Recruitment 2.0

Friday 29 August recruitment roundup

We’ve condensed the week’s news to just a few links.  Read on for interesting stories and videos regarding recruiting, technology and other random topics…

• Survey Data Emboldens Cry for Recruiting Funding
• Leveraging the Internet for recruiting: 6 easy tactics
• IT pay jumps as skills gap widens
• Social care urged to improve graduate recruitment schemes
• Time and money wasted on 'inefficient talent management'
• Improper use of talent management schemes mean employers are losing out
• Linkedin to Twitter
• Ten things you need to know about recruiting Generation Y'ers

I'll leave you to enjoy this old E&Y recruitment video (from 2001). Did someone really approve this?

-Susanna

Graduate recruiting tip #13: Start a graduate recruitment newsletter

An e-newsletter is a cost effective way to keep your company in the minds of graduates.

A good format is to start with a summary from an exec, and then highlight company news, links to blog entries, press articles and of course a detailed entry about your graduate programme.

Provide useful information, such as the details about your programme, the type of graduates you are recruiting, how to get more information, and how to apply.

You can highlight a successful graduate in your newsletter, and provide links to current company information and activities.

Make it easy for students to receive your newsletter. Add a prominent button for RSS feeds.

Make sure you have permission to send out these emails, so they are not seen as spam.

There are several ways to send out newsletters. A good recruitment management system may have this capability. Also talk with your marketing department, they probably have a system in place, or know of vendors that offer this service.

Wants to see some in action? Newsweaver, a company that helps to create newsletters, has several recruitment examples. Microsoft Careers Newsletter is another practical example. Also take a look at PWC's WORKgateways.

What are your thoughts on recruitment newsletters? Leave a comment and let us know.

-Susanna

PS -- Our next post in this series is on "using social networking sites like facebook".

This post is an excerpt from Advorto's “15-minute guide to graduate recruiting”. You can download the full report for FREE.

Friday 22 August recruitment roundup

We’ve condensed the week’s news to just a few links.  Read on for interesting stories and videos regarding recruiting, technology and other random topics…

• Recruiting and the art of candidate control
• Talent Management Study Compares Practices of Small, Midsize, and Large Companies
• Banks and law firms slash graduate in take
• The Mobile Phone, the most effective recruiting platform
• The Talent Management Blog Power Rankings
• Organic growth strategies for London bear fruit as 2008 trainee retention figures outstrip those of domestic rivals
• I am
• Most school leavers are not employable
• UK losing war on talent as recession bites
• Run recruiting like a factory manager to hire top prospects
• Totaljobs.com launches ‘GradU8.com’ – A Revolutionary virtual graduate recruitment fair
• It's not fair
• Graduate employment and development

Today's recruiting video is from Whirlpool. Kudos for being creative (let's face it, Whirlpool is not exactly a sexy brand!)

Graduate recruiting tip #12: Make use of video

Video can add depth to your web site. It’s easy to make professional-looking movie clips these days. Take advantage of easy-to-use video editing software such as Apple’s iMovie.

Viral videos are all the rage and viral marketing expert David Meerman Scott has a good article on his site on "how to make your youtube video go viral".

There are some real crackers out there, including this Barlcays recruitment video (hat tip Andy Headworth)

I'm sure the Barlcays video was not produced on i-Movie -- it does raise the bar. But this PWC video is hilarious and reeks of home-made.

How should you start? Get last year’s grad recruits to make it. Set the group of prospective grads the challenge of making a video as part of their placement scheme and use this video in next year’s campaign. They can cover topics like a “day in the life”, what people get out of work, company sponsored events, etc.

Once you create your video, make sure you distribute it on YouTube. Make sure it isn't too corporate or the "YouTube Police" will pull it faster than you can post it!

What is your experience with using video for recruiting? Leave us a comment, we'd love to hear.

-Susanna

PS -- Our next post in this series is on "creating a graduate recruitment newsletter".

** This post is an excerpt from Advorto's “15-minute guide to graduate recruiting”. You can download the full report for FREE.

-Susanna

Friday 15 August recruitment roundup

We’ve condensed the week’s news to just a few links.  Read on for interesting stories and videos regarding recruiting, technology and other random topics…

• A last call for entries for this year’s London and South East Recruitment Awards
• Recruiting Videos Allow Candidates to “Feel the Passion”
• Sharp fall in demand for permanent staff as recruitment freezes bite
• Does your applicant tracking system really work?
• Grads need more experience
• A recruiter’s guide to candidate interview prep

I'll leave you with this video: "Linkedin in English". If you don't know what Linkedin is, watch the video! (thanks Peter)

Graduate recruiting tip #11: Build a top-rate careers site

You never have a second chance to create a good first impression.

Students are busy. They love the Internet. They will visit your website. So please, make sure you put your best foot forward and make your graduate site your most successful recruitment tool.

In many cases, the first time a potential employee is exposed to your company is through your web site. Your best candidates come though this channel, so its creation and maintenance deserve your utmost attention.

At the very least, your careers site needs to include an up-to-date listing of open positions and information about your company and its products. A fully developed site can include bells and whistles such as an online profiler, interactivity and streaming audio and video content.

Here are some things to think about when developing a top-rate careers site:

1. Understand your target group's expectations, preferences and priorities.
2. Design a simple layout and navigation scheme around this, and test it on graduates.
3. Provide a job site map.
4. Include an RSS feed so potential applicants can get updates automatically.
5. Use their language – graduate lingo.
6. Keep a consistent employer brand throughout the entire website.
7. Explain your company’s recruitment process. Include a “How to Apply” section to lead a potential employee through the process, with a very prominent “Apply Here” button.
8. Include a list of compelling reasons to work for your company and don’t ignore the basics – include in-depth information about the job, and clearly articulate the interview and hire process.
9. Add a system for managing and tracking applications. An online application form has the benefit of standardising information from candidates.
10. Have a mechanism to receive feedback, and then use this valuable information.
11. Use the fact that the careers page is often the most visited page on your site (after the homepage) to get much deserved budget from senior management.
12. Include a mechanism to get back to applicants quickly, and whether they will advance in your process. This will create a positive impression, not the sense of a “black hole”.
13. Above all, keep it easy to use and friendly.

A good example of a graduate recruitment site is www.hewittgraduate.co.uk. And check out Microsoft's "Hey Genuis" graduate recruiting site for some innovative ideas to say the least!

What have your experiences been creating careers site? Any tips to add? What is your favourite site? Least favourite site? Leave a comment and let us know.

-Susanna

PS -- Our next post in this series is on "making use of video".

** This post is an excerpt from Advorto's “15-minute guide to graduate recruiting”. You can download the full report for FREE.

-Susanna

Friday 8 August recruitment roundup

We’ve condensed the week’s news to just a few links.  Read on for interesting stories and videos regarding recruiting, technology and other random topics…

• Illegal checks jeapordising jobs
• The Five Sweetest Jobs in HR and Talent Management...
• Australians give up beach life ... for a job at Croydon council
• Monster UK – five million registered users and counting
• Carnival of HR hits the big 40
• Finding Talent in Second Life
• From ‘good to great’ – how internal social networking can transform your business
• 13 Trends in Corporate Recruiting
• Monster Acquires Trovix
• Put some sizzle in your job ads

I'll leave you with this video: No Jobs for the Grim Reaper!

-Susanna

HR Carnival turns the big 4-0!

The 40th Carnival of HR is up on McArthur's Rant.

Topics this month range from talent, CSR, communications and diversity. And HR Wench has "come out" and revealed her identity.

So pop on by the Rant, and check it out.

-Susanna

Photo credit: Pink Cake Box

Graduate recruiting tip #10: Go on campus

There’s no substitute to meeting graduates in person.

You can gain so much subjective information through a face-to-face meeting that you just can’t get in the online version. But you can use the Internet to do a lot of your ground work, including using a recruitment management system to automatically schedule interviews.

Don’t just focus on a small number of “good” universities. There are good students at all universities; you just have to find them. The Internet allows you to focus on a wide range of institutions, not just a small circle that every company is targeting. This allows you to increase your reach.

Take some advice from Google, forge relationships with professors and graduate assistants at top universities. They are in the best position to spot star students.

Use alumni from recent graduates to internal management to create a “team” to help lead the efforts at targeted universities.

What is your experience of recruiting on campus? Any tips? Let our readers know by leaving a comment on our blog.

-Susanna

PS -- Our next post in this series is on "building a top-rate recruitment site".

** This post is an excerpt from Advorto's “15-minute guide to graduate recruiting”. You can download the full report for FREE.

Friday 1 August recruitment roundup

We've condensed the week's news to just a few links.  Read on for interesting stories and videos regarding recruiting, technology and other random topics...

• GRADdirect study reveals graduate recruiters want soft skills above academic qualifications
• Teaching TV ad banned for misleading information on salaries
• More than half of firms plan to cut jobs
• Prepare for baby boomer retirement
• The growing influence of social media on recruiting
• Seven Days Without Sourcing Makes One Weak
• The Caring Side of Recruiting
• Funny Video: No Jobs for the Grim Reaper (thanks Andy)

I'll leave you with this recruiting video -- Don't Fall Asleep During an Interview

-Susanna