Job Postings Are Not the Enemy

By now you’ve probably heard and maybe even read at least one of the 129,732 industry blogs or news articles about Zappos’ new job posting-free world of recruiting. Sounds awesome, right?

Boring ads, big buck job boards, black hole ATS bursting at the seams due to too many barely qualified applicants… Good riddance!

But wait. You work for a regular company, with a regular culture, full of regular hiring managers, and only a regular amount of public awareness of who you are and what you do.

More importantly, you don’t have a team of quirky crooters on stand-by, tracking twitter streams or eye-ballin’ instagram all day long.

Somehow ditching job postings and conversing with a community in order to build relationships doesn’t sound like the most expeditious method of filling that growing stack of requisitions on your desk, does it?

Maybe you aren’t ready for THAT drastic or dramatic recruiting revolution, but you can take steps to fix the broken or neglected stuff.

Job postings aren’t the enemy, though they do present an area where revitalizing “regular” wouldn’t hurt. Freeing yourself from the bondage of bland postings and instead marketing your openings like opportunities could be just the right makeover for the regular to become ravishing. After all, a well written (compelling, enticing, appealing) job posting serves to attract the right type of applicant and may even deter those that would fit better elsewhere.

All that buzz and hoopla sure makes talent communities sound like an exciting source of candidates. So take a look. Maybe you already have one, but it has a regular name like database, ATS, or network. If not, there’s always that trusty telephone or email system as a conversation starter.

Now for the touchy-feely stuff...

I know, I know… you have a regular recruiting goal of putting butts in seats, on time, and on budget. Newfangled fads are not your thing.

You have no room for relationships… No hankering for hashtag chats… No vision for viewing video cover letters… And, absolutely-positively no interest in prospects’ Pinterest passions.

No problem! How about this regular idea: treat people right, right from the start, so they want to join and stay at your company - no matter how sexy that shoe company looks.

You don’t need to revolutionize recruiting by chasing fancy new tools or trendy techniques. Keep it simple, silly…

Take what works and make it work better. Then try not to scuff your heals while kicking the rest to the curb.

Comment by Randall Scasny on June 10, 2014 at 9:28am: Yes, great article and well written. I skimmed through the Zappos story and didn't think it had legs for every company and industry. Also, there may be some resistance by job seekers not wanting to put the time in for the Zappos contests.

Comment by Kathleen Smith on June 10, 2014 at 9:50am: Kelly, thanks! Yes, it is interesting how these great innovative ideas comes out and everyone thinks that this is where the whole community needs to go. As you pointed out, not everyone has the staff, tech know how or balls to do this. But guess what is missing? Those people you are trying to recruit! They are used to and dependent on job postings. That is the first thing they are looking for. There is no massive bulletin that goes to all job seekers and says this is how it is done now. If that was the case every job seeker would understand ATS, OFCCP and social media.

Sorry to tell the recruiting innovators, but you need to remember the majority of the folks you are trying to reach still have dial up.

Comment by Suresh on June 10, 2014 at 10:12am: Kelly, you are absolutely right. Not all companies can create a talent network large enough to draw the right candidates for each niche (its a lot of work and money). Remember, many niche job boards have been focussed on this much longer than companies, long before the social media or talent community buzz.

Comment by Rich Grant on June 14, 2014 at 8:57am: Great post as usual, Kelly. I love the way you skewer the fad or buzzword of the day in your posts. I advise students in their job searches and use the expression "multi-faceted approach." I would guess in recruiting you need to do the same thing... not rely on any one method to source good candidates. I wonder if Zappos has a plan for how they organize the incoming barrage of candidates tweeting them in their #InsideZappos chats. I suppose the good news is that it will eliminate the "spray and pray" candidates that would try to reach them through traditional channels.