For the vast majority of us, Talent Communites are a pipe dream...

Another installment in my series of UnModerated blogs:

By and large I reject the notion of Talent Community all together. The very idea that people are inclined to "connect" with a company over a long period of time - hanging out backstage like groupies at a Rolling Stones concert, hoping to get the call to join the team, is nonsense.

Sorry - but this is primarily a pipe dream for most employers. Most employers are not cool, hip spots like Google or Starbucks. My clients sell car tires, put together wire harnesses, deliver cargo across the country and make boxes.

People don't want to hang out in some contrived "community" learning (and dreaming) about what it's like to work in my client's plant that is struggling with union issues right now. They are not "engaged" with my client that simply makes thousands of aluminum lids every day - no one gets hurt - and they all go home safely.

They may stumble into a "TC" when looking for a job - but they aren't pitching a tent and waiting for you. They're looking for a new job. Do you have one they might fit? Great. You don't? See ya later. It's no more complicated than that.

Comment by Alasdair Murray on April 11, 2012 at 2:08pm: To be fair when AOL first brought out their Messenger chat, I thought it was to die for. Now, just a few years later, it's dead. That's talent communities in five years. Tried and not trusted. The snake oil merchants will be peddling something else. Messages beamed onto the moon or something.

Comment by Suresh on April 11, 2012 at 7:02pm: To add to my earlier comments, if your Talent Community is somewhat popular, you will need a dedicated person just to weed through all the Spammers (if linkedin is any indication) claiming to be recruiters and others sales folks.

Comment by Noel Cocca on April 13, 2012 at 12:10am: Jerry, I love the way I spit my coffee out when I read your posts! funny and ....good points. It really depends on the company in many cases as well as industry.

Comment by Amy Ala Miller on April 13, 2012 at 1:46pm: Considering the disparity in the roles I recruit for, I'm trying to imagine what my talent community would look like. It's giving me a migraine.

Comment by Lauren Smith on April 22, 2012 at 11:32pm: Sure, certain companies may not be glamorous enough to attract members to their smaller corporate community. But, imagine your car tire client being apart of a larger Automotive Manufacturing talent community. Or, your cargo client apart of a Logistics industry community. The general concept of a talent community - like minded individuals who have an interest in helping people find jobs - still holds true no matter the size or type of organization.

Lauren Smith

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