Engage: the Carve Blog on Social, Search, Talent

A quick huzzah (it being wimbledon week after all) to Focus Management, a long time Carve client, who are currently celebrating their 20th anniversary.

Specialising in Food Jobs, Focus are a UK recruiter who have embraced the social media, using Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Feeds, Facebook and Blogs to attract and engage new talent and customers. The increasing importance of these Corporate & Social Networking tools is perhaps best illustrated perhaps best their recent promotion to the Focus-Management.co.uk home page, as below - a "connect with us, wherever / whenever it suits you" led proposition that we'll see widely adopted elsewhere in the next 12 months, ultimately perhaps even going as far as Skittles.com

Visit Focus Management's website - tags Food Jobs, Food Recruitment Experts

Press Release launched today by the NHS regarding supporting Vulnerable Londoners and those affected by the Recession. Carve (with Social Spider, who developed the content) designed the strategy developed the WorkingforWellness.org.uk site - a hub and community for Jobseekers, Employees and Employers about Mental Health and Employment. Carve also developed and implemented the community and social media strategies including nascent YouTube channel and Twitter programmes (follow @mentalwellbeing)

Capital Caring for Vulnerable Londoners

Organisations Work Together to Support the Recession Affected

The London Mental Health and Employment Partnership, a collaborative initiative involving sixteen regional and local agencies, is launching a new commitment to support Londoners vulnerable to mental illness during the recession.

Studies show that when people have lost jobs there are major challenges to their mental wellbeing, as well as future chances of regaining employment. With over 200,000 people in London claiming Jobseekers Allowance in April this year, the impact on the Capital’s mental wellbeing is already significant.

Partners involved in offering these services alongside NHS statutory bodies include: NHS London, the London Development Centre (part of Commissioning Support for London), Job Centre Plus, the Learning & Skills Council, the London Voluntary Services Council and the National Housing Federation - London. Together they will offer Londoners improved access to information, psychological therapies, mental health awareness training, employment advice and counselling, and will work to ensure that those suffering from mental health problems are recognised, supported and offered equal access to employment opportunities.

Sir Richard Sykes, Chairman of NHS London said: “I welcome these plans to provide additional support for mental illness. One of the most overlooked effects of a recession is the impact on peoples’ mental health, which affects those who have lost their jobs and those in fear of doing so. I am confident that the NHS will play its part, alongside a range of partners, to support the mental wellbeing of all Londoners at this difficult time.”

Key to promoting this support is a new website - www.workingforwellness.org.uk - which will bring together information about all the services and support on offer, providing a ‘one-stop shop’ for those seeking advice.

These vital services will build on London’s joint DWP, DIUS and BERR Action Plan, which sets out how London’s employers and individuals will be supported during the recession.

- Ends -

Notes to Editors

In April 2009, 209,345 people in London were claiming Jobseekers Allowance, a rise of 78% from the same period in 2008.[1] If people have lost jobs, there are major challenges to their mental wellbeing[2] and within six months of unemployment, 50% of men are depressed and there is a four-fold increase in suicide (Danuta and Wasserman 2009). Increased unemployment rates are therefore likely to lead to increased rates of mental illness, with consequences for those around the sufferer.

The London Mental Health and Employment Partnership (LMHEP) was established by the London Development Centre in 2007. It was set up as a direct response to the Cabinet Office document: “Reaching Out: An Action Plan on Social Exclusion.” which called for the need to establish “dedicated regional teams to provide further support for the implementation of good practice around the employment of those with severe mental health problems.”

It comprises representation of regional and local government agencies, health services, Jobcentre Plus, Learning and Skills Council, public and private sector employers, the voluntary and community sector, London’s housing sector and service-user groups.

The partnership’s overall aim is to support the number of Londoners with mental illness into or closer towards meaningful employment, contributing to reducing health inequalities, helping to alleviate child poverty and improving social inclusion across the Capital. We also work with employers and workplace organisations to help improve their capacity to deal better with mental health issues in the workplace.

[1] Office of National Statistics

[2] If happiness is used as a correlate of mental wellbeing, in the loss of happiness due to unemployment, 20% is attributable to loss of income, while 80% is attributable to lost self esteem, networks and status.

We thought it might be cool to upload a quick deck showing some Social Media buzz tracking from the ONREC conference this week.

Paul Harrison from Carve Consulting was on the panel (with Luke from Google, Laura from AIRS, Charles from TMP, chaired by Matt from Barkers,) and where Carve client Don Leslie from BLT presented their social media strategy. (You can download Don's presentation here

If you've got any questions on how Carve uses tools like this to develop Corporate Social Networking strategies, then please get in contact.

Can't read the thumbnail - check out full size version on Carve's Flickr page

I am very pleased to be supporting Don Leslie, director of Carve client BLT, when he addresses the ONREC conference tomorrow. We'll be talking alongside Google and Travis Perkins amongst others:

Now in its fourth year, onrec.com’s highly anticipated UK Online Recruitment Conference 2009 is set to be the biggest and best yet. Once again, this event will combine a 1 day conference packed with information, insights and innovation with networking opportunities and an expo hall of suppliers.

Full conference programme here

Don's presentation is entitled: "I heard it through the Grapevine: How BLT recruiters use corporate social networks to connect with clients & candidates". A copy will be posted onto our slideshare account http://www.slideshare.net/CarveConsulting after the event.

With many of the 2.2 million people out of work in the UK relying solely on the internet to find a job*, a new web TV channel will offer expert advice to jobseekers to help them find a job online, where a labyrinth of over 10,000 job boards and social networking sites dominate.

The CareersCast (www.careersiteadvisor.com), will launch on Wednesday June 3rd at 12:30pm, with its inaugural live videocast featuring experts from the recruitment, internet and social networking industries.

Following on from the success of the innovative website, Career Site Advisor, CareersCast will offer jobseekers a chance to learn directly from experts such as Luke McKend from Google about how to find a job online says Career Site Advisor co-founder Keith Robinson.

“The recruitment industry has undergone a revolution since the first job board launched in 1994, but many jobseekers are in this market for the first time and may never have looked online for a job before,” Mr. Robinson says.

Experts participating in the Career Site Advisor livecast include:

• Luke Mckend – Google: Finding the right job when searching on Google
• Andy Headworth - Sirona Consulting: Manage finding a job through networking
• Don Leslie – BLT: How to best approach a recruitment firm – what should you know
• Dave King - Shares his experience of being unemployed and online job seeking.
• Elaine Hewens - FinelyBalanced, providing advice on career development

Special thanks to JobsGoPublic.com who are sponsoring the first livecast.

The website, Career Site Advisor launched in March and offers a single reference point for online jobseekers to search job sites, company career sites and recruitment consultancies in one directory as well as advice and links to online resources.

*National Online Recruitment Survey 2008

Ustream trailer video.

- Ends -

Issued by Carve Consulting
For further information, case studies or interviews please contact: Keith Robinson, on 0779-652-3355 or keith@careersiteadvisor.com http://www.careersiteadvisor.com/contact.php

About Career Site Advisor

The company was founded by Keith Robinson formerly COO of Totaljobs.com and Publisher of Personnel Today, and Simon Goddard formerly of Yahoo HotJobs & News International. Headquartered in London, Site Advisor Ltd is a privately held company, offering the United Kingdom’s first web based Careers comparison Site with the latest job seeker news and advice from across the web.

Ustream trailer video.

ANZ has recently relaunched their dedicated UK website to offer a better service to individuals who are looking to move to Australia. The site - which carries information on transferring money from the UK, applying for an Australian tax file number, Medicare, registering with Centrelink, looking for employment in Australia, renting or buying a home in Australia, schools, and getting an Australian driving licence - is particularly relevant for people looking to open a bank account in Australia.

With detailed information on Australian Bank Accounts and why it makes sense to open an Australian bank account in the UK before you leave, the site is the ideal starting point for anyone planning their big move. There is currently a special offer of no monthly account service fee for three months for ANZ Access Advantage accounts opened in the UK before departure.

Site details: http://www.anz.com/unitedkingdom

This cartoon blogged on Social Media Today - originally from webcomic masters XKCD - made me laugh out loud, not least because it relates to a deeper truth about the social media. That is, it's easy to create lots of noise - but it’s who you're conversing with (not shouting at) that matters, whether you're a brand - or a government.

Twitter and similar could and should be incredibly valuable tools in the time of (potential) global crises, like a swine flu pandemic. But as the same time, misinformation / rumour / panic could spread faster than the virus itself. As one of the bloggers on SMT puts it, "crowds are almost never wise".

We're very pleased to have been recently appointed to devise the social media / search marketing strategy for http://www.UnionView.com

UnionView.com presents completely free independent film footage of all the top Universities in the UK, with insight into accommodation, courses, location, student union, academia and more - a university guide for the 21st century.

The beautiful entry page for your delectation below - but check out the site and let us know what you think. More soon.

Dear Sir,

Thank you for the insightful front page story on the launch of Twitter Partners. We are now changing the name of our consultancy to Google Partners. I am available for interviews concerning our affiliation with Google (or not), and the clients we are (or aren’t) working with - if you pencil in a provisional front page story to coincide with our piece in the FT next week, well that would be wonderful. I would be particularly grateful if you please avoid checking out whether we know anything about Google and/or indeed, anything.

Paul Harrison, Managing Partner, Carve Consulting Google Partners

***
For those of you not following the Twitter Partners story, the orginal article, front page news on New Media Age can be seen here

This was followed up by an article by Patricio Robles - and lots of debate - on econsultancy (Kudos to them for questioning this), excerpt below:

I mean for heaven's sake, with no insult intended, Scott Gallacher (the managing parter) signed up for Twitter on February 16 and tweeted "wondering if there is anything useful on twitter, time to find out". In less than 2 months he's gone from wondering about Twitter's usefulness to starting an agency that charges clients?

From the Twitter blog...

Twitter Partners?
We have no official business arrangement with a consulting agency recently created in the UK calling itself "Twitter Partners." We have spoken with these folks in person and we wish them well as they endeavor to add value to the ecosystem that is growing around Twitter.

However, the name, branding, and suggestion that Twitter has some kind of equity partnership or an agreement of any kind in place is misleading and wrong. We'll be working with Peter and his team to clear up this confusion.

So anyway, good fun this one for as long as it lasts. And if nothing else, Twitter Partners clearly have an amazing PR team, and who's to say who is / isn't an expert in something like Twitter? After all, the social media are just tools - it's the message that matters, and maybe that's the TP proposition? But however you cut it another salutory lesson that - if you're not authentic -people are going to find you out, fast - and then tell everyone about it.

I am very pleased and excited to have been invited to talk at the forthcoming CSN (Corporate Social Networking) Conference, sublined in 2009 "The Social Company".

The conference, in Amsterdam on 14th May, has a great line up of speakers including Jeremiah Owyang from Forrester Research, who we've been following for long time on Twitter (see http://twitter.com/jowyang / @jowyang ) and Urs Gasser, Executive Director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Full details of the event here, in English here, and list of speakers here

There is some good blog chat around the event happening here

I am going to be talking about how can brands survive and thrive on the collaborative web:

The way the world shares, connects and communicates has changed forever. Through sites like TripAdvisor.com, we’re beginning to put a lot of trust in strangers – yet at the same time, consumers have never been more cynical and bad news has never travelled as far, as fast. The challenge for companies – and employers – is how they survive and thrive in the brave new web 2.0 world. Adopting a practical, evidence-based approach, furnished with real examples of real companies, we’ll be asking:

- Why do social conversations matter?
- How can my organisation participate in this dialogue?
- How can I manage our reputation online?
- How do I measure the success of my web 2.0 strategy?

Plus we’ll discuss ‘Ten Ideas for Tomorrow’: ten strategies – from crowd-sourced CRM to sales & recruitment in professional networks - that we hope you’ll be able to take back into your business following the conference to deliver real benefits, right now.

You can purchase tickets from the site (possibly by clicking the link below) but if you're not sure drop us a line and we'll put you in touch with the right people. Hope you can make it.