Dread Not The Un-Happy PR Story Beginning
The Mystery Of Marketing

#tnl Asks Is HR The New PR?

Last night I participated in the #talentnet online discussion between recruiters. The topic was "Is HR the New PR."

I thought the question required a review of PR.

I wrote that, “PR strategy is the process of understanding what's unique about you, listening to the community, finding current conversations and applying what's unique about you to those current conversations.”

A good example of finding a current industry discussion in HR is Gen Y and the big demographic shift. Aaron Strout and I wrote an article, "Beware the Age Wave" on this topic. If a company can address how your company & HR will build a company that manages the shift and addresses Gen Y concerns there’s an opportunity to generate stories in the media around that topic that increase the volume of candidate inquires because of the publicity.

I thought that HR should work with PR as counsel, just as PR is changing its role across the enterprise, so the role of HR changes. HR can influence the public's perception of a company online because candidates have the opportunity to relate their HR experiences about a company online.

I think HR is not the new PR, but HR can use social media to build relationships, and manage crisis communications related to HR. The new reality means that HR has to be more aware than ever before that the actions they take will influence candidates and as a consequence affect a company's brand. This means when recruiting for a job it’s not just about filling the job but also making sure you treat a candidate in the right way.

Comments