Samara Parker

Stress at Work: The Busyness Trap

November 24

Stress will mess you up.According to Forbes, stress is to blame for 40% of all workplace illness. Stress also causes loss of productivity, communication breakdown and decreased engagement.But, it’s hard not to fall into the stress trap. Especially for those of us surrounded by social media.There is a culture of humble bragging about extreme busyness that is rampant on the Internet.For some reason being busy has become synonymous with being productive, at times it seems that it has become synonymous with being a good person.And yet study after study shows that this “business” leads to stress, and that stress is counter-productive.This busyness overload is a major issue for organizations because it leads to burnout, d……Read More

Social Recruiting and HR Twitter Inspiration

November 19

The Jobcast team has been extra busy this past week! Onboarding new users, making videos, and working on our product roadmap (we’ve got some pretty big stuff on the way) has left little time for reading. Normally I spend every morning pouring over the latest human resources blogs and social recruiting articles, but not this week. This week I’ve spent my mornings furiously typing away at my computer, oblivious to the coffee stains accumulating on the front of my PJs (a downside to remote work!) It’s times like this that I rely very heavily on Twitter to help me stay in the loop and find content worth sharing. We follow some pretty awesome HR Twitter accounts and these tweeters are always an excellent source of n……Read More

Seasonal Hiring Fix: Social Recruiting

November 17

Seasonal hiring for 2014 significantly outpaced that of 2013.In October, retailers went on the largest hiring spree ever recorded for that month according to Gray & Christmas Inc. who have been tracking seasonal hiring trends since 1939.The seasonal hiring surge doesn’t end in October.As the weather turns chilly, the war for talent burns hotter than ever before.November will see most major retailers add even more staff than they did in October.For a sense of scale, last year Kohl’s planned to add 53, 000 holiday workers, this year they plan to hire 76, 970.UPS will add 40, 000 more seasonal workers in 2014 than they did in 2013, and FedEx’s seasonal hiring will best last year’s by 30, 000.To meet holiday hiring goals c……Read More

Remembrance Day Links: Hiring Vets is Awesome

November 12

I’m never sure what to say on Remembrance Day (or Veterans Day if you’re born in the U.S.A). Living in Europe, in a country that remembers the war in a way most Americans can’t, drives home the fact that saying Happy Remembrance Day is extremely inappropriate. What is appropriate? Giving thanks. Honoring vets with words, poppies, and ceremonies is the appropriate thing to do, but hiring veterans is a much more practical way to give thanks. There are currently 21.4 million veterans in America; over 720,000 of them are without a job. Each year, about 7,600 Canadian Armed Forces personnel leave the Canadian Armed Forces, including approximately 1,000 personnel released for medical reasons beyond their ……Read More

Social Recruiting: You're Doing it Wrong and Other Trends

November 5

Ripped from the headlines (Buzzsumo), we’re bringing you the hottest (most shared on LinkedIn) social recruiting articles of the week. I don’t know about you, but I love using Buzzsumo to see what’s trending on the internet. Personally, I use Buzzsumo to find out about the latest social media releases, HR Tech news, and social recruiting articles. Then I share these articles here with you our beloved readers. Although I’ll probably have to find a new link loving strategy now... According to Buzzsumo, here are the most shared social recruiting articles this week: The first is actually targeted at job seekers, not employers or recruiters, but it’s an interesting reminder that job seekers also struggle with social recruiting best prac……Read More

Social Recruiting Lessons Inspired by Facebook Rooms

November 3

Facebook recently released a new app for iOS called Rooms. Like forums, message boards, and chat rooms, the app allows users to connect with each other based on shared interests. Each "Room" is a feed where users can share photos, commentary, video, and links specific to that Room’s theme. Similar to your Facebook News Feed, but tailored to your particular interests. Facebook Rooms may or may not catch on, but either way the app is indicative of two growing trends in social media: A renewed focus on connecting over common interests, rather than common friends, and diversified feeds. Here's how these trends can help you rethink your social recruiting:Your candidates’ common interests matter One of the m……Read More

Facebook Rooms: Join The Social Recruiting Room & Links

October 29

This Week's Link Love is going to be a little different because Facebook recently released a new app; Facebook Rooms. Not only is Facebook's latest app big news in the social media world... it’s also really, really fun. I’ll admit, I’ve been a little annoyed with Facebook since the release and forced adoption of Messenger, but Rooms is awesome and definitely worth a download. Its major strength is that, unlike Facebook, Rooms is an app for connecting with people based on interests alone. If you're into photography the VSCO Room is awesome! I don’t know about you, but as much as I love my friends, I don’t always love their hobbies. Your Facebook news feed is populated based on the content that your friends share. Fo……Read More

Jobvite Social Recruiting Survey Takes Over the Internet

October 22

This week has been an absolute dream for social recruiters. Mostly because of all the buzz around Jobvite’s 2014 Social Recruiting Survey. In fact, almost all of this week’s article are in response to it.So I should probably go read it now…Jobvite’s 7th Social Recruiting SurveyThis survey is a font of knowledge for anyone in the business of hiring.It’s full of interesting tidbits about how today’s job seekers are using social media, and how recruiters are responding.Jobvite’s survey is free, but you must give them your info in order to access it… and it’s really long!If you don’t have all day, then check out:How Recruiters Are Using Social Media in 2014This article is a summary of Jobvite’s survey, highlighting the most salient of its fi……Read More

Tips for Improving Candidate Experience from a UX Pro

October 20

Candidate experience is at the heart of effective recruitment strategy. Experience is what converts job seekers into applicants. 75% of jobseekers say that the look and feel of a job posting influences their decision to apply (Source: HireRight) and 30% of these candidates will leave the job posting without applying. The application process itself is also a key factor considering that another 30% of the applicants left will abandon your job post without completing their application! (Source: Smashfly) These drop-off rates may have something to do with almost half of jobseekers rating their experience as poor, or VERY poor (Source: MysteryCandidate) Oh, and not only does poor experience result in an immediate loss, but i……Read More

Giving Millennials Feedback, Better Career Sites, and HR Gossip!

October 15

It’s time to get your learn on with this week’s top articles!When Performance Reviews Simply Aren’t Enough – Anna Carroll “For the average Millennial, feedback is indeed ‘the breakfast of champions.’ ” – Click to TweetI agree with this statement 100% and I’m willing to bet most of my fellow Millennials would too. Anna Carroll’s excellent article explains the importance of real-time feedback especially in regards to GenY. Oh, and hot tip: If you don’t have time for a constructive feedback conversation, just use emojis!But First, A Single Source Of Business Truth – Kevin Grossman “It’s time to answer the talent analytics call!” According to Kevin, HR and recruiters need to step-up their data game, as it is essential for movin……Read More

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Samara Parker

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