There is nothing wrong
with stating the obvious.
What seems obvious to
us might be far from obvious to others. Conversely, what might be obvious to
them might be shrouded in mystery for us. Obvious is in the eye of the beholder.
In a world where
technological change and entrepreneurial spirit is reshaping our world in
revolutionary ways, everyone is at a slightly different place on the “change”
bell curve. People are behaving in radically different ways to how they were
behaving ten short years ago. No one can truly know how we will be behaving in
ten year’s time from now.
There is one
certainty, however. We will be more “social” than we are now. Note, I am not
using the word “sociable” – for me, that means meeting face-to-face, going out
together and interacting in person. “Social” has different connotations. It is
wrapped up a world of technology, where networks are our net worth and where
communication is seamless and without geographical boundaries. I would much prefer
to be sociable than social, but the relentless adoption of technology is not
giving us any choice. We have to go with the flow.
So, social recruiting.
It should be obvious what that is, right? Why do I have to suggest that some
people won’t get it? Why might there be “dummies” out there who are stuck in
the stone age of the internal database and the phone?
Well, it’s simple. Not
everyone has jumped on the social recruiting bandwagon because the (personal)
database and the phone still work perfectly well, thanks very much. Far from
all candidates at the senior end of the market are regular social media users
in their leisure time, and they certainly make up the majority of the client
base (who pay the recruiters, at the end of the day).
However, there is a
big BUT here. The younger (whisper it, millennial) generation was seemingly
born with a smartphone in their hands. Many of them have recently invested in
Snapchat, and they value virtual relationships almost as much as “real” ones.
Who says that a virtual relationship is worth less anyway?
When the Millennials
reach the management heights, everything is going to get far much more
“social.” The title of “Social Recruiting for Dummies” might seem a little
premature at the moment, but in 5-10 year’s time, everyone will have to play in
the social sandpit.
Unless recruiters do
not become more “social,” they will slowly become irrelevant. To be part of the
conversation, you have to chat where people hang out.
Social recruiting is
about being present in these places. That is my first and only bit of advice
for the “dummies” out there. The rest I am still trying to figure out as I am a
bit of a dummy myself.