Online Recruitment and the Social Opportunity

You all know that familiar feeling when standing on a beach – there’s a crash, as water
particles stumble over each other, racing faster and faster as the
shallows near they simply build up and then there’s the break. All of a
sudden it’s gone and the remnants creep up the remainder of the beach
to gently caress your toes, much to your delight. You watch as the
skilled surfers have made the most of that huge wave that presented
itself to them and the others, probably equally as skilled, crash and
burn and squander. This picture isn’t too dissimilar to opportunities
that present themselves in working life.

Buzz vs Hype

There will always be a faint buzz about something, a small itching hint of the future that
gradually builds up. However, just like a surfer who has waited
patiently for the right wave they may infact be disappointed to find out
that is was just hype and the wave prematurely crashes. The point is
is that just like the initial dotcom boom years (in this example could
be a tidal-wave to modern life) there have always been opportunities
building up and up and then quietly tailing off into the sunset. The
skilled marketeer will cease these moments and dominate them, with a
little bit of luck of course – as with everything being in the right
spot, and at the right time.

The Dawn of Time (and Progressive Innovation)

Let’s look at the trending:

• Internet – boom!
• Search Engines – Google dominates
• Forums – a multiverse full of them!
• Friends Reunited – One of the first “social”/friend networks
• Facebook – Dominates social scene
• LinkedIn – Dominates professional scene
• Recruitment Agencies
• Independent niche job sites/portals

What’s next? Is there a next?!

Well, Facebook and LinkedIn have both consolidated their positions, however they deal with a
very wide market. Niche markets grouped within these sites really
can’t compete, side by side, with a fully dedicated niche website, and
nor are they designed to – they are supplementary to any marketing
cause. Independent niche job sites are plentiful nowadays, both split
down into location and sector. However, there is a new wave emerging.

A False Dawn?

A new method for recruiters to get their paws into – dedicated professional/recruitment
networking. As I’ve mentioned – LinkedIn is too broad a tool to really
pay attention to specific groups of people and their recruiting needs.
Hence, the opportunity presents itself. I’ve been keeping an eye on
events over the past few years, and it really is a fledgling market that
is set to stay – the market that puts employers in direct contact with
potential employees, in a “social” setting. A sort of prescreening to
an interview and as such, maybe, more efficient method of pruning the
best candidates to do the job, or at least to attend the psychometric
testing farms!

So, the final question is: how many job sites allow recruiters to have direct contact
with a candidate without a CV being involved or an agency?