Federal Computer Week reports on how Web 2.0 technologies can help the federal government reach out to a large pool of viable job candidates to help offset the pending wave of retirements. The foundation of such initiatives should be a strong commitment from leadership, along with a social media strategy centered on the capabilities and skills of the target audience. "The next generation of federal employees will be looking for a government presence in social media, and the government will suffer if it is not there," the article states.
I agree that the government will suffer without a social media hiring strategy; but with one, it stands to gain far more than has been possible through online recruiting such as USAJobs. And while it's true that the younger generation will not be attracted to an organization without a social media presence, I think the degree of frustration with the federal hiring process and the desire to improve it spans all generations of federal employees. With recent reports that major job Web sites like Monster.com are losing business from companies who are instead turning to social media to recruit and advertise, it will be interesting to see how the government adapts and makes use of the social media trend in hopes of securing a solid federal workforce for the future.
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
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