Online Reputation Management, Employer Branding-Key Focus Areas for HR Professionals in the Middle

Oct. 5, 2010 - PRLog -- Dubai – October 3, 2010: Human resource (HR) departments within organizations across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are increasing their focus on online reputation management for potential candidates.  Microsoft's global HR survey revealed that 64 percent of HR managers conduct web reviews of candidates, while 41 percent rejected candidates based on web reviews .

The survey further discloses that only 37 percent of job seekers were actively managing and maintaining their online reputation on social networks. “The concept of networking has advanced with the emergence of social media. However, potential em-ployers need to see a professional approach to the use of such social media tools. There needs to be a differentiation of use for every social media portal,” said Vicki Martin, HR Manager, Estee Lauder Companies - Middle East and India and speaker at the seventh annual Middle East HR summit.

Apart from online reputation management, companies in the UAE are increasingly turning their focus to employer branding for positive positioning.. Endorsing this view, Martin said: “Companies are now employing specialists to manage employer branding activities. The number of organizations hiring these specialists, within the HR departments, has increased from 10 to 28 percent in the last four years. This has resulted in improved and consistent employee communication, external reputation and higher employee engagement.”

The seventh annual Middle East HR summit will discuss and debate pertinent issues and showcase successful case studies from the region, address regionally-specific employment law issues as well as conduct post-event master-classes. The summit will be held from October 24th – 28th, 2010 at The Movenpick Hotel, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai, UAE.

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About the seventh annual Middle East HR Summit
Organised by IIR Middle East, the seventh annual Middle East HR (Human Resource) summit will touch upon challenges and issues facing organizations in these times of economic crisis. The event is looking at over 175 attendees. Key issues such as employee retention, innovative HR practices, the 5 C’s in Change and emerging trends in HR will be discussed and debated by eminent speakers and leading HR practitioners among others. For more details about the summit and the full programme, please visit http://www.iirme.com/hrsummit/home.