Yesterday, Knowledge Infusion was awarded a position on the Inc 5000 fastest growing private companies list for the third consecutive year. While this is a huge accomplishment, it got me thinking about what it means to the world. The companies on the list this year have created over 350k jobs in the last 3 years, a huge addition to the economy as most organizations have reduced or stayed flat.
Knowledge Infusion grew its workforce by over 30% during that period and we are all proud to be in the jobs creation business. So, where did the people come from that we hired? NOT from a post on our career site — nearly 100% came from referrals and competitors. Our career site, while important, is NOT where the initial interaction happened. Of course, it’s different by industry, but on the whole, there is a lesson here for all of us.
Do you remember when flashy career sites where all the rage – when a MAJOR feature from talent acquisition vendors was the ability for you to brand a portal, add some flash components, toss in some social media buttons and embed some cultural videos (NO WAY!!)? I do.
Snap that picture in your mind, because that time is over, or at a minimum, become what is the minimal accepted from you.
Heavily branded, interactive career sites are mere table stakes moving forward. From here on out, critical (must have) talent management technology, (ok put it in a silo and call it talent acquisition technology,) will look, act and feel just like your customer relationship management (CRM) software. Here’s three reasons the career site has been demoted from a key driver to a “basic expectation” and why CRM systems have replace it as the first choice for pulling the talent you actually want.
1. The talent you are targeting probably doesn’t visit career sites – ever.
[disclaimer: I oppose not considering applicants who are currently unemployed. You can read more on my position in this post.] The fact of the matter is, the skills in the highest demand most likely reside within people who currently have a job and are expanding and polishing those skills every single day. They are competing, they are growing, and they are improving faster than the skill sets of their unemployed peers. If they are indeed interested in moving from one organization to another, it’s doubtful that they would choose to browse career sites over socially driven network sites (ex. LinkedIn.)
2. People have become used to getting found and nurtured on their own terms. As consumers, our favorite brands consistently push relevant information to us — in the channel we have indicated we prefer and at the frequency we prefer. Brands occupy our limited attention spans through continuous, relevant communication. Top talent will expect the same level of thoughtful attention from all brands – and that includes an employment brand.
3. Social networks have changed the game – forever. “It’s not what you know but who you know….” (well, what you know is really important too, but it only gets you so far.) The ability to connect with peers and colleagues has never been this easy and it will always be the number one way in the door. LinkedIn has blazed a trail towards the standard job application process; Jobvite has launched a (CRM) application that helps companies find relevant talent powered by connections like employee referrals and social networks; and if that’s not enough, TopProspect (still in beta) is a platform that pays people to connect their colleagues with their dream jobs.
As you review your talent strategy for 2012, don’t discount the importance of candidate relationship management. The importance of strategic, well executed CRM will continue to grow as we weather the poor economy and navigate this overwhelming skills crisis.
Here’s some good news though – CRM technology doesn’t have to be complicated, hard to implement or pricey. Remember that good relationship management can take many forms – and it’s about the conversations, NOT the technology per se. (Who knows, your organization may already have the perfect solution in place in another part of the enterprise – and all you have to do is figure out how to adapt the technology to fit your process!)
Where does candidate relationship management rank in your strategy? I hope it’s near the top – and WAY ahead of linking your career site to YouTube videos and creating a sexy landing page.
…another infusion of knowledge.