Social Media, recently and over the past few years, has gotten bigger and bigger. With websites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and many others, a whole new path of interaction for businesses and their recruiteres has been opened. It gives companies a chance to make new connections with potential passive contacts. Just like with anything, there are many great ways it can be utilized by recruiters, but there are also a number of potholes to look out for if you want to make sure to use social networking in the best way.

1. Spam. A lot of social media websites lend themselves to being used constantly. While tweeting or posting what you’re doing every ten minutes might be okay for a personal account on one of these websites, if your business does the same, people will get annoyed fast. If your tweets are so frequent that they fill up the feeds of everyone following you – whether or not the content you are posting may be relevant or interesting – they will get annoyed and could be compelled to remove you from their feed. Like with all things, moderation is important.
2. Inactivity. On the opposite side of posting too much is not posting enough. Once you make an account on a social networking site and people know that you are there, if you abandon it, it is likely that potential candidates, customers or contacts will see it and assume that you are no longer in business, or some other unfortunate outcome.
3. Impersonal. Just like with the two sides of the coin when it come to how much content you post, there is the question of what content you post. I have seen Facebook pages for companies that have little to no information save for a link to their company’s website and a few words. While this may seem more stoic and businesslike, it leaves a lot to be assumed. Having some information about the company, and even the people who work there, adds a personal touch and as long as it is done tastefully, can help keep people revisiting your page.
4. Too personal. The other side of this coin is posting too much personal information. It’s endearing to see a post celebrating someone’s birthday or something that is as much of a milestone as that, but if too much is posted, such as a comment about office shenanigans multiple times a day, it gives an air that is not as businesslike as most people prefer.
5. Lack of interaction. Remember that just posting tweets or updates isn’t the only way to take part in social networking, but discussing and interacting with others who are posting on their own and your pages as well can make you more interesting to them and others who see their pages.

 I hope that these five things to look out for will help you better manage your social networking now and for the time to come. To stay at the edge of issues on HR and staffing, be sure to subscribe to the Human Capital Supply Chain Blog.

Top 5 Social Networking Potholes is a post from: Human Capital Supply Chains

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Preparing for your latest job fair?  As you spend a full day frantically packing your signage, gathering your business cards and concepting your booth game, your savviest competitor has already reached out to six candidates – each more qualified than you will meet at your fair.

How did they do it?  By realizing long ago that job fairs are a dying recruiting tactic and evolving their strategy.

Below, find five reasons job fairs are overrated:

1. The concept of gatherings has gone virtual – What is a job fair but a gathering where candidates and recruiters can all meet in one convenient location? The problem with this statement is that large gatherings of people are rarely, if ever, convenient.  Between the pushing, shoving, traffic and yelling – large gatherings are the furthest thing from convenient.  Online gatherings, on the other hand, are efficient and scalable.  Candidates and recruiters find and chat with only those that match their dual needs.  Within minutes, dozens of chats can take place in a forum or LinkedIn group, each more fruitful than the random connections that happen at a fair.
2. Efficiency of Scale – At a full day job fair, how many candidates can you realistically connect with that are a bullseye for your needs?  And even if your answer is a high number, how many of these same candidates can you realistically hope to connect with after the event, knowing they are speaking to hundreds of recruiters just like you?  Now, what if you were to spend a full day member targeting digitally, pre-qualifying candidates based on their history before connecting with them directly?
3. Savvy employees connect online – Efficiency of scale cuts both ways.  Savvy candidates know that standing out online is far easier than standing out in a room full of hungry candidates competing for the same position.  As such, the savviest employees are reaping dividends by making themselves stand out from the crowd online.
4. Time… - How much time goes into prep for any job fair?  Days, weeks, months?   And after all the prep is done, you will spend anywhere from four to eight hours away from your office, fighting for a wireless connection, risking falling behind on other key tasks and messages – all for a game of networking roulette with distracted candidates who may not even be qualified.  Instead, why not spend two hours meeting twice as many candidates – each qualified – by spending one hour searching in social channels?  The best part is, it’s a task that practically begs for you to multi-task.
5. and Money - Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, blogs – all free. (Note – advertising and some member targeting will require some cost, but relatively nominal.)  Compare this against the cost to just get in the door of a job fair.  Why not try something that’s cheaper AND has the potential to work better?

So what do you think?

Are we way off base about job fairs, right on the money, or did we ultimately just give you something to chew on?  We welcome your comments.

Death To Job Fairs: 5 Reasons To Kill This Overrated Recruiting Tactic is a post from: Human Capital Supply Chains

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After attending the HR Thought Leadership conference in Atlantic City in June, I came away with a bunch of insights from attendees and other speakers about the Future of Human Capital Supply Chain Software.  I heard from a number of corporate HR executives that there is a HUGE market globally for the “replacement” of first generation 1.0 Talent Management systems over the next few years. This is being driven by the explosion of Web 2.0 technologies and the dis-satisfaction that many corporate HR users have with their “over-sold” current 1.0 talent management solutions. 

In general, the Top 5 Future Capabilites Include:

1) ”User-Defined” systems that can be easily configured by the user, without the expensive need to redesign old customizations.

2) “Consumer Driven” solutions that are vastly more User Friendly and better reflect the user experience of using Google.

3) “SaaS Cloud Computing” solutions that are rented by the month with much easier termination clauses.

4) “Perpetual Beta” software where “Upgrades” become obsolete, because your software is automatically updated every night with bug fixes and new features.

5) “Interactional” solutions where “batches” become obsolete and “work flow” changes are easy and continual.

In addition to these General statements about the Future of HCSC software, there were a few more specific directions discussed:

1) HCSC Software will become a tightly integrated solution from a single vendor that will combine Enterprise Software + Moblie Apps + Web 2.0 Applications.

2) The “Gamification” of HCSC software will begin as younger user demand more of a PS3 or Wii interface device for their Talent Management systems.

3) Expanded use of “Video Interviews” with the new streaming technologies, bigger bandwith and the launch of the iPhone 4 and the iPad.

4) Much better “Scheduling” capabilities through the use of mobile devices and products such as Timebridge and the new auto appointment matching capabilites of Outlook.

5) Better “Expense” management with products such as Expense Cloud, Better “Reference” checking with Checkster and Better “Interconnections” with products such as Jobvite.

6) A complete “Supply Chain” environment that connects your HRIS + ATS + CRM into a single system from a single vendor.

The point of all these predictions is to give our Blog readers a reason to sit down with their current technology vendors and understand “WHEN” they will be receiving these new features and intergrations.  If your vendor does not have “Feature Road Map”, it may be time to find a new vendor that does!!

Future of HCSC Software is a post from: Human Capital Supply Chains

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For awhile now there have been two camps of thought concerning how to best help Corporations improve the management of their contingent workforce spending.  At first, there were stand alone VMS (Vendor Management Software/Service) companies that applied technology to this business issue,  Over time the large Staffing firms jumped in and through their MSP (Managed Service Provider) offerings and the acquisition of some of the VMS technology companies, they have been able to effectively help their largest corporate clients better manage the flow of contingent spending.  Who is right and who is wrong ???

In a recent article in Workforce magazine, Chris Dwyer (analyst with research firm Aberdeen Group) mentioned that “it now makes good sense to combine a vendor management system (VMS) with a Managered Service Provider (MSP)”.   He continued that “the big attraction of a vendor management system is that they help companies home in on how much they actually pay for temps and all other contingent workers”.   Dwyer also relayed that “VMS users have reduced their time-to-fill rates by 34%, while achieving 37% higher cost savings than non-VMS users”.  The benefits for corporations working more tightly with their Staffing suppliersis becomming more and more aparent to everyone.

Managed service providers, such as Manpower, Adecco and Guidant,  have their own software ( usually through acquisition) for keeping tabs of their client’s contigent labor.  Ed Jackson (CEO at Provade) summed it up very clearly, when he stated that “it was a lot simplier 20 years ago when 90% of the total workforce was permanent, where today it is down to 60% or even lower in some companies”.  Jim Holincheck (analyst withresearch firm Gartner) clarified that “the interest in Vendor Management Systems has been limited to those firms that spend at least $30 million each year on contigent labor”.    As with most new technologies, the largest firms spearhead the initial efforts and then smaller firms follow along.

So where does all of this information lead us ???  From my point of view, the need for a seperate standalone VMS system is quickly fading for a number of reasons.  First, corporations want their current applicant tracking ATS and talent management TMS systems to include most of the VMS functionality as it relates to distributing orders and assigning workers from multiple tiers of staffing suppliers.  On the other side of the coin, staffing firms need some of the VMS capabilities bulit into their own front and back office systems to handle the collection of timecards and creation of invoices for those corporate clients.  Because of this changing direction amongst corporations and staffing firms, we at Bond International Software are currently delivering our Bond Talent corporate solutions and our Adapt/On Demand staffing systems with all of these VMS capabilities built in from the beginning and tightly integrated, just like in an ERP manufacturing environment. 

As Bond and other software firms begin to deploy these integrated Human Capital Supply Chain solutions to corporations and their staffing suppliers, the need for stand alone VMS systems will quickly disappear.  Those VMS firms such as BeeLine will continue to be acquired by staffing firms such as Adecco and other.  What is your company’s strategy for better controlling your Contigent Spending and moving towards a Human Capital Supply Chain environment with your staffing suppliers???  Let me know, Tim Giehll

Staffing MSP Services Kills Need For VMS Firms is a post from: Human Capital Supply Chains

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Last week, while attending the Consulting Summit in Chicago ,hosted by Brian Cuthbert and Joe Kornik of Consulting Magazine, I had the opportunity to talk with some of the world’s leading HR and Supply Chain consulting firms.  I had the chance to speak with Kathryn Hayley (CEO) from Aon, Rajeev Jain of Hewitt, Maryanne Faschan of HP, Carrie Greenbaum of Alix and Susan Kantor of PRTM.  After talking about the revolutionary aspects of Human Capital Supply Chains, all my discussions focused on how Consulting firms should begin to engage with their corporate clients about the benefits of implementing a Human Capital Supply Chain environment.  The discussions were lively and it reinforced for me the true transformational nature of a new idea such as Human Capital Supply Chains.   

We also discussed the importance of HR consulting firms tackling the challenges of transforming “People Responsibilities” within their client organizations and the complexities of Human Capital Supply Chain ”ProcessRe-engineering”.  I also offered the global resources at Bond International Software to help these same consulting firms with the technical software requirements of implementing a HCSC environment.  Over time, Bond will be looking for consulting firm partners to implement Human Capital Supply Chain environments around the world.

HR Consulting Firms Embrace Human Capital Supply Chains is a post from: Human Capital Supply Chains

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First of all, I have to give full credit for this post to the Californai Staffing Association.  The information written by them below is one of the BEST descriptions of what staffing firms many times deal with when they interact with a corporate VMS.  It is important for all parties; 1) the corporate client, 2) the VMS/MSP and 3) the staffing firm to better understand the  common frustrations of interfacing with a VMS environment.  Happy Reading !!!

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It’s not likely to change soon; more and more staffing agencies are getting cornered into working with middlemen-vendor managers. One day you’re sending temps to an end user and directly billing the end user. The next day a vendor manager-accounts payable service has been installed between you and the customer. You’re told, “Take it or leave it!” If you must “take it”, at least do it with eyes wide open. There are a number of things you must understand, and do, to make sure you don’t get burned by VMS vendor managers.

Whatever software or web system the VMS uses to interact with the staffing agencies, subcontractors, and temps, you had better understand it extremely well from the very beginning (before you send the first employee). In most cases, if you are not set up perfectly on their system you will not get paid by the VMS no matter how much you have already paid your temps. It does not matter how much of your own internal paperwork or documentation you have. You can send the VMS your invoices, timesheets and payroll data until you are blue in the face, but they will usually only pay the hours recorded perfectly on their system. This can be true whether it is in the normal course of business or even in a dispute. Most VMS will never look at your invoices and never see your time sheets. Never pay employees from your own internal time sheets.

The payment information that vendor manager systems provide staffing agencies is often confusing. Many can tell you, “if you don’t have a good deal of time to reconcile all of the data provided by the VMS every week, don’t even start in with a VMS.” Payment reports from the VMS might include payments from different week endings; payments are not clear cut and may not be tied into one specific week. Confused and overloaded, agency operators just keep erroneously applying payments to the oldest invoices. When a VMS creates confusion and holds payments, or doesn’t pay the correct amounts, the staffing agency usually ends up taking it in the shorts.

Many agencies keep paying employees that are not fully approved, turned on, or activated on the VMS system. The VMS can say the temp did not send their resume, complete a background check or drug screening, meet some educational requirement, etc., etc. Before you find out some element of “fully approved” has not been met, you lose a week or more of pay. And then you may spend countless hours fighting to recover.

In some cases, by contract you only have two or three weeks to find out if an employee is not turned on in their system, to correct hour variances, and handle disputes. You may not even know something is wrong for almost six weeks, until you get a shorted check. When working with a VMS, it is safest to log in and reconcile constantly. Import the hours from the VMS software to your payroll and billing software if possible. If the first check you receive from the VMS does not exactly match your imported data, stop everything. Know that it will never be correct going forward and you will probably lose money in future confusion. Too many staffing agency owners, especially start-up operations, are just so happy to get a check, they ignore the early warning signs.

New developments at the macro level of working with a VMS can also cause you financial losses and higher risk, especially in bankruptcy situations. When working directly with a client, a staffing agency would normally pull a credit report on that direct client before sending in workers. When working with a VMS the real debtor becomes the VMS, not the end user of the temps. In VMS contracts the staffing agency usually has no rights to collect from the company that used the temporaries. It is necessary to pull a credit report on the vendor manager. Normally if the vendor manager ever goes bankrupt, you the staffing agency must return to the court any monies that the VMS paid to you within the ninety day period before the VMS bankruptcy. If the end user of the temps declares bankruptcy, you do not have to return monies paid to you by the VMS; your customer is the VMS. In that case, the VMS would take the bankruptcy hit. Beware…that scenario is changing now. Study carefully the clauses in any VMS contracts you may be given. In some of them you will now see paragraphs that obligate you to return monies paid to you by the VMS if the end user of the temps ever declares bankruptcy. That means you must pull credit reports on, and continually track, both the VMS and the end user.

VMS Hell from a staffing industry point of view is a post from: Human Capital Supply Chains

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In a recent report by research firm Staffing Industry Analysts, it was found that the percentage of companies using Vendor Management Systems ( VMS ) jumped from 34 percent in 2007 to 63 percent in 2009.  Staffing Industry Analysts also predicted the rate would climb to 81 percent in 2011.

This is a very interesting trend for any firm that is trying to better manage it spending on contingent workers.  It also proves the point that the need for corporations and their staffing suppliers to better communicate with each other has never been greater.  For those not familiar with VMS software, it usually sits between a corporation and its staffing suppliers and it automates the “req to check” process with capabilities such as job requisition templates, req approvals, distribution of reqs to staffing partners, assignment letters, time sheets and invoicing.  The software can even help manage independant contractors and outside consultants.

Even though first generation VMS systems are usually stand-alone companies, their functionality and business models will evolve over time.  I feel that current VMS functionality will be split down the middle with requisition activities pushed back into the Talent Management systems that the corporation uses.  The other half of the current VMS functionality will be pushed down into the ERP Systems used by staffing firms.  With today’s easier to use API Interfaces, the corporate and staffing systems will be easily plugged together.  Firms such as Bond International Software and others sell software solutions to both sides of the fence in order to create these new Human Capital Supply Chain environments.

VMS Software for the Masses is a post from: Human Capital Supply Chains

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Recently, we shared a guest post with Staffing Robot – a blog on healthcare staffing, technology and other topics – on leveraging Human Capital Supply Chains in healthcare staffing.

The Healthcare staffing industry has always had its ups and downs over the past few years and with revolutionary healthcare legislation on the horizon, it is hard to know how to plan for the future.  Aside from the whole legislative uproar, we do know 3 important facts that the Healthcare staffing industry needs to prepare for, starting today:

Be sure to visit Staffing Robot and read the full post.

Guest Post On Staffing Robot On Human Capital Supply Chains is a post from: Human Capital Supply Chains

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Can you believe that the holidays are weeks behind us?  It’s once again safe to brave the malls to use those gift cards and return those unwanted items that were given to us.

That’s why I received a chuckle and a dose of reality when reading Tim Sackett’s blog on Workforce Management. Tim writes about the “HR gifts” he’d like to return, which include many of the staples, no pun intended, of the corporate world. Many of the practices that have been ingrained in our minds and processes now seem antiquated.

Sackett’s blog also made me reflect on ways some of the corporations where I worked in the past had to continuously change the ways they ran their business or they would become as useful as my Atari 5200 Super System in today’s Wii world.  “Corporate Presents” are given for a reason. But just like using the same presentation in public speaking engagements, without tailoring items to the needs of the audience, you might as well be giving everyone that same block of fruitcake. *Disclaimer: I love fruitcake, but I know it doesn’t have mass appeal.

The points Sackett makes are clear. What may have worked in the corporate world in the past may not be relevant in the here-and-now. let alone in the future. Think about it. If you mentioned “social media” around the water cooler 20 years ago, your coworkers probably thought you were talking about some kind of hippie TV program.  Today, how would the world function without a status update?

Corporate leaders who can react quickly to market changes are strategically positioned to hire the best and most qualified people, and retain them.  As talent changes, so does their needs. In his book, ‘Innovative Reward Systems For The Changing Workplace’, Thomas B. Wilson discusses making corporate recognition strategic and special.  Wilson further explains how compensation plans usually are complex to set up and that there is a delay in the recognition to reinforce good habits. But encouraging and reinforcing good habits in a timely and meaningful manner may not be as easy to operate effectively.  There’s always a risk of implementing a innovative reward system, but not having one at all will only ensure high turnover and low employee satisfaction. It comes down to having a good plan.

Managing your processes, technologies and organizational roles is all about change, and while it is a big commitment, the potential for big returns are the rewards for those who learn the lessons from the past.  And as corporations get their arms around their human capital spending and factor in the value of implementing a human capital supply chain, the cost of HR Gifts from the Ghost of Christmas Future must always be present.

I wonder how much I can get for this Atari 5200 to put towards a Wii?

The Art of Returning Gifts is a post from: Human Capital Supply Chains

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