Human Resources Management Persuasive

1. What conclusions can you draw about the supply of and demand for labor at Yahoo?

I feel that Yahoo truly has a lot of work ahead of them. They seemed to be set in their ways as far as how they ran the company. They supply all of the same things that were a hit during the big boom era of the internet. The demand, is for an up to date current need. All of the other companies have updated what they have to offer to all age groups that are using the internet. Google is definitely cornering the market in searches, apps and email. This is a company they need to look at for building new and better ways of running the company.

This has caused a demand for Tech Workers, where there is little supply of them available. In order to make sure they can recruit a great base of Tech Workers to get the company back on track, they need to show initiative. They need to catch the attention of the talent they want by showing some ideas that will draw them to Yahoo. Building on what they know they need to do to make the company more profitable and stable. These are the things that Tech Workers look for in a career. No one wants to get into a company they feel is destined for failure, or has seen it best days all ready.

2. What actions might Yahoo take to strengthen its internal recruiting? How might these efforts support Yahoo’s corporate strategy?

Yahoo should take initiative and let the team members know exactly what they are looking for. They should share their plans and ideas within the company and let the team members help build on them. Talking to current team members is an amazing way to get fresh new ideas to help Yahoo grow in the direction it needs to get going in.

I believe the program “Leading Yahoos” that Susan Burnett set in motion is a fantastic way to get this started. It offers the current staff an option of growing within the company and trains them for the positions they want to grow into. This is the first step needed to take in order to retain the employees they currently have. It will give them the incentive they need to not jump on the first offer another recruiter may give them from an opposing company.

Now that this strategy is in place and they have begun recruiting for the research center at the University of Illinois, they can begin building on the 25 patents they have applied for on new ideas for the company. Recruiting and training from within will help them retain the great talent they already have and then looking to the outside for fresh talent to bring in new ideas to the table.

3. If you were responsible for college recruiting at Yahoo, where would you recruit, and what would you say? Why?

I would actually start recruiting at technical colleges, such as ITT. There is great talent there and they are full of fresh, innovative ideas. A new college graduate from a technical college has learned so much of the new ways of doing things, it is a must have in the field. Technology changes every day, it gets more in depth and new graduates are definitely the way to get into that pool. I would recruit them into several different departments; research, marketing, and coming up with the next big thing. There would be a department dedicated to apps in order to expand in the right direction. I would let them know that when they are accepting a position with Yahoo, they are accepting a very fulfilling career where their opinions matter and they will be the reason for the growth of the company.

I would let them in on the new ventures that the company is taking and what Yahoo has to offer as far as additional onsite training for the growth of their career. People want to feel needed. Not so much wanted, but definitely needed. By letting them know that they will be the reason for the new growth to be successful, it would make them feel as if they are putting their new learned talents to good use. When you let people know that their opinions matter, and you follow through with it, they feel like they matter. This is key in recruiting and retaining the talent you are looking for. If your employees feel appreciated and their talents utilized, they will perform better and stay longer.

References
Fundamentals of Human Resources Management, 5th Edition
Chapter 5 Planning for and Recruiting Human Resources; pages 130-155