Raj Anand - Recruiting with Social Media: Social Medias Impact on Recruitment and HR

Social Medias Impact on Recruitment and HR

Raj Anand

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ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-4099-1

ISBN-10: 0-7897-4099-0

First printing August 2010

I want to thank several people who have inspired and supported me throughout my professional career and given me a wealth of knowledge. I want to thank my parents who have strived to provide me with an education and backing to attend a university. A special thanks to Sue Ghimire, without whose encouragement and cups of tea I wouldnt have managed to write this book; she has been a fantastic supporter and believer. Thank you to all of my business mentors over the years: Jack Fairhall, Jeremy Hill, and Marcos Carmena. Also, thanks to Andrew Burke, Jon Yon, and other business consultants who mentored me at various stages of my professional career. They have helped me understand and relate the business world to digital media. Their coaching and guidance have allowed me to develop concepts that youll read about in the book.

Further, I want to thank all of my friends in Brighton (UK), Kuwait, India, Madrid (Spain), and various parts of the world where I have lived. Thank you to Katherine Bull, my acquisitions editor and main point of contact at Pearson Education. She has been supportive and helpful and has guided me at various stages of writing this book. Also, thank you to Susan Brown Zahn and Susan M. Strickland, who have patiently read my chapters and given me creative ideas to improve them.

Raj Anand is the winner of Europes Young Entrepreneur 2007 by BusinessWeek , Digital Future 50 by Revolution Magazine (alongside founders of Twitter and Spotify), Courvoisier/ The Observer Future 500 (2008), and a finalist of Sussex Entrepreneur 2008. At the age of 23, he started his first business in social media working with major corporations, the public sector, and start-ups. Raj attended Sussex University (Brighton, UK), School of Management at Cranfield University (Bedford, UK), and Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi, India).

In 2007, Raj developed Kwiqq, a social media software and strategy business that he developed from his research at the University of Sussex. During his time at the university, he worked with such customers as British Council, Oxford University Press, First Choice Holidays, and Eurostar. In September 2009, Raj exited Kwiqq to set up RajAnand.biz Limited, a social media and innovation consultancy, to extend his social media strategy offering to brands and organizations. In May 2010, Raj joined the Actualize Group (www.actualizegroup.com), based in Europe and Latin America, as its global innovation director. Actualize provides various end-to-end IT solution services to insurance, banking, telecom, and premium customers in other sectors.

We are entering an era where digital technology has become the norm to interact with customers and peers. As consumers, we are constantly adopting technology and incorporating it into our lives. For instance, weve replaced our habit of reading a newspaper with reading content from multiple websites in one location via Really Simple Syndication (RSS) readers. Smartphones are transforming into mini handheld computers, helping us plan our trips, office work, lifestyle, and just about anything. We are becoming aware of the environment and our carbon footprint, increasingly thinking of ways we can save on carbon dioxide emissions. Emails have replaced letters, and webinars have minimized traveling to participate in seminars, making business eco-friendly and cost efficient.

Increased connectivity, inexpensive handheld devices, and penetration of broadband have acted as catalysts in changing things around us. With the rise of gadgets and the openness of digital developments in the form of open source technologies, organizations can innovate and bring new products to market much more quickly. Some of the technologies that were initially available exclusively to the military and laboratories are now available at homes and offices. Examples include Google Maps, Skype, and other digital communication platforms. Best of all, the social tools are cheaper and generally greener than conventional forms of communication.

The recruitment and staffing industry is embracing social media in a big way, too. Many recruiters are using LinkedIn to find candidates and post new jobs. Twitter is another increasingly popular tool among staffing professionals, used mainly to update candidates on new opportunities. It should be noted, however, that merely developing a profile on sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social media platforms is not enough. To maximize these sites use, organizations should engage with their customers and candidates there. Its about developing a voice and initiating conversations with potential and existing customers.

This social media revolution marks a shift in our thinking. These tools are allowing individuals and organizations to become more efficient and competitive in communicating with their audiences. There are several ways of defining social media. For now, think of this media as a simple way to have a dialogue with your audience over the Internet. Social media are penetrating into existing businesses and already being embraced by veterans such as Ebay, PlayUSA.com, and other online retailers. For instance, have you recently bought a book on Amazon or Ebay? Maybe you bought a book on Amazon and used social media without realizing it. Typically before we buy a book, we read what other readers think of the book in the form of comments or user ratings. This is an example of user-generated content (UGC) in social media. Amazon enables you to connect with other buyers via the Internet, helping you make an informed decision before buying a book, audio, video, or other multimedia content.