Facebook Snooping: Steer Your Staffing Agency Clear Of the Stupidity

As CMO for a large staffing software company, I am fully aware of the need to vet job prospects.  No company is going to the last stages of interviewing without background checks and personality tests.  But requiring candidates to turn over their Facebook passwords? Absolutely over the line – for a number of reasons:

1.    Employers and staffing agencies alike will be flirting with discrimination lawsuits. 
While everyone is in an uproar about having to share personal information with potential employers in the form of photos, updates and friends, both employers and staffing agencies need to realize that other information on people’s profiles put them in a protected anti-discrimination class, such as race, gender, age and religion.

If a candidate makes it down to the wire of the interview process and then doesn’t get the job after sharing Facebook information, they’d have the makings of a discrimination suit.  Who’s to say that candidate didn’t get hired – not because of their photos or friends – but because of their religion?

2.    There must be a separation between private and public. 
It’s just plain wrong for corporations to require a look at an applicant’s personal Facebook page, regardless if it involves asking for their password or looking over their shoulder.  Just as with the separation of “church and state,” there needs to be a similar division between “public and private” in any democratic society.

Employer’s do have the right to determine if an individual will be suited to the corporate culture, and in the case of governmental agencies, to fit the personnel restrictions for prisons or law enforcement (i.e., no gang affiliations, etc.), but they do not have the right to snoop through a person’s personal, private information.  That’s akin to opening a job prospect’s mail.

3.    Facebook forbids the practice. 
Amidst all the fuss over this topic, Facebook came out with a statement establishing their position.  “As a user, you shouldn’t be forced to share your private information and communications just to get a job. And as the friend of a user, you shouldn’t have to worry that your private information or communications will be revealed to someone you don’t know and didn’t intend to share with just because that user is looking for a job. That’s why we’ve made it a violation of Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities to share or solicit a Facebook password.”

It’s important to note that not only does the network believe its bad internet protocol to share passwords; it’s also a huge security risk.

4.    Facebook snooping may soon be illegal.
Not surprisingly, the noise surrounding Facebook snooping has generated interest in the legislative arena, as well.  Just last week Rep. Chuck Schumer from New York and Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut called for investigations into the matter by the Justice Department and the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission.

The investigation will explore whether this practice violates the Stored Communications Act or the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Both acts prohibit intentional access to electronic information and computer access without authorization.

Schumer summed up his concern by saying, “In an age where more and more of our personal information — and our private social interactions — are online, it is vital that all individuals be allowed to determine for themselves what personal information they want to make public and protect personal information from their would-be employers. This is especially important during the job-seeking process, when all the power is on one side of the fence.”

Ultimate, any employer, recruiter or staffing agency that engages in this dangerous behavior is putting itself in a negative position when it comes to future hiring – because honestly – the best candidates won’t put up with this kind of nonsense.

I’m interested to know how other staffing or recruiting professionals feel about this topic.  Please feel free to share your opinion via a comment below.

What Does Software-as-a-Service Offer Modern Recruitment CRM?

SaaSYou are a recruitment business. A busy recruitment business. You set your teams punishing targets, your business has demanding clients and increasing competition. You may have to look to expand into new markets and regions to survive. Your staff have to be accountable and efficient. The software you work with must support the business and help manage the everyday tasks and demands of your teams- while allowing you to have a clear vision on how the business is performing.
The end goal: a healthy, profitable bottom-line.
Sound familiar…?
But with so many technology options now available to the recruiter – what separates these services and why should you use any one particular provider?

In a recent feature in Global Recruiter magazine, a range of popular service providers were asked why their system should be on your wish list.

Our Opinion….

Bond International Software was interviewed as part of the feature. And here is a summary of what Chief Technology Officer Daniel Richardson had to say about choosing the right technologies for your business:

  • Whether a recruiters recruitment CRM application is hosted via software-as-a-service or installed on-premise, it should have absolutely no difference to the functionality, ease of use, security and external support – however, functionality will be limited if recruiters are unaware of the nature of the SaaS package they are investing in..
  • Many providers, rather than design a purpose-built SaaS application, will merely offer a web based interface – an application designed for collaborative use across a local area network. As a result, functionality is restricted as the application is not designed to be made widely over the internet and performance is therefore undermined.
  • Security: With the trend of global expansion growing, and the need to readily access information on candidates, vacancies and clients, recruiters often forget to enquire about the security features of the SaaS product. As a result, a concerning high number of providers therefore do not pay sufficient attention to making their applications security better.
  • Too many recruiters focus solely on core functionality, and not the ancillary capabilities that are often of equal, if not greater, importance. For instance, disaster recovery is rarely considered when selecting the CRM tool, especially by smaller organisations, as many rely on the core function of their IT function to provide this service…

To read the article in FULL, and read Daniels comments in FULL, please CLICK HERE

If you would like to speak to one of our recruitment system experts about the latest technologies from Bond available for your business – call us today on 01903 707070 or email james.payne@bond.co.uk

You Can’t Ignore Social Recruiting Hyper Growth

Still in doubt about whether your recruiting software has to interface with LinkedIn and other social media engines? Still wondering, in other words, if social media recruiting is right for your staffing agency?  Check out these numbers:

  • 89% of American companies use social media for recruiting.
    • 82% use LinkedIn.
    • 50% use Facebook.
    • 45% use Twitter.
    • 64% use more than one social media network.
  • 64% of those companies report that they’ve hired through social media in the past year.
  • 55% of those companies plan to invest even more time and money into social media recruiting.
  • 82% of American job seekers use social networks in their job search.
    • 35% use LinkedIn.
    • 75% use Facebook.
    • 40% use Twitter.

 

A few comments are in order.

The first is (I hope) obvious: being social media savvy is a must for staffing and recruiting professionals. Your competition is out there, candidates are out there, people in your network are out there, so you have to be there. Often – as in every day.

The second is also obvious: networking is still the #1 way to find good candidates. And social media is a superb tool for networking. Lunches, phone calls, coffee meetings, trade shows, and all of the other old networking tools are still important and, to some extent, irreplaceable. But social media is, I would say, the most important networking tool in your arsenal.

The last point: note the discrepancies between companies and users when it comes to Facebook and LinkedIn. To me, it seems as if companies are investing heavily in LinkedIn while the candidates are spending a lot more time on Facebook. Isn’t recruiting via Facebook an opportunity that isn’t being used as much as it can?

If you have a good answer to that last question, please leave a comment below. In the meantime, make sure that your staffing and recruiting software is hooked up to social media!

The Race To Zero

Thanks for sitting down to read my latest blog post. Much appreciated. Now, stop what you are doing and open your in-box just for a moment, then come back….I will wait.

OK, so, what’s your number? How many e-mails do you have right now? 10? 50? 100? Or are you among the many people I know who have thousands in there, all jumbled together? If you are, I hate to say it but this just makes me cringe and shudder at the thought of facing that every day! Perhaps I fall in the other extreme (yes, I am a little ‘over organized’ some might politely say) but if I can’t see the last e-mail in the list I get a little antsy. At least once I week I try and get down to zero. That’s my goal, what’s yours?

E-mail can tie you unnecessarily to your computer, or to your phone, and can make you less productive in the long run. Click on the image to the right to enlarge and you will see what really annoys people about e-mails. Does someone from your office insist on sending you photos of their clever cat or include you on every chain (spam) e-mail known to man? Or is it the Reply All used by everyone in the company when it’s really just not necessary?

To put things in perspective, below is a video of Luis Suarez who works for IBM. For more than four years, he hasn’t used e-mail for work related communication. Although this approach might not be right for everyone, he is able to highlight just how time consuming and unnecessary a lot of the e-mails we receive daily really are. Are you guilty of emailing someone in the same physical location as you, when it’s just a few steps to go and visit them face to face? I know I am.

 

Too excessive of a change for you? What about just taking one day with no e-mail? Perhaps call it “No E-mail Day”? Well that’s exactly the change Paul Lancaster of Plan Digital started in the United Kingdom last year. You can read his manifesto here to learn how he structured the venture, and why he felt the need to push for this day. A day where we can all be more productive with our time, and not be tied to our in box for 24 hours. Last year it was 11-11-11, this year it is planned for 12-12-12 and has gained much press and publicity over in the UK. I for one am behind this venture, but would take careful planning. Not only would everyone on your team, or within your company need to know in advance, but depending on the business you are in, your clients or customers might not be so understanding! For more information you can check out his Facebook page here: No E-mail Day

Finally, here are my own personal rules for my in-box. Feel free to steal and use if you think it will help you! These are not rocket science, and widely used by many I am sure. When I get an e-mail, I do one of four things with it:

  1. Reply – if I can do so in a minute or two, I do so instantly. I then either delete the e-mail or move it in to an appropriately named folder if I know I need to refer to it later
  2. Move – sometimes a reply is not needed, but its information you need to keep and refer to later. Simply move it in to an appropriately named folder
  3. Delete – it’s ok to delete e-mails! I assure you! I do and I feel good about it. I even set up rules to automatically delete some e-mails depending on content or the sender. I even heaven forbid, delete some e-mails without reading them! Try it some time! (within reason of course- not those from your boss, not a good idea)
  4. Leave – if it’s going to take me a few days to get back and respond to an e-mail, I leave it in my in-box. Based on the other rules I have above, because I have so few in my inbox, I can immediately see what I need to still perform an action on.

So, those are my rules. Would they work for you? Do you have your own set or a unique way of organizing your in-box? I would love to hear about it below.

If you are on Twitter, you can follow Paul Lancaster @lordlancaster or @NoEmailDayHQ, or Luis Suarez @elsua.

Last Chance To Register: Social Media Staffing & Recruiting Webinar

As more recruiting and staffing companies explore the benefits of social media, we’re seeing more questions about how to leverage these channels to achieve staffing and recruiting objectives.  Today, we’ll offer answers.

Today – Wednesday, March 21st – from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET, Bond US will provide insight that your staffing or recruiting firm can put to use immediately with the webinar, Social Media Tips And Tricks For Recruiting And Staffing.

You’ll learn such how using social media, integrated with cutting edge recruiting software, can help your firm achieve its staffing and recruiting objectives, by:

  • Getting word of your jobs out to more candidates
  • Creating a bigger online presence for your company
  • Demonstrating that your firm is “with the times”
  • Increase knowledge and exposure of your clients

Social media is a legitimate and powerful way to manage relationships with potential candidates and clients. The first step in leveraging this powerful tool is getting more comfortable by registering for this essential social media webinar.

Five Reasons to Upgrade Your Recruiting or Staffing Software

For some staffing and recruiting firms, the thought of going through a software upgrade causes an anxiety attack. After all, you’ve invested a lot into the software you have now, you and your team are familiar with it, and you know that change may be painful. So why change?

The short reason is that the upgrade will be good for you and the profitability and the performance of your business. But let’s go into a little more detail. There are five major reasons why staffing software developers like Bond International Software develops an upgrade, all of which relate to improving your ability to work more profitably.

First, your software should mature in its capabilities and value to your business. Here’s an example: what part of your recruiting and staffing business hasn’t been impacted by the rise of social media in the past few years? To address these and other market dynamics, your business will change in how it works with customers, candidates, and the market. Changes in any of these probably require software upgrades that add new functionality or features. For example, Bond US staffing and recruiting software has added social media capabilities to address this change in how candidates and customers communicate. These enable you to deliver better service, remain competitive with the marketplace and improve your operating efficiency.

Second, you can never have enough performance. Your software’s flexibility, speed, reliability, scalability and other factors that affect productivity within your business operations are always targets for software improvement. Upgrades that use new software or hardware technologies can greatly increase the performance of your staff and your business. In this area, Bond International Software can leverage its unmatched development resources to offer you a solution that is constantly improving.

Third, compatibility with your shifting business needs and other technologies often requires software upgrades. A good example of this is the need for code changes to enable your software to work with the latest tax updates for payroll or to extend the capabilities of your recruiting or staffing software with an integration to a third-party software that offers a useful, but non-critical functionality.

Fourth, upgrades can make your life easier. Usability – how easy it is to get work done within the software – can only be improved with study of user interactions over time. Bond International Software has made a fine art of this over its nearly 40 years of experience. Working with some 100,000 user worldwide, observing how staffing and recruiting professionals like you use the software, we find ways to simplify its use. The resulting upgrades will have a more appealing, streamlined and intuitive user interface, helping you accomplish more with less effort.

Fifth, we want to fix the bugs. Software development is both art and science. And developing software is a complex task, so no software is error free. As part of its constant process of improvement and maintenance, Bond International Software actively seeks feedback on its recruiting and staffing software from users, as well as looking deep within the code ourselves. We seek out and correct errors and defects that have a significant impact on performance, usability, reliability, etc.

At the end of the day, the benefits to you to upgrade your staffing and recruiting software can be likened to putting your business through a fitness program that improves your strength, flexibility, reliability and ability to perform at a higher level every day.

Click or give us a call to talk about upgrades today. We’re here to help.

Why Workplace Diversity Matters and How Recruiting & Staffing Software Can Help

staffing software helps workplace diversityIn January of this year, the U.S. posted its lowest unemployment rate of 8.3% since February of 2009. Recruiting and staffing companies are proactively riding this wave in a contemporary fashion, turning to social media to find qualified candidates and adding recruiting and staffing software to streamline hiring processes. Now more than ever, they are seeking more diverse candidates.

Why this increased trend toward diversity?  A recent study found that diversity in the workplace has a positive influence on productivity, loyalty and even employee happiness.  Most importantly, though, companies made up of diverse workforces actually made more money.

The research conducted in Canada examined 100 U.S. and Canadian corporate diversity studies from 1991 to 2009.  One of the most striking findings was that while many companies put on a show of diversity, the firms that truly incorporate it into their culture and business practices see real results.

Translating this into hiring processes is an area where recruiting and staffing software can help.  By targeting multiple job posting channels and creating customized job templates, firms can not only find candidates from more pools of diversity, they can design screening processes that help discover a wider range of talent.

The resulting diversity of choice is key to both recruiting firms and their corporate clients’ success.  As the study’s lead author Kristyn Scott explains, “When you have an inclusive corporate culture, recruiting top talent becomes easier, group processes will be enhanced, which means employees are more likely to stay, which, in turn, increases the company’s bottom line.”

Competitive success within the hiring industry calls for solid strategic recruitment management in all areas.  Request a demo of recruiting or staffing software from Bond International Software.

Recruiting Management Tips – Automate Staffing Efforts On Twitter

Twitter tips for recruitersOf all the social media channels available for recruiting firms and staffing agencies, Twitter provides some of the best capabilities for getting the word to candidates.  The network is a recruiting software tool that more companies should leverage.

That said, the high levels of information that recruiters and staffers have to put out means that tweeting the constant flow of job opportunities could mean that you never leave your office for being chained to your Twitter accounts.  But that problem can be averted with automation software.

Check out these 3 automation tools that can make your recruiting management run more smoothly when it comes to tweeting your message:

1. Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a social media dashboard that allows recruiters and staffing agencies to manage and measure their Twitter and other social media accounts.

For busy hiring professionals Hootsuite can be an advantage.  You can draft multiple messages  — some Hootsuite plans enable you to produce 50 unique posts at a time — and schedule them to send at the optimal times your target audience is most likely to be online.

The service also allows you to monitor audience sentiment and follower growth.  You can utilize the analytic tools from Facebook and Google through the Hootsuite dashboard.  For busy professionals, the mobile apps make that information available any time via your mobile devices.

In addition, Hootsuite’s collaborative team functionality lets multiple contributors access your company’s social profiles without having to share passwords.

2. Timely

This bookmarklet also lets you schedule your tweets to get them out when they’re most likely to be seen but in contrast to Hootsuite, which asks you to specify the times you want your updates to be posted, Timely automatically distributes your messages based on your audience’s online behavior history.

So, in one sitting, you can create a queue of tweets and Facebook posts to go out automatically which saves more time for responding and retweeting.

If you combine a service like Klout, you can measure the influence and reach of your tweets and other social media updates.  Klout scores 2.7 billion pieces of content daily to understand your content’s impact and build your target audience.

3. Buffer

In order to keep the followers you’ve attracted, you need to establish a regular level of engagement.  The recruiting professionals who have the most success on social media understand this and don’t limit their updates to one type of content.

For example, let’s say you run across an article from SmartBrief on interview tips that you would like to share.  With Buffer, you can send that content via your Twitter account, with the added bonus of being able to view individual analytics for every tweet you send.

The capabilities social media automation provides mean that you can spread your recruitment and staffing influence more widely across Twitter and other channels without having to sacrifice large amounts of time in the process.

For more information how automation can help your recruitment or staffing company in other areas, check out our resource whitepaper, 15 Steps To Successful Staffing And Recruiting Software Selection.

 

10 Recruiting Pages on Facebook to “Like” (And Copy)

If you are a recruiting firm that hasn’t yet adopted a social media strategy, now is the time to start.  Recruiting agencies everywhere are learning that success equals a combination of the best recruiting software and the canvassing of candidates through multiple social media channels.

Need proof?  A recent Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) study found that the swell of support and understanding of social media channels is growing within the industry:

  • 56% use social media sites to recruit talent
  • 77% of managerial positions are filled through social sites
  • 84% used social channels to find passive candidates

While LinkedIn was the resounding leader of social media networks used for recruiting (95%), Facebook came in second at 58%.  So we thought we’d take a look at how cutting edge recruiters are using the channel.  Here are 10 great Facebook pages we found where you can find news, candidates and inspiration for your own page:

  1. CareerBuilder – The granddaddy of them all with 154,000 likes and over 1,700 people talking about the page.  A great collection of links and news under the heading “Empowering people to find careers they love.”
  2. HR News — The latest topics within the recruiting industry, including such news as new mobile apps and the latest recruitment research.
  3. All in HR – HR management tips that cover the gambit of topics.  Learn everything from managing personnel in a rapidly changing world to the effectiveness of recruiting software.
  4. Job Magic – Anyone looking for help in learning how to use social media should “like” this page.  Loads of valuable resources and tips for established and start-up recruiting firms.
  5. Fistful of Talent – Probably the most active page of the group.  Lots of discussion on issues that affect the hiring and HR industries.
  6. Undercover Recruiter – The one page that compels visitors to act right off the bat.  Once you “like” their page, candidates get great job search advice.
  7. Recruiting Blogs – This page does a solid job of encouraging discussions with regular questions.  It’s a great example of using the element of engagement to draw more people to your page.
  8. LinkUp – This job search engine page is a prime example of how consistency in updates keeps followers coming back.  It offers regular links to helpful information for all types of job seekers.
  9. ERE – If you are looking for information on the latest conferences, seminars or best practices for the recruiting industry, this page will have everything your recruiting heart desires.
  10. Divercities – A page dedicated to the many diversified sections of the recruitment market.  A great place for those following employment news for special needs candidates.

Whether sharing the latest on what recruiters are discussing or the newest advancements in recruiting software or resources available for all professionals in the hiring industry, these Facebook pages share a few social media musts – they provide relevant information, they consistently refresh their content and they invite followers to engage.

Need more help in navigating social media for your recruiting business?  Read, 6 Steps To Grow Your Staffing Agency With Content Marketing.

Making the most of #hashtags

Hash sign, number sign, pound sign, call it what you like, these little lines can be found all over Twitter.

Have you noticed them? From #justinbieber or #timtebow to #thevoice and #thegrammys, if you are tweeting you can’t have escaped them. I remember when I first started using Twitter, 4 or 5 years ago and I think the first one I saw was #SXSW for the South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival held in Austin, TX. To be honest, I felt left out, had no idea what it meant and perhaps I was missing out on something big. I do like to know what’s going on!

Hashtags allow comments to be linked together. By adding the hashtag sign and a word or phrase to your tweets, they can then be reviewed in a stream with all other tweets containing the tag. Used in the right way, these can be powerful and informative. This year, I didn’t need to sit through the various award shows to find out who the winners where and who was best and worst dressed. I just reviewed #Oscars on Tweetdeck and saw the steady stream of photos and comments to get the experience without being tied to my T.V.

Just recently I sat in on a webinar presented by Linked In. It was ‘Best Practices for Getting More Company Page Followers and Growing Engagement’. At the beginning of the event, they mentioned the hashtag of #LICast to use if you wanted to tweet during the broadcast. This gives them, and anyone attending, a quick and effective way to see all of the comments made in one place. It’s a smart way to extend the reach of your event and get others to promote you at the same time. Other hashtags aren’t necessarily decided upon or organized for an event. Pop culture and daily events can help spawn new phrases to use. #Winning anyone??? (Charlie Sheen, if you live under a rock).

I know someone, near and dear to me, who loves to use air quotes but maybe not in the right way and at the right time. It amuses me and he is good enough to let me make fun of him (you know who you are). Using hashtags at the wrong time and in the wrong way is kind of the same thing! Things like #runningallofthewordstogethermakesnosense.

Consider using hashtags related to your industry. For many of our readers, tags like #staffing or #recruiting might be good ideas. Or #jobs, #hiring or #employment. Savvy job seekers using Twitter for their searching might jump right to one of those hashtag feeds. For example, the screenshot to the right shows tweets using #staffing in their tweets.

Another time for using hashtags is during conferences or work shops. The Staffing Industry Analyst Executive Form coming up next week has their own unique hashtag for the event. #ef12 will be used by event coordinators, vendors and attendees alike. Can’t make an event? Just find out their event tag and follow along!

So, in closing, if you are planning a job fair, an open house or any kind of event, consider using a hashtag to help others follow along. If you are attending an event, or can’t be there but want to stay informed, find out the hashtag so you can read and keep up to date. If haven’t ever used a tag, but want to get started, feel free to copy and paste the tweet below and do it now! 🙂 I will be sure to follow along.

 

Just read the following article by @meganwalkeruk for @BondUS http://tinyurl.com/73zr5u8 #awesomepost #usinghashtags