Big 4 using Web 2.0 and social media for hiring

Interesting article (Hat-tip: Praneeth Reddy) which shows how supposedly conservative accounting firms are embracing social media and the web to reach Gen Y:

To lure candidates steeped in Facebook and YouTube, the Big Four are turning to the Web. Deloitte & Touche asked employees to make short videos about their experiences at the company. The videos were a way "of taking the aspects of social networking and experimenting on how you can use the new tools of today to move forward into a workplace of the future," said Cathy Benko, chief talent officer. About 400 videos were made, and the 14 best will be posted on YouTube and used on campuses.

Ernst & Young is holding a contest at 75 colleges, asking students why people should become accountants. Dan Black, director of campus recruiting, said regional winners will get $1,000 and, in some cases, iPhones. And the winning team will join CEO James Turley on a business trip. "We're trying to show younger students we can connect to them, that we understand they are different, and we're a firm where they can come in and do their best," he said.

There are so many jobs that are considered cool by college students of Generation Y that the accounting profession and other professions like it will have to think differently about their entry level hiring strategy.