Social influence eclipsing conventional HR philosophies: Forbes

By Edwin Yapp January 7, 2013

Social networking no longer just a pastime; it’s a powerful tool for job seekers and recruiters
Personal branding and social influence replacing traditional resumes as primary reference

THE new year is slated to be the year of social human resource (HR), with five broad trends overtaking some of the most traditionally tried and tested methods millions of Social influence eclipsing conventional HR philosophies: Forbes people have relied on when getting a job or when moving to another, noted a Forbes article.

According to the New York-based Forbes, 2012 was the year for workforce innovation, with more companies experimenting with using social media to brand and market their organizations.

However, in 2013, companies will take social media further, with organizations integrating social technologies into the way they recruit, develop and engage employees, it added.

Citing a study commissioned by SilkRoad called the State of Social Technology and Talent Management, Forbes noted that 75% of leaders in human resources and talent management believe their companies are behind the curve regarding both internal and external social networking technology.

The business bi-weekly noted that the five trends expected to impact HR trends in the coming year are:

Gamification [in HR] becoming a standard practice

The death of the resume;

The use of Klout scores as a measurable currency [in HR];

Personal branding to become a required skill; and

Recruiters finding you before you know you are looking for a job.

Forbes noted that gamification –the use of game design principles in applications outside of games – has already caught on in activities like marketing, call center operations, and learning and development, and it believes that a greater number of enterprise processes will start to become “gamified.”

“Deloitte is one company already using gamification, integrating levels, ‘badges’ and top-scoring leader boards into its Deloitte Leadership Academy, which has trained over 20,000 executive users since its inception in 2008,” it said. “As a result of this effort, Deloitte and its clients can boast rewards like engaged employees who are committed to improving at work.”

The next three trends – the death of resumes, the use of Klout scores and personal branding becoming a required skill – are highly intertwined with each other. Klout is a social media analytics tool that measures a user's influence across his or her social network.

For example, the article noted that it’s quite a common practice nowadays to find employers checking out prospective employees on Google or Bing; examining the number of followers a candidate has on Twitter and when was the last time he or she tweeted; inspecting the size and quality of a candidate’s LinkedIn community and who recommended them; and what a candidate’s Klout scores are.

To strengthen its argument, Forbes noted the software company Salesforce.com recently advertised a position that listed “a Klout score of 35 or over” as one of the key “desired skills” for a community manager position.

“We’re moving from a knowledge economy to a social economy, and as we do so, as a recent Fast Company article noted, “the line is quickly blurring between the value of what we know and who we know,” the article noted. “In 2013, prospective job applicants will be much more deliberate in creating their ‘elevator pitch’ and posting this promotional blurb on Facebook, LinkedIn and in their Twitter bios.

On the flip side, not only must applicants know how to use social media to their benefit, HR executives in charge of talent management also must also know how to use social tools to their advantage, the article noted.

According to the magazine, that there are already start-ups such as Entelo and TalentBin that help companies find eligible applicants by scanning social networks and spotlighting certain candidates.

“These companies can pinpoint those who have updated their bios lately or often, to determine which candidates are getting ready to get back on the job market,” the article said. “Getting this head start on head hunting is crucial as the search by top corporations for top candidates becomes ever more competitive.”