The job-ads jungle of job-sites - vanishing employers and traps of thick phrases

From Ralf Junge's blog entry: Im Stellenanzeigen-Dschungel der Jobbörsen – damit Arbeitgeber nicht verschwinden

We talk a lot about what makes a good employer. In my preview for 2014 I wrote, the matter of identity will be of more importance. Employers will have to (re)think their position and perception. The 'finding of employer brand' plays a particular role as well.

Yesterday, I read an interesting article in the newest edition of Markenbrand (a magazine about Employer Branding) about perception of employers at job websites. In 2012 more than half of all job-seekers used online-job markets. For companies these job-websites offer a wide range  of possibilities of job-ads, also. Why it is not wondrous that the number of offers increase continously. Yet, this causes piling problems because the result when searching becomes an unstructured mind map of googillion possible matches. For Users, especially career-starters, it faster gets difficult to distinguish between all different offers - a true information overload.

When checking the hits of a search it more and more turns into pabulum - or as the German would translate literally 'unit goo'. All phrases are on repete. Honestly, it is no fun to continue reading. Maybe you know the following phrases: 

"We offer a challenging and exciting job in a growing firm", or "we offer an attractive work place in the heart of (city xy)", or "a motivated team awaits you". All of this has got nada to do with poyitioning an employer brand!

Have job-websites reached their limits? Do companies have to think of other more expedient channels in order to reach candidates better and to be recognized? Will companies drift away from job-portals?

Redesigning the concept job-ads on websites
The answer is no. Job-websites offer so many possibilities to create job-ads exciting and attention-grabbing, differing from other companies. Of course here are creative heads asked - in graphic design as well as writing. It starts with the job-title which is the first point of contact of a job-ad. Do you remember the campaign by Axel Springer which showed "applicants" with self-ironic and funny job-titles? Remember to put in enough buzz words so the proper search result is shown. 

Further possibilities are offered by design and within the display text. Important and often underestimated is the time of publishing. There are peaks where job-searchers are most active - working days between 6 and 8 AM, around noontime and in the very evening. On top of that, the job-ads published on job-sites should be shown on the companys websites as well. Another factor is the kind of application. Offer an online-mask with option to upload files or ask for an application by eMail. Figure out how your target group ticks and after which criterias the job-ads are regarded - and optimize your online presence in the jungle of job-websites. 

Ralf

HR and Social Media - success by targeting aims properly

From Ralf Junge's blog entry: Erfolgskontrolle von Social-Media-Aktivitäten

By now there is a lot of information about how Social Media Channels can be integrated in Personnel Communication. But the control of success appears to be a challenge for companies still. WHen does Employer Branding via Social Media pays off? With a study KTH Royal Institute of Technology got into the matter of this question just last year. Multiple referents for personnel communication were asked how they measure the success of their activities, what digits matter. What digits show if employer branding via social networks are reaching the pinned goals successfully.

In line of the study the goals of use of Social Media were analyzed. As primary goal Recruitment was identified. Secondary goals are the perception as employer, the attraction of matching candidated, and the development into an 'employer of choice'.

On the basis of these goals exact classification figures can be drawn and defined for the measurement of success. The number of entered application due to Social Media Communication is a significant indicator for fruitful recruiting activities. But not only the quantity of applications, the interaction with the target group show if and how the company is perceived as employer. In its quality again, it shows, if relevant candidates were addressed - got the right target group. The reputation of a company demonstrates (if) Social Media presence influenced the decision of a candidate to chose pro company as employer of choice. Too often though, it is difficult to draw the success of Employer Branding back to Social Media measurements alone. Hence it is advised to include the feedback of candidates when doing the success control.  

What does the control of success at your company look like? 

Ralf

Resources:  Reischauer, Tessa ( 2013): Employer Branding in Social Media – An empirical study on how social media contributes to achieving employer branding aims, KTH Royal Institue of Technology (unveröffentlicht).

Personnel Marketing on Spotify: The German Army does it right!

Translated from Jannis Tsalikis' blog post : "Personalmarketing mit Spotify: Die Bundeswehr macht es vor!"

These were the days. As Teenager, sitting in front of my radio, I tried to record all the good and cool songs on cassette. There weren't too many ways to find new music back then. Sure didn't have the money for many vinyl plattes, later CD's, either. Accordignly my Walkman became my personal holy grail. Well, at least untill that stupid thing broke.

Today there are a felt googillion possibilities to get to hear the sound of time. You could listen to the radio still, but you also can listen to any kind of radio worldwide on radio.de. Technically it is even possible to manage one's own radio station, via Spotify for instance. Just like Soundcloud, Spotify allows you not only to selectively listen to music, but also for your friends to follow you and listen to the same you listened to.

Technically, Spotify is not only more than a radio station, it is a complete Social Media Channel where music is the common denominator. Naturally, more and more channels with music as basic are popping up, for example ampya, tape.tv, vevo ...

What does that have to do with Personnel Marketing?

Well, it is a simply another channel where companies and HR can reach potentials. In its "free" version on Spotify follows a spot of about 30 seconds after every second song. Here, companies can use these 30 seconds to place themselves, also, and use it for Personnel Marketing purposes. The German Army is apparently one of the first "employers" who use the communication channel this way.

Klicken, um zu vergrößern!

The German Armed Forces used the so called Audio Ad. When the spot is played on Spotify a click-able image in the cover area is displayed. You can see it in the left bottom corner of the image above. Additionally, a running text is causing another Call-to-Action (gray board at the bottom). 
You can say what you want about the Ad of the armed forces, but using this channel is  truely "ahead of the curve". Herefor it gets a star behind the name on the board!

Jannis

Employer Branding and Social Media - still a long way to go

Translated from Ralf Junge's blog entry: "Employer Branding und Social Media – ein weiter Weg."

How does Social Media support the Employer Branding at YOUR company? This is the question of one's master theses I was allowed to read the other day. The subject is quite exciting. After all Social Media has not arrived in HR works completely yet. Very exciting especially with this study is, predominantly only Employer Branding Referents from middle class companies have been asked. 

The use of Social Media in regard of Employer Branding has, as expected, become a top priority in recruting new talents for the own company. Secondary,  the respondents stated their perception as employer, the attraction of matching candidates as well as the development of "employer of choice". Nothing new. More interesting, however, are the named hyrdles coming with the introduction of Social Media:

1. The implementation IN the company (culture)
2. The establishing of an authentic Employer Brand
3. The resourcing of relevant content
4. The difficulty of measuring the "success"
5. The integration of the staff
6. The missing personnel resources, and
7. The missing strategy

On further research I came to find more interesting things. According to to the Social Media Index, ASMI, only 16 % of German companies have a Social-Media-Strategy for their Personnel Management. That's the snag! I find this number alarming! Social Media definitely is nothing new anymore. Be silent about its effeciency when used - as proven. And this, especially while the younger target group is available mainly and less complicated via Social Media, also.  I am not wondering anymore why sensible and benefitting use of social networks in terms of Employer Branding are NOT working, after all.

By now, the success of the use of Social Media can be measured by KPI. In terms of the study's goals, prior mentioned, HR's named five important indicators, also: The amount of entered applications because of Social Media Communication is one main indicator for activities functioning. The quantity of applications as well as the interaction with the target group show how the company is perceived. On the other hand, in the quality it (should) show, if relevant talents are addressed (properly). The reputation of the company displays clearly, if social media presence influences candidates choosing the company as employer of choice. It is suggested to involve, and even to embrace, the candidates' feedback, also.

All in all, the master thesis does not show any scandalous or pioneering findings. Nevertheless, it shows clearly that it is a long road ahead for successful use of Social Media in terms of Employer Branding. Companies have to work considerably more than what they already did! I suggest we are going to discuss this at the following HR BarCamp in early March of 2014. Maybe we can come up with some useful tips and tricks for all To-Do's. 

Ralf Junge

Personnel Marketing in the streets

Translation of Jannis Tsalikis' blog entry: Personalmarketing auf der Straße oder "Das geht mir doch am Auspuff!"

No, it is not exactly what the headline tells you. Well it is but not exactly the streets streets. Jeesh, let's just start:

On this blog we posted several times about the AIDA Concept and its criterias for good communication. Rather seldom we discussed the many opportunities or options which open up to HR Managers in regard to Recruting Communication. About the possibility of implementation. A great example of Recruiting Communication is right in front of us - on the street.

I saw two examples of it. One here, in Cologne (found at Ring, Köln, last week):

And another example from Berlin (found at Liesenstraße, Berlin, today):



And, what do you see?

Exactly. The company which is looking for hires in Cologne is not really looking for Johnny Head-in-Air. Rather down-to-earth realists who looks in the right direction. Jokes aside. Obviously, the subject Personnel does not have too high of a priority. Title: nice thought bad executed. It is not even clear what they are looking for in the first place. 

And the second example? It says: "Du hast den Plan! Wir den Job." ("You got the plan! We got the job!") Does that mean the R+S Group has no plan?! Anyway, it is obvious here that effort has been put into the matter. The theme is definitely visible even when stuck in traffic jam. On top of that, thanks to the theme you can expect different kind of handcraft jobs are offered. Awesome! You can apply by SMS even. Not bad. But how is that gonna be like? Like...SMS: "Hi, this is Fred, I am a handy man and wanna work for you. Looking forward to a SMS-reply."?!  

Doesn't matter. We do not want to discuss the quality of these two examples. BUT: You can see, you definitely have more options than "just" publishing a job-ad.

Jannis Tsalikis

The Job-Ads check, or, "The Entrance to the World of Pain"

Translated from Jannis Tsalikis's blog entry: Stellenanzeigen im Check oder auch der "Einstieg in die Welt des Schmerzes"

You might think I am exaggerating. Honestly, I wish I could push it but they job-ads I am going to show you will prove it. Paging through German magazines I sometimes land on pages with job-ads and, well, find the entrance to the world of pain (kinda like Smokie in The Big Lebowski). Check this out.

But maybe you find this different. I would like to give you two examples I am more than happy to discuss with you then.

Example #1: Ferchau 

(Ferchau is an ingeneering company specialized for the aviation industry.)

It says, "Convert your energy successfully". Erm yes, and...how, with a foursquared rack-wheel?! It also says, "You can do that better". Turning the quadrangular round?!

What kind of profile is actually looked for? And for what? What is the offer? Or is it an Image-Ad? If so, what does Ferchau stand forexactly? Cause this certainly is not explained in this ad at all.

Kind of too many inconsistencies - Ouch!! Don't you think?

Example #2: Bundeswehr 

(German Federal Armed Forces. Yes the GFAF also functions like a business. Now while we have no Major Tom nor Uncle Sam we instead have ust the black eagle hoping for applicants. I guess. (*EN))

Here it says, the "Ingeneering career at Bund is sharper than it looks". I am sorry, what? What the heck, erm eagle, does that mean?! You can have a sharp career at the Bundeswehr? What is that supposed to look like? 

Here as well I am asking myself: What and who is searched for? Why Bund instead of Bundeswehr? Why having an excrutiating log jammed structure in this job ad? With a confusing punch line if you can call that one even.

Ouch! I know I am hurting. Are you too?

JT

Talking Windows in Recruiting

Translated from Ralf Junge's blog entry: Ein neuer Recruiting-Kanal – Kandidatensuche mit sprechenden Fenstern

Yes you read it right. It indeed says "Talking windows"!. 

Last week I reported about Guerilla Recruiting and innovative Personnel Marketing ideas. Today I would like to represent and discuss an idea which came to me this week.

Directly into the head of potential customers the pay-to-watch channel Sky Deutschland is presenting its newest App, letting window panes in trains talk to commuters directly. But not everybody can hear the message! Only those commuters who rest their head against the window.

Via transmitter the panes are set swinging and transfers a tone onto the skull tranfering the inaudible swingings directly to the inner ear -  that is the so called Bone Conduction. This (will) result in completely new Marketing and Recruiting means.

Imagine this, you transmit your message or job-ads via audio-spot. Aimed in trains, trams, buses, rental cars etc. to find candidates. Using this innovation of technical possibilities you might leave a sustaining impression. For the younger academics especially. The media attention will be yours for sure as well. But only, if you do not wait too long to be one of the first using Bone Conduction.

I am looking forward to seeing some projects published through this channel and especially by whom. 

RJ

World Sensation! Coming Up: Golden Mangel Award! Participate now!

Translated from Jannis Tsalikis's blog entry: Weltsensation! Verleihung der goldenen Runkelrübe! Jetzt mitmachen!

Don't you feel surrounded by weird or bad Recruiting Communication sometimes too often, also? If you do, it is time to deploy public shame! A few entries have reached us already. Yet, we want more! 

Be there when the first Goldene Runkelrübe (Golden Mangel Award) for the best worst Personnel Marketing Mean is given.  (This award will be awarded wether liked or not - the Golden Raspberry of HR ;)










Everybody is allowed to participate and submit! Let it be Company Representatives, Service Provider, Applicants, whatever. Your vote counts. Anonymously of course!

Submit your entry of personal personnel abomination of external HR Communication till 15th November 2013. Following categories are awarded:

• The discouraging job-ad
• The worst or most embarassing career vdeo
• The most unattractive Career Website
• The most failed Social Media-Presence

We are awaiting your submissions at pfuipfuipfui@goldene-runkelruebe.de!

The award show will take place 4th December (ca. 11 P.M.) in Berlin. Stay tuned. It is going to be a blast!


JT

Axel Springer looking for talented Fellow Traveller

Translated from Ralf Junge's blog entry: "Mitreisende gesucht"

The Digital Natives grew up with modern Technology. The Internet has become a part of everyone's daily life. Networking and Information in  real-time are important to them. 

Now another Generation is entering the Job Market. The Specialists and Leaders of tomorrow are certainly wooed which is why more and more Companies are focussing their Personnel Marketing Activities to be channelled on and to them.  Media Company Axel Springer is staging itself with a  founding   legend of great digital companies such as Apple or Google. 

"It doesn't matter where you come from. As long as you know where you want to go" are the final words of the Video displayed above. The Media House wants to strengthen its Position as Connoisseur of the Digital Industry and launches this new Campaign as Recruiting-Medium in hopes of finding qualified Talents who will join the Companie's Journey towards being the "leading digital Media Company". There is a lot in the pipeline,for instance, a Media Campus is supposed to be  sprouting up in Berlin, Germany. On top of that Axel Springe is supporting the Start-Up Event-Line "hy!", which is taking place in Berlin as of now.

In September 2012 already, BILD-Chief Editor, Kai Diekmann, travelled to the Silicon Valley so he could catch a glimpse of the local Start-Up Scene and of course for networking with such. Where his Journey took him, you can see at his optical Metamorphosis into a Nerd. Surely looking forward to the Media House's development.

Axel Springer succeeds in drawing Interest and Attention with this rather unusual and blahblah-less Personnel Marketing Campaign.

RJ

Us Dissidents - A Generation Thinking Different

Translated from Ralf Junge's blog entry: Wir Andersdenker

Do-Gooder. Dream Dancer. Waverer. Work-Refuser. These are merely a few names current career beginners are titled with often - describing the legendary "Generation Y", those belonging to the population group born between the years of 1980 to 1995.
I was born in 1984, which makes me a member of this particular generation. Since you, as dedicated readers and Human Resourcer, care so much about this generation, I would like to share my thoughts and opinion with you, trying to give you some insights on this matter. With this, a new category of our Blog is born: Us Dissidents. (Not the church group but the new Work Generation)

Talk WITH us!

What do us "Generation Y"-members do to those Human Resourcer deciding about new company entries? Well, we pretty much drive them insane. We make all theories and old practices go overboard and turn them into nonesense from yesterday. We change the labor market and throw our own rules into the game. This is what you might read, hear and see almost daily. But is the (core) problem really us?!

What do we do different? We question and give us a try. We don't want strict, boring office days. We want to take and have an active part in decision-makings in regard to working and still being able to have a (private) life. And that is the fly in the ointment. It is (too) different from the expectations of the "elder", such as my parents for instance. They worked decisively to earn money. As to me, however, passion and self-realization play a big role. And there we have two differing views. This actually means, having such "elder"-view in Human Resources all concepts in Recruiting and Personnel-Marketing are a mess now - previous common Incentives aren't working as they did back in the days. 

Instead of occupying oneself with the new target group, or even talking to us, and adapting and adjusting old concepts, Human Resourcer (of the older generation) are expound the problems of by them titles "Generation Y". We all tend to pigeonhole a lot and find problems in things once it has been granted a "title" somehow - classic pegging, if you ask me. 

But does it really need a title?! Do NOT consider this problem as problem, rather as challenge - why won't you? Allowing yourself to focus and finding a proper path, a right communication and adapting other processes with and to the so-called Generation Y can to be found! One thing is for sure: Talk with us and deal with us! Try and especially start to understand us! The longer you wait, the worse the situation of missunderstanding gets (- you can ask your parents ;) )

RJ

The Five Most Important Things

Translated from Ralf Junge'es blog entry "Die fünf wichtigsten Dinge"

What if your company´s employées come to work each day with a bright smile and are embracing their job because it gives them the feeling of accomplishment and fulfills them? - Unrealistic! Yer, I thought so, too.

Lately I have looked more intensively into the subject of Corporate Culture and Leadership and I came upon this interesting book named  "The Big Five for Life" by John Strelecky. If you did read his book, you wouldn't find the intial question of mine less unrealistic as it appears. More likely it is a question of the Coporate Culture after all. 

Strelecky describes a leadership principle which aims to accomplish a balance between personal aims of Life and Job - these aims are the "Big Five". The idea goes back to having Safaris in Africa which are only titled successful when the five infamous animals of the wild were really seen - Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant and Buffalo. As there are also the five most important things man has on his personal bucket list. The accomplishment of those are ones own benchmark for success and realization. The Big Five serve the compliance of the "Purpose for Existing (PE)" which every person and company should define in the first place. The better the employée's PE fits to the company's the higher the likelihood of a long and fulfilling employer-employée-relationship for both parties. 

For that matter a Corporate Culture has to develop in which well qualified people are hired who will have receive the freedom to figure out how to work successfully - again for both sides.

As written in the book, talented "people don't need somebody monitoring their behavior."  They don't work that well because they are monitored, but because they can identify themselves with their work and like their job.

When recruting new employées already, Human Resources Decider have keep an eye on the matter if the preferred candidate fits to the Corporate Culture, not if the candidate fits the profile of the vacant position in each detail. If employées find fulfillment and accomplishment in their Job, the risk of psychological diseases such as Burn-Out Syndrome is reduced and more energy and creativity is put in as effordt by the employée.

Nothing hinders a project more than a person who has the wrong job or is notoriously unhappy.   

„The Big Five for Life“  is a very interesting book which certainly contents some impulses and much food for thought in regard to the own Corporate Culture and ones own Leadership. It nudges to question a few things - the own way to work, leadership and certainly the own path to self-realization.

RJ

Human Resources loves Public Relations!

Translated from Jannis Tsalikis' blog entry: Human Resources liebt Public Relations! Review der Veranstaltung des lprs Forum

The Leipziger Public Relations Studenten (Public Relations Students of Lepizig) invited for a panel today: "HR vs. PR - Wer hat die Lizenz zur Personalkommunikation?" The students approached precarious questions very conscientiously and seriously as the M16, and assemled TOP-Teams of experts. For those who are having a fair command of German may find this very interesting. We find it to be a great Intro-Film, which the students made and cut for this event specifically:



As you may have noticed in the preview already, I was featured also.  I was allowed to contribute a prolog to this discussion and feed students with info to the topic Personnel Communication since it was pretty unknown to most. And I made it clear:  HR loves PR!

Versus why versus?! Of course, it were meant the specialty departments and the alleged fight about the "honey pots" ( translated quote: Twitter, Jeannette Gusko @JeanneRaffut). While this panel, however, it becomes clear, PR and HR (can) go together only. Yet it is an open end to wether which party, HR or PR, is    ruling the roost. Here the audience was at variance till the very end.

For a lot of students who attended it was quite an illumiative evening. If you wanna practice some more German you can follow up with the thread of the debate on Storify:

AIDA in Personnel Marketing - Simple rules simply applied?!

Translated from Jannis Tsalikis' blog entry AIDA im Personalmarketing - Einfache Werber-Regeln, einfach mal anwenden?!

Every advertisor (should) have it running in his blood, the rules above all rules for advertising communication: the AIDA principle. Applying the bases of this principle should help developing a (at least halway) good communication mean. It is so simple and nice to apply to to almost anything - of course the in Personnel Marketing, also! Let's apply the rules to the Personnel Marketing. The four bases of AIDA would look like this:
 
Attention
The applicants awareness is attracted. The mean must somehwat surprise, stick out and be visible - it gotta catch an eye or two.

Interest
The applicant starts to be interested in the advertising employer at some point and in some way. The target group should be and feel addressed to.

Desire
Going one step further, the interest in working with the employer is awakened. The wish to get the job advertised is generated and strengthened, convincing the employer.

Action
The applicant applies for the very job finally. At the „Point of Application“ applicants are endorsed applying for the job.
 
Easy, isn't it?
 
We can test this systematic with this simple example following. 
Please look at this poster below and judge by applying the prior explained rules to this very job-ad.
 

Attention? Well, yes. I would say such a big poster is hardly not to be seen. The layout, too, with its uberdimensional exclamation mark and the great combination with the questionmarks. Erm, yeah. Very fine! *cough*

Interest? Does the target group feel addressed? Now, considering in Berlin-Wedding, a district of Berlin with quite a few Teenager, one of them will be attracted to a job-ad as such while walking through the mall out of great boredom. With a lot "good will" we can put a check in the box on Interest.

Desire? Is this statement convincing? Start an apprenticeship as Hair Dresser/ Barber so you won't be bored as the job-ad promises? And appreciation? Appreciation and approval (stated in the ad) with a job that under the TOP-10 of the most unpopular jobs? The convincing reasons to apply for are definitely missing. At least now, Personnel Marketing is failing much. Quite a pity! 

AIDA in Personnel Marketing? It isn't that hard to follow those advertising rules, is it?