Month: March 2020

I would like to challenge the idea that recruitment and selection is a company’s most important function.  As the video on how the role of HR has evolved from LinkedIn points out, HR has a responsibility to focus on how an organization markets itself to the outside world (LinkedIn Talent Solutions).  Since the explosion of social media, people are constantly looking for the organization that markets themselves the best – whether they realize it or not.

A cohesive and constantly evolving marketing plan allows for every person on every platform to gain a holistic view of an organization just by glancing at their website or social media page.  Spending resources marketing for the masses allows for the most people to be exposed to an organization, allowing for a new kind of brand recognition that comes from the amount of time and energy the organization has taken in expanding their marketing efforts.  

A focus on marketing allows for potential job candidates to be aware of your organization early on so that when those job openings arise, there is a better chance of attracting talented candidates.  By playing into social media trends and introducing the organization to people by using popular marketing platforms, the successful individuals you want to attract will want your organization in return.  This is a key strength that would come out of not prioritizing recruitment and selection, but instead focusing on marketing.

Some potential weaknesses in prioritizing marketing over recruitment and selection include not attracting the right candidates by focusing on just marketing efforts.  Also, marketing may not be done properly for the individual organization, painting the company in an incorrect light.

Source:

LinkedIn Talent Solutions. (2016). The role of HR has evolved. Meet the 21st century HR Leader [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/ukmC6F0JvQw

I have had the opportunity to apply for many jobs during the course of my high school and college experiences.  I am in the MECOP program which has given me a unique job application experience which is different than the usual job search process.  Since MECOP is an unusual way of acquiring a job, I have chosen to focus on my application experience with the College of Business as an Event Assistant in the Career Success Center.

As a sophomore at Oregon State, I knew I wanted and needed a job.  Since I was a full time student, this limited my options right away.  Not only did I want a job with flexible hours, I wanted something that would allow me to gain a valuable experience that would look good on a resume post graduation.  As I was looking through one of the weekly College of Business emails during Spring term, I came across a posting for an Event Assistant position within the College of Business’ Career Success Center.  This position would start in the fall of my junior year and would allow me the experience and flexible hours I was searching for.

The first step I took in the application process was to reach out to my friend who was currently in this position to gain her perspective on the job.  She highly recommended the position and offered to put in a good word for me.  This connection allowed me to get my name out there which got me an interview shortly after I submitted my application.

My friend gave me interview pointers from her experience the year before and introduced me to her boss and coworkers before the interview.  This allowed me to feel more comfortable during the interview process.  When I arrived for my interview the atmosphere was very casual.  My potential boss and one of my potential coworkers took me to the Austin Marketplace and asked me questions about my event planning experience – which was vast.  They made me feel comfortable which allowed me to open up and be myself throughout the interview.  I felt that this job would be a good fit for me and I hoped they felt the same.

After a few weeks  – during which I learned they had interviewed many more candidates – I was offered the only open position.  Since I had my foot already in the door with my friend as a connection, I feel that they could be more confident that I was a good fit for the job since I had someone on the inside vouching for me. This connection allowed me to see a different perspective into the job and learn that it would be a great place for me to work, especially as a student with limited working hours.  Since I was in the College of Business, my class schedule aligned perfectly with what the job expected.

A year and a half later I enjoy my job and feel that I picked the right “who” to work for and they hopefully feel they picked the right “who” in me as their employee.