Don’t Have A Candidate List………. Have A Talent Community
As a recruiter, you’ll have a large database of candidates. You might have thousands, tens of thousands or even more. How are you using this though; apart from searching it when you are looking for suitable candidates? If not, you are seriously missing out on a powerful recruitment tool, the opportunity to build a talent community.
What is a talent community?
A talent community is a method of social recruiting, where a collection of people with similar skills, interests or careers come together on a social platform to discuss, share ideas and opportunities with each other. In essence it is a networking community, and one that can be a very powerful tool if used correctly by an informed recruiter.
Where should I build my talent community?
You have three main choices at the moment, Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter. Which will be the best for you will depend on a number of factors.
A Linkedin group is the obvious choice for a company wishing to create a talent community, especially if you recruit professional roles. You should already have a sizeable yet focussed network that you can invite to your group, so you could be up and running reasonably quickly. Linkedin may not be quite as effective if you are recruiting blue collar jobs, as Linkedin is generally seen as a white collar social network. Linkedin offers a real opportunity for thought leadership, and if done correctly could be a real springboard to having a dominant presence in the market. Take a look at the Linkedin groups you are part of and learn from them.
Not at first glance the best place to build up a talent community, but in certain circumstances it can be very effective. Whereas people go on to Linkedin to network with work associates, people go on to Facebook for pleasure, which means it is Linkedin’s (and to an extent Twitter’s) poor relation when building a talent community. However, if you recruit in certain blue collar and niche industries, it can be very effective. The Composite Laminators Network is a great example of this on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/Composite.laminators.network/?fref=ts).
A very niche and specialised trade, the vast majority of composite laminators in the UK are members of the group, and the vast majority of contracting jobs are obtained through the site. Imagine that kind of coverage!
Although very different in many ways to both Linkedin and Facebook, some of the most effective talent communities are on Twitter. The ‘hashtag hour’ is a type of talent community that can be very effective. Choose a day and a time, and make your hashtag hour a regular event. Host the event and direct the hour’s proceedings and discussion. You’ll be surprised by how many people will begin to participate if you give it time. The only downside to Twitter is that it is a little bit more impersonal than the other networks, in that usernames may not always reflect who the person actually is.
Once you have established your talent community, it’s up to you how successful it is. You should be engaging with people every day, starting and taking part in useful and insightful conversations. Do it well, and you should soon have a powerful recruitment tool on your hands, but just remember, look after it!
Till next time,
Cheryl