.)

Social Networking vs. Social NOTworking: Where Do You Stand?

Mary Lorenz — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:44:23 +0000

“Social Notworking: The practice of spending time unproductively on social-networking websites, especially when one should be working.” – UrbanDictionary.com

In the ongoing debate over whether social networking is a productivity booster or a productivity destroyer, what’s your stance?

If you’re part of Team Destroyer, here’s new fuel for your fire: A recent study from Nucleus Research found that Facebook negatively affects office productivity. The results of Nucleus’ survey of 237 office workers indicate that roughly half (47 percent) of office workers regularly log on to Facebook during working hours – and the vast majority of those workers (87 percent) can’t define a clear business reason for doing so – all of which result in an average of 1.5 percent in lost production across the entire office.

On the surface, this finding seems to support the argument for companies to ban access to social networking sites, but consider this: Nucleus also found that those who go on Facebook at work only do so for an average of 15 minutes a day. In that case, I don’t see what the big deal is: Fifteen minutes is a cigarette or coffee break for some people. (A performance-boosting power nap for others, perhaps.) In other words, time that people can – and probably should – use to step away from their work to recharge every once in a while.

At the same time, this recent Workplace Media study reports that – in contrast to the Nucleus study – only 55 percent of office workers are on social networks at all, and of those, only 44 percent log on during the work day. So who’s right?

(Not that it really matters if you believe another recent study that says that social networkers are actually more productive than their colleagues…nor if you’re swayed by the argument that banning sites like Facebook and Twitter can be counterproductive, according to analysts from Gartner.)

Personally, I believe that, Facebook or no Facebook, employees will always find some distraction they can use to unwind, procrastinate, etc…if they really want to.

What do you think? In your experience, do you find social networking does more harm than good when it comes to productivity? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!

Don’t Believe the Rumors: Some Job Boards Still Alive and Well

Mary Lorenz — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:15:02 +0000

Job boards are dying…at least if you believe some people.

The latest so-called evidence of this phenomenon is in this Wall Street Journal online article, which discusses how more companies today are enhancing their own Web sites in efforts to attract talent (a tactic I wholeheartedly agree with); but it also seems to imply that because of this, companies no longer have a need for job boards in their recruiting strategies. That’s where I don’t so much agree, and here’s why…

First there’s the fact that millions of job seekers are visiting some of these job boards every day, enabling companies the biggest opportunity to get in front of their largest audience at once. While having a comprehensive, informative careers page on your company Web site is an excellent recruiting tactic, that alone is not enough for most businesses to attract the volume of applicants they may need to fill their needs.
Then there’s the argument that advertising on large job boards generates too many applicants for employers to sort through, which is fair to say…but that’s also exactly why CareerBuilder, at least, gives clients access to several free extras like free custom screener questions and resume search agents: to free up time and move the process along. As well as offering full screening services.
But most of all, it’s simply a misconception that job boards have failed to evolve with new technology and offer no services beyond job postings or resume searches. What about services like careers site creation and hosting, SEO enhancement, employment branding and applicant flow management, to name a few?

Just look at Sodexo, a company that is moving toward these new strategies the WSJ.com article mentions – such as using widgets on its Web site to reach job seekers – while still incorporating job board services into its overall recruiting strategy. In a recent e-mail to a CareerBuilder sales rep, a spokesperson for Sodexo wrote, “While we may seek to reduce the resources allocated to traditional job board postings, we are able to take advantage of other offerings from the CareerBuilder team, such as direct mail marketing, enhanced job branding and research regarding our talent pool.”

(Oh, and even in regards to today’s golden child of recruiting strategies – social media – CareerBuilder too is offering services geared toward helping employers establish and manage their social media presence and further connect with job seekers and is the only authorized recruitment reseller of Facebook products. Snap!)

I’m not saying that employers should consider job boards as their one and only way to find and recruit new employees…I’m just saying that you still need to consider them. Companies that diversify their candidate attraction and talent management practices will always be more competitive. And don’t you want to be a winner in the war for top talent?

It’s true, some job boards might not make it in this new economy, but (spoiler alert!) CareerBuilder is here to stay. Though you may think of us as ‘just a job board,’ CareerBuilder is more than meets the eye (kind of like Transformers), and we’re constantly evolving to meet changing employer – and job seeker – needs.

CareerBuilder’s Top Ten Best Practices for Using Social Media as a Recruitment Tool

Stephanie Gaspary — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:08:05 +0000

Social Media works because it humanizes your company, engaging your audience in a more direct way than with other recruiting mediums.

Here are some tips to think about as your analyze the social media aspect of your recruitment strategy:

SET A GOAL: Setting a strategy before implementing tactics is critical to any business initiative. Before you dabble in social media, ask yourself if branding and awareness, client lead generation, candidate pipelining, candidate or client communication, or employee engagement is your aim.
MASTER ONE MEDIUM: Many companies believe social media is an all or nothing adventure. However, the best approach is to start with one site. Head to your top pick and get comfortable with the interface and its unique features. It takes time and dedication to plan and follow through on posting new materials, developing a user base, etc.
MANAGE YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION: Social media is all about word-of-mouth marketing. Share success stories, from an employee’s perspective, about working with your organization. Highlight your unique knowledge and share useful information with candidates that they will share with others.
CREATE A USER EXPERIENCE: Social media is about creating an open dialogue and building relationships with others, with the end goal of creating an active community. You don’t want one-hit wonders; you want to start conversations that engage your audience and keep them coming back for more.
LISTEN, LEARN AND ENGAGE: The most important thing you can do on any site is to listen to your audience. The second most important step is to digest that information and then respond. As you build trust with your community, you will be able to engage talent in candid discussions about your company and value.
HIGHLIGHT SPECIFIC JOBS: Posting all your openings on social media is great, but it is more effective to focus on specific openings each week or even month. Give more than just a job posting; provide talent unique information about the company or job. Help candidates understand why the job might be the right opportunity.
VISUALLY STIMULATE: From simple photos and videos to fancy custom applications, get your audience visually stimulated and you will get their attention. Incorporate photos and videos in everything you do. You want your company to stand out and interesting multimedia content is the best way to get attention.
BOOST YOUR RANKINGS: Adding your presence to social media sites will organically boost your online profile in search rankings. Search engines weight search results based on the number of visitors to a site. Thus, by associating your company with a popular social media site, it can improve where you come up in search results.
PREPARE TO CHANGE: Social media is the cool new “thing” on the Internet. However, no one platform is poised to become the end-all-be-all of social media or even social media recruitment at this point in time. The hot site next month may not even be on anyone’s radar, yet. Be on the lookout for new sites and don’t be afraid to test the waters.
PROMOTION: Promote your presence once you are up and running on the social media platforms of your choice. Place links on your Web site, put them in your email signature, highlight them in marketing campaigns, and even send links to become fans, friends, or followers in application confirmation emails.

Got any additional strategies that have worked for your company? Let’s hear ‘em.

Want to Connect with Candidates? Get Creative.

Amy Chulik — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:06:08 +0000

Facebook may seem like a great place to start connecting with job seekers. And yes, your company profile’s lurking around on the site. But beyond creating an account and waiting for candidates to come find you, you’re not sure quite what to do. You’re almost ready to pull a Heidi Montag and bail on the whole thing. How can you get creative in your social media efforts — and make stronger connections with candidates? Let’s take a look at some ways to start thinking outside of that (status) box.

Dunkin’ Donuts

Dunkin’ Donuts has made huge strides through their social media efforts, and their latest campaign ties their new product offering in with their Facebook fan page with their “Keep it Coolatta” sweepstakes. This new campaign allows users to turn their profile pics into prizes by taking pictures of themselves drinking the Dunkin’ Donuts beverage and showing how they are “keeping it Coolatta.”

While this campaign may target many customers, it is also getting Dunkin’ in touch with candidates who may not have known a lot about them before and who are curious to learn more about the company. Dunkin’ Donuts is smartly gaining a presence — and an interactive one at that — by tapping into potential employees’ social networks on sites like Facebook. Facebook, as is Twitter or YouTube, is a very viral platform in which to communicate an idea — and if it’s a good idea, it will travel fast and reach a lot of users. They’ll send it to their friends, and then they’ll send it to their friends… and — yeah, you get the idea.

Dunkin’ Donuts executive chairman Jon Luther recently got into a discussion with us here at CB about the company’s leadership philosophy (more to come on that soon). One comment that stood out to me was Luther’s assertion that “People are to us the most important part of the equation. I tell people we’re not cloning genes here, we’re building relationships and making sure they’re the most profitable they can be so we can be the best franchiser in the world.”

And sites heavy on user interaction, such as Facebook, allow companies to more easily build those relationships that are hard to come by through the traditional hiring process alone. They also enable employers to more seamlessly integrate their brand into the user experience. Take a look at what Sea World has done, for example.

Think like an employer

Creating a social media campaign is all well and good, but still, you must determine your goals in launching an interactive, viral campaign on a site like Facebook. What are you trying to do — and with whom are you trying to connect? If primarily candidates, take a look at other companies running successful campaigns, and decide how you can focus in on job seekers in particular. Pitching your product or creating a fun game is a good start — but take it up a level. How can you connect with people who may be interested in working for you (and who just may not know it yet)?

A recent BtoB Magazine article lists 5 ways to optimize your Facebook marketing. These ideas, although specific to Facebook, can be applied elsewhere, and they are good starting points in your planning process.

Here are a few (full list here):

Have a strong presence: Secure your company name on as many social sites as you can. Not only will you beat others to the punch (Facebook custom usernames, anyone?) and prevent squatters or those posing as your company/abusing your company name, but once you secure your company’s presence, you can start interacting and creating interesting content right away under your official name.
Create an application: Build an application to engage job seekers with your brand. An application doesn’t have to be expensive or complex — but consider what type of application will allow you to grab the attention of job seekers most.
Throw an event: Get people together in support of your business, brand, or a particular product. Better yet, spreading the word through viral sites is cost-effective — and just plain effective. On Facebook, for example, you can invite fans of your page, and through Twitter, you can “tweet” out the event details and a link to your followers. Before you know it, you’ve got quite a guest list.

This is of course only skimming the surface — but it may trigger an idea and get you brainstorming. Any of your own experiences or ideas to share?

We’ve Changed! Our New Twitter Name: @cbforemployers

Amy Chulik — Thu, 21 May 2009 21:17:50 +0000

You may have noticed (if you are following us on Twitter, which you of course are, right? Riiiight?) that our Twitter handle changed yesterday from @thehiringsite to @cbforemployers. We sent out some tweets explaining the change, but I’m writing this post just to fill in those of you who didn’t see the change.

We decided to switch to @cbforemployers because we were already covering employer-related issues, and it made sense to change our name and cover even more ground for our followers. By representing CareerBuilder on behalf of employers, we will still discuss news from The Hiring Site–and all employer-related issues/news/topics on behalf of CareerBuilder as well.

Feel free to comment about our Twitter page, what you would like to see us talk about on the blog or on Twitter — or anything else that’s on your mind.

Weight & the Workplace: 43 Percent Gaining Lbs. Over Economic Anxiety

Amy Chulik — Mon, 04 May 2009 21:55:48 +0000

Yes, swimsuit season is fast upon us… and ridiculously mouth-watering temptations like this aren’t helping the cause. The waistlines of American workers are expanding, as four out of ten American workers have reportedly gained weight at their current jobs, according to a newly released CareerBuilder survey. You can blame delicious gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches directly if you like, but as it turns out, there’s something else making us turn to one of our most consistent comforts: The recession.

The survey, conducted from February 20 through March 20, 2009 among more than 4,400 workers, reveals that one in ten workers report increased snacking during the day due to economic concerns, and almost half (43 percent) of workers say they have gained weight in their current jobs. A quarter have gained more than ten pounds, and 12 percent have gained more than 20 pounds in their present positions. That’s a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches.

While we can point fingers at the recession for our weight-related woes, other factors are likely at play here as well — factors that contribute to weight gain with or without a struggling economy in the mix, like:

Restaurants – Nearly two in five (39 percent) employees surveyed eat out for lunch twice or more per week, making it difficult to control portions and calorie intake.

Vending machine meals — 12 percent buy their lunch out of a vending machine at least once a week.

Snacking — Two-thirds (67 percent) of employees surveyed snack at least once a day, including 24 percent who snack twice a day.

“Weight gain in the office is common and is a result of a variety of issues including today’s economic stress and poor eating habits,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of Human Resources for CareerBuilder.com. “Making little adjustments to your routine, such as bringing your lunch to work, getting up from your desk during the day, and walking instead of driving or taking public transportation will help curb some of your financial worries, while making you healthier.”

So how can employees stay healthy and keep those waistlines from growing, despite growing concerns over our economic state?

Haefner recommends the following tips for fending off workplace weight gain:

Allow enough time in your morning for a balanced breakfast – While 23 percent of workers say they eat breakfast at their desks each day, it may make more sense to try to have breakfast before coming to the office. That way you can prepare something healthier and actually finish it before having to start answering the phone or responding to emails.
Drink plenty of water – Often a snack craving can be mistaken for dehydration. Be sure to keep water or another healthy beverage at your desk throughout the day so that you can hydrate freely.
Keep track of your eating – Experts say that when you see what you are actually eating, you will be more inclined to make adjustments to your eating habits and become healthier.
Add movement to your routine – Especially in this economic environment, every little bit of activity helps, so take the stairs to your floor, walk over to co-workers instead of calling or emailing them and get off the train or bus one stop further from your home or office to get a few extra minutes of exercise.
Control your stress – Added pressure can fuel poor eating habits, as you can tend to overeat or make inadequate food choices when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Try to manage stress with regular exercise and speak with a supervisor if your workload is drowning you.

Any other thoughts or tips for keeping workers healthy at work?

UPDATE: Or, as mentioned below in the comments, is employee health not an employer’s concern?