081029 Strategy or Toys

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081029 Strategy or Toys

Topics: All, John Sumser, JohnSumser.com, Recruiting Strategy, Recruiting Wisdom, by John Sumser

(Oct 29, 2008) If you haven’t had a chance, tune into the ERE conference. The page at ere.net is featuring live material from this week’s conference. With an emphasis on outreach and interaction, things are shifting at ERE. David Manaster continues to set a high standard for the relevancy of national conferences.

The first panel featured Gerry Crispin, Mark Mehler, Joel Cheesman, Shally Steckerl and an extremely insightful woman from Yahoo (Carmen Hudson.) It was a reprise (though en extremely interactive one) of the technology panel that has been a part of every trade show since the early 1990s. Really smart people who know about relatively obscure things coaching the audience to invest now.

I wonder if anyone can give me the name of a company that lost a competitive advantage by being slow to develop a corporate website? Why would the current (Web 2.0) wave be any different. The only urgency I can see is the urgency to enrich the consultants focused on the utilization of new technology.

Invest in the technology now or you will be a corporate laggard. Really?

An audience member asked how to get the rest of the organization blogging and twittering. “It’s al well and good that we’re recruiting this way,” she said, “but it isn’t worth a hill of beans if the hiring managers and trench level supervisors are not doing it.”

I wonder when it became the recruiter’s job to lead the organization into new technology usage. Isn’t the job to staff the existing organization? Aren’t other people supposed to be moving the technology ball forward? Are Recruiters really supposed to spend their time at the cutting edge?

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About the author

John Sumser

John Sumser is a principal analyst for HRExaminer, an independent analyst firm covering HR Technology and the intersection of people, tech, and work. John’s mix of experience over the course of his career gives him a broad and unique perspective on the industry. Like anyone trying to process a lot of information, he is two or three steps ahead in some areas and still learning about others. Sumser’s work includes deep research into the nooks and crannies of HR Technology to identify and explain rapidly evolving trends. Built on a foundation of engineering, design, and philosophy, John’s seeks to understand and advise clients on where their technology works best, for whom, and in what context. Each year, John examines the insides of hundreds of companies, their products, and ecosystems. He delivers vendor analysis by building the framework from which to deliver the critique. He is constantly connecting and making visible the front end of change. He can help you see the path of evolution and the risks on the journey. The HRExaminer is Sumser’s vehicle for understanding and explaining the inner workings of the industry. With three weekly podcasts, and written commentary, he covers emerging ideas, the state of the industry, and the executives who operate it.