This week discussion on exploring
social media tools is one that I can really relate to on a personal level.
Social media within the workplace has been a discussion for several years now.
To understand the importance of social media you must first realize why it is
so important to the younger generation.
The purpose of social media is to create and maintain relationships with other individuals who you cannot come in direct contact with at the time. Social media has the capability to link individuals together who are thousands miles away from each other. There are so many different social media outlets in the world but the most popular sites are now Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. From a professional standpoint the number one social media outlet is LinkedIn. LinkedIn was developed to allow individuals the opportunity to display their professional accomplishments to others across the world to market their selves to other potential employers. In the past year LinkedIn has emerged as one of the most powerful business tools on the planet. Long considered a repository for digital résumés, the network now reports 225 million members who have set up profiles and uploaded their education and job histories. These days they're doing far more than prospecting for new gigs. LinkedIn users are building professional portfolios that showcase their best work, from publications to videos to PowerPoint presentations (Hemphel, J. 2013). This allows potential employers the opportunity to see basically the work life and educational career of potential employees without going through the entire interview process to find out valuable information about individuals. The chart below identifies the key points of utilizing this social media tool such as linked in to benefit the users and what it can provide employers.
The purpose of social media is to create and maintain relationships with other individuals who you cannot come in direct contact with at the time. Social media has the capability to link individuals together who are thousands miles away from each other. There are so many different social media outlets in the world but the most popular sites are now Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. From a professional standpoint the number one social media outlet is LinkedIn. LinkedIn was developed to allow individuals the opportunity to display their professional accomplishments to others across the world to market their selves to other potential employers. In the past year LinkedIn has emerged as one of the most powerful business tools on the planet. Long considered a repository for digital résumés, the network now reports 225 million members who have set up profiles and uploaded their education and job histories. These days they're doing far more than prospecting for new gigs. LinkedIn users are building professional portfolios that showcase their best work, from publications to videos to PowerPoint presentations (Hemphel, J. 2013). This allows potential employers the opportunity to see basically the work life and educational career of potential employees without going through the entire interview process to find out valuable information about individuals. The chart below identifies the key points of utilizing this social media tool such as linked in to benefit the users and what it can provide employers.
Exhibit 1: Using LinkedIn: Key Points
• LinkedIn is a perception management and job research tool.
• It’s also a marketing and advertising platform on which to
showcase
your career.
• An effective LinkedIn profile is a three-dimensional sales
brochure, all
about you.
• Your profile should naturally drive the reader to a singular
conclusion:
• “If I choose to hire this individual, it’s going to be the best
business
decision that I make today.” It’s about
influence.
References
Crant, J.
(2014). Using LinkedIn to Boost Top Financial Careers. Journal Of Corporate
Accounting & Finance (Wiley), 25(3), 19-23.
doi:10.1002/jcaf.21935
HEMPEL, J. (2013).
LinkedIn: How It's Changing Business (AND HOW TO MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU). Fortune,
168(1), 68-1NULL
Management Tie In and Personal Review
Social media tools are the perfect way to increase employee connection, identify new talents, and generate new ideas. From a management point of view and I see the day to day struggles that upper management have with connecting to all employees especially the younger generation. The age group of 20-35 are all about technology and the best way to generate any connection would be from a social media stand point. This generation does not like to use face to face communication and they prefer to communicate through social media outlets on many different levels. Increases the use of social media tools can also decrease the amount of money companies are using for employee development and recruiting. Websites like LinkedIn are basically deleting the need for temp services and HR professionals are allowed to see information that they would normally request during the interview process. I think that communication can also be generated better from a social media tool. People especially younger individuals (18-35) feel that they have the ability to express their selves better on social media. This also creates conversations amongst others and leads to the generation of new ideas. Within my company we currently use two social media tools (Skype and SocialGo). This was introduced to us by the new Senior Vice President of the department to increase communication within the department. Skype has proven to be effective and now my company embraces ideas that include utilizing social media tools.
SHRM Posts
This week I do not
receive any feedback regarding this topic. Please see posts below.
Topic: Social Media within HR
Posted
29 seconds ago
REPLY
Options Dropdown
Social Media
use within companies are a very important factor. The use of these
communication systems allow access to information that most companies could
never obtain. It allows companies direct insight into the personal and
professional lifestyles of individuals. As technology continues to change I
think that it is important for companies to utilize all available actions
provided by social media tools to secure relationships with current and
potential employees. The traditional way of recruiting and building
relationships with employees have changed and companies must transition with
the change. Companies that do not utilize this will only be allowed to access
limited information and will still rely on other sources to gather information
and recruit potential employees. This can be cost efficient for companies and
also increase communication with employees. Social Media is now the new
recruiting system.
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Britney Taylor
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Britney Taylor
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Posted
23 hours ago
REPLY
Options Dropdown
Can anyone explain how
technology or social media can have a positive effect on companies? How does
this effect HR as a unit?
Posted 22 minutes
REPLY
Options Dropdown
Does anyone feel that
utilizing social media tools such as LinkedIn can be more harmful than
effective for HR departments? Please share your views on this question. Thank
you!
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Britney Taylor
Britney Taylor
