Social recruiting and sourcing seem to be the main topics of focus at many industry conferences, and while recruiting should be social, that doesn’t necessarily mean social media.
When it comes to talent attraction and employee retention today, job seekers want your attention, and they want to interact with you online – whether it be on Facebook and Twitter or a platform designed specifically for talent communities.
#TNL Panel on Talent Communities
At #TNL Chicago this week, Maren Hogan, Head of U.S. Marketing for BraveNewTalent, moderated a panel on talent communities that included Matt Charney, Social Media Manager at Monster.com, and Lars Schmidt, Director of Talent Acquisition at NPR.
While the panel featured exceptional folks in the industry, even Schmidt admits there are no talent community experts because we’re all still learning. This being said, now is a better time than ever to start developing and engaging talent both internally and externally.
Why Does Community Matter?
The ultimate purpose of a talent community is to develop your employer brand with job seekers that may or may not fit with any of your current openings. This is an opportunity for them to explore your culture and values to determine a fit prior to applying. Once that relationship is established, talented candidates are more likely to seek out career opportunities at your organization than one they’re less familiar with/invested in.
Internal Before External
During the #TNL panel, Schmidt said talent communities can be your best branding tool – if utilized the right way. But before developing a community externally, it’s best to start within your own organization because your current top performers are likely the best brand advocates. Need more convincing? Here are the ways an internal community can pave the way for external talent attraction:
According to Charney, top performers should be your brand ambassadors (as opposed to PR and marketing professionals), which is why it’s important to direct your focus internally before looking at referrals.
Does your organization have an internal community?
Tell us about it in the comments, and stay tuned for steps to develop a talent community for your company.
Image: Laurie Ruettimann
Author: Autumn McReynolds
Autumn McReynolds is a master of communication, and with two years in the recruiting industry and over five years of experience in journalism and content creation, she was thrilled to take her career in a new direction as a Blogger and Content Strategist focused on talent acquisition in the digital age. In addition to writing, Autumn spends her time managing social media accounts for business and pleasure. Follow her on Twitter @AutumnMcRey.
[...] create a unique opportunity to give back, showcase your company’s dedication to the community and grow your talent network at the same [...]
[...] a unique opportunity to give back, showcase your company’s dedication to the community and grow your talent network at the same [...]
[...] #TNL Recap: Talent Communities and Why They Matter [...]
[...] of a team who handles overall recruitment marketing strategy or an employment brand strategist, a thriving talent community with high levels of engagement is dependent upon a constant influx of compelling, external content [...]
[...] recruitment plan, social media can be a great tool to help boost morale and engagement within your internal talent community, develop employment brand with external talent and promote social employee referrals. So, [...]
[...] you build it, they will come.” Or so they say. But in reality, we all know online talent community members will flee – and fast – without engagement on your part. In fact, job seekers expect to [...]
[...] talent community discussion is a fun one – mostly because it’s controversial. As with any new idea, tool or trend, [...]