On April 17, I attended a presentation, “How to Build a Real Social Recruiting Process,” by Ed Newman, Chief Analyst of Inside TMT. He spoke to an audience of professionals involved in corporate leadership recruitment. This meeting was sponsored by the Recruiting Affinity Group of the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). I was familiar with social media, but curious what “real social recruiting” was. Here are the highlights of what I learned.
There is a talent war going on, as corporations compete against one another for talent, particularly for managers and leaders. While there has been a plethora of new social media products and services to aid corporate recruiters, the value proposition, “quality of hire,” has not been achieved consistently. Why? HR and corporate recruiters have been using social media to identify and contact potential employees but not to initiate and sustain relationships.
Mr. Freeman asserted that HR and corporate recruiters need to adopt “real social recruiting,” defined as long-term scouting for potential future hires, initiated and sustained by social media and complemented by periodic face-to-face contacts, driven by third-party referrals. This allows recruiters to build a long-term relationship with potential hires, evaluating them and confirming the validity of referral recommendations. This is a networking model supported by relationship management with the goal of achieving “quality of hire,” selecting the right candidate for the right position in the right company. What do all of these “rights” mean?
First, a potential new hire must fit very well the company’s mission and organizational culture. Second, the potential new hire’s skills, knowledge and goals must match very well the position into which she is being placed. Third, the quality of the match will reduce the likelihood of a quick turnover, that is, the new hire will stay with the firm long enough for the firm to recoup it’s initial investment in hiring and training the new hire. Unfortunately, traditional HR recruitment efforts only yield a 50% success rate at this matching process. This is very costly for US firms.
What does this new trend toward “real social recruiting” mean for Public Policy students and graduates? It means expect the recruitment process to be a long-term process. If a recruiter approaches you without a specific position in mind, don’t discount the value of that contact. If she is evaluating you for a future placement, be open to establishing a long-term relationship with the recruiter. If invited to corporate events, by all means, attend. You might even receive a discount to banquets, special mixers, and memberships to professional associations. The HR or corporate recruiter may aid you in getting published to raise your visibility (and future value) among potential employers. Connect with that recruiter via your LinkedIn.com profile. Broaden continously your connections through your LinkedIn.com profile, but also schedule a time to meet each connection as far as possible. (You never know which of your contacts will offer a recruiter a positive recommendation of you.) Always stay positive. Always be “relationship-focused.” Share with the recruiter what your “ideal” position would be, not just immediately but also as your career goal.
Don’t forget about a recruiter just because you accept employment elsewhere. Their long-term approach means they’re building a database of potential “quality of hire” candidates for whenever their corporate clients come to them seeking to fill a position. They are less concerned about placing you immediately. They are more concerned about placing you in the right position with the right company, which, in turn, boosts their reputation with their corporate clients, and these recruiters will seek to move you up and forward in your career.
As I have been advising our students and graduates, don’t look for a job; search for a career. Recruiters are seeking candidates with a long-term perspective on their careers, explicit goals, a professional development plan (lifelong learning), and consistent and constructive social skills. This is a marathon with potential obstacles along the way, but you must persevere to reach your goals.
This real social recruiting, or relationship recruiting, is about evaluating you as a professional over time. Do you build relationships effectively? Do you treat people as people and not a means to your ends? Do you have integrity in all aspects of your life and career? (Yes, they will look at all of your social media to evaluate your personal life for potential risk factors.)
For someone at the outset of his or her career, these can be challenging questions to answer. Talking with other professionals who have traveled diverse paths can be enlightening. One perspective is never sufficient. After all, building relationships is fundamentally about gaining and respecting new perspectives, goals and values.
My door is open to Public Policy students and alumni, if you’d like to discuss these matters. I will also be organizing discussion groups. Contact people you’ve connected with on LinkedIn.com. Start listening and learning how you may run–and possibly win–that marathon. –Clark Bonilla, Director of Alumni and Career Services, School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology.
