The time is here, now, when Social Media (SM) is transforming all the work processes, internally too, and Human Resources (HR) is in the middle of it, leading the transformation. While CHROs and other HR Leaders are getting to the grips of it, SM is beginning to not only amplifying the benefits; it also presents some challenging turfs.
The key ingredient in applying SM to internal processes is people/employees who lead this transformation (supposedly). Lot of organizations are jumping on the band wagon and forgetting to address this inevitable and pivotal element – the employee workforce. Successful implementation of SM thrives on the understanding of capabilities SM brings. One size fits all, calls for the dooms day.
Let’s look at SM in recruitment. This comes naturally to all organizations and helps them tap talent using various tools and portals, allowing amplified reach through passive talent hunting. A new opportunity for companies to engage in a mutual, two way communication, is the new normal, allowing not only information dissemination but also a way to listen to what is being said.
In a recent research, Universum highlights, “Companies have yet to realize the promises of social media. Building followers and likes becomes simpler every day, but building engagement and community is undervalued. There is still a limited focus on the internal aspect of social media, i.e. using it to build engagement among employees and find ambassadors.”
IBM is leading in this space, once again, and is using existing employees to act as ‘ambassadors’ in attracting talent. IBMers across the world are actively engaged in not only growing their own careers but also helping attract talent within their networks and communities. Read: Recruiting Socially! How IBM is hiring.
In his recent article, Steve Hewitt, head of HR at Lumesse, highlights the challenges of using social media for recruitment purposes. He quotes a recent global research report by Universum of 19,000 students which found that most do not apply for jobs through social media channels but through a company’s website itself, raising the question as to whether social media is a destination or direction for hiring the most talented graduates. In fact, the survey found that only 13% of students received a job offer through these channels and that, in the UK, many students (36%) thought that live webinars with hiring companies worked better as an engagement channel for students than social media channels (28%).
So the question remains – is SM the solution to the recruitment challenge or a strategy to find the solution? Does your organization use SM to find talent? If yes, what are challenges being faced. If no, then you have a bigger monster to tackle!
Khalid Raza 