What’s Up with Recruiting?

Interesting how you can actually learn something meaningful from very trivial conversations!

Now that I think about it-it’s nothing new because Jerry Seinfeld made a fortune from a TV show which was based on the subject of nothing.

Recently I had an interesting conversation with a friend.  That brief conversation was about nothing special but it made me reflect on the changes that have taken place in the recruitment profession.   And now it has me thinking about what will happen next.  Here is a brief dialog of that conversation:

Him: You go a minute?

Me: Yeah, what’s up?

Him: Do you know who Seal is?

Me: Is he the entertainer who is married to that super model?

Him: Yeah, how did he get those scars on his face, do you know?

Me: Not really sure, isn’t he from Africa, maybe it’s some tribal thing!

Him: That’s what my wife said, but I think he must have been in an accident or something!

Me: Accident? I don’t think so; he would have had plastic surgery with all his money!

Him: We (wife) just made a bet and she told me to call you to see who is right…I know I’m right!

Me: Ok, let me see how good I am in finding what I’m looking for…..it says that the scars are a form of Lupus.  He has had for a while now.

Him: Lupus?  I don’t think so…where did you get that information?

Me: It’s right here on the Internet…I just sent the link to you.

Him: Wow, technology is something else, isn’t it?

This is a perfect example of how the world has changed. Transparency, authenticity and instantaneous has become the expectation in how we interact socially and professionally. Information that was provided by only specialized individuals is now an instant away on the Internet for everyone to see.

What does any of this have to do with recruiting?

A lot!

If you are not committed to becoming technology compliant, then by default you have taken the fast track to recruitment obsolescence.

What’s recruitment obsolescence?

Recruitment obsolescence is having conversations about your superior performance in the days gone by while being   a spectator on the sidelines watching life passes by. And using technology as a tool to move your own agenda along will be the biggest obstacle that will hinder most in an industry that is changing minute by minute.

Here’s the new reality. Top talents are no longer hidden behind the doors and cubicles  of their employers; they have come to the surface to show their feathers. And the so called hidden job market is now on public display, like fruits in a grocery store. The cloak that once hid inside information of an employer has been blown away by the wind, and a more knowledgeable job applicant has emerged. As a result, the entry point to recruiting the top talent has shifted once again.