Crowdsourcing: Harnessing the web for what it was built for what it was built for

Designing a strategy that services an organisation’s talent needs has become an increasingly complex task for the hiring manager. Not just because of the unpredictable shifts in the economic climate, but also the constant introduction of new technologies, paving paths for new talent channels.

Recently, Matthew Jeffery described a relatively new concept – recruitment 4.0 and crowdsourcing. It involves using social communities to outsource tasks traditionally performed by internal employees.

How does it work? A company posts a problem online and a large number of individuals offer their opinions and ideas as to how to solve it. The winning idea is rewarded in some form, and the end result is the company adopting the idea for its own benefit.

Often described as a win-win solution – crowdsourcing is cost-effective for businesses and fosters innovation among their social communities. In fact, Amazon, Cisco, Facebook, IBM, Pepsi and Starbucks have already used crowdsourcing techniques to generate ideas that have already or are expected to turn into new products and service innovations.

Whilst there is still a way to go before we see a scalable crowdsourced recruiting solution, key elements can already be incorprated into companys’ social communities, such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Here are some of the basics for businesses considering leveraging their social communities to crowdsource.

It’s an additional resource, not a replacement:

First and foremost, it’s important to remember that crowdsourcing is not being used to replace any human decision making processes.

It is a form of attraction, a platform to promote your brand and encourage your social followers to send you suggestions and ideas that can be used within your company, and ultimately create a pool of talent.

If you want to attract talent, you must make yourself attractive:

Building an attractive culture and work environment that will encourage star potential to your social communities is the basis of getting the most out of crowdsourcing.

The only way you’re going to be able to build these communities is if you build an incentive structure that will attract them to your social platforms – whether that’s through gamification, a place to share videos and photos, or offering exclusive access news.

Outsource clearly defined tasks to achieve your goal:

Crowdsourcing is best suited for simple tasks such as a new logo, website or product name.

Be specific. Make a detailed list of what the person is supposed to do. For example, if you’re looking to re-launch your company website, you could ask people for their feedback regarding layout, the readability of text and attractiveness of the design. From there you can get inspiration.

Align Incentives:

To those who develop a winning solution to your problem, you must offer some type of reward, whether that’s financial, a holiday or an iPad.

In return, each person who takes part in the challenge is focused on doing their best work so that they might win. And as such, the ideas and solutions you receive should be pretty fantastic.

Overall, it seems fair to say, keeping talent engaged and interested in your brand and business is not going to get easier. The influence of social media, it’s ease of access and the desire it creates to connect on a global level, makes crowdsourcing, simply another natural progression of time.

Ask James Caan – Issue 101

Dear member,

In these turbulent economic times, businesses have taken the brunt, with many being forced to go under. Subsequently, this often means that the owner has to go out and find a less prominent role within another company.

The transition can be a difficult one to make, however, it doesn’t have to be. When executed properly, it can bring about refreshing change and open up new, exciting opportunities.

Last week I received an email from Jackie, who has owned her own business for the past 5 years. Changing circumstances, however, are forcing her to look at returning to employee status.

She asked:

“Being a business owner is it harder to get back into main stream employment? What challenges may I face?”

Firstly, thank you Jackie for getting in touch. Your situation is not uncommon; especially in the current financial downturn we are experiencing. Rather than being daunted by it though, you must ask yourself how these shifts in the marketplace are opening up new opportunities for you to tap into.

The key here is to stay ahead of the game. You have already accepted a big turning point in your career, so you are in a prime position to now go ‘whole hog’ and diversify completely. Everyone needs to be chameleon-like in a recession and be able to adapt well to change.

The biggest issue you, and others, face is the art of re-packaging your skills. This is so as not to scare off potential employers, whilst at the same time remaining truthful. Although it is a case of survival of the fittest, rather than being focussed on yourself, you need to think carefully about what a potential employer is looking for.

Having owned your own company you will have acquired a wide and varied skills set. While you may need to play down how you applied some of these skills, you certainly shouldn’t omit them completely.

For example, it is likely that you will have managed a team of people. But, instead of playing up your managerial experience, make the focus more on ‘effective teamwork’. The main concern an employer will have when hiring someone who is moving ‘down’ the career ladder, is whether or not they can adapt to being in a less authoritative position.

You need to make them believe that this is a transition you want to make. Thinking of not having that ultimate responsibility anymore and being less stressed should help with this.

All the very best Jackie,

James Caan
Chairman

Question? Email me at askjames@webrecruit.co.uk for the chance to appear in next week’s column.

An Administration Professional’s Guide to using LinkedIn

When the recession hit, businesses nationwide shed their administrative personnel in a bid to save costs which cut thousands and thousands of jobs. As a result, there is a huge pool of support personnel, not only seeking jobs, but looking at ways to add further value on top of their existing skill set.

There are a growing number of tools available to those looking to secure work in administration. Job boards, online communities and forums to name a few. Perhaps the largest untapped resource for some jobseekers however is LinkedIn.

LinkedIn has made a big impact in recruitment, and continues to aid jobseekers to identify new opportunities. With hiring managers using it to get closer to their ideal candidate, those who do not use it as part of their job hunting tool kit could be losing out.

So how do you, as an administrative professional, make your LinkedIn profile stand out?

Your LinkedIn profile needs to contain as much relevant information as possible, laid out in a cognitive fashion. Take 5 – 10 minutes out of your day to try and improve your profile or update some information, it doesn’t seem much but, after a week have a look and you will notice a significant change.

An administrative professional’s CV usually offers a constant and steady work history, loyalty to a handful of companies and a track record of excellence and (hopefully) over-achievement within your role. And learning how to translate this onto your online profile is much easier than you think.

7 LinkedIn tips for administration professionals:

Complete your LinkedIn profile
Ensure your LinkedIn profile is 100% complete to maximise your chances of marketing your skills. Fill in the fields on your profile, use the right key words and indicate how you have added value.

Pick the right keywords
Keywords are used by recruiters and hiring managers that trawl LinkedIn’s vast reach to find candidates. Use well-know, jargon-free phrases that reflect your remit whilst making it easy for the audience to understand.

Join groups and follow companies
Join relevant groups focusing on administration and follow companies which you either having an interest in working for, have worked for or feel are interesting and relevant to your career. Make sure to take an active role in groups; participation in discussion threads and offering to help or advise others will help market your abilities.

Status updates
Set interesting headlines and status updates which will make viewers want to follow links to find out more about you. This will include blogs, industry information, statutory changes or other relevant information. It is essentially a way of selling yourself and making your profile more visible to second and third level connections.

Write an administration-relevant CV
You can use your LinkedIn profile as an online CV. Work to your strengths , if you do not have many qualifications, focus on your work experience and vice versa. Also focus on other skills you possess such as touch typing and personality traits, such as highly organised and a great attention to detail.

If you have done any voluntary work or extra-curricular activities, make sure you mention these. Many admin roles require flexibility and team work, volunteering and social activities show off these qualities.

Network
Connect with colleagues, other administrative professionals and people you consider interesting and who will bring something to your network. Try to achieve over 100 connections over the course of a few months, that way your news feed will have new and fresh additions regularly and, to the outside viewer, you will come across as an active member of LinkedIn.

First impressions count
Your LinkedIn profile must appear professional, yet interesting, and that is a tough balancing act. Having a strong profile will help to attract connections and, after all connecting with people is what LinkedIn is all about.

As an administration professional, how have you made your LinkedIn profile as visible as possible? Please share your tips below.

Coming soon – Career Advice Live!

webrecruit is teaming up with Aimee Bateman, who is widely recognised for her expertise within the recruitment industry. Her success has seen her featured on TV and in the national media, including the BBC.

In a nutshell, Aimee is a successful entrepreneur, ambassador for jobseekers, motivational speaker, TV presenter and author. Her website, careercake.tv, is a free resource dedicated to helping passionate people succeed in their chosen careers.

On the first Tuesday of every month (starting in August), she will be hosting a live video stream providing you with all the nuggets of advice you need to secure the job of your dreams. Her wealth of top-tips covers all career angles, whether you are in employment, or not.

The exciting new sessions will work on an interactive basis; whereby, Aimee will be fielding questions via Twitter. She will then respond to your individual queries on all issues work-related.

But, we need your help. The feature has no name and we want you to come up with a catchy, little hook-line for it. Visit our facebook page to enter the competition and be in for a chance to win a signed copy of James Caan’s book.

How to Create an Engaging EVP

Amid the downsizing and economic downturn, employee disengagement has risen to be a critical issue across a variety of organisations. One of the main causes of this disengagement is as a result of the massive changes employees have experienced when it comes to their employment value proposition (EVP). To put it simply, the value that employees gain by working for a particular organisation has altered dramatically as companies struggle to stay afloat. An EVP is the commonly used term to describe the characteristics and appeal of working for an organisation. It’s more than just salaries and benefits; it reflects the entire employment experience from culture and management style to career development and reward. It is the deal struck between an organisation and employee in return for their hard work and performance. But as companies begin to emerge from the global crisis, particular attention must be paid to their EVP. Even more so, as organisations compete to secure and attract the best talent in an increasingly candidate-rich market. Here are some tips to help you create an effective and successful EVP. Understand existing views: To develop a strong, realistic EVP, you must first understand what perceptions existing staff have about your company brand and culture. Brain storm with employees and find out what attracts potential candidates to your company? What do existing employees value most about working with you? Why do they stay? Why do they leave? Differentiate your EVP: Differentiation is crucial if an organisation wants to stand out from the crowd. Consider what makes your company unique and what you stand for. Determine the aspects of your business that people value most and use this to draft an EVP. When identifying your USPs, consider whether you have painted a realistic picture of what it’s like working for your company. Does it appeal to different groups? Are you able to clearly differentiate your company? Creatively Communicate your EVP: Once you’ve defined and differentiated your EVP, find ways to communicate it to the people you’re trying to attract. It’s particularly important to ensure your EVP is conveyed within your hiring channels, including company website, social profiles and the interview process. You also want passive candidates to form a positive perception about the value of working for your company. As such, additionally communicate your EVP through PR, marketing and branding. Cultivate Brand Ambassadors: Existing employees are your most powerful source of promotion. Not only will they play a key role in helping to attract talent, but they will also ensure that such talent has the right culture fit. Bearing this is mind; ensure your employees can see consistency in the image you sell externally, and in the day-to-day reality of working for your company. Monitor Your EVP: Companies are constantly evolving, so remember to review your EVP annually to ensure that it continues to reflect the changing employee experience. When used and communicated effectively, an EVP becomes a powerful tool in connecting employees’ desires with what the employer provides. Those organisations that do invest time and energy to rebuild their EVP will not only benefit by employee performance in their current environment, but will also benefit from improved retention and star attraction