{"id":3532,"date":"2009-01-15T09:39:39","date_gmt":"2009-01-15T09:39:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.corporate-eye.com\/?p=3532"},"modified":"2009-01-15T09:39:39","modified_gmt":"2009-01-15T09:39:39","slug":"lessons-from-the-bleeding-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.corporate-eye.com\/main\/lessons-from-the-bleeding-edge\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons from the bleeding edge"},"content":{"rendered":"

What if . . . you were trying to recruit new employees for one of the most famously failing companies in America? <\/p>\n

Not a day passes without news of the American auto industry teetering on the brink\u2014and commentators frequently point out that consumers won\u2019t buy cars from a company that\u2019s inches away from bankruptcy. So you have to wonder whether job-seekers might not see Toyota as a better bet than Ford!<\/p>\n

On top of that, since Ford, Chrysler and GM are under intense pressure to improve their PR, corporate messaging is now heavy on thriftiness and repentance. Good-bye perks and fat salaries, hello humility! But will the best workers be attracted to a company that apologized in print for being stupid<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Although your company may not be in quite such a fix, odds are that the economic downturn is already having an effect on recruiting, with budgets shrinking and applications increasing. That expanding pool of job-seekers may include high-value employees set adrift by failing companies\u2014but you have to attract them and identify them.<\/p>\n

To get an idea of how the auto companies are approaching this problem, I visited the \u201cCareers\u201d pages for Ford<\/a>, GM<\/a>, and Toyota<\/a>. All three offer intro videos, but the videos create very different impressions. At Ford, the video starts automatically, and the message is all about F-A-S-T, with lot of zooms, cuts, and sound effects. The visual focus is mainly on cars\u2014inside, outside, upside down. There is no text message, just instructions for searching the job posts.<\/p>\n

\"GM<\/a><\/div>\n

Over at GM, on the other hand, the opt-in video feature rotates through clips highlighting diversity, NASCAR, day-on-the-job, etc. The text component is short, but hits the right note with this sentence: \u201cExperience the next GM. Whether it\u2019s battery powered, hydrogen fuel cell or the latest hybrid vehicles, we\u2019re committed to putting cars on the road that meet the needs of the world.\u201d Message? This is the next GM. Not the problem GM you know about now, but the one that\u2019s about to emerge\u2014and you can be part of this rebirth!!<\/p>\n

I thought that worked really well under the circumstances, but had to wonder whether the approach was purposeful or just an accident. So I jumped on the Wayback Machine<\/a> (aka Internet Archive), and found that the GM Career page one year ago featured a diversity snapshot, with this text: \u201cThe cars, trucks and SUVs we build are as diverse as the talented individuals who come to work here. And that’s why people from every background continue to choose GM as a great place to build a career and pave the road to a bright future.\u201d Now that\u2019s the voice of a company well pleased with itself . . .<\/p>\n

Finally, at Toyota there\u2019s a feel-good video about great cars and great people. No text message, but\u2014and here\u2019s the stroke of genius\u2014a \u201cWhat\u2019s New\u201d section, featuring press releases on Products, Environment, and Corporate (yes, that\u2019s sales reporting). What does this feature signal? \u201cWe\u2019re honest with you.\u201d And we can afford to be honest with you, because the Toyota \u201cnews\u201d is not nearly as bad as what\u2019s happening with the Big Three.<\/p>\n

Well, it will be interesting to see if there are more changes on these sites. But for now, the takeaway is . . . think seriously about the approach you want to take in this economic environment, and if you haven\u2019t adjusted your site to deliver the most effective message, now might be a good time! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What if . . . you were trying to recruit new employees for one of the most famously failing companies in America? Not a day passes without news of the American auto industry teetering on the brink\u2014and commentators frequently point out that consumers won\u2019t buy cars from a company that\u2019s inches away from bankruptcy. 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