Facebook is now the leading social media in 127 out of 137 countries

The latest “World map of social networks” (http://vincos.it/world-map-of-social-networks/) produced by Vincenzo Cosenza using December 2012 data shows that Facebook is now truly THE leading social media with more than 1 billion users and market leadership in 127 countries.  Whilst some are questioning whether or not it can sustain its dominance with Google+ trying to grow and also with questions about its strategies for generating revenues, there is no doubt that Facebook is a force to be reckoned with and particularly interesting for our clients who frequently recruit across multiple countries  – particularly when they have limited funds but a desire for broad reach and visibility.

Facebook offers multiple advertising opportunities as well as ways to truly connect with and engage your target audience.  Given its reach across such a broad geography and targeting opportunities, it is worth exploring as a channel.  Whilst many think of Facebook as a place to go for social experiences whilst LinkedIn offers a better platform for professional i.e. job hunting connections, we still believe that for certain target audiences the situation is not so black and white.

 

 

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What does Terra Firma predict for 2013?

We have been reading about lots of predictions for 2013, so we thought we would share our top 10:

1. Press advertising will continue to fall – no surprises there, we hear you say. However, press had survived longer with our international organization clients than with many other sectors due to the exacting regulations surrounding the recruitment process. However, 2012 was the year in which budget constraints went head to head with the requirement to make campaigns as visible as widely as possible and press fell precipitously. What has filled the gap…? read on.

2. Access to social media in the workplace comes of age – when we ran a survey of our clients just over a year ago, most of them did not have access to social media in the workplace. This was a clear block to many of our clients being able to explore social media as an attraction strategy. Things have changed significantly based on a quick straw poll we took at the recent UN-EPSO Career Development Roundtable which showed that far more organisations are giving their staff access to Facebook and Twitter. So, how will organisations use this increased access…?

3. Social media advertising will continue to rise – clients have been getting some good results with social media advertising – particularly on LinkedIn. As prospective candidates spend more and more time in the social media sphere, this is an obvious way for recruiters to go when it comes to targeting. The apps themselves are also offering a wider range of targeting options and tools – although they will need to tread a fine line if they are to avoid being seen as too intrusive. Recruiters will also need to watch for user concerns about overly aggressive advertising channels to ensure that their approaches are seen as appropriate.

4. Use of social media will increase but slowly – the adoption of social media as a tool for attraction and engagement has not moved as quickly as in the private sector. Key challenges that recruiters cite include lack of time and resources as well as concerns about being flooded by applications from candidates who don’t have the relevant qualifications. However, case studies are beginning to emerge such as CERN’s experiences recruiting using social media which you can read about here. (http://recruitmentbuzz.co.uk/cern-sees-surge-in-job-applicants-after-turning-to-social-media/?goback=%2Egde_4749959_member_200459353) We think that these success stories combined with the need to attract more qualified candidates more cost effectively will see an increase in organisations exploring social media in the coming year.

5. LinkedIn usage will continue to grow – LinkedIn has long been seen as the “acceptable (i.e. professional) face of social media. They have and continue to grow significantly. However, uptake of their services is being hampered by the challenges with their customer support – particularly for “smaller” organisations (i.e. those with more limited budgets!) who just don’t get on their priority list for service. Whilst they offer some good products, their pricing is not cheap and some of their services are not always financially viable for clients with limited budgets. They have made a lot of changes to their offering in 2012 but there is still room for improvement in their targeting options. Definitely to be watched in 2013.

6. Facebook usage will increase – Facebook is now the top social media app in 127 countries around the world as reported in the latest “World map of social networks” (http://vincos.it/world-map-of-social-networks/). The demographics of users are shifting to include more experienced people – indeed, there are rumours that some teens are actually turning away from it as being for “older people.” As a company, Facebook is continuing to seek out ways to generate revenues from this vast audience and will need to become more company friendly to do so. It already offers a number of different ways to engage candidates and we see these options increasing and also becoming increasingly targeted.

7. Mobile accessibility will become a must have – the growth in people using their mobile phones to access both the internet and social media is changing the reach of organisations’ digital presence dramatically – in regions like Africa, mobile has simply leapfrogged broadband access offering reach in places which were previously inaccessible. However, to take advantage of this shift, it will be important for companies to ensure that their websites look good on a mobile platform and that they can be engaged with socially. Other mobile tactics e.g. mobile advertising and mobile apps are worth exploring, but are not for everyone.

8. The power of visual engagement continues to grow – Pinterest has been a huge hit in 2012 – people have been talking about how to harness it for recruitment but we haven’t seen any examples yet. However, video has taken off – channels like YouTube have had a big impact. Beyond the platform itself, the principle that a site needs to be visually engaging as well as content rich is truer than it has ever been.

9. You CAN produce your own visual content – traditionally, organisations felt they had to produce high end (for which read expensive) visual content. Whilst the cost of high quality content has come down significantly, companies are also feeling more confident about producing their own content inhouse on a shoestring. It has the added advantage of being seen as more authentic by viewers.

10. Media planners aren’t going to disappear! Of course, we would say this, but as the channels and routes for engagement continue to grow almost exponentially, the need to share experience with your peers and get support and guidance from people operating in this space every day is only going to get more important.

Terra Firma predict for 2013? (75)
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Let’s go viral!

It’s the dream of every marketer, for a campaign or video to go ‘viral’. However, there are no guarantees and – like always in (social) media – content is king and makes the difference.

SocMedSean has created some nice, tongue-in-cheek illustrations about the dream to go viral.

© SocMedSean.com

For more cartoons, have a look here.

If you are interested, why videos go viral, you can find out more in the article of the same name by Grrlscientist which also features a video with Kevin Allocca, trends manager at YouTube. He explains, how social media such as Twitter plays its part in the success of videos and what the three features are that viral videos share.

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Why you can’t ignore the Candidate Experience

A negative candidate experience during the recruitment process can play a critical role in the candidate’s image about the organisation and his/her decision to accept a position. The results of a study with more than 800,000 applicants are illustrated in this infographic:

But what can you do to leave a positive impression with your applicants? In an interview with Forbes, Sanja Licina, Ph.D. and senior director of Talent Intelligence at CareerBuilder, provides the following tips for recruiters:

  • Keep job candidates in the loop: Manage the expectations of applicants on the timeframe of hiring and always follow up with candidates who weren’t selected for the job after an interview.
  • Focus on what matters most to job seekers: Highlight relevant attributes,  your company’s competitive standing, advancement opportunities and other factors.
  • Role play with ambassadors: Set up mock interviews with recruiters and staff, and get the feedback of the ‘applicants’.
  • Check it and then check it again: Triple check links on the company career page, online job sites, social media pages, etc.

Sources: CareerBuilder’s Applicant Experience study of more than 800,000 workers who applied for jobs in the last 12 months, Forbes article, TalentMinded.com

 

 

 

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How to respond to negative tweets – the O2 way

Last week the phone company o2 experienced a massive blackout, leaving many of its 8m customers unable to make or receive calls and texts or access data for up to 48 hours. Social media became a popular medium for customers to vent their anger.

Read here how the social media team behind the O2 Twitter account responded to the tweets from angry customers. You’ll be surprised!

Thank you Natalie Brandweiner for putting together these examples.

 

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Job titles: Say what it does, on the tin

Job titles are amongst the first things candidates see when looking for a job. If the job title doesn’t make clear what the position is about, the advert might result in unqualified applications and the loss of suitable candidates who didn’t see their relevance to the job title.

This can be caused by unnecessarily ‘creative’ job titles, such as the mysterious ‘First Impressions Director’, a customer-service position. Or job titles which speak insider language and aren’t understandable by people outside the organisation. This is often the case in Public Sector Organisations, where job titles are almost always traditional and based on payment schemes or organisational structures.

The organisational jargon can be confusing for the outside world. Imagine you are an IT-Professional with several years experience and multiple languages, would you read a job advert titled “IT Assistant ”? Or, if you are a Communication Expert, experienced in PR and Journalism, would you read an advert calling for “Communications Administrators”?

Both positions require experienced experts in their fields, the job titles don’t do the job description justice and the organisation misses out on suitable candidates.

© Monster.co.uk

Another downside of unusual or organisation-specific job titles is the negative effect on search results.  If the job title isn’t known and commonly used by your target group, it’s likely that your vacancy won’t show up in their search results – whether online or through a job board.

To avoid confusion, get suitable applications and make your job advert get found, make sure you:

  • use clear and understandable language, no internal jargon
  • use commonly used job titles
  • If you have to mention your internal jargon, include it as a subtitle or reference

You can find a Monster infographic on the subject here and more information about this topic in the articles How Recruitment SEO Impacts Your Talent Pipeline and Job Titles That Make You Go… Huh? A Lesson in Recruitment Marketing SEO.

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A company goes social – the Social Media experiment

Many organisations and companies talk about ‘going social’, but the reality often proves to be more difficult. Josh James, who founded Omniture (now a part of Adobe) and currently runs the data startup Domo, decided to go a rather radical way to bring his employees up to speed in terms of social media.

He launched a project called #domosocial experiment with the objective to get all employees engaged in and learning from the newest consumer and social technologies.

The project span over an 8 week period, where employees needed to complete 20 social media and online tasks. Participation in the project was a condition of employment, a sign of how seriously Josh James social takes media.

The employee tasks included updating their Facebook Page, using Twitter regularly, creating three circles in Google+, creating a blog, creating a playlist on a music service, and more. You can find an overview of the tasks and results so far on the DOMO website.

If the individual tasks are completed, staff receive badges and rewards, if the entire company meet its collective goals, everyone gets an extra day’s holiday.

According to Josh, the experiment has actually brought his employees closer together and also brought his company closer to its customers. And, according to Josh “the impact on our brand has been priceless”.

Blogger Steve Olenski spoke with Josh James and three DOMO employees about the project, you can find his article here.

DOMO has also conducted a study amongst Fortune 500 companies about the social media usage of CEOs. Josh James’s comments the results in the article CEOs Afraid Of Going Social Are Doing Shareholders A Massive Disservice.

With 70% of big company (Fortune 500 companies) CEOs having no presence on social networks, they miss an opportunity to engage with (potential) clients, customers and candidates, thinks Joshs: “If you’re not speaking for yourself, other people will speak for you.  And you may not like what they have to say”.

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You missed a Terra Firma Webinar? Find all presentations on Slideshare

WebinarYesterday we held our last Terra Firma webinar before the summer break.

Gry Tina Tinde, independent Diversity Advisor with year-long experience in the International Public Sector, talked about how Social Media can help recruiters to support their diversity objectives.

You can find those and all previous presentations on our Slideshare account, http://www.slideshare.net/terrafirmaassociates

Our first 5 webinars were focussed on social media for recruitment. What are the topics you would you like to hear more about in the future? We look forward to your ideas!

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2,600 job seekers from 135 countries attended the first Virtual Global Careers Fair

Recruiters from 10 international Public Sector Organisations and NGOs connected with internationally minded candidates

The Virtual Global Careers Fair on 26 and 27 June brought together recruiters and candidates on an online platform to connect and discuss career opportunities. 2,600 jobseekers from 135 countries visited the online event, which was attended by 10 international organisations including The World Bank, the European Personnel Selection Office, the International Committee of the Red Cross amongst others.

For the exhibitors, the event was an opportunity to connect with potential candidates and increase the awareness for their organisation:

“The Global Job Fair was a fantastic opportunity for UNFPA to reach a wider group of candidates and to make UNFPA more visible. We really enjoyed participating in this innovative initiative!” Luz Gonzales, UNFPA

“It was a very nice event and an excellent opportunity for our team to connect with potential candidates globally.” Natasha Kuznetsova, The World Bank

GCF World Bank BoothThe attendees explored the virtual booths of the exhibitors, watched videos and gained practical advice and first-hand information from speakers who gave presentations in the virtual Auditorium.

Typically, users visited the event each day and spent on average over 3 hours on the site. In total, 3,051 documents were downloaded, 554 videos watched and the Auditorium was visited 2,900 times. The number of visits to the exhibitor booths was 12,538. They chatted with the attending HR teams and asked questions about profile requirements and current vacancies:

“Thank you very much for this helpful opportunity. I am working in a Peacekeeping mission in Kosovo and this event facilitated my job search. I appreciated above all the opportunity to speak directly with the recruiters. This helped me to “humanize” them since lately the applications are only through automatic processes online.” 
Elisa, via email 26 June

The majority of attendees were experienced professionals, 56% having 3 or more years of work experience, 81% having a degree; with Social Sciences and Economics being the most common study fields. There were twice as many women than men attending the fair, a fact that was appreciated by the exhibitors on the outlook to balance their gender intakes.

The event was promoted with the support of international media partners www.exec-appointments.com, the EurActiv JobSite jobs.euractiv.com, Japan Times, America Economia and UNJobs.org. A Social Media campaign and promotional activities of the exhibiting organisations further extended the reach of the event.

Fernando de Benavides, Managing Director of Terra Firma Associates, commented “The success of the first Global Careers Fair has confirmed the demand from recruiters to utilise cost-effective, innovative channels to connect with previously untapped global talent pools. The feedback from both recruiters and applicants has been extremely positive as both have enjoyed being able to meet and talk, bringing back the ‘Human’ element into the recruitment process”. More fairs are already being planned.

ABOUT THE EVENT

The Global Careers Fair is an initiative from Terra Firma Associates, an independent recruitment communications agency based in London. Working for blue chip clients on a global basis, both from the private and international public sectors, Terra Firma Associates manages global recruitment advertising campaigns in print, online and social media, operating across time zones, languages and cultures.

For more information, please contact: Martyn Baxter,
+44 20 7253 1137, mbaxter@terrafirmaassociates.com
www.globalcareersfair.comwww.terrafirmaassociates.com

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Launch of the Virtual Global Careers Fair, 26-27 June 2012

An innovative solution to bring together international candidates and recruiters

The Virtual Global Careers Fair on 26 and 27 June will bring together recruiters and candidates from around the world.  At this online event, international organisations will meet with potential hires in virtual exhibition booths, exchanging information about career opportunities, application processes, Graduate programmes and job vacancies, from the convenience of their respective computers.

Amongst the exhibiting organisations is the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO), the recruitment arm of the European Union.  David Bearfield, Director of EPSO, and keynote speaker at the Global Careers Fair welcomed the event saying, “EPSO is always looking for ways to enhance the attraction of high calibre candidates for the European Institutions. The Global Careers Fair created by Terra Firma Associates, is an innovative channel to connect with potentially qualified candidates, providing information about careers opportunities within the EU Institutions and the application process.”

The Global Careers Fair for the International Public Sector and Not for Profit World is being promoted to candidates via our global media partners, including exec-appointments.com (part of the Financial Times group of companies), the EurActiv JobSite, America Economia and Japan Times.

A Social Media campaign is further extending the reach of this event to candidates.  More than 1,000 people from over 80 countries have already signed up for the event.  This number is growing fast and with almost a month to go before the big day,  more than 2,000 candidates are expected to attend.

ABOUT THE EVENT

The Global Careers Fair is an initiative from Terra Firma Associates, an independent recruitment communications agency based in London. Working for blue chip clients on a global basis clients from all over the world, both from the private and international public sectors, Terra Firma Associates manages global recruitment advertising campaigns in print, online and social media, operating across time zones, languages and cultures.

For more information, please contact:

Julia Levy, +44 20 7253 1137

www.globalcareersfair.com

www.terrafirmaassociates.com

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