Say Goodbye to Post and Pray Hiring. Build a Network.

By Jessica Miller-Merrell

The Changing Face of Recruitment 

Back in the olden days of recruiting hiring and recruiting was simple; a now hiring sign was simply posted on your door.  In the 2000's we used job boards where we were told if we build it they will come.  In the present day, there are thousands of job boards and employment experts vying for the online attention, relationship, and application of the perfect candidate.  They are in competition with you, the employer.  Employees have options. 

The rules of changed.  Say goodbye to your post and pray recruiting strategy.  Build a network, foster relationships, and go where the candidates are. Just like we have a buyer’s market, we are in a job seekers market. With the right experience a job seeker will be able to pick and choose the company they want to work for. As the unemployment rate continues to steadily decrease over 150,000 jobs are being added on a monthly basis. Recruiters are looking for ways to build a candidate pool that exceeds that of their competition.

Talent Networks Bring Job Search Buyers & Sellers Together  

In order to establish a presence with job seekers, recruiters are looking to network, engage, and become more familiar with candidates instead of posting and praying that they will fill needed positions. A talent community or network brings the ‘buyer and seller’ together (job seeker is the buyer and recruiter is the seller).  In a talent community the job seeker doesn’t have to go around each and every major social network to stalk a recruiter. No longer will the job seeker have to wonder if the recruiter will accept their invite to connect on Linkedin or follow them on Twitter. Instead the recruiters are all following kind and placing themselves at the forefront of a talent community.

Talent Communities offer a sense of ownership and professionalism outside Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin. The goals between these three social media giants are all different and each has their place in networking, but talent networks or communities go one step further. When you join a talent community you have one goal in mind. If you’re a job seeker, you want a job and if you’re a recruiter you want to recruit the best possible talent. In this sense no longer do recruiters need to post and pray and hope a candidate shows up.

Talent communities create a mutual benefit relationship for job seekers and recruiters because everything that is needed is in one place. Every so often job seekers will find a recruiter for their dream company and then stalk them. We all know it happens and I am sure you’ve done it in the past either as a passive or active job seeker. With the creation of a talent community there is no longer the need to passively connect with recruiters all over the web. Connecting with them in the community gives you the ability to network with them outside of your other personal profiles.

What are your thoughts on talent networks? As a job seeker would you visit one to gain more time with a recruiter of a specific company? 

Jessica Miller-Merrell, SPHR is a workplace and technology strategist specializing in social media.  She’s an author who writes at Blogging4Jobs. You can follow her on Twitter @blogging4jobs. 

Photo Credit.