Much has been written about the Google phenomenon. From a silly sounding search engine launched by a couple of Stanford University graduate students, it’s become a way of life for a huge and still growing population of users. What’s behind this tidal wave of popularity? Something Google calls “cloud computing.” The concept involves shifting the user’s attention from the functionality on their desktop-where Microsoft was and is king-to capabilities accessed on the Internet. Said another way, it moves the user from the real world to a virtual one, where they can enjoy interactions with friends, peers and even strangers without having to be present. That experience is then made even more appealing by another Google term of art-“the power of free.” In essence, free content and activities are used to supplement the online interactions and give users a sense of ownership of what they see and do online which further enhances their allegiance.
What’s all that have to do with those of us in recruiting? I think we can adopt the fundamental principles of Google’s concept and adapt them into an effective strategy for winning the War for the Best Talent. With full attribution to its roots, I call this new approach “cloud recruiting.”
Cloud recruiting involves shifting our attention from the transactional activities on which we have traditionally relied to fill requisitions to a new focus on relationships. As with cloud computing, the locus of this activity is online as that enables us to leverage the time and reach advantages of the Internet and efficiently tap “the power of free.” The approach has two important characteristics:
and
Let’s explore each of these ideas a bit further.
Cloud recruiting recognizes the real differences between passive and active candidates.
As their name implies, active candidates are motivated to act. In most cases, they need a job so they are proactive about looking for one. They will come to us, to our job postings and to our Web-sites. Equally as important, they are receptive to the messages we communicate about our employment opportunities and inclined to take them at face value.
Passive candidates, in contrast, are reluctant to act. In most cases, they are employed, so they don’t come to us of their own accord. We have to draw them into our recruiting process. No less important, they are good consumers so they take the time to look for evidence to verify (or not) our claims about our organization’s employment experience.
To put it as starkly as possible, active candidates are ready to deal; transactions work for them. Passive candidates need reassurance that they are making the right decision; they require relationships. While recruiters often find great prospects among active candidates, they know there is even more talent among the passive population. That’s why cloud recruiting focuses on building relationships.
Cloud recruiting overcomes the limitations we face when recruiting in the real world.
You can call or e-mail an active candidate, and they will likely respond. If you call or e-mail a passive candidate, they’re going to want considerably more interaction before they will seriously entertain a new opportunity. And, there’s the rub. Real world relationships are both time consuming and labor intensive to build. So, what happens? All too often, we are forced to sub-optimize our selection and take the first available candidate who is acceptable rather than the best candidate there is for an opening.
Cloud recruiting provides a way around this problem by building “virtual relationships” on the Internet. Virtual relationships can be developed more quickly and efficiently because they use asynchronous, one-on-many online interactions. In other words, passive candidates can engage with you whenever and wherever it’s convenient (and safe) for them to do so-not on some meeting schedule that will often interfere with their business day-and at the same time, they can tap into free content that is useful to their career advancement-not simply a hard sell for a specific open position.
Where does cloud recruiting take place? On your corporate or staffing firm Web-site. Cloud recruiting re-imagines these destinations as the default site for passive candidates thinking about career advancement. In essence, you are positioning your site as the Google for career success among your target demographics. It’s the place where they go to search for free content (as well as employment opportunities) that will help them get ahead.
Unlike traditional transaction al sites where the content was all about the company-its jobs, its benefits, its employment experience-cloud recruiting sites offer content that is all about the candidate. Sure, it includes information about your organization, but the focus is on what successful candidates (the ones who tend to be the most passive) want and need to continue their success. When you provide that kind of free information, the magic happens: your site becomes their site.
For example, your site’s content might include:
Does all of that cost a lot more money than most organizations are now investing in the career resources they’ve provided on their Web-sites? You bet it does. But that increase in investment is a pale shadow of what we are currently spending to recruit the first available candidate who is acceptable for an opening. For my money, I think it makes more sense to build a compelling relationship fast with the best candidate there is, and that’s precisely what cloud recruiting enables you to do.
Thanks for reading,
Peter
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This Issue’s Sponsor: WEDDLE’s Private Training
This issue of WEDDLE’s newsletter is brought to you through the generous support of WEDDLE’s Private Training Programs, with tailored courses for direct employers and for staffing firms.
WEDDLE’s offers a wide range of training programs that can be delivered on-site in your own facility or in a toll-free audio format similar to WEDDLE’s public programs. You can select a single 75-minute program, pick two programs for a combined 2.5-hour seminar or three programs for a half-day workshop. All programs are delivered by WEDDLE’s Publisher, Peter Weddle.
WEDDLE’s training programs include:
For more information and to schedule your private, in-house WEDDLE’s training program, please call us at 203.964.1888.
Section Two: Site News You Can Use
The Family and Medical Leave Act has been expanded to allow select workers to take unpaid time off in conjunction with a family member’s military deployment. The new law went into effect on January 28th and permits:
The term “qualifying emergency” has yet to be defined by the Department of Labor. Some experts believe the qualification will cover everything from the time required to arrange for child care to the extra time a spouse may want to spend with a service member before their deployment overseas. Although employers are not required to implement this provision of the law until the formal definition is published, the Department of Labor is encouraging employers to start doing so right away. To be eligible under the law, an employee must work for a company with 50 or more employees within a 75 mile radius of the work site and must have been employed for at least 12 months by the company and worked at least 1,250 hours during that period.
MyBusiness published the following tidbit for those of us juggling business travel, client phone calls and teleconferences with the office. Recent research at the University of Utah found that motorists who talk on cell phones drive 2 mph more slowly than their non-talking fellow motorists. In addition, they pass other cars less frequently and take longer to complete their trips. Bottom line: talking on the cell phone while driving doesn’t improve your productivity; all that chatter behind the wheel actually hurts it. What’s the solution? The magazine suggests that you pull over, take or make your call, and then get back on the road and back to driving like the rest of us-15 mph over the speed limit.
The Network, an alliance of 31 job boards providing recruiting services across 64 countries, has launched a new Web-site to make it easier to identify and reach its members. Employers can use the site to recruit and/or promote their employment brand in a wide range of specific countries or regions. Among the sites in The Network are Yahoo! HotJobs, totaljobs (United Kingdom), Seek (Australia), Uranus.fi (Finland), CareerNet (Korea) and IrishJobs.ie.
Kennedy Information is offering a series of Webinars with WEDDLE’s Publisher Peter Weddle. These programs cover all of the Best Practices in online sourcing and recruiting, tailored especially for staffing firm recruiters and executive search consultants. The series includes the following programs:
For more information and to sign up for the programs, please call Kennedy Information at 800.531.0007. This is a rare opportunity to spend some quality time with one of the most popular trainers in our field. As one previous course participant put it, “WOW!! I had the opportunity to listen to Peter Weddle speak last week at a conference and ‘WOW!!’ does NOT do justice to how I felt after listening to him!”
Section Three: Site Profiles
Site Spotlite … from the pages of WEDDLE’s 2007/8 Guides and Directories
There are 50,000 job boards now in operation in North America and an equal number operating elsewhere around the world. The key to recruiting top talent online, therefore, is knowing where to find and how to select the best sites for each of your requirements. WEDDLE’s 2007/8 Guide identifies 350 of the top sites worldwide and provides the information you need to determine which job boards will deliver the optimum yield for you. For example:
JobFetch.com
Participating newspapers: The Frederick News-Post, The Free Lance-Star, The Herald-Mail Company, The Capital
Post full time jobs: Yes
Post part time, contract or consulting jobs: Yes-All
Distribution of jobs: Regional/USA: VA, MD, WDC
Fee to post a job: $295/posting
Posting period: 30 days
Can posting be linked to your site: Yes
Resume database: Yes
Number of resumes: 285+
Source of resumes: Direct from individuals
Top occupations among visitors: All professions, crafts and trades
Other services for employers: Automated resume agent, Banner advertising, Status reports on advertising.
Member, International Association of Employment Web Sites: Yes
Please Support Our Sponsor: WEDDLE’s Training
This issue of WEDDLE’s newsletter is brought to you through the generous support of WEDDLE’s Private Training Programs, with tailored courses for direct employers and for staffing firms.
WEDDLE’s offers a wide range of training programs that can be delivered on-site in your own facility or in a toll-free audio format similar to WEDDLE’s public programs. You can select a single 75-minute program, pick two programs for a combined 2.5-hour seminar or three programs for a half-day workshop. All programs are delivered by WEDDLE’s Publisher, Peter Weddle.
WEDDLE’s training programs include:
For more information and to schedule your private, in-house WEDDLE’s training program, please call us at 203.964.1888.