百宝箱 2007-6-21 02:44 PM
Top things that have shaped recruiting
On a plane the other day I read [url=http://www.usatoday.com/tech/top25-internet.htm][color=#0000ff]USA Today’s report on the top 25 things that shaped the internet.[/color][/url] d9hr/O8cX
It got me thinking about the things that have truly shaped recruiting over the years. Now we can argue whether these have been for better or for worse, and perhaps that’s another conversation. To start with, here’s my top 10, as I look at them many fall into technology. For now I’ll start with my top 5 and add to this later on.4kR:J,j Cd nB?U
I’d welcome comments from you on the potential positive or negative impact these have had on our industry.
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[b]1) The Web - The world becomes smaller and we all go digital.[/b]
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In 1991, CERN publicized the new World Wide Web project, two years after4s8R f M/R[ Rl ga k
Tim Berners-Lee created the first few Web pages at CERN. The web has to be the biggest technology impact of my generation. For recruiting, we’ve seen an on-going maturation of the web from initial job boards like [url=http://web.archive.org/web/19961112195540/http://occ.com/][color=#0000ff]OCC[/color][/url] and [url=http://web.archive.org/web/19970802074914/http://www.careermosaic.com/][color=#0000ff]CareerMosaic[/color][/url]&xx+\`co
to the overabundance of solutions available to recruiters today. The web has taken recruiting to a whole new level, giving people access to candidates across the world. We still have the age old problem of getting to the right candidate though.j4{
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[b]2) E-mail – Stop calling me, just send me an e-mail.[/b] l{e9_bX3Ur(g tt
Eudora comes out in 1988 as one of the first e-mail programs available to the general user community. Our inboxes have been filling up since then. Nearly 97 billion e-mails are sent each day across the world. I wrote about this in my [url=http://hodesqtrac.com/2007/05/03/i-remember-whenrecruiting-in-the-90s/][color=#0000ff]“I remember when” post[/color][/url]
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[b]3) Broadband – Speedy Gonzalez at home[/b]Xj0h!L$dc'` k? `g
In addition to the web and e-mail, this advancement has enabled a more remote workforce that can be just as productive at home as they are at the office. Companies now have a larger pool of talent to tap and can provide a more flexible work environment. m ~4C n3x$|
[b]4) Dot.Coms[/b] – For every great one like ebay and Amazon there were a slew of bombs. Kozmo.com, a bike messenger delivery service for individuals. Pets.com, an online pet store with their sock puppet and Super Bowl ads, focused more on its brand name than profitability. And of course Webvan, a grocery delivery service that spent. The big impacts I have seen are changes in dress codes from mandatory suits and ties to more “business casual” dress. I’ve worked in both extremes, full suit (management consulting) and shorts and flip flops (my own dot.com experience at Primix Solutions) and while I love the feel of a good suit, casual is better. Dot.coms also brought a more entrepreneurial spirit to the workforce that dramatically changed the landscape of how business leaders thought and how quickly they changed their business strategy or models.
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[b]5) Workforce Management Systems[/b] – the advent of applicant tracking systems, performance management, benefits administration, and other tools have enabled a more user driven experience that empowers each of us to manage things differently from an HR perspective. Some might argue that these systems have driven better efficiencies and processes. I would tend to agree but it depends on your environment and process. If you have a bad process to start, technology will only enable it.