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Building and recruiting qualified candidates for water industry jobs
Author(s) -
Davis Cheryl,
Bailey Susan,
DayBurget Jennifer,
Sinclair Amy Kiernan,
Shan Anup,
Curtis Catherine
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal ‐ american water works association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.466
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1551-8833
pISSN - 0003-150X
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8833.2009.tb09944.x
Subject(s) - workforce , business , baby boomers , quality (philosophy) , control (management) , environmental stewardship , social media , stewardship (theology) , marketing , public relations , computer science , environmental resource management , economics , political science , management , economic growth , philosophy , epistemology , demographic economics , politics , world wide web , law
The water industry is increasingly aware of the need to draw new talent into mission‐critical jobs, especially as Baby Boomers retire. At the same time, public expectations regarding water quality, environmental stewardship, and security continue to escalate. It is critical that utilities use Web 2.0, the new generation of information technology, to promote workforce development and to recruit today's and tomorrow's job candidates. This article presents specific examples of how water agencies and organizations are using new tools and technologies on their websites and social media networks (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) to describe available jobs, their benefits, and the education and skills necessary to obtain them; to market themselves as desirable employers and proactively reach out to potentially desirable candidates; and, to perform quality control and get feedback on their recruitment and selection processes. The authors also encourage collaboration at the regional and national levels to facilitate these efforts.