by Debbie Hatke, MA, SPHR
No, I’m not talking about the pseudo-meat product sold in square, little blue cans that has a cult following. I’m talking about the electronic kind. The one defined as ”sending multiple, sometimes thousands, of unwelcome messages to a newsgroup or mailing list to promote a commercial product or website” or simply defined as “unsolicited junk email.” It has been estimated that SPAM mail constitutes twenty-two percent of all active email on the web and sometimes I feel like I’m getting ALL twenty-two percent!
But can it be avoided? In today’s world of electronic communication it is literally impossible to circumvent SPAM, both the receipt of it AND sending it. Yes, I said sending it, because at one time or another we have all been guilty, to some degree, of sending SPAM whether or not it was realized or intentional. Take recruiting and reaching out to passive candidates. Passive recruiting requires getting the attention of the already-employed and providing them information about a job opportunity. Sometimes you have to send unsolicited email to reach those candidates, and yes, that unsolicited email can be considered SPAM. It seems unavoidable, as recruiting in the Web 2.0 era requires the use of “push” tactics versus “pull”. Pull tactics, the method of “pulling” candidates to your website to share with them information, is no longer considered the effective method for using the Web. Today’s savvy Web user is more apt to respond to “pushing”. This involves “pushing” the information you want to share out to candidates (or others) via RSS feeds, blogs and texting. Today’s Web user no longer wants to hunt and peck for information, they want it instantly.
As an aside, it’s important to note that among email marketers, the definition of SPAM and what is deemed appropriate email marketing is also in contention. Marketing professionals are having a difficult time defining acceptable email marketing campaigns and distinguishing them from unsolicited email (and many have given up trying). Since SPAM is often defined by the perception of the recipient, potentially anything is SPAM.
While I don’t want to advocate sending SPAM, I do realize that as an HR professional there are times that sending unsolicited email is a must. And I have decided that in today’s revised Web World there is SPAM and then there is SPAM! As a recruiter I have to contact candidates with seemingly unsolicited email, but I also keep in mind that these candidates are looking for a job and I have a job to offer. When I do send unsolicited email I make sure that my email identifies my purpose, mentions how I received their contact information and is to the point and appropriate. I also provide the opportunity for the recipient to contact me for more information or simply to let me know that there are not interested in my offer. Which is more than I can say for some of the unsolicited email that I’ve been getting lately.
(www.StrategicHRinc.com). If you have questions or comments about this article, you can contact Debbie at Debbie@StrategicHRinc.com
Debbie Hatke, MA, PHR is a Senior Human Resources Management Consultant with Strategic Human Resources, Inc. (www.strategichrinc.com) If you have questions or comments about this article, you can contact Debbie at Debbie@StrategicHRinc.com.
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