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 Noel Cocca on June 3, 2014 at 10:23pm: Kelly, your the best! Great post.

Comment by Linda Ferrante on June 4, 2014 at 10:10am: Great points, Kelly! It's intersting to me that some of these articles forget there are regular companies with regular openings and don't have the social media presence that the major players use. It's awesome that some companies never have to use a job board again! Good for them!

For the rest of us, we still need to attract new candidates and while using our current networks, social media sites, and the phone, there are ALWAYS going to be those candidates who don't put themselves out there but go to the boards for new positions, or just companies that are hiring. We'd still like to grow our own network and touch candidates we don't even know are out there. Job boards are a great way for us to get some visibility in the marketplace to attract new candidates. I'm pretty sure this isn't going to change anytime soon.

Comment by Michelle Augustin on June 4, 2014 at 10:42am: I love this article! If Zappos has soo many applicants that it is overwhelming recruiters who have to go through applications more power to them for just eliminating posting openings all together! In reality though, posting openings to most other companies is crucial to attract those candidates who aren't advertising that they are looking.

Comment by Amy McDonald on June 4, 2014 at 1:19pm: Love this article, Kelly. Every company is unique in what type of sourcing works best for them. What works best for Zappos will definitely not work for my company, comprised primarily of start-ups that are still working to drive traffic to their site in the first place.. My opinion is that we all need a good mix of sourcing methods to be successful. Every position can be different as well.

Comment by Paul Petrone on June 4, 2014 at 2:14pm: Hello all - listen we are having a contest trying to find the best interview question, winner gets a $25 Amazon gift card! Click here to enter your question: http://goo.gl/oyKuWS

Comment by Keith Halperin on June 4, 2014 at 2:31pm: @ Kelly really good, as always! As you said, most of us recruit for ordinary companies- we aren't all Zapposistas (and Zapposistos, I guess).

"...putting butts in seats, on time, and on budget.... You have no room for relationships…" This looks strangely familiar.... ;)

@ Paul: "..best interview question": I think the best question I get when I'M interviewed is

"What more can you tell me about those luscious, kissable lips of yours? Mnn, mnn, mnn!"

-kh

@ Paul: Icould

Comment by Kelly Blokdijk on June 4, 2014 at 5:37pm: Thanks for the comments, everyone!

@Keith - you busted me! Should have put quotes on that part - as said by KH

@Paul - why?