The traditional graduate recruitment programmes such as 'Milk Rounds', advertising and 'open days' can take a lot of effort and budget to manage.

HR departments are looking at inventive ways to maintain recruitment activities but reduce costs. A few years ago we produced a multi-media CD 'Open House' for an NHS Trust. They used it to supplement their actual recruitment 'open days' as part of the pre-information pack. Whilst it worked well at the time new technology would allow us to deliver content in a different way today.

Jim Stoud in a recent blog highlighted what Accenture are doing with blogs to help the recruitment process. Whilst I am not totally convinced that the web site design would really appeal to new graduates it does show how podcasts can be used.

We are aware of a number of companies that are starting to use audio and video podcasts as a way of helping senior management communicate regularly with employees. Whist 'face-to-face' meetings and presentations are always prefered the size and geographic spread of offices and employees makes this impossible except for big set-piece annual events. Podcasting is a great tool to keep employees informed in an engaging way while being cost effective.