#HRTechEurope, The unblog dialogue

The #HRTechEurope Unconference Sessions

by  • 20 October, 2013 • 0 Comments

 


The Unconference sessions are designed to allow for open conversation away from the structure of the conference. This presents a great opportunity for participants to question and engage with the speakers, as well as put forward their own point of view. Each track will last for one hour hosted by a track leader. The track leaders are chosen for their expertise in the topic. Their job is to start the conversation and offer expert opinion when needed, a track can take many twists and turns with the participants at the center of the conversation. This is a complete break from the presentation and powerpoint. All tracks are hosted in collaboration with #tru – The Recruiting Unconference, who have hosted over 150 unconference events across 4 continents in the last 2 years.

Track leaders and topics – 24 October

16:00-16:30 Everything you know is wrong Room G105

John Sumser – Principal Analyst at HRxAnalysts

In this session Sumser challenges the things we believe, and the reality of the situation, using a series of “big” statements and challenges if what we believe can be backed up by evidence. This is always a popular track with plenty of surprises.

16:30-17:00 Technology in Technology Recruiting Room G105

Gordon Lokenberg – Technical Recruiter – TomTom

Lokenberg is known for his tricks and tactics for attracting the best tech talent in high growth companies. Lokenberg will share new and innovative technologies like augmented reality, and how they can be deployed to attract the best tech talent. Expect plenty of surprises and a very different approach.

16:30-17:00 HR Employee & Manager Selfservice Portals Room G106

Jochem ter Steege – HR IT Project Manager, Business Brands
This track will ask the questions: “to what extend can solid HR services be delivered when there are managed by employees / managers themselves. Do HR selfservice delivery models have a strong future? “ Bring your viewpoint.

11:15-11:45 HR Analytics Topaz Lounge

Andrew Marritt – Founder, Organization View

Big data is driven by analytics, the question is what are you really looking for and how does this impact on operational practice? What are people really doing with data day to day? What technology helps in the process, and how is analytics being used to aid decision making and strategy? How much is hype and how much is reality?

11:15-11:45 Social Recruiting 2013 Topaz Lounge

James Mayes – Director, Exolite

How is social changing recruiting? Who have been the winners and who have been the losers? How do hiring teams select the best social technology for talent attraction and selection? What is the real ROI? How do social channels integrate with recruiting technology?

16:00-16.30 The Future of Work Topaz Lounge

Ilonka Jankovich – Innovation Investment Manager, Randstad -

Work is changing, and so is the technology around it. From remote working and virtual teams, to project work to globalisation, we are heading in a new direction. This track will discuss where technology drives change, and the important part “future proofing” technology for the new world of work.

16:00-16:30 Zero Unemployment Topaz Lounge

Jerome Ternynck – Founder – Smart Recruiters

Technology should be an enabler to connecting potential employees with companies looking to hire, with limited friction and simple connection. In this track participants will look at what the barriers are, what gets in the way of connecting and engaging, and how to remove the barriers from their own process.

16:30-17:00 Making Your HR Lean Topaz Lounge

Dwane Lay – Author: LeanHR/ Head of Technology Process, Dovetail

In this track Lay will share the case studies from his popular book lean HR, looking at the best strategies to implement a lean approach, implementing change through technology. This is guaranteed to be hugely informative, useful and is a must attend for anyone charged with bringing about change.

16:30-17:00 What does good candidate experience look like? Topaz Lounge

Leigh Carpenter – Director: The Candidate Experience Awards UK Ltd

Theres lots of talk about candidate experience. The Candidate Experience Awards (CandE’s), measure data from the people who really matter, the candidates. In this track, Carpenter will share the data and discuss what good really looks like, as well as the practices that made the winners really stand out.

Track leaders and topics – 25 October

11:15-11:45 Its All A Game Topaz Lounge

Michael Tanenbaum – CEO, Connect Cubed

Innovation finalist Tanenbaum is talking games and gamification within HR Tech. More time is spent playing games on-line than any other activity. What is the big deal, and how can gaming methodology enhance HR Technology? Join Tanenbaum for a lively and entertaining conversation.

11:15-11:45 The Retail Gap Topaz Lounge

Adam Lewis – Founder – Apploi

Lewis is founder of innovation finalists Apploi working in the retail and hospitality sector. The front end technology and process in on-line retail is at the forefront of e-commerce, the back end recruiting and HR technology lags some way behind. This track will look at the differences, and what can be taken from the front end of on-line retail to the world of HR and Recruiting.

11:45-12:15 Data, Data, Data Topaz Lounge

Dan Martin – Managing Director, Broadbean Technology

In this track Martin will discuss data flows and data analytics, and some of the surprises that come out of measuring every click. What are the data collection tools and methods, and what questions need to be asked to properly understand the data story.

11:45-12:15 Crowdsourcing in Technology Topaz Lounge

Ravi Mikkelsen – Founder – Jobfig

Mikkelsen is founder of innovation finalists Jobfig. In this track the conversation is centered around how crowdsourcing is changing the way technology is built and applied with practical examples and open discussion. Real crowdsourcing to formulate a clear view of the changes in hr technology.

12:15-12:45 Mobility Topaz Lounge

Bill Boorman – Founder – #tru -

This is not the usual mobile conversation about numbers, platforms and why companies should be mobile. This track looks at what mobility means to people, HR and recruiting. What impact does mobile have on the way we work and live.

12:15-12:45 Globalisation Topaz Lounge

Aki Kakko – Technology entrepreneur and founder of Joberate / Partner in #Tru

The world is getting smaller by the day. As a partner in #Tru, Kakko has visited over 50 countries during the last 18 months, and spoken with 1000’s of recruiters and HR professionals about what keeps them up at night. Kakko will discuss how you deliver HR tech globally and locally, and why this approach is important.

14:15-14:45 The Work Environment Of The Future Topaz Lounge

Josh Bersin – Principal & Founder – Bersin by Deloitte

What will the future of work look like? How will technology drive and keep up with change? What should HR be considering to future proof the business? Open discussion. All views welcomed.

14:15-14:45 Innovation & The Innovators Topaz Lounge

Jason Averbrook – Chief Business Innovation Officer, Appirio

What is innovation in HRTech? Are we seeing real innovation or more “faster horses?” Where will we see innovation moving forward, and what does this mean in HR? This is an open discussion lead by one of the leading commentators on innovation in HR technology.

14:45-15:15 The Traffic Jam Topaz Lounge

Rene Bolier – Partner, OnRecruit

Paid traffic is a critical part of any recruiting campaign, but with so many options what is the best choice for budget. In this track participants will look at the part analytics plays in media selection, what works for who, and how to implement agile campaigns.

14:45-15:15 Data Science, Profiling & Gamification Topaz Lounge

Gareth Jones – Chief Technologist at the Chemistry Group

Using case studies from global deployments, Jones questions if the much talked about gamification of HR Technology really works, as well as looking at profiling through the use of traditional and social data, and how this applies to the world of HR.

15:15-15:45 Empowering Hiring Managers Through the ATS Topaz Lounge

Rob van Elburg – Global Technology Recruiter, ING Bank

Over the last 12 months van Elburg has been responsible for enabling hiring managers to manage their own hiring via their global ATS. Van Elburg will share the hurdles that need to be overcome to achieve this on a global scale, as well as discussing the pros and cons of empowering hiring managers through technology.

15:15-15:45 Investment in disruptive technologies Topaz Lounge

In this session Derlyatka and Polishchuk will look at how tech companies secure investment, and the next phase of disruptive HR technologies that are catching the VC’s attention. This gives a clear idea of what might be coming next, because where the start ups go, the enterprise companies are sure to follow.

14:15-14:45 Winning With HR Tech Contracts Room G105

William Tincup – Tincup & Co

How to negotiate contracts for the benefit of the user, and come out with a win-win outcome. Tincup will talk tactics to retain the balance of power throughout the negotiation. Expect plenty of off the wall thinking, and plenty of laughs.

14:45-15:15 Talent Management In High Growth & Emerging Markets Room G105

Dominic Toledo – SVP Global Sales. Page Up People -

Many MNC’s are headquartered in Europe/US and have regional operations in emerging and/or high growth markets. Talent Management practices and technology currently supports the needs of developed markets, though companies
are increasingly seeking to execute on talent management strategies for their emerging and high growth markets.

15:15-15:45 The Social Referral Room G105

Kes Thygesen – Co-Founder – RolePoint -

Thygesen is the co-founder of finalists in the innovation competition, RolePoint. In this track Thygesen will examine the critical differences between traditional and social referral, and how social media has turned the referral process on its head. From rewards and recognition to implementation, Thygesen will lead a discussion that examines all areas of this important source of candidate, and the part that technology can play in making the ERP work.

15:00-15:30 The Future of Learning Room G107

Stacey Harris – VP Research And Advisory Services, Brandon Hall

Technology is changing the way we learn formally and informally. Technology is rapidly disrupting the learning landscape. This track will look for the real ways that learning is changing, both from the point of view of the learning and development professional and the learners themselves, with a view to understanding just what is possible now and in the future.

15:30-16:00 Big Data BS Room G107

Patrick Boonstra – Business Development Recruitment – Coosto

This will be the most interactive session of the conference, which sees Boonstra posing a series of statements relating to “Big Data” to determine the fact and the fiction. Boonstra is a veteran of the unconference, and his tracks are always the most popular, with all particicipants playing a full and active part to slay the BS dragon.

 

I hope we will get to meet you there. If you still need a ticket message me, I have a secret discount code!

Bill

Rants, The unblog dialogue

The trouble with trolls. Thoughts on Johnnie Jobs

by  • 23 August, 2013 • 5 Comments

Sometimes something starts out as fun, but ends up being anything but that, Maybe a joke that goes too far. Damaging or hurtful comments made under the guise of a bit of light-hearted banter. Like describing the speakers at a conference as drunks or drug users, or taking pictures of conference attendees and describing them as MILFS looking for a pick up, cat ladies or suggesting that this lady (with a picture) in the book shop line better be buying a book on dress codes. The thing about trolls is that they make these posts and comments under another name, and are guarded by the cloak of anonymity. This lets them say what they want without any concern for their own brand or reputation, and they do this for a reason.
It might seem like a lot of fun to the small clique in on the joke, but these types of posts are always posted on popular twitter streams, usually events, as they were this week on the #HRFL13 hashtag. Plenty of people invest time talking to the folks in HR about why they have nothing to fear from their employees getting social, and why they should embrace it. I’m sure most of the clique behind Johnnie Jobs have had the same conversations many times. A conference like the one in Florida attracts lots of new people trying out Twitter for the first time, or revisiting for another look. There is a real opportunity to show them what is involved, and how this might be useful, and how they might get value from taking part. Showing them pictures of attendees labeled as MILFs, poking fun at unbeknown people, or personal attacks on speakers is not really what you would expect. The pictures were coming from within the conference, as a means of saying we are here,we are watching you, and we are laughing at you. Is that really the impact you want to have? In jokes are only funny tp the in crowd. Most people looking in from outside will be believing what they are seeing, and it is damaging and hurtful. What effect would it have on the lady described as a MILF looking for a pick up? The comment and picture were in the open stream, and on the #HRFL13 hashtag.

If you really believe that it is all just good fun, why not post it in your own name or on your own blog? Why not say this is me, this is what I, and my company think of you all? It is only fun after all. Why not include this in a keynote delivered at another state conference, take public credit for your work? I’m sure that those behind Johnnie Jobs speak at enough. I might be considered a “ narcissistic HR social media type who has had their sense of fun sucked out” for having the view that trolls and these types of comments aren’t funny. I hope the collective behind it have another think about it, and open themselves up publicly, on their own blogs and accounts. If it is just all humour, then there can’t be any harm in that.I believe twitter has now pulled the account, although I didn’t complain. This takes some doing, so it must be more than me who feel the same way. Twitter also might consider pulling all the associated accounts to prevent further wrong doing by the account holders. it will be interesting to see if this happens.

I’m fine with snarkiness, a bit of humour, and I laugh more than most. I’m open to critique, and the plenty of people who think I am wrong. I often am, I just think that this should come in an open way, and not from a troll account. The intention might well have been fun, but you could damage the reputation of others, and hurt innocent bystanders with the barbed tweets about MILF’s etc, attached to pictures. I hope more people take a stand against trolls, and demand they go public, because we know the harm that’s being caused by cyber bullies in schools and other places, and this kind of behaviour just isn’t any different.

Bill

Recruiting, The unblog dialogue

When a games recruiter hits 40 and thinks recruiting sucks (G.I.T. Jusin Hall)

by  • 5 August, 2013 • 1 Comment

I met Justin Hall earlier this year at #truSanFran, when he ran a track (on the old Lenny Kravitz tour bus), on recruiting in the gaming industry. Justin had just moved in to a recruiting role after a career making games, and he was finding it hard to get his head around what he found to be the way recruiting is done. I think it was a bit of a shock after a creative past. I’ve been trying to get in touch with Justin recently, although he appeared to have gone off the radar, then I found this brilliant video on his LinkedIn profile. If you pick up this post Justin get in touch. I want to help out with your sabbatical, and I want to hear more about your adventures.

 

src=”//www.youtube.com/v/iefICpsVvxg?version=3&hl=en_GB” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” width=”560″ height=”315″ allowscriptaccess=”always” allowfullscreen=”true”>

 

#trulondon, Recruiting, The unblog dialogue

The end of the in-house recruiter? #DiceTru #TruLondon

by  • 1 August, 2013 • 99 Comments

Recruitment is changing, there is no doubt about that, but there is a particular trend that seems to be gaining momentum that recruiters should be very conscious of because it could have a major impact on the role of the in-house recruiter. This could be the beginning of the end of in-house recruiters as we know them, or could be an evolution in to something completely different. Over the next 4 weeks I’m going to be exploring this in a bit more depth by talking to lots of recruiters and asking lots of questions about what is really going on. We will be hosting #DiceTru in partnership with EmployersOnDice in Mountain View, USA on the 15th August, and in San Francisco on 16th August, and then again as part of the #Kellylive hangout at #trulondon on 6th September.

I first started really thinking about this at the beginning of the year when I did a bit of a San Fran tour and caught up with the sourcing technology companies Gild, Entello, DiceOpenWeb and others. What surprised me at the time was that I was consistently getting told that it was hiring managers who were buying this technology directly, rather than sourcers or recruiters. Through the work I have been doing with social referral company RolePoint, I was becoming aware that more and more hiring managers were looking to run their own referral campaigns outside of the normal company process. RolePoint have had to go as far as creating a whole new work and data flow to accomodate this.

The data from the candidate experience awards in both North America and the UK was showing us that an increasing number of hiring managers were being set KPI’s for things like time to hire, cost of hire, candidate experience etc, the kind of metrics we had previously always associated with recruiters. We have also witnessed a growing reliance on the business to generate employer and culture brand content for talent attraction, and for employees to engage directly with potential candidates. My friend Rob Van’Elburg had also just started a new project with ING Bank to co-ordinate the training of all the hiring managers in technology across the world to run there own hiring campaigns through Taleo, from creating job specs to offer management. All of the technology recruiting for a global business being co-ordinated by one person. All the signs were pointing in one direction.

Probing a bit deeper in to why this was happening, with a number of hiring managers at global corporations, some of the reasoning behind this became clear. For a start, a lot of the tech jobs had never really existed before, and hiring managers wanted more access to who was out there in order to shape what they were actually looking for. We were also looking at data for a number of hiring managers where they were getting to see 5 in 1000 applicants by the time the ATS had sifted out 70%, usually on random criteria, the recruiter had eliminated CV’s, then done video or phone screens, then interviews, then other tests like assesments for team fit, skills etc before the last few standing got in frount of the hiring manager. It is no small wonder that hiring managers have started to want to look a lot closer at that pipeline for themselves.

I have also been aware of a new recruitment model evolving at Oracle in the EMEA region, which has since been adopted globally. Recruiting is a profit center that charges the business for their time. Recruiters are responsible for sourcing, (along with a sourcing and social media team), new potential hires. They don’t do any admin or logistics, that is all they do. Find people, qualify them, send them on to the hiring manager. The only time they ever get involved again is in helping to close candidates.They deffinitely don’t do any interviewing or anything like that. Very different, but very effective against aggressive hiring targets, with 30% of hires coming from social media, 30% from referral and 40% from direct sourcing. I’m begining to see this model being mirrored in other organisation looking to achieve the same thing, making recruiting being about sourcing, on a just in time basis.

That leaves us then with the question: If hiring managers are going to drive their own recruiting, what is going to happen to the recruiters? I asked this question at the #tru sessions at lRecruit earlier year. I was running a track that had about 18 heads of talent acquisition in the session. Industry analyst Josh Bersin was quick to pick up on this and ask if this really a trend in the organisations, given that most of the participants were senior and represented global brands. 18 of the 19 companies all confirmed that this is the direction they are going in, with more and more hiring managers taking on more and more of the day to day responsibility for hiring in their teams, assisted by some clever recruiting and assesment technology. It is becoming clear that this is much more than a trend, and not isolated to one region or one sector. That would be too simple.

My thinking is that in-house recruiters, and recruiting functions are going to go in one of four distinct directions:

1: The super recruiters. The last few years have seen the rise of the super recruiter. People like Matthew Jeffery at SAP, Chris Hoyt at Pepsico, Paul Maxin at Unilever, Jeff Moore at Google, Arie Ball at Sodexo, Donna Quintal at Sears, Anne-Marie O’Donnell at Oracle, Lars Schmidt at NPR, Ted Meulenkamp at Roche, and a number of others. Individuals who are much more strategic than tactical, who have high level influence. This is a great opportunity, but they are in the minority.

2: The sourcers – As with the Oracle model. 100% focussed on generating candidates by effective sourcing, and leaving the decision making, selection and recruiting to the line. A very lean, focussed role, with niche or location specialists. More opportunity for direct sourcing functions within larger organisations. Numbers driven, lean operations working on a just in time, on demand basis. Many of these roles could be filled by the new breed of contract recruiters, who come in as needed, and drop off when things are slack, or through RPO operations, importing expertise at the sourcing end. Potentially this will mean less opportunities for in-house recruiters.

3: Talent Networkers. I couldn’t think of a better term, although I’m sure there is one. This changes the recruiters role from filling jobs to populating the pipeline and the talent network. Sourcing people who are a cultural fit, with longer term potential as hires, and organising the data in the talent network for the hiring managers to recruit from. Whilst this role is proving valuable for those companies who go down this route, few companies will prove as forward thinking. We will also see a rise in companies like Norman Broadbent company Social Media Search providing this as an outsourced function.

4: Administrators – Managing the admin and logistics around recruiting such as interview scheduling, assessments etc on behalf of line manager, back to the days of the personnel manager. Whilst this has to be the least appealing option, cost considerations may well see this as the most likely route.

You might think I’m mad in thinking this, but it is too big a trend to ignore. You can come and disagree/discuss/debate this point with me at #DiceTru in Mountain View on the 15th Aug, SanFran on the 16th or #trulondon on the 6th Sept. I look forward to the debate!

Bill

The unblog dialogue

#truLondon & #TalentNetLive: The new recruiting events in September

by  • 29 July, 2013 • 0 Comments

#trulondon is back in town in September. As always, the worlds biggest recruiting and HR unconference has evolved, keeping the best bits of previous events, and introducing plenty of new ideas and concepts. My friend and business partner Craig Fisher, @Fishdogs, is bringing the #TalentNetLive event to London for the first time. I think the two events will knit together perfectly and offer something for everyone. I have been involved as a speaker in 4 #TalentNetLive events in the past, so I know what you can expect.

#TalentNetLive is part conference, part unconference. It is different to #trulondon in that their is a bit more structure, and participants can fully engage with the speakers. There is going to be 4 keynotes, all case studies with plenty of data, with 12 concurrent sessions, to be announced soon. I have been thinking for a while that we need to find a way to allow for data to be shared and presented, and that doesn’t fit in with the unconference format. Que #TalentNetLive!

#trulondon will be a one day event divided in to 7 streams. A bit like 6 events in one place. The streams will be:

> The Social Agency

> #SourceLab

> Start ups, innovation and new recruiting technology

> Branding

> SocialRecruiting

> Tech recruiting

> Talent attraction

Each stream will consist of 5 tracks lasting an hour, each with a dedicated track leader to keep the conversation flowing. Our global sponsors Kelly Services will be hosting the #KellyLive livestream tracks, broadcast to the recruiting world through Google+.

The track leaders already committed to take part include:

Arie Ball – VP Talent Acquisition – Sodexo USA

Steve Ward - Founder – Cloud Nine

Tony Goodwin - Founder – Antal International

Paul Maxin - Global recruiting Director – Unilever

Aki Kakko – Co-founder – Joberate/Talent Pipeline Solutions

Craig Fisher – Founder #TalentNetLive & Ajax Workforce Marketing

Stacy Donovan Zapar – LinkedIn’s Most Connected Women – Founder, Tenfold Training

Andy Hyatt – Digital Director – Bernard Hodes Group UK

Andy Headworth – Founder – Sarona Consulting

Patrick Boonstra - Coosto – Recruitment Head

Glen Le Santo – Content Specialist

James Osborne -Co- Founder – Elite In The Cloud/Innergy

Kevin Green – C.E,O – REC

Jonathan Campbell – CEO- Social Talent

Katherine Robinson - Consultant and trainer – Sourcing Hat

Shannon Myers – Owner – Walton Search LLC

Sally Hunter - EMEA Practice Lead RPO – Kelly OCG

Bill Fischer - Founder – Work Digital/TheSocialCV

Steven Ehrlich – VP Client Development – TMP Worldwide

Charu Malhorta – Global Social Media And External Digital Channels Manager – Unilever

Gerry Crispin – Principal And Co-Founder – CareerXroads

Leigh Carpenter – Director – The Candidate Experience Awards

Gordon Lokenberg – Tech Recruiter – Ebuddy

Susan Firbank – Head Of UK RBB Resourcing. Barclays

Anton Derlyatka – Managing Partner USA/Russia – Ward Howell

Nick Holmes - Managing Director UK – Lumesse

Dorian Webb – Interim Consultant Recruitment Process

Tiffany St James- Social Media Strategist – Go ON UK

Mervyn Dinnen - Content & Community Manager – Jobsite

Jon Cooney - Director – Work Digital

Oscar Mager - Senior Contract Recruiter, EMEA – Sonos

Tracey Abbott - Recruitment Adviser – Business Disability Forum

Sergio Lopez-Figuerora – Development Director – Big Bang Labs

Kristian Vanberg - Marketing Specialist – WebCruiter AS

Bethan Davies – Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition – RMS

Neil Harrison - Head Of Employer Brand & Insight – TMP Worldwide

Bob Lehto - Human Resource Manager, Datasift

Bill Boorman – Founder of #Tru

Kes Thygesen – Co-Founder – RolePoint

Shane McCusker – Founder – Intelligence Recruitment Software

Thats quite a line up, with a little something for everyone.

You can book tickets for #TalentNetLive, #trulondon and combined tickets HERE

Big thanks to our sponsors:



 

 

#CandE awards, #CandeS, The unblog dialogue

The Candidate Experience Awards UK #CandE (White Paper)

by  • 27 July, 2013 • 0 Comments

I’m proud to have been a judge for the UK version of the Candidate Experience Awards, and a member of the steering committee. it is a topic I’m passionate about. It is free for companies to take part in. Sign up is in 3 parts:

1) Expression of interest
2) Complete a questionnaire (45 Minutes)
3) Give access to candidates to survey (conducted by the #CandE’s.)

Awards are given to ALL companies who achieve a benchmark standard, and all are interviewed by the judges to determine which companies are awarded a distinction.

Sign up is as simple as CLICKING HERE

This is the white paper from the 2012 edition, with all the data from the candidate questionnaires and conclusions. Enjoy!

Facebook

The top 4 Facebook career pages (hospitality)

by  • 15 July, 2013 • 0 Comments

I’m a big fan of the Social Recruitment Monitor from global recruitment advertising, branding and marketing company Maximum. What I like about this index is that they collect a whole range of data to calculate who is working best on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. The algorithm behind the scoring is explained in this way:

The SRM Index applied to Facebook

The calculation of the SRM index for Facebook focuses mainly on interactivity. We look not only at how your page is interacting with fans, but also at how your fans are interacting with one another, thus forming a community on your page. A strong fan base is also important because it means that shared content is reaching a lot of fans. So the blend of measurable parameters we use to create your SRM Index for Facebook is as follows:

Popularity (15%)
Numbers of fans

The number of people who have ‘liked’ an organization’s career page.

Growth of fans

The percentage of change in the number of people who ‘liked’ an organization’s career page since last week.

Activity (30%)
Numbers of posts

The number of posts made by an organization on its career page since last week.

Interaction (55%)
Engagement Rate
=
Likes + Comments + Shares in 1 week

posts made by page in 1 week

Total fans in 1 week

x 100

Community Interaction
=
Likes + Comments + Shares on postings by others in 1 week

# postings made by others in 1 week

Total fans

x 100
I favour this index over others because of the loading towards interaction. Fan numbers tells us very little about how visible the updates are on a page. Edgerank is applied to page updates in the same way as it applies to updates from your friends. You only get notified of the updates on pages that you have interacted with recently. Interaction creates visibility, and visibility is the new influence. If people can’t see your content, it doesn’t matter that they are a fan among the many. The challenge is to get people interacting with you updates with likes, comments and shares.
The Social Recruitment Monitor tracks only career pages, and these are the top ranking hospitality pages for last week. You can view all the results HERE,

1: Intercontinental Hotel Group

The IHG Careers page is positioned at number 4 in the index, with over 59,512 fans and 13,974 people talking about the page over the last 4 weeks. IHG scored 31.9 in the index. The highlights for the week include:
> Fan growth of 11.35%
> 10 posts for the week
> 1,103 Likes
> 165 comments
> 211 shares

Posts are mostly images with a few jobs and links to employee blog posts of the “day in a life”
type, and video updates. Jobs are searchable via a the TweetMyJobs job app, featuring a link to get referred by connections, location search, share and apply. The page also features a link to the welcome page, with links to landing pages including:

> About us
> Graduate programmes
> Jobs
> Campus events
> Our photos
> Our videos
> Our timeline
> Our info

This is a very visual page, making navigation simple. Posts are a mix of pictures and celebrate success stories, which are about acts of good service by employees. What this illustrates is that real stories are of the most interest to people, and are most likely to encourage interaction, and hotels are full of real stories. All of the top 4 pages feature a similar approach, highlighting the need for engaging posts over noticeboard announcements.

2: Marriot Jobs and Careers.

Positioned at number 7, the Marriott International career page has over 995,000 fans, with an impressive 36,699 people talking about updates over the last 4 weeks. Marriott scored 27.90 in the SRM index. The highlights for the week include:
> Fan growth of 2.95%
> 10 posts for the week
> 10,399 likes
> 2,029 comments
> 540 shares

Looking at the page, the updates are all pictures from around the world, with a conversational style comment. All questions are answered, and visitors can view jobs through a search and apply app that keeps visitors in channel, and a tab leading to an interactive app that enables users to upload a picture, search locations, meet some of the local employees on-line, and list why they belong. This is a brilliant interactive app that will go some way to keep visitors engaged.

3: Accor Jobs

Positioned at number 24 in the index, with 16,793 fans, and 1,730 people talking about it over the last 4 weeks. Accor scored 19.59 in the index. The highlights for the week include:

> Fan growth of 2,43% over the week
> 6 posts for the week
> 104 likes
> 34 comments
> 4 shares

The updates on the page are all pictures with one video, and a similar conversational style to Marriott. Questions are answered, encouraging others to engage when they are seeking
information. The banner for the page features the links to the local pages, with each country having a local page. This differs in style to Marriott, and may be behind the reason for the gulf in fan numbers and interaction. Combining all of the pages may result in a higher ranking, but Accor have taken the strategy to promote local pages and community.
Job search is via the Work4Labs job app that enables social sharing (and matching), job alerts, get referred and alerts by e-mail without leaving channel. the page also features an interactive app that enables visitors to explore the possible career paths within the group.

4: Hilton Careers

Positioned at number 53 in the index, with 8,669 fans and 151 people talking about the page over the last week. Hilton scored 7.26 in the index. Highlights for the week include:

> Fan growth of 0.5% for the week
> 2 posts for the week
> 26 likes
> 11 comments
> 4 shares

Posts are a mix of pictures and announcements, particularly around the Hilton Graduate Program. Like Hilton, jobs are searchable through the Work4Labs app, with the same features as the Accor app.

Thanks to the Social Recruitment Monitor for providing the data, and the links to the page. A strategy of combining an on-line brand presence on an engaged page and a simple, in channel application will connect you with job seekers you need in this sector,

Bill

Linked In, The unblog dialogue

It is #LinkedIn, but not as we know it (Recruiter hangout) #SocialAgency #SocialRecruiting

by  • 9 July, 2013 • 0 Comments

I’ve just released the latest Colleague white paper on LinkedIn for agency recruiters. This was an interesting study looking at best practice, and the most effective way agency recruiters can get the most out of the channel. Things have changed a lot very quickly. The whole site looks different, the search filters have changed, there is a bigger gap between the paid for and free versions than ever before. Where LinkedIn might have been considered a job board in the past, it is now probably closer to a CRM, or a social channel in its own right, with the functions of LinkedIn divide between:
 Reference
 Benchmarking
 New distribution and consumption
 Engagement
 Advertising
 Personal and company pages
 Branding
 External social plug ins
 Targeted business content
 Data center
 Research
 Recommendation engine (55% of applications via LinkedIn come from the recommended jobs rather than updates or search results.)
 External sign up and application
This is a lot to consider when approaching the channel. Most recruiters are applying an approach pre-2012 despite the significant changes in function, features, purpose and user behaviors in channel. It is a bit like continuing to advertise on MySpace, even though you know that the target audience has long since departed. What the results are showing us is that a pure sourcing approach on LinkedIn is delivering diminishing returns for recruiters, but a source and spray approach still prevails. It is time for a rethink and a change of approach. Forget candidates and clients, and start thinking audience. An audience needs to be entertained!
I will be sharing these thoughts as part of this weeks #SocialAgency Hangout. If you haven’t seen one of the #SocialAgency Hangouts in the past, they are just that, a place for friends to hang out and talk about the topics of the day. You can join in the conversation by requesting an invite on Google+, or watch it on the Colleague blog page.

Full details are HERE
If you missed the whitepaper, here it is:

Bill

#CandE awards, #CandeS, The unblog dialogue

The UK Candidate Experience. Part 5 #CandE UK

by  • 7 June, 2013 • 3 Comments

This is the final part of my series reviewing the data from the Candidate Experience Awards, known as #CandE’s UK.  You can order your free copy of the official report HERE. Please sign up to take part in the 2013 competition, it’s free, and you get a full benchmaek report.

Candidates acknowledge use of assessments.

44% of responding companies use 1 test or instrument for assessing candidates in areas like personality and fit, with 27% using three or more in the selection process. Half of the candidates reported completing assessments during the selection process. Candidates accept this as part of the selection process that is consistently applied to everyone, creating a sense of fairness. The results from these assessments present hiring companies with the opportunity to give the candidates  valuable feedback that will be of use to them in the future, by enabling them to get to know themselves better. The number of companies who provide candidates with the result of tests and assessments where a candidate is unsuccessful is nominal, and this should change.Hiring companies that employ additional background checks to mitigate risks, such as credit checks, must make this clear and transparent pre-application, to prevent those who think they might fail such a check to opt out. It is a long process to go through to discover a condition of employment that the candidate was never going to get passed. This is why transparency of the whole process and all requirements should be clear at the pre-application stage. Managing expectation is critical to candidate experience.

Employer communication follow through.

57.5% of the responding companies reported that they follow-up with finalists no longer being considered or updates on the next step, with the remaining 42.5% are advised that they will only hear back if they are successful, and no updates after the notified cut off date means that their application is no longer being considered. In this case, no news is not good news. Whilst this reduces the time pressure on recruiters to give feedback, the benefits should be compared with the negative impression this will potentially create with candidates who have invested time in the process and are waiting for an answer. The growth of review sites like Glassdoor in the UK makes candidate reviews over process available to potential candidates. The data from Glassdoor from the US indicates that candidates are checking individual companies for reassurance before hitting apply, and next to salary levels, selection process is the most visited area of a company profile. Feedback is a critical part of a positive candidate experience, and should be an area for serious consideration in the selection process. The distinction winners set KPI’s for feedback on progress, and the reasons for rejection. Good practice and fairness to candidates dictates the need for timely and efficient feedback.that has a future value to the candidate even if they are unsuccessful.

Candidate as a decision maker.

Candidates choosing to opt-out during the selection process with 42% of candidates deselecting on the grounds of salary not meeting expectation, 28% due to being unqualified to do the job and 28% due to a bad relationship with the hiring manager and the recruiter. The first 2 could have been avoided with greater transparency at the pre-application stage. The solution to this might well lie in the low volume of respondents who were given access to the job spec before applying (25%). Making minimum requirements and job descriptions transparent at the pre-application stage allowing candidates to choose not to apply, providing a better candidate experience and saving recruiter time courting unsuitable candidates. it is unsurprising that half the candidates who chose to withdraw reported a poor candidate experience. This affects the probability of candidates reapplying for future positions, the feedback they may post on sites like Glassdoor and what they may tell friends.

Candidate selection.
The managing of the offer process is usually the responsibility of the recruiter, although increasingly this responsibility is moving to the hiring manager. It was interesting to note in the winners interviews the different views hiring companies held over when a candidate is a candidate, and when they are an employee. The answers varied from offer stage, to the completion of on-boarding through to the end of the probationary period. Whilst this might seem like a minor issue, it has some bearing on how the hiring company views candidate experience. The turning point seems to be the point at which the candidate moves from the responsibility of the recruiter, to the responsibility of HR. It is easy to see how the recruiter, having built a relationship with the candidate throughout the process, could be the best person to manage the transition from candidate to employee. What is clear is that the candidate is most likely to have second thoughts during the offer period, where efficient and timely communication, administration of the process and accessibility mitigates the risk of a last-minute change of mind, and is a key stage in candidate experience. The better the relationship between the recruiter and the candidate, and the better the candidate experience, the smoother the transition to employee.

Would the candidate reapply?

All of the winning companies interviewed reported that they were operating either a talent network or talent community where an ongoing relationship is maintained with candidates regardless of the outcome, An increasing number of hiring companies are adopting CRM (Client relationship management) technology for maintaining relationships, and are adopting a methodology of sourcing from previous candidates for all new, open positions.

Only candidates who have had a good experience with the hiring company will be willing to engage again. The question “would you reapply?” is an important one for monitoring the change in perception of the employer, and how it might change throughout the process. This provides valuable feedback and data for improving the hiring process, and should be asked of candidates in real-time at every stage. In the research, 36.5% of candidates were left with a negative or neutral impression of the company as a result of their candidate experience. This should be a concern for hiring companies, and a key metric in candidate experience, particularly to those companies looking to re-engage candidates at any time in the future, manage reputation on sites like Glassdoor, and increase the possibility of getting recommended as an employer to others.

Thanks for sticking with the series. I hope you found some of the data and recommendations useful. Candidate experience needs to be a priority. It’s not hard to get it right.

Bill

#CandE awards, #CandeS, The unblog dialogue

The UK Candidate Experience. Part 4. #CandE’s UK

by  • 6 June, 2013 • 0 Comments

This is part 4 in the series looking at the data behind the candidate experience awards in the UK. This research gives a unique insight in to what actually happens when people apply for jobs, and the picture is not all that great.

You can get a copy of the official report HERE, and apply to take part in the next round of research. It is free to take part.

Candidate evaluation and selection.

The lack of information indicated in the pre-application stage means a high volumes of applications for most jobs, with unqualified applications are at an all time high. This makes automation in the selection process essential, with a heavy reliance on the ATS to do the work. Only 8.4% of applicants responding had any kind of selection conversation before applying. It may well be that these conversations are the result of the direct approaches reported in the winners interviews as being increasingly adopted. Of all the candidates applying, only 11.6% completed a structured interview, with the majority of candidates being discounted before this stage. Questions should be asked as to why such a large volume of unqualified candidates feel an application is worthwhile, and if the minimum qualifications are made clear to potential candidates at the pre-application stage. Hiring companies should look closely at the information and content they are making accessible to potential candidates, and if the driver in their recruitment marketing efforts is geared to increasing the volume of applications rather than encouraging opt-out from those who are either unqualified, or don’t have a culture or values match.

A reliance on the ATS for selection means much of the messaging will be automated as notifications or rejections on “do not reply” mails rather than personal feedback. With the importance of the ATS in the process, hiring companies need to collect on-going feedback from applying candidates to ensure that the application process is user friendly, intuitive, relevant and as short as possible, with clear instructions and on-line help.

Preliminary screening resources.

For the most part, the ATS is used to present screening questions of varying detail and complexity, from the yes/no qualifiers through to those requiring a more detailed response. Due to volumes of response, the process for the most part is designed for deselection in order to present recruiters with a manageable short-list of candidates for selection and interview. Selection within the ATS is based on qualifiers like eligibility to work, experience etc, with more detailed questions over aspirations, and confirmation of the information submitted at interview stage. Due to volumes, hiring companies have been increasing the amount of questions asked, and the time it takes to complete an application. This has been evidenced by increased abandonment rates during the process.

This is an important figure for hiring companies to monitor, in order to identify if there are particular stages where candidates are bailing out, soliciting feedback at the point of leaving to identify the reasons behind it and adjusting the process accordingly. Examples of best practice within the survey included limiting the application process to seven clicks, CV parsing for speed and convenience, issuing clear and simple instructions at every stage and the opportunity to engage with recruiters throughout the process.

The objective now for hiring companies should be to reduce the volume of applications by greater transparency and access to information at the pre-application stage, encouraging opt-out from those unqualified or a poor values or culture match. In demand candidates will have less tolerance for a lengthy, complicated or confusing application process, the more likely they will abandon it. Hiring companies should be concerned with who is abandoning their application, as well as the volume.A lengthy application process presents real problems for the increasing number of candidates looking to apply by mobile.

The job interview.

The technology application process and telephone interview (averaging 35 per job) is designed to deliver a short list of 10 – 12 candidates to interview on a face to face basis. 75% of responding companies conduct telephone interviews to arrive at the short-list. A number of the winners commented at interview that they are now replacing the telephone interview with automated video selection (17%), in order to improve efficiency. What is clear is that employers are looking for more than the ATS to shortlist candidates for interview. All of the winners train their recruiters in interview techniques, and most extend this training to the hiring manager. The interviewer, whether recruiter or hiring manager is the face of the company with the candidate, impacts candidate experience in that the applicant is looking to be given a fair chance to present their case and the relationship formed with the hiring manager at interview plays a big part in their decision making when it comes to offer. 25% of employers conduct 5 or more interviews (including phone interviews), Each of these touch points present an opportunity to select candidates and to create a positive impression, by the same token each touch point throws up the risk of creating a poor impression by poor delivery.

Process and training for everyone involved in the hiring process, from recruiter to hiring manager is a critical factor in candidate experience, as evidenced by the practices of the winners. It is also worth noting the practice of giving feedback in a method that matches the mode of screening, once voice communication is initiated, feedback by voice is expected. Candidates are expected to invest an increasing amount of time and effort into applying and going through selection. The time and effort committed to feedback on each stage by the hiring company needs to reflect this.

Interview preparation

Interview structure and format should not come as a surprise to the candidate. Candidates want to prepare for interview by researching the company, the opportunity and the people conducting the interview. 29.9% of the candidate respondents received an agenda of what to expect before the interview, and 10.2% at the interview. 63% were given the names of the interviewers before the interview. This means 60% went in to the interview blind without any agenda, and 37% had no opportunity to research their interviewer before the event.

Giving the candidates the opportunity to prepare is essential for candidate experience. The candidates need to feel that the hiring company gave them the best opportunity to present their case in the best way. They don’t expect to always get the job, but they do expect the chance. 51.1% of candidates report being required to attend a panel interview as part of the selection process. This experience can be nerve racking enough for a candidate looking to make a positive impression, but the pressure is intensified when the panel comes as a surprise. Candidates do not expect to get a job, but they do expect to be given the opportunity to present themselves in the best light. The opportunity to prepare is a big part of this.

The survey results indicate that few candidates were advised that a panel interview was going to take place, and the negative impression this can create on the candidate. 54% of candidates were advised on the next step, time-scales and expectations, which means 46% were left in the dark. Co-ordinating candidates in a timely and informed way should be an essential part of the selection process. Care and attention paid to the candidate at the critical selection stages, indicates the care and attention that will be paid to the candidate if they transition to being employees. The attention to detail in the selection process can play a big factor in the candidates decision making process when it comes to the offer stage. Hiring companies should be mindful of this when designing their hiring process.

If you have stuck with this series, which concludes tomorrow, I hope you are getting the picture of what really happens when people look for jobs.I urge anyone involved in the recruiting process to get involved in this years research and awards. It’s free to take part, and will get you a free benchmark report on how you are doing. I ask my fellow bloggers in the space to help promote this far and wide. It is important, and through real research we can make a difference.

Bill