UMANESOURCES

HR

香港人力資源管理學會會刊

人才薈萃

Novem

ber 2012H

UM

AN

RESO

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CES

Global Trends and the Changing Role of HR環球營商大趨勢 人力資源顯智慧

November 2012 人才薈萃

14 HUMAN RESOURCES November 2012

HR Strategies

By William Chin, Staffing Director, Qualcomm Asia Pacific

Social media platforms offer an alternative for recruitment as they allow HR professionals to access a more diverse candidate pool and reach out to “passive” candidates without spending any money.

It is critical for HR professionals to design policies on social media to enhance productivity and engagement with online social communities.

Leveraging Social Media for Recruitment

REUTERS/Bobby Yip

15HUMAN RESOURCES November 2012

September 2012 China FocusHR Strategies

LinkedIn

Facebook

Twitter

Sina Weibo

Social Media Platforms at a Glance

Although HR directors in Hong

Kong prefer traditional methods,

such as postings on online job boards

and newspaper advertisements, to

recruit candidates, there are obvious

problems with such methods. For

the former, it is a reactive approach

as HR professionals could only skim

through résumés that were posted

in the job board database for an

extended period. There may be cases

when most of the job applicants are

generally juniors who do not meet

the requirements of the senior level

job posting. HR professionals would

thus still have to spend money on

recruitment agencies to reach out to

senior candidates. Furthermore, after

each posting, recruiters have to wait

for applicants to apply, thus adding

more time to the recruitment process.

The rise of social media as a recruitment toolSocial media platforms, on the

other hand, offer an alternative for

recruitment as they provide HR

professionals global access to a

more diverse candidate pool and

enable them to reach out to “passive”

candidates who are not actively

looking for new opportunities. HR

professionals can also utilise social

media tools as an employer branding

and communication vehicle. Most

importantly, social media platforms

enable HR professionals to work on a

tight budget as basic services

(eg skimming through prospective

talent profiles) are often free of

charge.

Social media platforms are

considered a boon for HR

professionals. People’s willingness

to post personal and professional

information offers a wealth of data

for recruiters to mine for recruiting

purposes. For example, a 2011 study

conducted by Experian Hitwise,

an online competitive intelligence

service, underlines that Singaporeans

spend the longest time on social

networks, with an average of

38 minutes and 46 seconds per

Internet session – a fact that recruiters

should use to tailor their social

media strategies. In my experience,

100% of the Integrated Circuit design

engineers that I hired in Singapore

are through a social media channel.

Similarly, half of my HR positions in

Asia Pacific were filled through social

media networks.

The millions of users on social

networking sites thus present

HR professionals with significant

opportunities to target specific

potential talent. HR professionals can

leverage social media platforms such

as the professional networking site

LinkedIn, which boasts over

25 million members in Asia Pacific.

On top of LinkedIn, the micro-

blogging service Twitter and the

online social networking site

Facebook are common platforms for

tapping into the talent market in Asia.

16 HUMAN RESOURCES November 2012

HR Strategies

Benefits of social media toolsTraditional job boards tend to be

a static way to source candidates:

Candidates apply to job postings

and recruiters search for résumés

matching the keywords required

for a particular position. Whilst the

applicant pool may be plentiful,

some résumés may be outdated as

applicants do not usually refresh it

after applying to a position. Social

media channels, on the other

hand, allow HR professionals to

have a more dynamic relationship

with their network. For instance,

companies hiring in mainland China

have started to create dedicated

corporate recruitment accounts

on Sina Weibo. Recruiters know

that, during the campus recruiting

season, the physical bulletin boards

are cluttered with other companies’

announcements. With micro-blogs,

campus recruiters communicate

directly with their targeted student

audience. Students I have spoken

to indicated that they prefer and are

accustomed to micro-blogs in order to

get timely information.

Employers can access to an

applicant’s network (according to

the concept of “friend of a friend”).

They can increase their connections

based on education level, industry,

skills or other relevant criteria.

HR professionals cannot identify

specific candidates and expand

their network to such extent with

traditional sourcing methods. Thus,

social media platforms enable

employers to develop a community

of qualified applicants who meet the

skill sets needed. HR professionals

can spread the word about a position

through their direct connections and

expanded network.

Secondly, social media is a precious

tool for HR professionals to attract

the growing Gen Y which is entering

the labour market, as this connected

cohort is more adept at using online

tools and social media platforms to

communicate and look for career

opportunities.

Thirdly, social media platforms

enable HR professionals to advertise

their company’s brand. A strong social

media presence is a way to highlight

internship opportunities, corporate

activities or social responsibility

events. For instance, some companies

may even feature their CEOs’ and

executives’ webcasts and web

chats. This enhances the corporate

image by conveying the idea of a

company connected with current and

prospective employees – something

that would be considered as an

attraction of an employer.

17HUMAN RESOURCES November 2012

September 2012 China FocusHR Strategies

LinkedIn

Facebook

Micro-blogging (Twitter, Weibo)

Social Media as a Recruiting Tool

Types of social media recruitersThere is a wide range of recruiter

expertise when it comes to using

social media for recruitment. At the

most basic level, the HR professionals

simply search through a social media

site, which is similar to searching

through a résumés database. Some

HR professionals may also use

these platforms to post recruitment

advertising, which is also similar to

traditional channels. This type of

recruiter does not take full advantage

of the social aspect of these platforms.

The intermediate-level HR

professionals build a network of

applicants by connecting with target

candidates. He/she aims at building

up thousands of contacts. These

recruiters may update their profile

status with the current positions they

want to fill, hoping that job applicants

will come across it as they browse the

Internet. Such HR professionals do not

go beyond connections number.

The advanced-level HR

professionals utilise social media

platforms to engage and interact

with a broader network of potential candidates, dramatically increasing the qualitative value of social media tools. These recruiters take into account the community aspect of social media platforms and focus on the quality rather than the quantity of contacts. Just as with business networking events, advanced-level recruiters do more than just collect business cards. They actually have conversations and exchanges of ideas with their

networks.

Developing a social media strategyAfter understanding the benefits of attracting talent through social media, many HR professionals may rush to open accounts on LinkedIn or Sina Weibo. Yet, creating an account is far from being enough to recruit talent. Recruiters have to devote time to maintaining an online profile; their interest in social media should not wane after a short while.

It is critical for HR professionals to first list their objectives and identify the results they want to achieve. They should assess the current candidate recruitment situation and the gap they want to close in their organisation. These initial planning steps will help them determine their overall social media recruitment strategy.

Next, HR professionals need to grasp their target audience. In this regard, they have to understand that different social media platforms target different types of job applicants. A primary target audience in mainland China will likely be using a Weibo account. A Hong Kong young professional audience may be using Facebook. If HR professionals want to reach out to mid-career professionals, they should use LinkedIn.

In order to build up connections on social media sites, HR professionals

18 HUMAN RESOURCES November 2012

HR Strategies

should produce engaging content

and tailor it for each audience. For

instance, they might use videos and

other interactive media to reach out

to the Gen Y job applicants rather

than posting a job description. On the

other hand, HR professionals could

write an attractive job description to

raise the interest of mid-career and

senior candidates on LinkedIn. In all

cases, they should refresh their online

content on a regular basis. Nothing is

worst than a “zombie account”, where

there is no updated activity.

HR professionals should also master

ways to respond appropriately to

candidates on social media platforms

as their feedback is also exposed to

users worldwide, thus affecting the

reputation of their company. Whilst

with traditional résumés job boards,

the typical candidate profile sits in

the database until a recruiter contacts

him/her for an interview, with social

media, “fans” or “linked connections”

expect instantaneous responses to

comments and enquiries.

It is therefore imperative that the

HR team be trained to develop and

improve their corporate social media

policies and practices. This will ensure

that all HR professionals get a keen

understanding of corporate online

communication and key messages to

spread. Ultimately, alignment between

public relations and HR professionals’

social media strategy will enhance a

company’s corporate brand.

Social media metricsIn order to foster a corporate culture

that incorporates the use of social

media platforms, HR professionals

must develop metrics to measure

success. Developing case studies

will contribute to deepen their

knowledge of networking techniques.

In addition, collaborating on budgets

with the finance department can help

determine the return on investments

in social media recruiting.

A social media recruitment survey,

titled “Social Media and Resourcing:

The Impact of Social Media on

Recruitment and HR in Asia Pacific”

that Alexander Mann Solutions and

The Chapman Consulting Group

released, underlines that senior HR

professionals are better at articulating

benefits of social media platforms

such as sourcing pool, employer

branding reach and cost savings

opportunities.

Developing social media guidelines It is critical for HR professionals to

develop clear guidelines as the lines

are increasingly blurred between

the personal and professional use

of social media tools. For example,

employees ought not to post pictures

of the party they attended over the

weekend on the same social media

platform they use to network with

industry professionals. Such guidelines

should include a code of conduct

related to the use of social media.

HR professionals should provide

examples of the type of appropriate

information that employees and

executives can post online. They

should also stress that confidential

corporate data should never be

disclosed to the public. In addition,

HR professionals should explain to

staff how to respond to negative

comments on the Internet whilst

remaining professional. Guidelines

related to social media should also

refer to anti-competitive practices as

HR professionals often recruit from

their market competitors. Ultimately,

designing policies on social media

governance will enhance productivity

and engagement with online social

communities.

Anticipating trends in social recruitingMaking a company’s recruiting

information available on mobile

devices is critical for HR professionals

as people now access information “on

the go.” In Asia’s largest cities, people

are addicted to their smart phones.

They are constantly looking down

on their handsets and other mobile

devices while commuting on buses or

subways.

HR professionals should thus build

mobile applications that provide

relevant information to their target

job applicants so that prospective

candidates can connect with recruiters

on their mobile devices. For example,

creating a job posting application

that sends new job announcements

to users could make it easier for

HR professionals to reach out and

share information with prospective

candidates. It is also critical that

employers keep up-to-date with social

media software to help a company

stay relevant in this ever-changing

social media environment.

Conclusion Social media platforms are a precious

channel for HR professionals’

recruitment efforts. It allows them to

reach candidates who are difficult

to find through other traditional

channels. In this respect, an efficient

use of social media platforms can

enhance engagement with a broader

audience and contribute to a

company’s branding efforts. So long

as the population in Asia uses the

Internet, social media will continue

to play a more significant role in

recruitment. HR professionals who

can leverage the best use of social

media for recruitment purposes will

win in the pursuit of the region’s

talent.

20 HUMAN RESOURCES November 2012

社交媒體平台提供另一個招聘渠道。透過這類平台，人力資源管理專才毋須花費，便可接觸更多元化的人才庫，招攬「被動型」的人才。

人力資源管理專才必須制訂社交媒體使用策略，提升使用這類媒體的招聘成效，加強與網上社群互動。

善用社交媒體招攬人才Qualcomm Asia Pacific員工招聘事務總監陳偉雄

香港的人力資源總監普遍傾向使用

傳統方法招聘員工，例如在求

職網站或報章刊登招聘廣告。不過，這

些方法出現明顯的問題。這是被動式，

人力資源管理專才只能持續瀏覽求職網

站資料庫內的履歷，但會出現求職者大

多資歷較淺，未符合高級職位要求的情

況。因此，人力資源管理專才最終還是

要花錢找人事顧問公司，物色資深的求

職者。其次，每次刊登招聘廣告後，往

往要等待求職者應徵，令招聘過程更加

費時。

社交媒體冒起成為招聘工具

社交媒體平台為人力資源管理專才提

供另一種招聘途徑，他們可透過這類平

台，輕易接觸全球更多元化的潛在人才

庫，招攬那些不會主動尋找新機會的「被

動」人士。人力資源管理專才亦可利用社

交媒體，為僱主塑造品牌形象和建立溝通

渠道。最重要的是，社交媒體的基本服務

一般都是免費(如瀏覽求職者資料)，人力

資源管理專才可以利用有限的預算進行招

聘。

社交媒體可說是人力資源管理專才的

恩物。大眾願意把個人資料和專業資歷上

載至互聯網，從而建立一個豐富的招聘資

料庫，讓招聘者從中物色人才。舉例說，

網絡分析公司Experian   Hitwise   2011年的

研究顯示，新加坡人在社交網絡花上最長

時間，每次上網時花在社交網絡的時間平

均達38分46秒。僱主制訂社交媒體策略時

宜參考這些實際情況。筆者在新加坡聘用

的集成電路設計工程師，全部透過社交媒

體渠道聘請；同樣地，筆者的亞太區人力

資源部門員工，一半也是透過社交媒體網

絡聘請的。

全球各個社交網站的用戶數以千萬

計，為人力資源管理專才提供機會，從中

尋找和鎖定有潛質的人才。人力資源管

理專才可充份利用社交媒體平台，如為

專業人士而設的社交聯繫網站LinkedIn，

單在亞太地區用戶已超過2,500萬名。除

LinkedIn外，Twitter及Facebook亦經常成

為接觸亞洲人才市場的平台。

社交媒體作為招聘工具的好處

傳統的網上招聘板傾向以靜態方式搜尋人

才：求職者應徵職位，招聘者則找出與職

位所需的關鍵要求相符的履歷。雖然某一

職位可能吸引多人應徵，但求職者提交申

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

人才管理策略

21HUMAN RESOURCES November 2012

LinkedIn專業人士建立聯繫的主要平台

會員在網站列出個人專業經驗，並與現任和前任僱員及同事建立聯繫

公司用戶可自設專頁

LinkedIn根據用戶的共同興趣建立群組招聘者經常以此網絡接觸專業界別的人才

香港用戶超過50萬，中國內地用戶200萬

Facebook主要屬社交性質(例如與朋友聯絡)

用戶上載聯誼活動照片，並對朋友的照片和言論表示「讚」和發表評論

公司可自設「粉絲」專頁，分享照片和影片

用戶對專頁表示「讚」，便可接收求職資訊和更新資料

企業用以接觸「Y世代」香港用戶超過400萬在中國內地無法登入Facebook

Twitter提供微博服務，用戶之間以不多於140字的「短訊」聯絡利用Twitter的流動應用程式，用戶可隨時隨地保持緊密聯繫

公司可張貼職位空缺「標題」，但必須使用適當的關鍵字(例如#hashtags)才能接觸目標用戶必須準確掌握發出「短訊」的時機，確保成功將職位空缺資料傳送至目標用戶

在中國內地無法登入Twitter

新浪微博國內規模最大的微博服務，用戶超過2億5千萬 (市場對手是「騰訊微博」)以中文為主

「短訊」最多140字，由於使用中文，短訊內容較Twitter的英文「標題」豐富大部分用戶年齡介乎19至30歲，多來自大城市已有公司開始建立招聘專用的公司帳戶

香港登記用戶超過200萬

社交媒體平台概覽

請後，一般不會經常更新履歷，因此部分

履歷的內容可能已經過時。相反，社交媒

體讓人力資源管理專才與他們的網絡建

立更為互動的關係。舉例說，內地公司開

始在「新浪微博」設立招聘專用的公司帳

戶。招聘者都知道，每逢招聘季節，校園

的布告板總會貼滿公司的招聘廣告。透過

微博，有意招聘畢業生的招聘者可直接與

目標人才通訊。不少學生向筆者表示喜歡

和習慣利用微博獲取即時資訊。

透過微博，僱主可接觸求職者的社交

網絡 (按照「朋友的朋友」的概念)，並可

根據教育水平、行業、技能或其他相關準

則擴大網絡。若沿用傳統招聘方法，人力

資源管理專才難以這樣物色個別人才和擴

大網絡。因此，社交媒體平台讓僱主建立

群組，而群組成員都是具備所需技能的合

適求職者。人力資源管理專才只要透過直

接聯繫人和擴大的網絡，便可把某特定職

位的資料發放出去。

此外，社交媒體是一個不可多得的途

徑，讓人力資源管理專才吸引陸續投入勞

動市場的「Y世代」。這個喜歡互相聯繫

的族群善於使用網上工具和社交媒體來溝

通和尋找求職機會。

最後，社交媒體平台可讓人力資源管

理專才推廣公司品牌。活躍於社交媒體是

推廣實習機會、企業活動或「社會責任」

活動的方法。舉例說，個別公司可安排行

政總裁和管理人員在網上廣播和對話。此

舉有助向各界展示公司與現職僱員以及或

會成為僱員的人士保持聯繫，由此令公

司成為具吸引力的僱主，藉此提升企業形

象。

招聘者使用社交媒體的方式

招聘者使用社交媒體招聘的方式各適其

適。最基本是人力資源管理專才搜尋某個

社交網站，情況與搜尋履歷資料庫相若。

個別人力資源管理專才亦可在這些網站張

貼招聘廣告，做法與傳統的方式大同小

異。這種招聘方式並無充份利用這些網站

的社交功能。

經驗較豐富的人力資源管理專才會採

用中級招聘方式，與目標人才聯繫，建立

求職者網絡，從而建立數以千計的聯絡

人。人力資源管理專才可不時更新網上簡

介的狀態，列出職位空缺，讓求職者瀏覽

互聯網時得知有關消息。這類人力資源管

理專才著重的在於網絡聯繫的人數。

更高層次的招聘方式，即利用社交媒

體平台，與更多潛在人才在網絡溝通和交

流，從而大大提高社交媒體工具的質量價

值。採用這種方式的人力資源管理專才，

考慮到社交媒體平台的群組特徵，著重的

是聯繫者的質素而非人數。像商業聯誼活

動般，這類人力資源管理專才並不只是到

處收集名片，而是務實地與聯繫者傾談和

交流意見。

訂立社交媒體策略

人力資源管理專才明白到利用社交媒體

招攬人才的好處後，或會急不及待在

LinkedIn或「新浪微博」等網站開設帳

戶。然而，單單設立帳戶仍不足以招聘人

才。招聘者須花時間管理網上簡介；他們

亦要對社交媒體保持興趣，不能只有「三

分鐘熱度」。

人力資源管理專才應先列出他們的目

標和預期成果。他們應檢討目前的招聘情

況及找出機構需要填補的職位空缺。這些

籌劃步驟有助他們制定在社交媒體的整體

招聘策略。

隨後，人力資源管理專才便要爭取目

標群組。就此而言，他們要明白到，各個

社交媒體平台的目標求職者群組各有不

同。假如目標群組身處中國內地，他們很

可能主要使用「新浪微博」；香港的年青

才俊則可能主要使用Facebook。人力資源

September 2012 China Focus人才管理策略

LinkedIn招聘專業人士的最佳選擇

人力資源管理專才可先與現任同事及其他專業人士建立聯繫(他們是第一層聯絡人)

他們繼而可要求這一層聯絡人介紹新聯絡人，然後吸納他們成為第一層聯絡人

他們應確保在有關行業物色符合公司技能需要的聯絡人

他們可加入LinkedIn群組，接觸有共同興趣的人士，建立新聯繫LinkedIn提供收費的招聘服務：LinkedIn  Recruiter讓人力資源管理專才接觸整個社交網絡他們可定期更新其「動態」欄目，提供職位空缺資料和張貼其他公布

他們應經常更新簡介，並附上專業照片作為簡介

Facebook人力資源管理專才可設立「粉絲」專頁，讓加入專頁的目標人士得知相關的職位資訊

他門可以把照片和影片上載到公司專頁，以及刊登公司的服務，突顯公司是最佳僱主之選

雖然Facebook並非求職網站，但用戶可透過Branchout等應用程式建立行業網絡人力資源管理專才應恰當回應用戶的意見

人力資源管理專才可舉辦小型比賽，又或邀請用戶在公司的「粉絲」專頁張貼原創內容，獲得最多「讚」的創作可獲獎，這樣既可吸引用戶有興趣留意公司的動態，又能讓他們繼續參與。

微博 (Twitter ， 新浪微博)人力資源管理專才可張貼精簡矚目的標題，作為招聘廣告

他們可創作關鍵字(例如#hashtags)，方便用戶藉這些關鍵字搜尋相關短訊由於微博用戶眾多且不斷發放短訊，人力資源管理專才應找出目標求職者較有可能查閱更新資訊的時段(例如大清早、午膳時間或傍晚)

社交媒體作為招聘工具

22 HUMAN RESOURCES November 2012

管理專才如欲接觸處於事業發展中期的專

業人士，便應使用LinkedIn。

人力資源管理專才若要在社交網站建

立聯繫，應製作具吸引力的網頁內容，並

因應不同群組度身訂造。舉例說，要吸引

「Y世代」求職者，可能要利用影片和其

他互動媒介，而不是只張貼職位詳情。另

一方面，如要吸引處於事業發展中期或較

資深的人士，可考慮在LinkedIn張貼具吸

引力的職位詳情。不論何種情況，人力資

源管理專才需要定期更新網頁內容。最差

勁的帳戶是資訊從不更新，形同虛設。

此外，人力資源管理專才應掌握如何

恰當地回應潛在求職者在社交媒體平台提

出的意見，因為這些回應供世界各地用戶

閱覽，因而會影響公司的聲譽。在傳統的

網上招聘廣告板，求職者的履歷放置在

資料庫內，直至招聘者聯絡求職者面試為

止；相反，在社交媒體平台，「粉絲」或

「人脈」的聯絡人普遍期望所有意見和查

詢均可獲得即時回覆。

因此，訓練和鼓勵人力資源部門發展

和改善公司的社交媒體政策和實務，最為

重要。這樣可確保所有人力資源管理專才

完全掌握公司網上溝通渠道和主要傳達的

訊息。最終來說，公關部門與人力資源部

門在社交媒體策略如能互相配合，可提升

公司品牌形象。

社交媒體準則

人力資源管理專才必須訂立準則，評估有

關政策的成效，才能建立包含使用社交媒

體平台的公司文化。個案研究有助他們加

深認識網上社交技巧。此外，與公司財務

部攜手編製有關預算，有助確定投資於社

交媒體招聘的回報。

Alexander   Mann   Solutions與The  

Chapman   Consulting   Group早前以「社

交媒體與物色人才：社交媒體對亞太區內

招聘及人力資源管理的影響」為題，進行

社交媒體招聘問卷調查。調查顯示，資深

人力資源管理專才更擅於闡釋社交媒體平

台的好處，例如建立人才群組、推廣僱主

品牌形象、節省企業開支等。

訂立社交媒體應用指引

人力資源管理專才須訂立清晰的指引，清

楚劃分社交媒體的個人與專業用途之間的

界線。舉例說，僱員不應在與業內專業人

士聯繫的社交媒體平台張貼他們在週末私

人派對的照片。

此等指引應包括使用社交媒體的行為

守則。人力資源管理專才應提供實例，說

明僱員及行政人員可在網上張貼哪些資

訊，也應強調僱員絕不能公開披露公司的

機密資料。此外，人力資源管理專才應向

僱員解釋如何以專業態度回應網上的負面

評論。人力資源管理專才經常從競爭對手

網羅人才，因此，社交媒體相關的指引亦

應涵蓋反競爭實務。

總的來說，制訂社交媒體管治政策，

有助加強與網上社群的溝通和互動。

於社交媒體招聘員工的趨勢預測

今時今日，大眾普遍都能隨時隨地查閱訊

息，因此，人力資源管理專才的另一項重

要工作，是把公司的招聘資訊透過流動通

訊設備發放。在亞洲區內多個大城市，經

常見到市民在巴士和地鐵等公共交通工具

上埋首使用智能手提電話和其他流動通訊

設備。

因此，人力資源管理專才應致力建立專

門提供相關資訊的流動應用程式，讓潛在

求職者利用流動通訊設備與招聘者聯絡。

舉例說，製作一個不時向用戶發放職位空

缺詳情的應用程式，讓人力資源管理專才

易於接觸準求職者，向他們提供資料。

此外，僱主必須定期更新社交媒體軟

件，確保公司在日新月異的網上社交世界

與時並進。

結論

社交媒體平台為人力資源管理專才提供寶

貴的招聘渠道，讓他們接觸難以透過傳統

招聘渠道尋找的求職者。在這種環境下，

善用社交媒體平台不但可聯繫更多潛在人

才，更有助宣傳公司的品牌形象。

亞洲區內使用互聯網的人數與日俱

增，社交媒體將繼續在企業招聘方面擔當

重要角色。能夠充份利用社交媒體進行招

聘的人力資源管理專才，定能在區內的人

才爭奪戰取勝。

人才管理策略