Creative Sourcing

Change… the only thing that lasts forever, said by anonymous.

This applies for one of the core vertical of HR – Recruiting also. The traditional way of getting people into the organization has been undergoing many changes. Candidates are attracted to the creative ways of finding them.

As per the Mating Theory, recruiting is joining together those with jobs to fill and those seeking jobs. Now here comes the ‘fit’. A potential candidate’s mindset of looking for a vacancy in an organization has changed. They are not just looking at the JD or the profile the company offering to them. It is more about the work culture of the organization, and aspiration for their career development and how is the organization going to add value to their career.

Having the ability to source and uncover top talent is crucial to success. Sometimes the tools we use come from non-traditional means. The organization may need to focus on the following parameters in attracting the right candidates for their organisation.

Ø  Survey says, 77% of job applicants receive no communication from the organization after applying

Ø  Applicants are also more attracted by the way which the employer advertises/come up with the creative ideas displaying their Job descriptions, skills and requirements etc…

Ø  More the creative you are, higher the probability of getting the right candidate to apply 

Recruitment of a computer engineer - If the candidate is interested in the position he/she tries to solve it. This shows keen interest towards the profile, and also the selection process is simplified instead of taking the written tests, and testing the aptitude skills.

Examples of some companies who followed Creative Sourcing:

1 1.       Starbucks:

By living its values and value mission, Starbucks is able to attract people who share its values. One of the VP of resourcing, Starbucks strategy is “To have right people hiring the right people”. Company encourages recruits to self-select out of the hiring process, stating they should recruit the candidates who are adaptable, dependable and passionate team players.

1 2.       Google:

It holds talent competitions at different parts of the world and encourages the participants by offering them one of the best profiles in research and development.

1 3.       Cisco Systems:

Cisco uses creative advertisements and stunts to draw job seekers in the website. At a football Cisco employees spelled out the company’s Web address with lettered cards, and one of the innovative ideas they have followed is, they placed a mobile billboard at a grid lock intersection in Silicon Valley saying “You can stay home and work for Cisco in Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley”. This attracted the huge crowd for entry level vacancies. The more interesting thing is, it sponsors coffee arts at industry conferences, asking the patrons to fill the information sheets while they are waiting for their coffee.

Social media is no longer a strategy for recruiters.

It’s an important piece to have,

But you won’t be successful with just that...

Active, Semi passive & Passive job seekers:

Now, a creative sourcing plan should attract the passive and semi-passive job seekers. Because, it is easy to get the active job seekers into the organisation. They may be desperately waiting for the companies to announce the vacancies but taking an example, a potential candidate who is satisfied with the present job/designation in other organisation will come under the semi-passive /passive job seeker.

Check list for Effective Sourcing:

An effective sourcing strategy should must meet the following goals – speed, cost, candidate and new hire quality. It doesn’t matter how many people apply to an organisation if none of them meet the minimum hiring requirements.

Here are some tips by Roy Milton for Recruiting 2.0 :

1.       BE CURIOUS à Leads to Insight

Ask WHY and WHY IF.

If you’re sourcing, be a detective, find different angles on people and do your best to get into their career mindset – only then will you really be able to determine if they will fit with your culture.

2.       Go for a walk à Physical activity frees the mind to wander

Going out and getting a coffee, the smells, the banter, the sunshine, the feel of the cup the hand makes you want to open laptop and do some work.

3.       Talk to people, Different people à Fresh perspectives are helpful

Never say no to a meet people. Doesn’t matter if your career fields are polar opposites, take the meeting, make the connection, who knows what you’ll be able to talk about and discover.

4.       Be doodling à If you think it, ink it

Give your creative ideas some structure by jotting them down. You think you won’t have to because you’ll remember them, but you really won’t.

5.       Create bad work à Be bad to be good

Trust the process.

Learn from your mistakes, don’t be afraid of looking like an idiot. Version 203.8 is still a long way to go.

6.       Be Original à Remember why you started

Stay true to your mission. In sourcing, in doing your job, in working with people.

7.       Be simple à Be believable

Human truth cannot lie.

Even though sourcing is a complex process, the idea behind it stays simple. To find the right person for the right job. Don’t let complicated search science cloud that truth.

8.       Be happy à Have fun. It’s only advertising

Finding that right person for a job sometimes feels like winning at a casino. Jackpot! When this happens – and even when it doesn’t – have fun and enjoy the process.

By:   R V Prakash Guptha

Sources: Hashtagtalent.com; Strategic Staffing by Phillips & Gully 

Read More

HR Guest Lecture – Biju V John – 12.07.14

The subject of the Guest lecture is Recruitment and Selection, which became more and more interesting when Mr.Biju has started the conversation with United Spirits being 100% subsidiary of DIGO (U.S. based company) and the challenges that an HR personnel need to undergo during the Merger & Acquisition. 

He specified Recruitment is the major vertical among the various HR verticals as it needs fulfil all the activities (Organizational structure, Sourcing, Screening and Short listing) under the process for the better person to fit into the particular job and organization culture, when the cost of manpower increase (one side) and demand of profitability of business (another side), in such situation, Activities alone are not needed without the Strategic Planning and Strategic Functioning.

“VISION WITHOUT ACTION IS A DREAM,

ACTION WITHOUT VISION IS AN ACTIVITY”

When an Organization need to achieve a goal, it has to work on the three blocks: S (Strategy) M (Measure) A (Activities).

1.          Strategies: On board job strategies helps to have employee engaged with the Organization and vice versa
2.         Measure: 6.2 months is called as “professional period”, where most of the employees and organization decides whether the engagement is worthwhile.
3.         Activities: The actions that are taken to meet the Strategies and Measures

As one of our friends asked a question, “what is the scope of an HR in the organization, when it (HR) is being outsourced?”

è Mr. Biju replied very effectively by saying, “100% HR cannot be outsourced but only the activities which doesn’t add any major value to the organization or the process, such activities are being outsourced.”

Later on the conversation moved on to “Leadership is a commodity”, justifying it by providing us with the Gallup survey of Blue Ocean Leadership article, published in HBR. In that particular survey it stated that, Leaders are not focusing on what they need to do, rather they do what more than what they need not do.  Engagement of employee from day one is important and leadership style is very much important.

The conversation came to an end by the topic “Culture transformation and integration”, it is very challenging job for an HR and Organization during the merger and acquisition of two different cultured organizations. There are three types of entries into the organization:

1.     .   New Entry : No issue of adopting into the culture of the organization
2.        Lateral Entry : one who carries a baggage of past culture, and the change becomes bit tougher for the employee (to fit in) and employer (to make he/she adjust into)
3.     .   M&A entry: It is a forced entry  for an employee to imbibe into the very different culture and it’s really a challenging task for an employer  and organization to make it successful and employee to retain with organization

“SUCCESS COMES WHEN YOU ADAPT & LEARN THE ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURAL”

-          Article by

K Kavita Deepthi

Read More

LinkedIn: 'Millennials think workplace friendships help career'

Research by LinkedIn claims that millennials are far more inclined to believe socialising with their colleagues will help them climb the career ladder than their older colleagues.

The Relationships@Work survey found that around a third of 18 to 24 year olds believed that hanging out with workmates would help their career while only five per cent of baby boomers felt the same way.

A large number of Millennials also agreed that friendships in the workplace have a positive impact on happiness, motivation, and productivity. However, fewer than half of workers in the 55-65 age range reported that it had no effect on their performance.

Despite the value put on friendship by young employees they don’t appear willing to let them stand in the way of their career. 68% of millennials surveyed said they would have no problem sacrificing a workplace friendship to get a promotion – nearly the same percentage of baby boomers said that they wouldn’t.

Source: hrgrapevine.com

Read More

Is it ever OK to spy on an employee?

We live in a world that is often portrayed as secretive and suspicious. Where whistleblowing cases make front page news and staff sneak out for interviews with competitors who they have met ‘networking’.

All the while employers anxiously spend copious amounts of time and money to ensure that confidential data is kept within the parameters of the company firewall whilst wondering how honest their staff are and whether they spend more time playing ‘Angry Birds’ on their phones than they do working.

So when spying apps such as MrFollow, are released, it is perhaps understandable that some companies would be tempted to install the software onto their employee’s smartphones.

However, employers could soon find themselves in breach of contract if they were to follow through with such actions. Law firm, Slater Heelis, told HR Grapevine:  “An employer should not “spy” on its employees by tracking their mobile phone activity unless the employee has signed a policy explaining that the employee’s phone use may be monitored.”

The law firm recommends that employers put in place a policy regarding the use of mobile devices which would cover personal or company devices including smartphones and tablets.

They continue: “The policy would apply to all devices used to access the employer’s IT resources and communications systems. It should contain a section to confirm that personal data may also be inadvertently monitored and that the employee should therefore have no expectation of privacy for any data on the device. The policy should explain why monitoring takes place, for example in order to prevent misuse of the device and protect Company data, to monitor performance at work or to ensure that staff members do not use the Company’s facilities or systems for any unlawful purposes or activities that could damage its business or reputation”.

Without informing the employee of the fact that such monitoring could take place, any spying would breach the employee’s data protection and privacy rights.

Source: hrgrapevine.com

Read More

Could dating apps be future of recruitment?

As more and more graduates turn to mobile dating apps to try and fan the flames of romance, is there also an opportunity to find the next bright sparks for your company?

Communications agency BJL evidently think so after last week taking to dating app Tinder in an attempt to find the perfect match for its ‘BJL Brilliance’ recruitment campaign.

Stepping up its flirtation with social media, the company is hoping to get lucky and find some lonely hearts looking for careers in advertising and brand marketing.

The campaign, also supported by poster drops at universities and graduation shows across the country, will see Tinder users coming into contact with the BJL profile will be met with a picture of an empty yellow seat which is “looking for ass”.

Users may ‘swipe right’ to show interest in potential matches or left to reject them. The job post invites users to swipe right if they’re keen to get their “career off to a flyer”. Further information including the Twitter handle @BJLGroup, hashtag #BJLseat and URL www.bjl.co.uk/Seat are also included on the profile, to help interested Tinderers find out more about how to get involved with the scheme.

Jack Rigby, PR Account Manager at BJL, said: “If we can help just one person find a career in advertising, creative, marketing or PR amongst the uncertainty of online dating, then it will make the whole thing worthwhile. Users should be warned though, we can be quite choosy when it comes to who gets the #BJLseat.”

Everyone engaging with the campaign will be asked to respond to one of several briefs before being whittled down to a group of 20 finalists invited to a ceremony at BJL’s offices in Manchester on August 28th. The most talented individuals will go on to benefit from career enhancing opportunities including mentor programs and paid placements at the Manchester and London based agency where they’ll sit in the prolific yellow seat.

Source: hrgrapevine.com

Read More