Corporate Recruiting

Call them what you will and take notice. This burgeoning generation (70 million; born between 1977 and 2002) is coming of age and arriving in the workplace with new ideas about the employment experience. Namely, "why should I work for you?" and "what are you going to offer me?"

Self assured, tech-savvy, and idealistic, they arrive at work with an evolved set of expectations around employment and their opportunity to have an impact from day one. The achievement orientation and natural impatience of this plugged-in, multi-tasking generation inevitably creates conflict for many employers and coincides with a time where the pool of skilled talent is shrinking.

As Boomers approach retirement and employers confront the talent exodus resulting from this natural attrition, many will find it necessary to adjust to the nuances of the new workforce in an effort to attract, engage, and retain a generation that is projected to be increasingly mobile and interested in seeking the next assignment. This may be in the context of the current employment relationship or often, ready to jump to the next gig.

If you are going to use External Recruiters make sure that you are committed to your side of the partnership

Recruiters should be truthful, resourceful, and trustworthy. Employers should be reasonable and accessible. Following these golden rules will ensure that you will develop a valuable relationship with your external recruiter.

Assuming you practice ethical recruiting, how can your organization meet its needs for talent? Conventional thinking about careers and a lack of imagination on the part of HR and recruiters is probably contributing to the perception that there is a growing lack of skilled talent available in the workforce. There are many alternatives to filling talent shortages.

Whether you're a recruiter for a large or a small organization, it's critical to keep up with the latest best practices, approaches and strategies.

In march 2006, more than 700 recruiting professionals descended upon sunny San Diego for ERE's West Coast expo, an event that has become the pinnacle meeting point for the best and brightest of the internal recruitment profession and showcased a number of organizations breaking new ground and radically redefining what strategic staffing means.

Because there were attendees from Europe, Australia, Africa, and Asia, it is clear that the need for continuous improvement in recruiting is a worldwide phenomenon. Increased turnover, the aging workforce, the acceptance of "remote work" and global competition for talent means that pressure will increase on the recruiting function to find new ways to provide their firms with a competitive advantage.

The categories awarded included

• Recruiting Leader of the Year, Best Use of Metrics, and Best Recruiting Process
• Most Innovative Employee Referral Program
• Best Corporate Careers Website
• Best Employer Brand
• Best Graduate Recruiting Program
• Most Strategic Use of Recruiting Technology

In the following pages, the winner of each category unveil their methodology and best practice procedures.

In the past HR has often been satisfied with achieving business partner status. Now HR must be able to prove its impact on the bottom line. This change will require a change of language, new data to be collected and a new approach

Departments that have not been able to demonstrate the impact they have on the bottom line have traditionally lost internal company recognition, had their funding reduced and in the worst cases have had their function outsourced.

To maintain representation as part of the executive committee HR leaders must shift their approach from maintaining the status quo with only incremental gains in efficiency to a new model that can demonstrate a measurable business impact.