Hi Pavitra,
I must compliment you on this great presentation.
I think that blogging has a very real place in an organization's recruiting strategy, and Microsoft does this well. However, candidates have to be able to find the blog in the first place, and somehow a mass audience must become aware of a recruiting blog for the process to produce real results. Advertising is a must.
Blogs are becoming a de facto tool in the buzz marketing arsenal for emerging companies. They allow these companies to rapidly communicate information, get customer feedback, and create a community of potential customers who are more likely to purchase their products or services and spread positive word of mouth. Done well, a blog reduces the need for a big marketing budget to generate brand awareness. This is exactly why some CEOs, who are quite busy running the day-to-day operations of their companies, choose to spend their valuable time blogging. Even a company mascot has joined in the fray.
Experienced, qualified business professionals who consider themselves passive job seekers seek career information through sources they consider credible. Great employment brands are like great product and service brands; it takes time and money to build a great brand, and there's no way around it. Microsoft didn't build their brand on buzz marketing and knows that when recruiting experienced, qualified professionals, they get what they pay for.
The blog is and should be an element in a recruiting strategy but should not be viewed as a replacement for advertising when attempting to build an employment brand. By their very nature, blogs do not normally reach a mass audience of professionals to function as THE primary means of recruiting.
In an Indian context - a lot needs to be done; for instance, if I have to look for smart & dynamic HR professionals - citehr is a great place to check and recruit, but where do we find professionals with specialized skills?
Regards,
Rajat Joshi