Recruitment 2.0

LinkedIn is by far the recruiters’ preferred social media tool of choice when it comes to seeking out top talent – used by 93% of all recruiters, according to a survey carried out by Jobvite earlier this year.

The demise of customer service in the UK is well documented. Television programmes such as Watchdog and Mary Portas’ Secret Shopper regularly reveal lamentable standards in the treatment of consumers.

Job boards have been around for what seems like forever. If an internet year is the equivalent of a dog year (seven years to every one human year) then job boards are past their century mark and in some cases approaching dinosaur status.

Open a newspaper or switch on the television and it seems that swingeing jobs cuts are still being announced on a regular basis. While we all acknowledge that the days of the ‘job for life’ are gone, traditionally there have always been sectors perceived as ‘safer’ career choices.

Technology is revolutionising every aspect of our lives, impacting the way we live and the way we work. From QR codes and text capture to applying for a job via your iPhone there’s no excuse for missing out on that ideal role.

The most basic thing we can drill into ourselves about branding is oddly enough what actually sounds like the most logical; your brand is more than just your logo. Your brand encompasses all aspects of your company, ranging from your commercial brand and its value through to the experience that you provide for customers and candidates alike. Your brand identity is about the fabric of your business.

As we recover from recession, there are many people currently out of work. These people vary from fresh new graduates, to laid off experienced professionals, to potential go getters from school. However, having more potential future employees around doesn’t change the fact that companies still want the best candidates.

As we recover from recession, there are many people currently out of work. These people vary from fresh new graduates, to laid off experienced professionals, to potential go getters from school. However, having more potential future employees around doesn‟t change the fact that companies still want the best candidates.

Advorto have made an addition to their infamous 15 Minute Guides!

CVs have changed. Instead of going round your local businesses with a folder full of CVs, handing them out and knowing people will read them, the majority of CVs are submitted as part of an online application process and now, there are even CVs that take the form of web pages – all in order to help people stand out more to try and help them get read.

So we have ourselves another social media platform. Google wanted in on the world of Social Media and thus, Google+ came into being.

Last week, LinkedIn announced they had launched a new ‘plug in’ that would enable job seekers to apply more easily for job opportunities. All you do is click ‘apply with LinkedIn’ and your LinkedIn profile page is sent off the employers.

You can never have enough pens.

Given today's financial climate, we all know that this year graduate recruitment requires a different approach. It certainly doesn't make sense to abandon your graduate recruitment programme but you can, however, be smarter about your processes, the tools you use to recruit and adapt your methods to the time.

This list, of our Top Ten Niche Job Boards, is just for specialist job boards (not general ones). This list is based on feedback we have heard, websites we have perused and duly inspected and been impressed by. As each sector has its own specific set of job boards, I have chosen the best of the bunch and put them below – in alphabetical order, mind.

Upon joining Twitter, as a naïve little newbie I have to admit that at first I could not see how this platform could improve networking, raise the awareness of online recruitment or why it was such a huge influence in the social media world. However, I had to bow down to the awesome power of it when Twitter mercilessly murdered several celebrities; Christian Slater, Jim Carrey, Morgan Freeman, Owen Wilson, Charlie Sheen, Eddie Murphy and even the mighty Jackie Chan have all, temporarily, fallen under Twitter’s sword.

Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs) have been around for almost 60 years. They have become an increasingly popular tool in a recruitment process as they are able to assess job related reactions to situations that other assessments are unable to measure.

Sometimes, making the decision to actually implement an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) can be the hardest part. However, this needn’t be the case.

Many have predicted the demise of Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) over the past years, with Microsoft even having launched a site wholly dedicated to watching its usage decline and trying to accelerate said trend (http://www.ie6countdown.com/). They have also made mention of the fact that they would prefer businesses phase out use of IE6 and are scheduled to cease providing support for it in 2014. Google is another company that decided to discontinue support for IE6 on YouTube along with some of their less popular services in March 2010.

So, you’ve secured the funds, you’ve got the system you wanted, you’ve done the training and your Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is up and running. You’ve moved into the wonderful, paperless world of online Recruitment which will empower your people to focus on what they do best.. RECRUIT!

When a candidate applies for a job, the main part of the experience is the application form itself. And yet, even though everything else is just extras around it, this is the part that some companies fall down on!

There is nothing more frustrating for a candidate then taking the time to fill out an application form, submitting it and then hearing nothing. How long do they wait for before assuming they haven’t been successful then start the application process all over again somewhere else?

Sometimes, making the decision to actually implement an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) can be the hardest part. However, this needn’t be the case.

You don’t need me to point out an obvious fact – every employer wants the perfect candidate for their role. However, you also don’t need me to tell you that this ideal situation is rather rare. But just because you don’t have a role at the right time, wouldn’t you like to keep a tether on a perfect candidate just in case a role comes up in the future? Enter: your talent pool.

Here is part 2 of our series of posts on The Importance of Candidate Experience - from the job description to the application form, here is our list of DOs and DON'Ts: