In this VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) world, the traditional ways of recruiting are no longer enough. Also, the best practices in HR are changing in this e-age. Theeconomy is growing and hiring demands are increasing forcompanies, however budgets are not increasing at thesame rate. Recruiters andhiring managers are applying technology and social mediato bypass traditional methods of posting jobs so they canconnect with passive candidates directly.The use of social media communication tools in business isnew so best practices are still emerging. Socialmedia is recognized for its ability to build employmentbranding, but many see these communities as just anotherplace to post jobs. Candidate engagement and powerfulsocial media communications tools like online videos andpodcasts are now on the radar screens of most recruiters. Thus, organizations focuses on how to create cost effective recruiting program and ways in creating a recognizable "green" brand – one that effectively translates into a clear recruiting message, conveying green conscience that translate into a significant cost savings.

The three step process for a sustainable HR recruitment strategy for a great deal of profit and brand enhancing benefits for the company is -

1. Evaluate: Re-look at current recruiting practices and process and calculate its cost per hire. In short, review your current recruitment process toreduce cost per hire, identify expenses vs returns on investment.
2. Eliminate: Get rid of redundancy and deploy business process reengineering to the HR function. It is all about savings. Adopt technology and social media platforms to recruit.
3. Illuminate: Employment Branding and creating Green Messaging. Creating a green message that can support retention efforts for employees and will look for this values alignment in their work experience.

Few mechanisms that can be adopted are:

1. Use of social media platforms: With the new workforce becoming more active on social media, organizations have also entered this space to be where talent is. A lot of companies have started adding a career tab to their Facebook page or are creating separate career pages altogether.Various recruiting sites have given SMEs a vital and cost-effective way of building talent pools, and interacting with and identifying potential employees.
2. Use of Collaboration tool: Collaboration technologies such as video conferencing and virtual telepresence solutions are able to enhance the entire interview process. Video, for example, can complement traditional audio-only interviews by expanding the candidate pool beyond geographical boundaries helping to reduce travel which means fewer carbon emissions and reduced costs. In fact, according to “Wainhouse Research”, enterprises on average, save 25% on training and shrink recruitment times by 19% by using video conferencing.
3. Use internal portals/website: This is the most effective mechanism for recruitment. Few organizations have intranet to list their vacancies on their careers section.
4. Employee Referrals: It is the most trusted and reliable cost effective that provides good quality candidates with relevant knowledge and experience at no cost.

Rashi Mahato is Assistant Manager – HR at CLP India Pvt. Ltd. You can follow her on Twitter @rashimahato