I run a large UX org, we bring great value to our company, it can be seen everyday in our companies bottom line. You can see it in the improved conversion on the site, increase in registered customers and the CSAT numbers. Due to the fact that we continue to grow and at a very fast clip we are always in recruiting mode. It is one of the biggest challenges we face, how do we attract and retain the best talent, period.

As is often the case the most valuable assets are the ones you already have. You want to keep the team happy and motivated. By doing so they become one of your greatest recruiting tools. It's pretty simple and is focused around two areas of social communication.

The first is just their own network, great talent begets great work, great work begets great talent. Smart, creative and motivated people often know smart, creative and motivated people (simple math, i think, but then again, i'm not so good at math). We have a really strong team that knows their jobs will only become easier and more fulfilling if they get to work with people just like them. This motivates them to refer the best and the brightest (not to mention a healthy $2,500 referral bonus). I know the team leverages thier FB and LinkedIn networks because I often see posts in those spaces for our open req's.

The second is positioning our organization and company as thought leaders in the industry. Leveraging our social communication tools like this blog, like our twitter and FB pages. I have often said that I would put our team up against anyone out there and we would kick their butts. We really have a very strong team, UX, FED, Vis Design, Taxo, Copywriting, top notch. So besides me talking about them I need to get them talking about themselves and the awesome work they do here at Sears. I need them to be publishing in these forums and others representing UX Sears as a force to reckoned with.

I think this is so important that this is going to be one of our goals this year, each and every person in the department has to publish/comment/communicate about what they do here or just to share an opinion. This will help in recruiting almost as much as leveraging our own networks. The more people hear about the great things we get to do here at Sears the more likely they will consider us as a possible place to work.

Don't get me wrong, working at Sears is no bed of roses, we bust our butts day in and day out, we have short deadlines, we get random changes in direction, we sometimes lose a battle. But since I have been here we have been winning the war. I have full confidence that when the dust settles we will be on top looking out over the vanquished, proud of what we have accomplished. Okay, I'm getting a little over the top, but, I am motivated and excited and sometimes can't keep it in.

So, if we are going to succeed, we will need to work as a team and leverage our most valuable asset to consistently bring in the best and the brightest.

Labels: copywriting, front end development, recruiting, resources, Taxonomy, user experience, visual design