Judging by their efforts, the most pro-active practitioners of social media outreach in the government are turning enthusiastically to the mobile web, Facebook, and other Gov 2.0 modes as they strive to expand their respective agencies’ prestige and audience reach.

For those of us who are focused on recruitment, it’s a little surprising that most of these initiatives don’t begin with the intent of attracting new hires. Still, these leading agencies are building their brands and that, done well, results directly in more informed and enthusiastic recruits.

Here are three examples of federal organizations that are demonstrating a sophisticated understanding of the power of social media, although each emphasizes a different aspect of the challenge:

• the U.S. Army’s IPhone application,
• the White House’s use of video on its Facebook page, and
• the EPA ‘s development of guidelines for its employees’ use of social media.

The Army has released an IPhone app that allows access to a vast store of materials, including content from the Army’s Facebook and Flickr pages, as well as all the video products on its Web site. Released in mid-December, the app achieved more than 20,000 downloads in its first month alone, soaring to a Top-25 ranking for free news sources at the iTunes App store. Take note of its Find a Recruiter facility if you need evidence of the app’s more direct contribution to recruiting. You can find out how to download the app at www.army.mil/mobile/.

Best Practies case number two is the White House, which recently posted a seven-minute video on its Facebook page. The video is a professionally produced mini-documentary about the White House advance team’s trip to an Ohio town to prep for a presidential visit. From a branding standpoint, this slice-of-life coverage, complete with jiggly hand-held camera work, reinforces the authenticity and appeal of everyday activities by the team. Other agencies—particularly those with a more urgent mission to recruit employees actively—can find a polished model here. This is exposure to on-the-job reality at its best, an indispensible tool for reinforcing the appeal of an agency to the community of potential recruits, which is almost always more expansive than agency human capital planners imagine.

My last case is not flashy in any way, but underscores an emerging need in federal social media use: how to ensure that overenthusiastic employees don’t go overboard with the tools at their disposal. EPA’s guidelines are judicious and prescient. Among agencies that encourage informed employee/brand ambassador use of social media, this is a first. In the hope that other agencies will emulate it, I’m reprinting EPA’s handy flowchart below.

In October I commented on government agencies’ growing use of Facebook and Twitter. My focus then, based on a pair of September articles in Federal Computing Week, was on these social media tools as aids to recruitment. I’ve since taken a closer look at this trend.

The takeaway from my informal scan of federal social media: this trend is growing like a swath of mushrooms after a spring rain. I counted more than thirty major agencies or departments with Facebook pages and innumerable others on Twitter (contact me for a full list, if you’re interested).

None of the government Facebook pages that I found appears to be mounted with much conscious attention to recruiting. Most are devoted to agency programs and activities, and most are (first) linked from their sponsor’s home page, rather than their Careers sections.

What does this tell us? I’d venture that in most of these instances the creative impetus to enter the social media realm originated with agency public affairs professionals rather than HR staff. This doesn’t diminish their effectiveness as collateral recruiting tools. After all, they do reinforce their sponsoring agencies’ brands, and that’s a bonus for recruiting…although a bit more focus on the agency culture--and its employees—would be nice. The same goes for Twitter.

All this is good news for human capital professionals and recruiters, even if your agency’s Facebook and Twitter outreach is administered by your public affairs department. In the first place, an agency social media presence is a powerful branding “hook” for engaging potential recruits. Just because HR doesn’t own your agency’s social media resources doesn’t disqualify you from at least promoting it in your recruiting outreach, both online and off.

What’s more, these tools can provide a recruiting engagement platform that’s accessible to HR at virtually no cost other than the exercise of your team’s intra-agency persuasive powers. If you can sell the team that administers these resources on letting HR contribute content, that’s a big win indeed for your recruiting program.

Given the government’s reputation in some quarters as a stodgy, slow-to-adopt monolith in matters of online communication, some might expect Web 2.0 social media tools, spreading so infectiously in the private sector, to have little appeal among the feds (at least during this decade).

Federal Computer Week gives the lie to this cliché in two articles published earlier last month. FCW ranks the federal agencies most successful in using Twitter and Facebook, respectively, to engage the public. The reach and social media savvy of these early adopters might surprise you.

The agencies on either or both lists are not—primarily—reaching out with a human capital and recruiting agenda top-of-mind.  Even so, if you’re inclined to regard these social media programs merely as plain old information dissemination, you’re understating their influence on their audiences. That’s like calling a popular music concert just an exercise in listening enjoyment. Yes, the description may be accurate at its core, but—especially if it’s a rock, R&B, or hip-hop event—it doesn’t quite capture the full experience of being in the auditorium.

For many in these agencies’ social media audiences, that “experience” is charged with high value, and often as much as the information content itself. The truly committed among them gain what brand adherents thrive on—the felt sense that they are insiders and sharers. To me this seems like a pretty cost-effective way to tap the collective enthusiasm and energy of appreciative individuals, in effect, kick starting the social motor of brand contagion. In their efforts to cultivate attentive communities for the agency and the medium—not merely to distribute information—these leading agencies are showing that they “get” social marketing and Web 2.0.

Will the sponsoring agencies also reap recruiting benefits from these Gov 2.0 initiatives? Do you really need me to state this obvious benefit outright? As you build a compelling brand and a community of admirers, you will attract more and more qualified and enthusiastic individuals to your workforce. It's as simple as that.

Text in graphic on right:

Government Twitter leaders (FCW, September 10) 

• The White House: 1,071,927 followers
• CDC Emergency: 808,979 folowers
• NASA: 125.901 followers
• U.S. Army: 14,263 followers
• Smithsonian: 12711 followers

Government Facebook leaders (FCW, September 14)

• The White House: 327,592 fans
• Marine Corps: 83,144 fans
• U.S. Army: 49,416 fans
• CDC: 21,257 fans
• State Department: 16,386 fans

Google's new release - SideWiki - is going to fundamentally change the way people interact with websites. In essence, the tool makes every page of every website truly socially enabled. Companies must immediately begin to develop strategies around the management of SideWiki commentary on their career sites - even if the adoption of the tool is slow at first. Those that are prepared to listen to, and engage in, the conversation will be well served. Those that ignore the impact of this tool will find their employer brands at risk of being hijacked, distorted, or diminished. On the flip side, SideWiki has the power to be a significantly positive tool that enhances the dialogue and conversation around well articulated employer brands - literally allowing each and every employee to be a part of the recruiting process by sharing insights, stories, experiences, etc. 

One question that I still do not know how to answer is: How will SideWiki impact SEO and SEM? Since Search is such a critical component to a recruiting strategy, we will need an answer to this question quickly.

Jeremiah Owyang posted about SideWiki on his blog earlier today. I think he is absolutely on target with his comments.

How will you prepare for SideWiki?

Let me know what you think.

Want to know more? Reach out to me with a comment here and join the conversation.

SZE

I'm a big fan of Wayne Gretzky, in fact, he’s one of my heroes. He’s arguably the greatest hockey player of all time, and certainly the most prolific scorer, in part because he always went where the puck was going, not where the puck had been. At TMP Worldwide, we consistently strive to ensure that we are leading our clients where the talent is going, not where the talent has been. For the past 17 years, TMP Worldwide has worked diligently to ensure that our clients are ahead of the recruiting curve. Today, being ahead of the curve means making sure that our clients are harnessing the power of Web 2.0 to activate their brands and build branded experiences that will help them attract top talent.

Since 2004, when Tim O’Reilly coined the term “Web 2.0,” there has been significant confusion about what that term actually means. Some people want to know where they can “download” Web 2.0, others think it is limited to emerging social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. In fact, Web 2.0 is a much larger and more powerful concept that refers to new principles of design and development centered on user desires and behaviors. Web 2.0 tools and technologies - also known as the “participatory web” - have empowered individuals and given them the opportunity to have their voices heard. From book reviews on Amazon.com and travel tips on TripAdvisor to insights on work experiences, company cultures, and employer brands on sites like Vault.com, JobVent.com, and GlassDoor.com, individuals now have a way to participate in conversations that previously they were only able to observe or share with a close-knit circle. The Internet has allowed conversations to spread - at light speed - around the globe and be heard by millions within minutes. With participation comes influence: individuals’ opinions and reviews have the power to change the behavior of other individuals. A bad review on Amazon or TripAdvisor causes other users to pass on buying a book, eating at a restaurant or staying in a hotel. A bad review of a company’s culture could stop a user from applying for a job.

With the explosion of social networking options, individual voices are joined together in conversations and dialogues via Twitter, Facebook, Hi5, Orkut, and an ever-expanding universe of sites and tools, exponentially increasing the reach of the individual. People have been given the power to share through the use of YouTube (think of it as a free television broadcasting tool), RSS feeds (think of them as syndicated newspaper columns), and podcasting (think of them as radio stations) to name just a few outlets.

Lev Grossman, in his 2006 TIME Magazine cover story naming “You” as Person of the Year said of Web 2.0:

"It's a story about community and collaboration on a scale never seen before. It's about the cosmic compendium of knowledge Wikipedia and the million-channel people's network YouTube and the online metropolis MySpace. It's about the many wresting power from the few and helping one another for nothing and how that will not only change the world, but also change the way the world changes."

TMP Worldwide was one of the first agencies to truly understand its clients’ need to harness the power of the Web 2.0 revolution. The thought-leaders in TMP’s Innovation Lab grasped the idea that people trust people and by enabling people to interact with each other, by allowing them to begin dialogues and conversations, organizations could truly leverage the participatory nature of Web 2.0 and their own employer brand evangelists to influence candidates in a positive way. Central to Web 2.0 are the ideas of authenticity, transparency, and trust. Today, there is an inverse relationship between control and trust: Companies must give up some control in order to gain the trust of their current employees and their candidates.

Companies that first listen to, and then participate in, the conversations around their brands have the power to influence public opinion and this has a direct and obvious effect on that company’s ability to attract talent. Companies that don’t participate run the risk of having their brand hijacked by outsiders who can then exert influence over the applicant pool. Companies need to understand that if they don’t define their own employer brands, someone else will.

TMP Worldwide’s work with Web 2.0 ideas began with message boards and chat rooms and quickly evolved. We were the first agency to develop a full, in-world recruiting event within the SecondLife virtual world, allowing candidates to interact with companies and with each other. We pioneered the development of a Facebook widget called “Work With Me” which allows companies to power their employee referral programs with the largest, fastest growing social network. We were an innovator with the use of Twitter to share career information and job postings - catapulting Verizon’s Twitter-feed from launch to a place on the “Top 50 Employers Using Twitter” rankings in just two months. We were early adopters of mobile technology, leveraging Bluetooth and SMS messaging as well as QR tags and image recognition. We are deeply involved with and engaged in the use of Web 2.0 tools across multiple industry verticals and are often called upon to provide expertise at public events such as the Conference Board, the Social Media Summit, and SHRM to name just a few. All of our work in this area has been designed to fit strategically into a customized, overarching and integrated employment communications plan as well as to deliver demonstrable return-on-investment for each of our clients. 

As we move toward the next iteration of Web 2.0 - whether it is called Web 2.1 or Web 3.0 - we will continue to ensure that we position our clients at the forefront of emerging technologies. We see the next evolutionary step in this process being “brand activation” - a process that is less about new technology per se, and more about using technology to create immersion and engagement. Using Facebook as an example, we believe that it is no longer about simply having a Facebook page, it is about what you do with a Facebook page.

We believe that the next iteration of Web 2.0 is about the convergence of immersive media - mobile, video, photo, etc. - with employer brand and that these media will become delivery vehicles for participatory brand experiences. Our vision is to leverage these Web 2.0 channels to create engaging brand experiences that our clients’ target audiences will want to share with others. In this way, we will combine the viral aspects of social media with the experiential facets of emerging technologies, allowing our audiences to participate in conversations with people they trust.

We also know that the gateway to social media and shared experiences is through search engines. People start their web experiences more often than not on a search engine - usually Google. Because social media is highly visible to, and indexed by, search engines, if we build atomized and ubiquitous Web 2.0 experiences - Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, MySpace, etc. - search engines will find them and make them discoverable by candidates. Thus, Web 2.0 and search are inextricably linked and must be thought of as vital components of a truly integrated digital strategy. 

Yes, I am proud of the agency and our legacy of innovation. Yes, I have been a bit boastful, but it is with a didactic purpose. Candidate behaviors have changed. Now employer behaviors must change. Employers need to embrace new tools and technologies, new media options and new paradigms of candidate engagement. It is no longer enough for employers to pick and choose from the pieces of Web 2.0. Creating a successful digital recruiting strategy is no longer about ‘or,’ it’s about ‘and.’ It is about determining the best way to weave all of the Web 2.0 components together to form a truly integrated digital strategy. 

As I said at the top, companies must go where the talent is going, not where the talent has been.

Let me know what you think.

Want to know more? Reach out to me and join the conversation.

Twitter - @99GR81
Facebook – www.facebook.com/99GR81
LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/stevenzehrlich

SZE

Are you taking full advantage of the upsurge in government hiring? When the president says he wants to make federal employment "cool again," do you feel like he's talking about someone else or about another agency?

You're not alone. Research has shown that only a few agencies have a head start in the image category. As NASA celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Apollo Landing, it's easy to see why they're one of the government's most highly rated employer brands. After all, as then President Richard M. Nixon said to the returning astronauts, "This is the greatest week in history since creation."

But even the grandest triumphs hardly do justice to the vast opportunities within the federal government. No other employer comes close to presenting the career choices and options available. Each department and subcomponent has a story to tell. And with the tools of Government 2.0, they can convey this uniqueness accurately and quickly.

Cool medium and message

Government HR has been rapidly picking up on Web 2.0: social networking, blogs, video, etc. The interactive nature of these tools signals a dramatic shift from push (one-way) to pull (two-way-communications).

A recent tweet from the IRS' jobdog59 Twitter career site, succinctly expresses this difference: [the site owner – jobdog59], "thinks Twitter is like a river I throw bones into. They float along and if anybody wants one they are free to have as many as they want."

A free-flowing river, offering helpful career hints, doesn't conjure the old image of the IRS as a faceless fiscal fortress. That's why the advent of "Government 2.0" means much more than a technical change-over. The very use of these tools carries a powerful message:

Rather than being formidable bureaucracies with labyrinthine hiring processes, federal agencies are emerging as responsive, accessible venues, open to those who wish to serve.

Ennobling the federal employee

Of course, flexibility and transparency alone are not sufficient to overcome inertia. Many young people are wary that working for the fed will land them in dead-end, boring job, a secure job perhaps, but without an upwardly mobile path.

That's where branding federal employment brings vitality. For instance, when the EPA needed to "fine tune" its workforce and "hire for commitment," TMP introduced an employer brand emphasizing balance: "Something good for myself. Something good for the world around me." We then wove an offline and online eco-system around the anchor career site, expressing the connection between balance in work-life and the environment.

Similarly, for the Missile Defense Agency, the branded website parallels the "work" with the greatest technological achievements of our time. Reinforcing the uniqueness of the technical accomplishments, the site uses Government 2.0 tools from an interactive timeline with video to an action game.

Both of these examples help a candidate feel assured that they are doing the right thing for their personal and professional goals.

Recently at a TMP-sponsored gathering, put on by Government Executive magazine, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) commented that when he was growing up in Boston, President John F. Kennedy projected that kind of stature for government employees. At that time, many young people heeded the call to "do what they could do for their country." JFK expressed the confidence that public servants could dare the impossible, whether landing men on the moon or trekking to serve in far-off villages.

Connolly said that we need to "ennoble" the federal employee again. That approach, abetted by the president's Call to Serve, may even go beyond parity with the private sector. For the infrastructure of government as well as its regulations make possible an innovative free market. As brand advocates in touch with citizens, public servants also set the tone for civic life. And isn't that "way cool?"

For more examples of Government 2.0 in action, check out our TMP Government Portfolio.

In a post earlier this year, I commented on a survey of 30,000 American undergraduates sponsored by the Partnership for Public Service. Among other findings, the survey identified factors that appeared most attractive to graduates for their first jobs out of school.

The top three potential attractors are:

• work/life balance
• job security, and
• the opportunity to serve a greater good.

As I’ve said before, all three attributes are (or should be) strong suits for federal recruiters, and the agency that doesn’t accommodate all three in its employer brand positioning is probably missing a bet. What selling point for government employment in general could be more compelling than the notion of serving the greater good--particularly in light of the surge in enthusiasm for public service inspired by last Fall’s election?

I’m not suggesting that you emphasize these three baseline attractors to the exclusion of your agency’s unique attributes—the particular challenges and satisfactions of your mission, the qualities that distinguish your workplace culture, your special programs for learning and advancement, and so on. Your recruiting proposition should draw on both government-wide and agency-specific selling points.

Even so, presenting your employment value proposition accurately and compellingly is just a start. You should consider a “push” strategy, which means propelling this authentic positioning outward into the talent marketplace, where it can work for you by engaging students who may be particularly inclined to favor your agency over others. Find the folks who find your values, culture, and mission compelling; if you handle the interaction right, you quickly find yourself in conversation with high-value prospects. .

So I’m suggesting two mutually supportive approaches here. First, make sure that your employer brand addresses the general strong points of federal employment as well as your agency-unique attributes. Second, consider “push” techniques like advertising, sponsorships, online search approaches, and even direct e-mail campaigns. In a nutshell, place your employer brand where it can attract the most attention from the most desirable and most motivated candidates.

Speaking generally, the federal government has significantly improved its track record for hiring and retaining minorities over the last few decades. Even so, there are two minority classes that have lagged far behind: Hispanics and the disabled . Last summer our team released a white paper on recruiting and retaining the latter group; you can find it on TMPgovernment.com.

The low proportion of Hispanics in the government’s workforce is less widely known but equally troubling. In spite of being the nation’s fastest growing minority population, and in spite of comprising 12.7% of the U.S. civilian workforce, Hispanics make up only 7.8% of all federal employees. What’s more, Hispanic men and women represent only a scant 3.6% of individuals at federal senior pay levels—a proportion that drops to 2.5% when you take political appointees out of the calculation.

One more note in what could be a much longer litany of discouraging statistics: research by the Partnership for Public Service reveals that Hispanics attending college are more interested in working for the federal government than any other student segment they surveyed.

So how do we account for the government’s less-than-perfect track record on this metric? Our team at TMP Government is studying this issue in detail right now, and we will issue a white paper on the topic in just a few weeks. We won’t be delving as deeply into the why of this sad circumstance as into practical solutions for correcting the imbalance.

If you have been following my commentary in this blog, you may guess that our prescription for improvement will include niche branding, internships, mentoring, Web 2.0 approaches, workforce planning, career modeling, and a raft of other proven as well as emerging engagement techniques.

In the meantime, if you want to weigh in on this topic, suggest solutions, or point out Best Practice exemplars in government and out, don’t hesitate to contact me.