It appears that Baauer’s mega hit song “Harlem Shake” is the new “Call Me Maybe” or “Gangnam Style” of 2013, as the broadest spectrum of people have been posting renditions on YouTube, boosting the song to #1 on I-tunes. Although many may brush aside “Harlem Shake” as another fad of pop culture, several businesses are maximizing the hype with their own versions of the dance.
According to an article by Stephanie Gaspary of Career Builder, companies’ “Harlem
Shake” videos are being carefully deployed as corporate recruiting strategies. How & why? Even for entry level jobs, companies are selling themselves to you just as much as you are selling yourself to them. They want to hone top talent to maintain top tier work. Numbers aside, compatibility between candidates and employers is essential and the character of a given company plays a big role in that relationship. If you’re a company, what better way to break the “big scary business” stereotype and flaunt your character than to make your own Harlem Shake video?
So far, all sorts of corporations have jumped on the bandwagon from PepsiCo to Intel. Outside of the commercial milieu, everyone from soldiers in the Norwegian Army to the Kansas University Men’s Basketball team completed “Harlem Shake” videos as a platform to broadcast their culture to the world.
INC.com claims companies with their own versions of the “Harlem Shake” are spreading the message that their business can fulfill the essentials needs of its employees, which are “to feel, connect and belong to their company.” Thus, “Harlem Shake” videos not only serve as a recruiting tool, but also as a method of increasing company morale.
For students and future employees, “Harlem Shake” and its surprising strategic use reminds us to think outside the box…. Sometimes weird methods have the biggest payoff!
P.S. We are sorry to report that Holy Cross Career Planning will not be releasing our own version of the “Harlem Shake.” Try to contain your disappointment, Crusaders.
