As we head to the end of the year, Employment Office have decided to take a quick look at some of the highlights and recruitment marketing successes of 2011. Human Capital magazine's 2011 study of more than 600 Australian owners and decision makers of small to medium businesses found that almost 4 in 10 businesses believe they are performing better now compared to this time one year ago, with one third stating that they feel more confident about the year than last.

Twas three months until Christmas,
And Santa was worried;
The workshop was empty,
No little elves scurried.

The benches were clean,
No toys had been made;
Because the elves were all gone,
They hadn’t been paid.

The factory was cold,
With ice all around;
The hours were terrible,
The elves were worn down.

So they picked up and quit,
And Santa grew sad;
He’d never realised ‘til now,
That things had gotten so bad.

And when the elves left,
They spread out the news;
That Santa’s workshop was freezing,
And not the place they would choose.

The word spread fast,

The New Kid On The Block:

ANZ, one of Australia’s largest businesses, announced last month plans to integrate social networking via LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube into its global recruitment strategy, starting in 2012.

Good old fashioned word-of-mouth has kicked the bucket, with the ability ‘share’ on sites like Facebook creating new avenues for recruitment advertising to literally reach millions.

As more and more people jump on this ‘sharing’ bandwagon, it’s essential for employers and businesses alike to recognise and embrace the potential of this viral marketing.