Hiring Virtual: Why Old Fashioned HR Doesn't Work In Digital World

In 2009, Forrester
 released a research report stating that (much to Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer’s chagrin), “telecommuting will rise to include 43 percent of U.S. workers by 2016.” This trend is not going away. Beyond encouraging positive brand recognition and a more efficient process, organizations can elevate their hiring process to find top performers for both in-house and telecommuting positions by forgoing the traditional, and often lackadaisical, talent selection process altogether.
A recent article in the New York Times entitled, "Online Hiring Tools Are Changing Recruiting Techniques
, "outlines how many companies are taking a different, and more efficient, approach to traditional hiring processes. The article touts the use of online tools, such as LinkedIn and Indeed
, and the use of predictive HR technology as a viable alternative.
* “Old-Fashioned” Hiring Process Versus New Age*
Old-fashioned hiring processes usually commence with a pile of decent looking resumés, an interview process with poorly constructed, non-tailored interview questions, haphazard reference checks and, finally, a hire. The trouble with this process is that it’s subjective; usually based on “gut feeling” rather than logical, proven evidence.  It’s also unstructured; despite being interviewed for the same position, different questions are used for different candidates, and few of the questions actually gain much insight anyhow.
A 2012 employer survey
 conducted by Careerbuilder.com revealed that, “69 percent of employers reported that their companies have been adversely affected by a bad hire this year, with 41 percent of those businesses estimating the cost to be over $25,000. Twenty-four percent said a bad hire cost them more than $50,000.” These are jarring statistics that could be avoided if a firm were to employ a more structured and succinct hiring process from the initial point of contact all the way to the offer letter and beyond.
*Build and Leverage a Benchmark*
Conducting a more effective talent search starts before a candidate even enters the funnel. Utilizing behavioral science to understand the job requirements, organizations should develop a job profile that clearly defines the personality traits and competencies required for a candidate to excel.
For example, someone applying for a job as an accountant would need a different skill set than a candidate applying for a job as a customer service representative. Better yet, someone who plans to telecommute needs a different set of disciplines and traits than someone in-house — even if the position title is exactly the same. Establishing succinct job profiles as the basis for all applicant screening allows hiring managers to filter candidates in an objective, job-relevant way.
In addition to building job frameworks, companies should take into consideration how a candidate would do within a company’s culture.  However, for a telecommuting position, it’s important to account for the variation in organizational culture prominence and proximity.
Pre-screening a potential employee based on these criteria shifts the paradigm from subjective to objective. Many companies are using automated assessment software to accurately and efficiently refine their candidate funnel, saving companies thousands of dollars in both hard and soft costs.
*Technology Begets the Technologically Savvy*
In addition to assisting organizations in finding more qualified candidates, utilizing an iron clad technologically and psychologically based process models to potential employees — especially telecommuters — that the company is cutting edge. This is especially appealing to top performing virtual employees who are looking for assurance that prospective employers truly do embrace technology.
Predictive, technology-based hiring also works as a positive brand ambassador on behalf of the company. What job candidate wants to go to an awkward interview where they are asked questions that don’t even apply to the job, be unfairly compared to other candidates based on uncontrolled and subjective variables and then chosen by “chance” at the end of the clunky process? A streamlined process works to promote a company brand while instilling the desire within the candidate to actually want to work there.
*Tailoring the Technology to Find the Right Fit*
As mentioned earlier in the article, understanding what traits make someone more successful in a job role is most of the battle. An in-house employee will need to possess different strengths than a telecommuter. Even if an organization is employing a more modern hiring approach, they often miss the mark because they use the same criteria for each position.
So, how can a company leverage technology to better define and predict the perfect candidate? Use predictive technology to ensure a candidate who seems like a good fit, actually is. Assessing key competencies using behavioral based questions focused on disposition, productivity, cultural fit, growth potential and retention within the particular job role will save companies from making a poor hiring decision, whether in-house or virtual.
By using a mix of predictive technology, hiring managers can rest assured the organization won’t become another statistic by hiring a seemingly good telecommuting employee. The digital process will help companies find top performers, strengthen the brand and take most, if not all, of the variables out of hiring.

Hiring Virtual: Why Old Fashioned HR Doesn't Work In Digital World

In 2009, Forrester
 released a research report stating that (much to Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer’s chagrin), “telecommuting will rise to include 43 percent of U.S. workers by 2016.” This trend is not going away. Beyond encouraging positive brand recognition and a more efficient process, organizations can elevate their hiring process to find top performers for both in-house and telecommuting positions by forgoing the traditional, and often lackadaisical, talent selection process altogether.
A recent article in the New York Times entitled, "Online Hiring Tools Are Changing Recruiting Techniques
, "outlines how many companies are taking a different, and more efficient, approach to traditional hiring processes. The article touts the use of online tools, such as LinkedIn and Indeed
, and the use of predictive HR technology as a viable alternative.
* “Old-Fashioned” Hiring Process Versus New Age*
Old-fashioned hiring processes usually commence with a pile of decent looking resumés, an interview process with poorly constructed, non-tailored interview questions, haphazard reference checks and, finally, a hire. The trouble with this process is that it’s subjective; usually based on “gut feeling” rather than logical, proven evidence.  It’s also unstructured; despite being interviewed for the same position, different questions are used for different candidates, and few of the questions actually gain much insight anyhow.
A 2012 employer survey
 conducted by Careerbuilder.com revealed that, “69 percent of employers reported that their companies have been adversely affected by a bad hire this year, with 41 percent of those businesses estimating the cost to be over $25,000. Twenty-four percent said a bad hire cost them more than $50,000.” These are jarring statistics that could be avoided if a firm were to employ a more structured and succinct hiring process from the initial point of contact all the way to the offer letter and beyond.
*Build and Leverage a Benchmark*
Conducting a more effective talent search starts before a candidate even enters the funnel. Utilizing behavioral science to understand the job requirements, organizations should develop a job profile that clearly defines the personality traits and competencies required for a candidate to excel.
For example, someone applying for a job as an accountant would need a different skill set than a candidate applying for a job as a customer service representative. Better yet, someone who plans to telecommute needs a different set of disciplines and traits than someone in-house — even if the position title is exactly the same. Establishing succinct job profiles as the basis for all applicant screening allows hiring managers to filter candidates in an objective, job-relevant way.
In addition to building job frameworks, companies should take into consideration how a candidate would do within a company’s culture.  However, for a telecommuting position, it’s important to account for the variation in organizational culture prominence and proximity.
Pre-screening a potential employee based on these criteria shifts the paradigm from subjective to objective. Many companies are using automated assessment software to accurately and efficiently refine their candidate funnel, saving companies thousands of dollars in both hard and soft costs.
*Technology Begets the Technologically Savvy*
In addition to assisting organizations in finding more qualified candidates, utilizing an iron clad technologically and psychologically based process models to potential employees — especially telecommuters — that the company is cutting edge. This is especially appealing to top performing virtual employees who are looking for assurance that prospective employers truly do embrace technology.
Predictive, technology-based hiring also works as a positive brand ambassador on behalf of the company. What job candidate wants to go to an awkward interview where they are asked questions that don’t even apply to the job, be unfairly compared to other candidates based on uncontrolled and subjective variables and then chosen by “chance” at the end of the clunky process? A streamlined process works to promote a company brand while instilling the desire within the candidate to actually want to work there.
*Tailoring the Technology to Find the Right Fit*
As mentioned earlier in the article, understanding what traits make someone more successful in a job role is most of the battle. An in-house employee will need to possess different strengths than a telecommuter. Even if an organization is employing a more modern hiring approach, they often miss the mark because they use the same criteria for each position.
So, how can a company leverage technology to better define and predict the perfect candidate? Use predictive technology to ensure a candidate who seems like a good fit, actually is. Assessing key competencies using behavioral based questions focused on disposition, productivity, cultural fit, growth potential and retention within the particular job role will save companies from making a poor hiring decision, whether in-house or virtual.
By using a mix of predictive technology, hiring managers can rest assured the organization won’t become another statistic by hiring a seemingly good telecommuting employee. The digital process will help companies find top performers, strengthen the brand and take most, if not all, of the variables out of hiring.

LinkedIn Reveals Company Page APIs For Posting, Analytics

LinkedIn on Monday extended marketers’ access to company page APIs, offering more options and a chance to better assess and manage analytics on the site.
LinkedIn, which last month partnered with Hootsuite, HubSpot, Shoutlet, Salesforce, Spreadfast and Percolate on the API feature, is now allowing marketers to access its platform through a number of other third-party apps.
“We want to enable our clients to manage their content marketing from any tool they are comfortable using,” said LinkedIn seniorp specialist Keith Cowing in a blog post
. “Opening our Company Page APIs means that all applications will have access to LinkedIn Company Pages.  This will make it even easier for marketers to generate and manage content on LinkedIn and use our new Sponsored Updates
 solution to extend the reach of that content.”
Cowing said all developers are to be given access to the Company Page APIs in a bid to strengthen the firm’s “ecosystem and evangelize important applications and uses.”
“We will continue to select developers who build world-class products and achieve impressive scale to become official partners under our Social Media Management program,” Cowing said. “Developers can see our developer blog posthere
 to access the Company Page APIs and get started.”

Job Searchers Can Now Submit Applications Via linkedin Mobile App

LinkedIn is making it easier for its members to apply for jobs on-the-go.
The professional networking site announced Monday it has added mobile job application functionality to its iOS and Android apps, allowing users to quickly and efficiently apply for that dream job.
“So why did we add this functionality? First and foremost, you asked us to,” wrote LinkedIn associate product managerVaibhav Goel
 in a blog post.
 “Plus, more than 30 percent of members who view jobs posted on LinkedIn come from mobile devices.”
LinkedIn began making automatic job suggestions to mobile users last month. The new feature is an extension of that service.
To use it, simply click the ‘apply’ button next to the job of interest. The member can then update his or her profile or send as is by tapping ‘next.’ LinkedIn will then autocomplete the sender’s contact information, although the app also gives the user the option to enter a new e-mail address or other contact information. Once this is done, the user clicks  ‘submit’ to complete the application process.
LinkedIn job app

“‘Apply’ leverages the rich professional information members include in their profiles to simplify the application process down to a few simple steps,” Goel said in his post. “Filling out 30+ application fields on mobile is a pain, and enabling members to apply with their profile removes this hurdle. The whole process now takes less than a minute to complete.”
Members, however, will only be able to apply for jobs via LinkedIn if the job poster collects applications in LinkedIn Recruiter
. If the job poster is collecting applications through an ATS system instead, members have the option of clicking on ‘apply on company website’ to send a resumé.
“With this new functionality and CheckIn
 — our mobile app that radically simplifies how recruiters collect and manage candidate information at events — we’re making it easier for members to provide recruiters with their professional information and apply for jobs,” Goel said.
The feature, so far, is available only to English speaking members.

Presidential Veto On Apple Product Ban Worries South Korea

The Obama administration’s 11th-hour veto of a U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ban on imports of a number of older Apple devices, including the iPhone 4, is being criticized by South Korea.
The presidential veto over the weekend— the first such action since 1987 —effectively erases South Korean technology giant Samsung’s patent victory over American firm Apple.
The ITC ruled early last month that the iPhone maker breached a Samsung patent covering wireless transmission technology and, as a result, banned the imports of the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS, the iPad 3G, the iPad2 3G and the iPad 3. Because the devices are manufactured in China, the ban would prevent Apple from selling the devices in the U.S. The ban was set to take effect Monday.
The South Korean government, however, voiced its apprehension that the action could hurt Samsung, adding that the action could have a “negative impact … on the protection of patent rights,” according to Korea’s Chosen Media.

The country’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy vowed to keep a close eye on the ITC’s ruling, set for Friday, on if Samsung infringed any of Apple’s patented technologies. The ministry said it expects a “fair and rational” ruling.

U.S. President Barack Obama has made it no secret that he is largely opposed to sales bans, although experts were uncertain if he would intervene on Apple’s behalf.
The veto was sent to ITC Chairman Irving Williamson by U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman on the president’s behalf.
Froman, in a letter to Williamson, said after extensive review he had decided to disapprove of the ITC ruling because of the effect it would have on “competitive conditions in the U.S. economy and the effect on U.S. consumers.”
“The administration is committed to promoting innovation and economic progress, including through providing adequate and effective protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights,” Froman wrote, adding that his decision is not a criticism of the ITC’s analysis. He said Smasung is entitled to continue to pursue a “remedy” through the courts.
Froman said he would closely examine all future cases involving the licensing of standard essential patents to ensure decisions made do not impact public interests or the economy.
While Apple, which accused Samsung of abusing the patent system, said it applauded “the administration for standing up for innovation in this landmark case,” Samsung said it was “disappointed” by the decision.
“The ITC’s decision correctly recognized that Samsung has been negotiating in good faith and that Apple remains unwilling to take a license,” Samsung said in a statement.
The Apple products ban is far from the final chapter in the Apple-Samsung patent battle that began in earnest two years ago. Apple was the first of the two companies to score a victory: A jury verdict last August found Samsung had violated six of Apple’s patents and the South Korean company was ordered to pay Apple $1.05 billion. If the ruling holds up, it will set the record as the largest patent verdict in history.
Apple appealed for more than half a billion dollars in additional damages against Samsung for patent violation after losing its bid for a sales ban against 26 of Samsung handsets last fall.
Samsung and Apple will find themselves in court for yet another patent violation trial next year. Unlike the previous patent lawsuit that Apple won against Samsung last August, the current lawsuit addresses software and user interface patents, including the rights to the search technology integrated in the iPhone Siri voice feature.

Link Building And Content: The Right Combo For Getting Found Online

In a recent interview, Eric Enge of Stone Temple Consulting asked Google’s Matt Cutts a question that weighs heavily on the minds of today’s SEO professionals: “Is link building illegal?”
Google’s algorithm changes over the past few years have scared many a webmaster into believing that backlinks could be detrimental to his or her site.  No longer the basic SEO staple it once was, link-building has instead developed a reputation as risky behavior that Google is poised to punish.
If anyone can debunk that misunderstanding once and for all, Cutts can. Cutts is perhaps the most infamous member of Google’s organization, known for his work on the Search Quality and Webspam teams. His blog, which chronicles Google algorithm updates among other things, is nothing short of required reading for anyone involved in search marketing.
In response to Enge’s question, Cutts says simply, “No, link building is not illegal.”
He goes on to explain best practices for successful link building: a common-sense approach that emphasizes quality over quantity, author reputation, and relevant content.
Cutts says that Google still values high-quality backlinks but suggests that many people are working in reverse when it comes to link building.
"“The philosophy that we’ve always had is if you make something that’s compelling then it would be much easier to get people to write about it and to link to it. And so a lot of people approach it from a direction that’s backwards. They try to get the links first and then they want to be grandfathered in or think they will be a successful website as a result.”"
Instead, primary focus should be on building a useful site full of great content – content that visitors will link to without any prompting.  Build a site so full of insightful articles, helpful videos, and to-the-point infographics that your readers can’t help but pass them on.
Of course, this isn’t new advice. Content has been king since the earliest days of SEO.  However, Google is getting better at reading social signals that can boost a site’s reputation.  And these days, it’s all about reputation.
In other words, “…it is true that a lot of SEO is now circling back around to good old fashioned marketing.”
*What does this mean for search engine optimization?*
*The on-site rules still apply.*  It’s still important to get the basics right by using appropriate tags, setting up meta data that “talks” to the search engines to provide relevant keywords, descriptions, and titles, and of course, writing great content that emphasizes the things you want your customers to know.
*Traditional marketing tactics should be employed*.  Because being “liked” or “followed” on social networks like Google+, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn help to signify your value to search engines like Google, getting noticed is more important than ever.  Cutts tells us, “…if you think like a good marketer and think about what will appeal to people, you will find your job as an SEO and getting links or trying to build your links will be easier as well.”
*Creativity is key.*  Give your visitors something unique.  Get them talking with a controversial article.  Make a video that makes them laugh.  Create an infographic with compelling data.  People are insatiable when it comes to social media, so give them something worth sharing and they’ll pounce on it – increasing your site’s search reputation at the same time.
*Many roads lead to success.*  Don’t pick one marketing tactic and stick with it.  Take every avenue you can.  If you just rely on Facebook, you’re missing out on links, reputation, and traffic you could get from other sites.  If you only produce text articles, you’re missing out on an audience that appreciates graphics.
Enge observes, “You can argue about how good Google is about detecting a particular signal today, or whether a given signal is noisy or not, but over time Google’s capabilities in these areas will continue to get better and better.”
In other words, send all the signals you can.  They’re only going to strengthen your site’s performance over time.
*“Syndicate!  Syndicate!”*  If Doctor Who’s Dalek villains worked in marketing, that word would replace “Exterminate!” as their battle cry.  Syndicating your blog or article content on authoritative websites can be an excellent way to improve your reputation and generate backlinks at the same time.  However, it’s important to make sure Google identifies you as the original author.  Tags like “rel=canonical” and “rel=author” are important mechanical ways to take credit for your work, and even something small like publishing it to your own site a few days before it goes into syndication can help the search engines track the original content back to your page.
*Put a face on your brand.*  Your reputation contributes to your site’s reputation, as long as you put yourself out there in connection with your company.  Google’s executive chairman Eric Schmidt revealed the following tip to the Wall Street Journal:
"“Within search results, information tied to verified online profiles will be ranked higher than content without such verification, which will result in most users naturally clicking on the top (verified) results. The true cost of remaining anonymous, then, might be irrelevance.”"
However, Cutts replies to that statement by turning the conversation back to the real question of the day:  is link building dead?
"“Links are still the best way that we’ve found to discover [how relevant or important somebody is to someone else], and maybe over time social or authorship or other types of markup will give us a lot more information about that.”"
In other words, do your link building right, but do it.  It matters.

Twitter Adds Photos, Accounts To Search Results

Twitter has freshened up its Web search, bringing photos and accounts to its search results, the social network tweeted
Thursday.
“Search update on http://twitter.com 
: See photos and accounts in results plus recent searches and social context as you type your query,” the tweet reads.
As part of the mini-makeover, Twitter.com will offer smarter searches — the social media site’s search bar now includes recent searches and saved searches.
‘Social context’ has also been added to the mix. When a user enters a query in the search bar, Twitter will now inform the user of any relationships he or she may have with matching accounts. For instance, if the user is already following an account that pops up, Twitter will point out the relationship. The site will even show users if the accounts they follow are following those who appear in a search.
The changes put Twitter’s Web search on an equal footing with its mobile search.