Recruiting Insights:
The "H Factor" in a Web 2.0 World
By Donald E. Breckenridge, Jr.

"There was a time when nails were high-tech. There was a time when people had to be told how to use a telephone. Technology is just a tool. People use tools to improve their lives."- Tom Clancy

Much has been made about the impact of technology on the recruiting and staffing industry. And, for good cause. The advances in technology have dramatically changed the landscape for recruiters. Blogs have changed the way recruiters create and consume a variety of information and the search for passive candidates now reaches into vast online social networks such as Linkedin, Facebook and MySpace. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) have evolved to streamline the entire recruiting process, from initial sale to final placement.

However, as my favorite author, Tom Clancy, states, "technology is just a tool"- it's how we construct and hone these tools for very specific purposes that helps us "improve our lives," and for recruiters that means focusing on your core business and making more placements. In this digital age, it is more important than ever to incorporate the human element, or "H Factor" into your business.

The H Factor in Blogging

Blogging has truly democratized the creation of content on the Internet. This collective content is now known as the "blogosphere". Recruiters and recruiting departments have been urged to get on the bandwagon and create their own blogs to do everything from interacting with candidates, to showcasing corporate culture and replacing static testimonials. The fact that there are now millions of blogs on the Internet attests to the reality that blogs are technologically easy to create. However, only a fraction of those blogs are driving the "eyeballs", i.e. generating the traffic. In order to make sure your blogging efforts don't bog you down, make sure you incorporate the H Factor:

• Content is King: Make sure the content you write for your blog is insightful, quick-to-the point and compelling. Avoid long diatribes and focus on pithy comments that engage your audience in a dialogue. Technology can never cover up bad, boring writing.
• All Bloggers Aren't Created Equal: While blogging has democratized content creation, it is important for companies to focus a few of their employees on this venture. Don't open up comments to the entire company, educate your employees about "blogging etiquette" before initiatives are undertaken, and think about appointing a facilitator or "blog czar" to your blog.

The H Factor in Social Networking

Finding qualified candidates for those hard-to-fill jobs is more important than ever and social networking tools are a great way to help. There are essentially two types of social networks: Candidate Networks and Recruiter Networks. The leading Candidate Networks include MySpace, FaceBook and Linkedin, with niche networks springing up like Ning, Second Life and Jobster. These networks can be excellent sources for finding passive candidates. Recruiter Networks include several split-fee communities that allow recruiters to match job postings with candidates, usually for some type of placement fee. Whether you are participating in Candidate Networks or Recruiter Networks, make sure you remember the H Factor:

• The T Word is Still Important: Whether you are talking about offline or online social networks, trust is still an important factor. If your recruiting firm is joining a split- fee network, for instance, make sure the community has trust elements built in, like transparent ratings systems that can easily out users who don't play by the community's rules.
• It's Still About People: Remember that social networks are still comprised of people. The fact that we can access people and their contacts faster doesn't change the fact that reaching out to a candidate on Linkedin demands the same tact and sophistication as a phone call.

The H Factor in Implementing an ATS

The savvy recruiting firms have moved beyond simple paper based systems or basic contact managers, such as ACT, to Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). While the ATS acronym has stuck to the category, many ATS's go way beyond this core functionality to streamline the entire sales, recruiting, time and attendance and placement processes. However, when searching for the right ATS, or when deploying one, recruiting and staffing firms often forget the H Factor:

• Process and People: A key component of success is choosing an ATS that can be completely customized to your existing business rules. The reality is that people don't completely change the way they work in order to accommodate technology – it should be the other way around. Having said that, make sure you accurately document your business processes before any ATS implementation. Choose an ATS advisor that will perform a process gap analysis that outlines your existing process against your ideal process, laying the foundation for a technology implementation that is based on actual human behavior.
• After the Honeymoon: Don't be taken in by technology alone. Make sure the vendor you select on day one promises to be with you through implementation, training and continual support. Before you sign on the dotted line, test their customer support and get plenty of references from people using their system.

The H Factor in Growing Your Business

Despite the many technology tools available today, the main factor driving success for recruiting and staffing firms is still the H Factor – freeing up your big billers to devote more time to real opportunities, spending time with quality candidates rather than endless hours sifting through the haystack. Technology that enables this focus should be embraced; technology that detracts from this focus should be looked at more critically.

After all, this brave new world is still a very human one.