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I need your help!
I am speaking about social networking and blogging on Wednesday night to a diverse group of graduate students who are part of the HR Tampa Student Chapter. I will be presenting at the Tampa offices of Bernard Hodes, thannks to the generosity of Carol McDaniel, our generous host and sponsor.
I want to know what you would tell them right now about social networking and human resources.
Help me shape the minds of the next generation of leaders in HR by leaving your thoughts in the comments!
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Mike,
I’d say that social media is here to stay in HR. The thing is, there’s a lot of resistance by some HR types to social media — they think it’s scary. I say to them, “You already have had social media for 20 years — that’s email. You can send email right now to tons of people and get tons of responses. So, what’s so scary?”
I think young (and progressive) HR people bring a freshness to HR that’s needed. They live in a connected world, and I think that social media will allow them to be connected to both HR practitioners and people outside HR. That’s going to be the benefit — no more HR isolationism.
As far as the recruiting and employee relations side goes…wow. I can just imagine what the next 5 years will bring. I think it would be cool to be entering the profession right now. There will be challenges — coming out of the worst economic situation in our lifetimes has scarred people and will make people management even harder. That will require more connections — and more feeling about the people side of the business. They’re not human capital anymore…Soylent Green is people.
Twitter: MikeVanDervort
September 22, 2009 at 10:24 am
Thanks Frank!
Twitter: beneubanks
September 23, 2009 at 9:24 am
Definitely, amigo. Great response.
Get involved and make it a habit. Its easy to stick your toe in the pond of social media, just to test the waters, and then never jump in. My best advice is jump in and make a habit of it. Develop relationships with other HR Pros by tweeting with them, commenting on their blogs (Hi Mike!), make an appearance on HR Happy Hour and then take those relationships offline to build them further. Social Media isnt scary, think of it as another professional development tool. It’s an exciting time to be in HR and social media is where its happening. (that sounded way too much like a commerical)
The one thing that stuck out for me from ERE was “smart engagement”. Today in order for an an organization to attract top talent, they must become more “transparent”, but they need to be smart about it so they don’t find themselves in hot water over what employees are saying or what sites they are using (or not using – diversity issues etc.). Students just starting to enter the workforce are used to being VERY transparent (maybe too transparent) on the social networking sites. I’d throw out a word of caution to them to be careful what they say as they build their brand in the workplace!
Twitter: MikeVanDervort
September 22, 2009 at 1:07 pm
@April – thanks a lot (and Hi!) great advice!
@Deb – good to ehar from you. Thanks for the cautionary reminder
I will be featuring eacj of you and your advice on a slide tomorrow night!
Twitter: beneubanks
September 23, 2009 at 9:27 am
Too late? Maybe?
It’s just a stepping stone to a relationship with people you’d never otherwise meet. Krista Francis is an HR director for a nonprofit in Washington, DC. I work in a virtually identical company. I can ask her about things that I don’t feel comfortable going to my own VP of HR about, and that relationship is an amazing one for both of us. She’s looking for a new entry level HR person, and I can give her some ideas.
Social media isn’t the end, it’s the means. If it’s used as a stepping stone to building great relationships via phone/email/personal contact, then the value is amazing for the time invested.
Good luck, Mike! Let me know how it turns out!
I want to let the students know our previous offer of the Jobing Foundation Grant is still open. Website, twitter, facebook. Talk about social media! We love our community and we are always honored to help shape the leaders of tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Angela Rosario, Director
The Jobing Foundation