Just yesterday, I was having lunch with an acquaintance of mine discussing various recruitment strategies by incorporating the voice of the customer or voice of the employee in this case. No doubt company blogs came up. Why? Because they build relationships and engage ongoing, multi-faceted conversations. And while some companies are leery of allowing their employees to speak freely about their work environment, don’t be fooled into thinking it doesn’t happen anyway — outside of your company.

Companies have to be willing to care enough about their employees to offer a personal look into its public face. One might even find champions who are empowered to build the brand along the way. Hence, our discussion today about the utilization of company blogs as a recruiting tool.

Since March of 2003, blogs have grown from 100,000 to nearly 9 million, with 40,000 new ones popping up each day. Can it change your business? In 2005, BusinessWeek stated:

That’s the world of mass media, and the blogs are turning it on its head. Set up a free account on a blog service, and you see right away that the cost of publishing has fallen practically to zero.

Should you decide to embark upon this endeavor, here are some hard and fast rules to follow:

1) Advise and train your bloggers well 2) Be aware of fake blogs

3) Track and link up with related blogs to increase traffic
4) Keep in mind: PR is PR
5) Be transparent and authentic
6) Track and report site activity

The Blogger Code of Ethics by BlogWorks:

1. We will tell the truth. We will acknowledge and correct any mistakes promptly. We will not delete comments unless they are spam, off-topic, or defamatory.
2. We will reply to comments when appropriate as promptly as possible.
3. We will link to online references and original source materials directly.
4. We will disagree with other opinions respectfully.

Consider this:

The workforce of tomorrow is also likely to expect to be allowed to blog at work. In a recent survey of UK teens, more than one-third claimed to have written their own blog and nearly half said they have read somebody else’s.

What Natasha Lomas shares with us is the simple fact that whether you allow it or not, blogs happen. It’s up to you to make the conscious decision to become a part of this world or to stand by idly and watch it pass you by. Candidates are savvy these days and will not only check out your corporate career site, but also google relevant blogs about your company. Wouldn’t you prefer your approved company blog be the one your candidates read?