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 Why would customers want to look at old and outdated jobs listed on the job board component of a business like this when they can hear about what’s hot straight down the line of a social network posting.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.

Adlogic – The Recruiter

AdLogic is a multi-post and recruitment management solution provider. It powers several recruiters and employers.

You can imagine my surprise then, to see that they are now turning their hand to recruiting. C++ Analyst/Programmer .

Hang on (double take), that’s our job as recruiters.

Hoojano Powers StaffSearcher BY MYOB

 

New player in the ‘Reward for Referral’ space Hoojano has officially launched today. Mike Wilkinson is CEO of HooJano.  He was formerly Group Manager, Innovation at Sensis, and has held senior marketing roles with both MyCareer and CareerOne.  He has spent the last 18 months developing the business and preparing it for launch.  

Mike has also been busy luring high profile partner in MYOB. Powered by Hoojano, they have launched StaffSearcher.com.au in the hope of leveraging from their more than 700,000 businesses and accounting practices in the Asia-Pacific region. 

Superficially, this concept is great.  It’s an innovative way of approaching the roundup of suitable candidates.  And it’s exciting that HooJano is finally off Alpha status and is ready to do some business. But what’s with Staff Searcher’s pitch “Forget Recruiters”?  

I’m clicking my tongue here.  You know that “click click” your mum used to make when you’d done something both stupid and disappointing?  Usually this sound was followed by a sermon steeped in Capital letters, like That Was So Immature and I Expect More From You.  

My mum, she could bowl guilt with more spin than Warney (and she’s pretty nifty on the old texting too:)).  Point is, mums have what they call “moral authority”, and I’m about to dish some of that out right now.  So if you’re on a diet, look away.

Of course, my investment in this discussion is skewed.  I’m a recruiter, and I want my industry to continue to flourish.  It feeds my family.  But there’s more involved in my perspective than my personal interest.  Recruiters do more for businesses than simply find resumes.  We must think of creative ways of attracting candidates, we’re often on the phone for the most part of the day, ringing contacts, social networking, getting the goss on so-and-so who wants to leave their current role and move into something different.  Most of us interview, we represent the clients and candidates, bartering for both their interests in trying to reach an agreement between the two.  Sometimes we’re like goddam matchmakers, or farmers, trying to get a cow and a bull to do the wild thing when both just want to chow down on some grass.

Hoojano/StaffSearcher, knowthis.  Probably a better approach to your marketing would have been to engage recruiters, rather than rally for their departure from the recruiting process.  

JobFox’s New Intro Service

Jobfox has gone a step beyond any other job board and is personally introducing the candidates to employers.

Will MyCareer’s new Head Hunter service (powered by Jobfox) include this new ‘intro’ offering??

If yes, then employers will be getting contacted by MyCareer to encourage an introduction.

Hang on a minute, that’s my job…I am the recruiter!