Back To The Future For Job Boards

My recent blog regarding The Future Of Job Boards sparked a bit of debate. A few issues arose from that debate, and I’d like to respond to each of them.

Before I do this, however, there needs to be some clarification around the definition of social media. Many readers assume they know what this means, but – when pressed- have difficulty defining it. And since it remains a hot phrase over the coming years, let’s establish up front what we mean when we use the term.

Social media describes a new set of internet tools that enable shared community experiences, both online and in person.

A community, in this context, is a group of people with common interests who connect with one another to learn, play, work, organise and socialise. Communities can be large or small, local or global. They can be public or restricted to members.

Okay, let’s move on to address some of the concerns and conflicts around what arguably is set to become the latest adaptation in the evolution of the Internet.

1) Social media won’t have the impact on the way the Internet is used: Wrong. Evidence, in the form of the large numbers flocking to Twitter and Facebook, not to mention forums like Whirlpool, demonstrating high levels of uptake of social media suggests there’s something about it that people enjoy. And it doesn’t take a genius in anthropology to figure out what that might be. Humans are social animals. We congregate in groups to share opinion, to gossip, to fight, to fall in love. Any form of communication that exploits this natural tendency will necessarily have dominion over more static formats.

2) Job boards can simply add a social networking component and this way will be able to deliver interactivity to the user, while maintaining their traditional role in the market: This looks like a bet each way to me. Are you a job board, or are you a social network? When customers get confused about the service your business offers, this ameliorates customer base and loyalty. Why would customers want to look at old and outdated jobs listed on the job board component of a business like this when they can hear about what’s hot straight down the line of a social network posting. The immediacy of these types of media makes the static environment of the job board obsolete.

3) Social media is probably where we’re headed, but it’s going to take a while to get there: Well. Der. No one suggested it would happen immediately. We’re discussing future directions here peoples. Keep up with the show.

4) It’s difficult to monetise social media sites: the value of these sites is not around the direct revenue they make, it’s around the value of the unique users. Users bring traffic allowing for the leverage and sale of other products.

5) Social media may overtake the recruiter’s role of moderator in the job-candidate relationship. This may herald the demise of the recruiter: The breadth of contacts a recruiter has, as well as the knowledge of what is happening with the major players in their areas of speciality will work to protect the role of the recruiter in the match-up process. While social media are useful, they are time consuming. Building relationships takes energy. It has always been the value of these relationships that the recruiter offers the process. This will not diminish, but can only be escalated, as social media make contact with more people from more industries, more accessible to recruiters.

Confessions of A Jobaholic

This can’t be that hard a task – finding a new job. I have experience. Knowledge. Some might even say there’s a charisma in the way I speak. Yep, okay. I’m articulate.  I play well with others in the class.

This won’t be difficult.

Monday 23: Log
Today I revised my CV. It was patchy in places and I wanted to make it concise. I altered it ever so slightly for the new career direction I’m considering. I used some example CVs on the net as a guide.

By the time I’d done this, and caught up on a few odd jobs that needed doing around the house (ignored due to the demands of my previous job), the day was over.

With my new CV complete, however, tomorrow I intend to blitzkrieg the job market. Job boards…here I come!

Tuesday 24: Log
I can’t believe how many opportunities the job scene holds. And people are saying there’s a recession!

Seriously, I sent my CV to at least 20 highly-suitable roles, and 30 or so roles more peripheral to my experience, yet still suitable for a person of my skills. Now, I guess I wait for a call from the recruiters…it should be a very busy few days. Made sure my mobile is fully charged.

Wednesday 25: Log
No calls from recruiters for interviews. Called a few recruiters directly, just to let me know I’m available. Unfortunately, they were all in meetings. I believe in persistence, however. I intend to call them frequently over the coming few days. They’ll see that I’m keen. They’ll believe in me, and they will take me on as a project. Of this I am certain.

While waiting for a call back, watched an episode of Dr Phil. What an interesting fellow.

Thursday 26: Log
Still no calls back from recruiters. Left a message with each of the main players in my industry.   While I was at it, thought I’d give some of the agents I posted my application with a call. Left a message where I could. One very promising lead: an application for a job. Secretary said he’d make sure the appropriate recruiter would return my call. Said I sound like an interesting candidate.

A hot, hot lead, I’d say. Better get as many episodes of Dr Phil in as I can. I’ll be back in the game by next week. Of this I am certain.

Friday 27: Log
Applied for a position as a traffic controller for the local council. While this is not at all related to my area of expertise – IT – I figured it would be good to hedge my bets. Just in case. No one called today. I guess this is a Friday thing.

Ate three packets of chips and watched ten episodes of Dr Phil in a row.

(One month has passed for our hero…)

Log
I forget what bloody day it is. Time gets hazy when you’ve nothing to do. Dole forms were processed today. My wife says I have put on “at least” 15 kilos.

Not one recruiter has returned my calls.

Dr Phil is a farkwit.  Of this I am certain.

* This story is based on a fictional character and no recruiters were hurt during the making of this story.

HR Futures Conference Take-outs

My wife, she’s always saying how much she loves a good wedding. Once an invite comes in the mail, she gets excited and speaks of nothing else until the day of the event. And then after; after she wants to debrief about it…how did I like the bridal dress, what about the food, wasn’t the food just delish. All that. Me? I’m not big into weddings.

But I love a good conference.

Last week I attended Michael Specht’s HR Futures conference. The event was a one-day intensive get together, with a focus on directions for HR and recruitment. Industry experts like Thomas Shaw from Recruitment Directory, spoke about Web 2.0 in recruitment. It was great to get together with some of these folks, many of whom were nothing more than blogs on a screen before I had the chance to meet them.

Anyway, just as my wife likes to debrief about her weddings, I like to break it down about conferences. (I promise, what follows will not include an assessment of anyone’s outfits!)

1. Social media in recruiting is on the radar: the take-home story on this is that most folks acknowledge the social media form of recruiting is the way into the future

2. Enterprise Wikis will form the future of content collaboration within an organisation

3. Blogs/comments should be seen as a vehicle for discussion for an organisation not something to fear. The term “social proof” was kicked around a bit by me. This describes validation from sources outside an organisation. I’m not keen on the word “proof” now. It denotes something definitive. I prefer the term “social-evidence”.

4. Job boards have some work to do to be part of the social recruiting platform.

In all, a good show, with heaps of blog-fodder. Stay tuned as I unravel, in blogs to come, some of the predictions about future directions in recruitment.

The Future Of Job Boards

We’d all agree with this: if any business or individual wants to communicate with other individuals or clients into the future, they will be required to do so via a means that is not static. By the term “static”, I mean the simple pronouncement of information, without adjacent means of interaction or relationship-building.

This statement applies to the recruitment industry as much as any other.

Moreover, this statement applies to job boards, as much as it applies to any other conduit of communication.

As it stands, the traditional method for recruiting is to place an ad. on a job board and wait to see what sorts of responses slink their way into your inbox as a result.

Usually the outcome is not pleasant, both in good and bad economic times. Let me extrapolate: in good times, desirable candidates are comfortable, entrenched in their positions and paid well. They’re confident. They don’t reach out and share because they see no purpose in it.

Contrarily, in bad times, EVERYONE feels the need to share, so recruiters are hit with a veritable onslaught of resumes, most of which read as though they are simply trying to meet the Centrelink requirement of having applied for a certain number of positions. All recruiters are familiar with the picture I have just painted, but nothing changes because:

1. The job board method is easy. It makes recruiters feel as thought they’re being effective (people like to feel like they’re making progress in their roles and duties)

2. Job boards are frequently underpinned by massive media companies, and we are accustomed to thinking these are the only agents of information dissemination.

3. We’re not creative or innovative enough to consider the situation from a different perspective.

But we’re going to have to. In much the same way as television, an historically static medium, has had to redefine its role by considering increased relationship-building and interaction with viewers, the recruitment industry needs to reconsider how it spreads its word.

Social media a godsend in this regard. It provides us with the means of providing information (eg advertising jobs), building relationships (with clients and candidates) and conducting forums for discussion (like this one) on how we can improve as an industry. With all this to offer, I cannot see space for the one-dimensional model provided by the job boards. In other words, I cannot see a role for job boards coming into the future.

This will no doubt be a hot topic at the HR Futures Conference ’09

Where’s The Value?

Where has the value gone out of the recruitment industry?

Recruiters are offering a Christmas half-price special to their clients. Job boards are offering free ads. Jobserve think they are back in the Bobby McGee’s happy hour days and is offering 2 for 1 deals.

My concern is that, while this might all be fun and games for clients of these businesses, what happens in the cold, hard light of January?  Are job boards and recruiters who have decided to go down this track of devaluing the service they offer going to wake up with a major, throbbing headache after the Festive period has ended?

Let this stand as a warning, guys:  it’s gonna be pretty difficult to contact clients in the new year and tell them that your service is no longer free or half the present price.  Christmas doesn’t reduce your costs, and it does not alter how you go about searching for applicants.  Don’t let the silly season force you into dropping your pants.

Vouching For 2Vouch?

2Vouch coming soon.

This is a site based on profiteering from the popularity of internet-based social networking.It works like this: folks sign up and get sent ads for jobs. If they think that one of their friends fits the requirements, they recommend the friend and that person becomes a member as well. If the friend secures the position, the person “vouching” for them gets paid a fee, which can go directly to them or their favorite charity. The beta for the site is well prepared and the instructions are presented to would-be participants in a clear and cogent manner (except the voice-over syncing in the clip is a bit off and reminds one of a Chinese martial arts film). This is always a good start.

I’m a huge fan of this idea and have often pondered its implications at four in the morning when my head is full of cyberspace and the flashing of the computer screen that haunts my days begins to intrude into my night-time. Sites such as Facebook have demonstrated that the drive to be popular and fill one’s profile with a plethora of friends drives many an introvert into sudden extroversion.

I’m bugged by a few factors, though. And I’m prepared to risk appearing overly-critical and ponderous in order to get the low-down on what others think about my suspicions.

Firstly, any business that relies on friends or acquaintances making a profit from one another has an air of the Amway about it. Just the knowledge that there is more to my friend’s recommending me for a job than the simple pleasure they experience from me being happier or taking one more step up the ladder of success – they stand to make money from me. And whether this goes straight to their hip pocket or to that of their favorite charity, they are still gaining something more tangible from my taking the job offered than the joy of an alturistic act.

There are all sorts of personal and political dilemmas that can be foreseen here that may lead people to steer well clear of the site. What about the promotion of jobs from colleague to colleague within the same company? What about the guy who vouches for his mate for a position but the mate refuses to take the job, thereby doing the guy out of a buck. Personal strain…hello, here we come.

And haven’t the old Jobs.com.au kinda tried to do this anyway? Is this another attempt to cut out the recruiter that is going to fall on its face.Let me tell you up front – I hope I’m wrong.