Career centered

Salopek talked with Lisa Dunlap, vice president of retention and recruitmen t at The Thomson Corporation, a multinational company with multiple divisio ns and more than 40,000 employees. Dunlap sees her mission as making it as easy as possible for employees to stay with the company, even in the face o f career changes, life events, personal needs, or whatever other contingenc ies. One way Dunlap is achieving her goal is by making it possible for employees to move freely among job opportunities within the corporation. She created a system to educate employees about all of Thomson's various businesses an d to showcase openings. That not only makes it easy for employees to find a nother job inside the company, but also conveys the message that transferri ng is acceptable and even encouraged. Key to Dunlap's strategy is having an online infrastructure to support inte rnal and external recruiting efforts. She made sure it is fun, personalized , and easy to use. The site averages 700 to 1,000 job listings and 5,400 hi ts a month. Job seekers can even register a personal search agent to notify them when a new opening in their field is posted. Getting the search agent in gear takes only four steps. Dunlap plans to add self-assessments to the site to assist employee development. Overall, Dunlap points to these elements as essential to a comprehensive re cruitment effort: fun, a corporate environment dedicated to retention, the right fit between people and their jobs, and the right tools to help people do their jobs.