Social Recruiting: Creating Connections Through Talent Communities

We all learned, as kids, that people once thought the world was flat.

Unable to think of the world as anything but an endless plain, and for the most part not equipped with scientific instruments to observe our relationships with other planets and stars, they saw Earth as the flat heart at the center of the universe.

Of course that view changed when a few daring scientists bucked the establishment to point to the fact that the Earth is a round object spinning in space, in the orbit of the Sun.

The view of our relationship with other celestial objects slowly changed. This took many years to occur.  Welcome to the future of Recruiting and HR Technology.

So it is with recruiting and many HR tools, which for years treated a recruiter’s connections as a set of flat files and resumes, trapped in some kind of relational database with few connections to the outside world.

All connections – to candidates, companies, workplace brands and active job seekers – were mediated by the recruiter, picking up a phone and smiling and dialing, trying to make a connection that went beyond the flat piece of paper we call a resume.

Although, in the past years sites like Twitter and Facebook have emerged, they’ve been a variation on the theme of flat files with an Internet connection.

Facebook extended the model with its social overlay, a semi-interactive model that allows people to make near real time connections, a model that’s been extended by emerging technologies like Monster’s BeKnown.

But unfortunately recruiting and talent management lagged behind. Things are different now. Our round spinning world has become highly social.  Platforms like Twitter and Facebook have shown us the value of community.

And so have the purveyors of recruiting platforms, many of whom rolled out Talent Community platforms at the recent HR Technology event in Vegas.

The big advantage of Talent Communities is their ability to draw candidates and companies out of their limited contexts.

No more one-dimensional, flat view with your self or your brand at the center of the universe. Now there are multiverses – Talent Communities – which enable connected, holistic views of both people and brands.

By creating a social environment in which meaningful relationships can form, Talent Communities change the recruiting process.

They allow candidates to see a company as more than a corporate entity – companies can express personality and culture in Talent Communities.

People can engage with companies – try doing that with a digital resume – and maintain that engagement.

Recruiters managing the Talent Community – part workplace brand ambassador, part social community manager – are empowered by modern platforms to become the voice of the company, the market-facing persona.

Talent Communities, as I’ve said before, trade the shallow bonds of existing candidate management processes for the deeper bonds required to connect with candidates to form evolving, mutually-beneficial relationships.

The end goal is still to hire the right candidate for the right job; with Talent Communities the task is simplified and brought into the social world we all inhabit.

Build a Talent Community and engage. Show your face. Look at candidates as people with dreams, aspirations and skills. Create networks of people who can help you fill positions faster and more effectively.

Connectedness is the way of the future in HR Technology. Go out, into the round, connected, complicated world, and engage with candidates on their terms.

You’ll find it’s a thrilling and productive experience. No more flat world, flat resume view of recruiting.

It’s all about connections now.

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About the Author

Meghan M. Biro, founder + CEO of TalentCulture, is a serial entrepreneur, leader and globally recognized career expert in talent acquisition, creative personal and corporate branding. Meghan has conducted more than 300 successful career searches for clients ranging from Fortune 500s to the most innovative software start-up companies. Meghan is also a new media strategist who enjoys accelerating collaborative business and community goals. When not recruiting, blogging, and innovating she manages a dynamic coaching practice empowering corporate leaders, mid-level managers, software technologists, and recent college graduates. Meghan is a member of the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS), The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and several entrepreneurial organizations. She serves on the Alumni Council for Greens Farms Academy, acting as a career mentor to high school and college students.