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Picture This

October 19

Innovation. It's a word we at TMP Worldwide take very seriously. It's part of our DNA and we constantly seek new ways to conceive, develop and execute innovative solutions that meet our clients’ needs.

It's also a word that brings to mind a very different image for each person who reads this piece. Some may conjure the picture of computers, others generic "technology." Others might envision a light bulb, a microchip or an iPad. The point is, that each of us interprets the words used by others in vastly different ways. However, if I showed you a photo of something I consider to be truly innovative - the new Boeing 787 - we would all be aligned to the same vision.

If your company has an "innovative streak" or "a high-performance culture" or "an awesome working environment" don't tell me, show me. According to the Flickr blog, as of August 2011, there were more than six billion images hosted on Flickr. Instagram, a popular photo-sharing app for the iPhone (iPad & iPod Touch, too) has more than seven million users who in just nine months have posted more than 150 million images (that's more than 550,000 per day!)

There are photos of P&G's CEO Bob McDonald giving presentations on P&G's core values all over Flickr; there are photos of Deloitte Netherlands' Velomobiel all over Picasa, and there are too many more examples to mention here. With the proper indexing of images using hashtags, a robust taxonomy can be established that allows candidates to search your career site, Flickr, Picasa and many other sites for images that represent your organization. You can use photos to tell your story on Facebook, Google+ and you can even Tweet them.

With the proliferation of mobile phones equipped with multi-megapixel cameras (the iPhone 4 has a 5MP camera), more and more people have a camera with them at all times. It's easy for your employees to snap photos of their workspace, corporate social events, etc. All you need to do is provide them with a framework within which to share these events and photos.

So, next time someone is looking on Flickr at photos from family vacations long gone, or backyard barbecues that are a distant memory or when they search for pictures I take during October baseball (preferably in the Bronx!) — perhaps they will also come across the photos of your company tagged #1AwesomePlaceToWork.

Images are powerful, evocative devices and companies need to truly embrace their value as part of their recruiting arsenals.

If you want to chat, learn more or comment on this piece, hit me up at steven.ehrlich@tmp.com or @99GR81 on Twitter.

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