Archive for February, 2010

Connecting people in HR…

Posted: 28/02/2010 in Employer Brand, Engagement, HR, Social Media
0

It was over a catch up coffee with @joningham that the subject of HR communities came up.  I’ve known John for a number of years and indeed, it was our shared views on HR issues and the value of the community that dominated our very first meeting.   So here we are, sitting in the not unpleasant surroundings of the Skylon cafe bar having a well overdue catch up over coffee.

Its not long before the subject of social media comes up.   We discuss they issues, the hype and the challenges facing HR folk, but also note the opportunities it presents.  It’s an interesting and wide ranging discussion which ended with us both concluding that if social media could help to do one thing well, that would be to bring together the HR community in a way that was not possible before.  And not just to discuss and share ideas on social media, but on the wider range of subjects that have always taxed the minds of those in the profession.

So, we decided there and then that we should kick things off ourselves using the power of social media and so the idea of ConnectingHR was born.  We are keen to meet with other HR and Learning professionals who are interesting in meeting up to network and discuss burning issues, including social media.

We are especially interested in hearing from those HR professionals that are already using social media tools including those that are blogging or tweeting actively.

The date has been set forMonday the 29th March for this first HR tweetup and the venue is the downstairs room at the Square Pig pub in Holborn, London.  Details about the event and registration instructions can be found at http://connectinghr.eventbrite.com/ or on LinkedIn events at http://events.linkedin.com/Connecting-HR-Tweetup-UK-HR/pub/234854

If you have not attended a tweetup before, I would encourage you to come along.  They are informal and open events where you can make some great contacts.

We look forward to seeing you there!

True Chaos. Thoughts from #TruLondon…

Posted: 19/02/2010 in Employer Brand, Engagement, Job Boards, Recruitment, Social Media, unconference
0

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make the ‘aftershow’ curry tweetup last night (although the #pubtrack was rather good!) but it gave me a chance to reflect on the day and note down my key takaways, which were:

  • Its taken 10 years for clients and recruiters to start thinking about the candidate lifecycle and experience in the same way we thought about the customer experience
  • It will probably take employers another 10 years to start thinking about the employee lifecycle and experience in the same way, which is a big problem
  • Our friends from across the pond reminded us yet again that talking to people and direct sourcing is still very much the smart way to recruit and that we have become lazy as recruiters in the UK by resorting so much to job board use.
  • We are in danger of becoming obsessed with labels when talking about generational differences, which is a shame.
  • The ‘unstructured’ nature of the conference was much more interactive and stimulating than a normal conference

Overall there were some good discussions but there was also a lot of what we have heard before.  One session, for example, descended into the usual dialogue, pitting HR against recruiter out of which we learnt nothing new.  Also, I have to say that the organisation on day 1 was appalling – there I have said it.  I feel the need to say it because I was a paying customer and I feel that the value derived was lower than it could have been.  I have high hopes for day 2 as I understand that the tracks will be in separate rooms – we shall see!

Ultimately though, one of the key takaway’s for me was more of a philosophical one, and that came from the Gen X/Gen Y track.  It was a very emotive dialogue, with @lucianT @mervyndinnen @siteadvisor @ohsosarah @stevenewson and others making their points well.  Ultimately, things repeat themselves and nothing about the needs, desires or indeed potential of the different generations is unique.  And I’m hating the way we are categorising individuals now, as it serves only to polarise people, which it did to some extent yesterday.  However, one thing that is different is the potential to connect and make a stand that we now all have thanks to technology and its adoption by the ‘younger generation’ – lets call them that.

25 years ago, if i wanted to start a movement or make a serious statement, I had to do what Keith had done in the past – go down to Trafalgar square and throw bottles at policemen and hope that it was picked up by mainstream media.  Yes, apparently that was him, dressed up in full punk regalia!  However, thanks to technology, social media AND the nature of the younger generation we can now throw bottles ‘on the web’.

I love the fact that I can put my hand up, here in the UK and say ‘As a dad, I fear for my children.  I think we have got it wrong and we need to do something’.  And then someone on the opposite side of the world can put their hand up and say ‘Me too!’  And before you know it, a million people have joined in and the movement for reform has started.  As time goes by, the noise will be deafening and I have high hopes for the change this can bring.

Without the persistence of this younger generation (I refuse to label them any more) I seriously doubt that as a member of the ‘not so younger’ generation, my voice would be heard.

Social Media Hysteria revisited…

Posted: 17/02/2010 in Business, Employer Brand, Engagement, HR, Social Media
2

Seems like I touched a raw nerve with my last post so I thought id follow it up to expand on some of my thinking.

First of all, lets get things into perspective.  Social Media is just that.  Media.  Text on a page, data over wire/fibre.  It refers to frameworks and tools.  In its most recent incarnation it’s a raft of new and not-so-new software in the guise of applications and sites, some of it good, some of it bad.  That’s it.  It’s an enabling set of technologies just like the telephone.  No more.

What travels across the social media framework is the important bit – the conversations. And that’s all they are.  Opinion fuelled sometimes yes.  But conversations nonetheless.  And these conversations, despite what the ‘experts’ would have you believe, have been going on since the dawn of time.

That’s not to say that what the social media framework enables isn’t significant or new, because it is.  It has amplified the conversations and multiplied the sense of connectedness.  And this has huge implications.  Its a major leap forward in opportunity.  But, just like the late 90′s with ‘the internet’, we have become largely obsessed with the framework instead of the important bit – which is the content, output or opportunity that it enables.  We talk about ‘social media’ more than we do ‘conversation’ or ‘community’.  And this is where the problem lies.

I saw a post recently - Top 5 reasons brands fear social media.  If we re-wrote that literally it could read:  Top 5 reasons brands fear wide area networks or fibre optic cable.  Is it me or does that sound pretty dumb.? Of course it does.  So what the headline is really saying is:

‘Top 5 reasons brands fear a set of new tools that allow customers/employees to talk openly and publicly to each other about the brand/company’.

Much better because it actually articulates the real issue here – the inability of an organisation to deal with open and honest feedback from customers and employees.  This is not a new phenomenon.  All social media does is amplify the conversations to an extent that as a brand/organisation you cannot ignore or control it.  And that, as far as I can see, is actually a GOOD thing.

Now, having established that these are conversations, which are not new, is it really appropriate then to suggest, as Ayelet Noff does in the above post, that you should not “start doing social media on your own with­out hav­ing a social media guru at your side?”  Sorry, but i just don’t buy it.

These are issues of engagement, authenticity, value, response, reputation, communication, branding. Issues that organisations have faced before.  And there are already plenty of people out there with real, proven experience of working in these areas who are much better placed to help than some self styled ‘Social Media Expert’.

Sure, the tools in some cases are new.  And I’m not denying that it can be useful to have someone update you on the landscape, what’s out there and how the tools are being used.  But please lets not allow allow a group of pretenders to scare us into not making a move without their say so.

Of course there are pitfalls, and mistakes will be made.  But the impact of what might happen if we dare to step in and engage ourselves has been blown out of all proportion.  Enough is enough.  I stand by what i said in my last post – learn from those who are also learning.   Not only are you are likely to get a more objective view, you will probably save yourself a lot of money.

Social media hysteria…

Posted: 08/02/2010 in Business, Social Media
10

Is it me or is the whole social media thing getting a little out of hand? It seems we Brits are especially good at hype and ‘bandwagon jumping’ onto the ‘next big thing’.

Whether it’s property development or ‘the Internet’ (web 1.0) we have a horrible habit of diving in as though our lives depended on It. And the smugness of those who get in early is palpable:

“So John, what yield are you getting?  Oh!  You mean you don’t have a rental portfolio?”

Says Bob, your regular Thursday night drinking buddy from the Kings Head, who last week couldn’t even spell portfolio but this week talks like he just picked up a PhD in the subject.

Cue a raft of self styled ‘experts’, ready to play on your insecurities, all claiming to know more about it than the next guy and banking on the fact they know more about it than you.

Well of course they know more than you – they don’t have a proper job like you and can afford to sit around all day catching up with all the other ‘experts’ and reading the latest reports. In the land of the blind there is this one eyed guy…

It seems to me that most organisations are struggling with social media because they are over complicating it.  They are seeing it as a marketing strategy in itself, rather than an extension of our natural inclination and ability to communicate.

Some time ago I was having a debate with Bill Boorman about social media guidelines for employees.  I countered that I don’t have a set of guidelines to help me converse on the phone so why do I need some to help me with social media.  Similarly, Tim Latham tweeted the other day asking why we need social media consultants now when we didn’t need ‘telephone consultants’ back when the phone was introduced in the 1800′s.  There is a valid point here and the comparison with the phone is a good one.

Social media, like the phone, is a framework, a network, an enabler of conversations, communities or movements and no more.  Sure, it’s likely to have a major impact.  But fundamentally, that’s what it is.

Don’t get me wrong, there is no harm in educating yourself to what’s happening in the market and there are some good educators out there that can share their learnings.  But remember the old joke about consultants borrowing your watch and telling you the time?  Social Media is no different.

If you find yourself wanting to know more I’d have a couple of recommendations for you.

Dive in and use social media yourself – Search out and connect with other companies that are using it and Learn from those that are also learning.  An hour on Google with a cup of coffee will give you plenty of leads.

Take a look around your office – If you work in a medium to large organisation you are likely to have a good cross section of employees, including some who are in their late teens or early twenties. Go over and talk to them.  Get them to remove their earphones for a minute and ask THEM about social media. Get them to show you their Facebook page and other tools they use to interact.  I guarantee that 60 minutes dialogue with them will give you real insight.  Oh, and don’t forget any ‘oldies’, like me, who may be using social media ‘cos we do you know!

I’m not saying that this is all you have to do, it isn’t.  Navigating the waters can be a real challenge and sometimes its good to do the journey with someone else at the helm with you.  But you could save yourself a lot of time and money, simply because its all so accessible, by doing some of the groundwork yourself.

OK, that’ll be £10k please!  But don’t worry, ill give you a discount on the workshops….

Like I said, there are some good ones out there who will do a great job of educating you but don’t abdicate or outsource the responsibility for getting into the conversations otherwise you will find that, once they are gone, the only real difference you will be able to see is the reduction in ready cash having spent it all on the experts.

Ultimately, we are in danger of becoming so obsessed with social media as an end in itself that we may ultimately miss out on the obvious and very beneficial outcomes of being in the conversation.

I am not a brand. I am me…

Posted: 01/02/2010 in Employer Brand, Engagement, Recruitment, Social Media
2

I read a blog post last week via twitter on the growing subject of the ‘personal brand’, discussing yet another recent ‘survey’ that puts at 70% the number of employers using social media profiles to check up on, or screen out, candidates in the recruitment process.  Simon Lewis, the author, was ‘astounded’ at how many job seekers were not taking their ‘personal brand’ seriously enough in the light of this research.

Having reflected on it somewhat I have come to the conclusion that the whole notion of a personal brand is a bit of a nonsense and serves only to create another bit of jargon around which some ‘instant guru’ (numbers of which are increasing at an alarming rate, especially on Twitter!) can build a consulting proposition that preys on the insecurities of others.

You see we are not really comparing apples with apples here.  Brands are largely static.  Brands don’t rationalise their actions.  Brands don’t change their behaviour or opinion after life changing events or after reflecting on some new piece of evidence.  Brands don’t offer humility in the face of arrogance.  Brands don’t eat humble pie when they got it wrong and then share that experience over social media.

I am not a Twix, or a packet of Walkers smokey bacon crisps or a pint of Guinness.  I like them all very much and may have consumed large quantities of each at certain times but, ultimately, none of the above am I.

And then there is the question of authenticity.  Brands are strong, stand for something and carve out their definitive position in their relevant consumer space. They don’t try and water down their personality or message on the basis someone might not buy them if they don’t.

How much have you read lately about the importance of authenticity in the employer brand message?  Employers have come in for a lot of stick lately for hiding behind an employer ‘brand’, attempting to claim they are something they are not, to potential new hires, through promotion of a set of values or principles that, at best, are purely aspirational.  Just as we criticise employers for doing this is it not then a bit hypocritical to encourage individuals to do the same?

I am the sum of a number of profiles, opinions and conversation online, nothing more.  These do not constitute a brand.  Yes, I should definitely keep out any potentially offensive content.  But water down my online and offline personality or manipulate it to present myself as something other than who I really am?  Most definitely not.

A Twix tomorrow will be the same as the one I had today.  So will the pint of Guinness hopefully!  It’s what I expect from a brand.  I, however, am a human being and I fully expect to be different tomorrow,  having learnt from my experiences today.

I am not a brand.   I am a human being.

I am me.