By Ritwik Mukherjee: Interview | Anne Birgitte Kverum, chief HR officer, Uninor: Large companies have started leveraging social media like LinkedIn for knowledge and best practice sharing. In an interview with Ritwik Mukherjee,Kverum explains why and how HR functions of companies are getting increasingly dependent on technology and social networking sites. Excerpts: How do you see the role of social/professional networking platforms like Google Hangouts and LinkedIn in HR functions, particularly in hiring? Social media and related technologies are changing the nature of recruitment in a big way. It plays a significant role in the recruitment process, helps identify potential candidate and saves HR team’s time. There is a wide range of benefits associated with using social media in the recruitment process like saving costs, increasing the pool of applicants reached and in targeting recruitment at specific groups of potential candidates. Organisations can also screen candidates, check their backgrounds and professional connections. It also helps in understanding the candidate’s attitude and how he or she can fit in the organisation’s culture and work environment. We, at Uninor, also leverage social media like LinkedIn for sharing of knowledge and best practices. Many forums on these networks are very informative and allow us to connect with like-minded people n What are the initiatives taken by such professional networking platforms for making employees globally competitive? These professional networking platforms not only highlight an individual’s educational background and professional expertise, but also reflect his intellectual and emotional quotient. The added features like professional groups and pages make it easier for the HR mangers to hire the right talent. Though the traditional methods are still in practice, social platforms are becoming the primary source for employees to become competitive as they give them better understanding of the nuances of an industry and job profile. What are the benefits of using such platforms in human resource management? As the statutory regulations and environments are ever changing, there’s so much to learn and see how other companies react. These forums are helping increase transparency and also young HR managers to learn faster from others’ experiences. What are the complexities in this whole game? As profiles are maintained by individuals, there are chances of misrepresentation of facts, which may cause mis-hiring for a particular role. But methods like reference check and verification can solve such issues to an extent. Source: Article, Image: pixabay.com under Creative Commons CC0.
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