My future in recruiting is not about “the next big thing” – but about the basics of what makes a stellar recruiter so successful. I will undoubtedly evangelize new concepts like social media and talent communities, yet it will be with the fervent understanding that not one of them will allow achievement unless you can effectively practice the basics of recruiting.

My career is at the center of this major paradigm shift we are experiencing in recruiting. I grew up in the .com craze building a new media division for United HealthCare – creating one of the very first sites to deliver healthcare information to consumers online. Social marketing, communication, and online community building were at the root of this massive undertaking. I parlayed this experience into a successful consulting career in eMarketing strategy and was asked over and over “how do we hire these eCommerce/eMarketing individuals?” – there it is folks, how I ‘fell’ into the recruiting field.

I believe most good recruiters did “fall” into the business. They were successful sales, marketing, business leaders who saw a need for their skill set in recruiting. What makes them so sought after in our industry is that they innately understand and practice the fundamental building blocks of recruiting – they are:

• A partner who builds and nurtures relationships
• A solid researcher with in-depth sourcing skills
• A perceptive leader with the ability to assess both people and situations quickly and accurately
• And they are always, always closing

Now let’s add the “next big thing” onto the list and we need these successful recruiters to be able to understand and utilize all forms of social media. This is my future in recruiting: evangelist; mentor; strategist; trainer; eRecruiting guru …. I hope to be a pivotal influencer on the next phase of recruiting – with the fundamental basics in mind. I would like to be a part of answering the question “What now?” – as recruiters are busy building disparate communities on various social networking platforms, organizations need to start driving these groups into a central talent community.

A key new job is appearing on in the recruiting field, Talent Community Manager. Recruiters are performing this function today but it’s not their sole focus – requisitions will always come first. The Talent Community Manager will help to define this intersection of recruiting and technology. It makes solid business sense to build this community of (future talent; employees; alumni; referrals; students; etc).

What is done in a Talent Community? Building and nurturing relationships – listening and responding to the needs of this group. They may want to know what the day in the life of a financial analyst at your company is like… They may want to hear from someone who recently started their career with your company… They may just want to see how you interact with potential employees. I believe the focus here should be on providing value – even if you don’t end up hiring them.

So is it the “next big thing” in recruiting… maybe it’s one facet of that. But I still contend that it won’t automatically skyrocket any recruiter into Rock Star status without a solid grasp of the fundamental basics. Where do I fit with this paradigm shift – you will find me out there passionately performing the role of evangelist; mentor; strategist; trainer; eRecruiting guru and more!