In a recent survey of human resources leaders, 75 percent said their companies are behind in social networking technology. What?
High as that number may seem, consider that social media was once just a personal thing; nothing more than fun and games and making friends. But anymore, being social media savvy is a competitive advantage in the job market. Nowhere is this truer than in the broad field of human resources. If you can add mobile and social media skills to your security clearance, HR is looking for you.
Unlike individuals, businesses have been slow to embrace social media as an organizational practice. But the last decade has proven the punch of platforms like Facebook, Twitter and others. Only a few years ago, scores of employers hired personnel who were active users of social media. But those employers often overlooked the value of that expertise in reaching company goals.
Times have changed and so has the level of awareness. The short of it: It’s boom time for social media pros in human resources. In fact, Forbes Magazine has called 2013 the year of social HR, as organizations increasingly strive to integrate social technologies for the dual purpose of recruiting and retaining employees.
According to Abby Lombardi, Marketing Director, Wanted Technologies, in April, there were 38 percent more human resources job ads requiring social media skills than in the previous year. Clearly, this industry is recognizing that these skills can help transform the way they do business. The shift to online and mobile engagement is industry wide – from small and mid-sized companies to government agencies and corporations.
“Contrary to popular belief, I am not a purple squirrel, there are many others like me at most of the large companies,” said Celinda Appleby, Employer Branding, Digital & Social Media Program Manager at HR Global Operations, Americas Staffing Organization for HP. “It is good to see that companies are seeing the value of investing in branding, social and digital for talent attraction. I have been a recruiter/sourcer my whole life, two years ago I started using social for cleared recruiting with excellent results.”
Currently, the most in-demand human resources jobs requiring social media skills are in recruiting. From IT recruiting to corporate recruiting and everything in between, HR departments are stepping up their use of technology in order to find talent and manage the talent they have. That means they need professionals internally to increase employee engagement, and those who work externally to hunt down the right job candidates. To accomplish this, the HR industry is looking for professionals who are adept at communicating on the go, able to text and use mobile applications, understand how to engage quickly and capable of establishing a regular and running dialogue with multiple individuals.
If a career in human resources interests you, consider that your security clearance spikes the value your skills already represent. In fact, in HR terms, it brands you as among the best trained and most trustworthy – key words among hiring managers in the hiring business.
Don’t forget – the Cleared Network was created to take in all of the best elements of social media and put them into one secure location – use features such as groups, bulk messaging and more to build your cleared talent pool.
