Online communities sell stuff. That’s why eBay recently bought a 25% stake in craigslist, the homegrown community site that began in San Francisco in 1995 and is now flourishing in 45 cities in the U.S, Canada and the United Kingdom. Not only does craigslist help people sell refrigerators and used cars, it helps recruiters sell their employment opportunities, as well. In fact, the site was selected as a WEDDLE’s User’s Choice Award winner in 2004, which means that it is among the 30 top job boards based on balloting by job seekers and recruiters.
Outside the Internet, almost everyone participates in a community, so we all have at least a vague idea of what they are. Whether it’s a small town or a city block, a neighborhood or a college dorm, we know where our community begins and ends and what to expect inside it. But, do those familiar notions also define a community on the Internet? And, why are online communities so effective at bringing buyers and sellers together? If we recruiters can find the answers to those questions, we’ll be better able to put online communities to work in sourcing top talent.
An online community creates the same sentiment of membership at a spot in cyberspace-a Web-site-that a traditional community creates in the real world. When people are present in the community, they feel as if they are interacting with others whom they know and trust. Although they may actually be acquainted with only a few of the community’s members-their neighbors in the real world and those with whom they exchange e-mail online-they believe that all or most of its members share a sense of belonging to the community and that most will do what they can to help and support the group’s members. In other words, the community gives those who participate the experience of being connected in a beneficial relationship.
That experience is what makes an online community such a powerful recruiting platform. The familiarity and trust that a community’s members feel for one another extends to whatever happens there. They don’t give up their consumer savvy or their self interest, but they are willing to give more attention and credence to the advertising they read and the offers that are made inside the community. It is a “safe” environment, and that sense of security predisposes them to pay attention to and consider a job posting they would probably have ignored someplace else.
How is this experience created? On the Internet, communities often evolve from pre-established relationships in the real world. Some of the most effective online communities, for example, occur at the Web-sites of professional associations and societies. Others, however, have sprung up on the Internet and exist only there. These include newsgroups and Web-sites that focus on a specific cohort of the population, such as veterans or those who share a common ethnic background.
Regardless of their origin, all of these groups have three characteristics in common. These characteristics create the foundation for the community’s relationships; they are the source of that sense of connectedness. To be an online community, then, a site must be:
When a Web-site establishes a “brand” that has all of these characteristics, it is transformed into an online community, a place where even the most passive of candidates feel as if they have beneficial relationships. That’s why association, college alumni, affinity and other niche or specialty sites can regularly connect us with high caliber candidates we can only occasionally reach at a traditional job board. And, that’s why some of the more progressive job boards are developing communities of their own so that the best and brightest will feel right at home on their sites.
How can recruiters use this information to improve the quantity and quality of their yield online?
Communities work because they provide an experience that is familiar and comfortable. That experience, in turn, creates a “halo of trust” which diminishes the impersonal feel and potential risk of buying online. Recruiters who understand and respect the core characteristics of that environment will reach and sell cohorts of the population that other recruiters can only dream of.
Thanks for reading,
Peter
A Final Note I hope you’re finding your WEDDLE’s newsletter to be thought-provoking, helpful and informative. If that’s the case, please tell a colleague about it and encourage them to subscribe, as well. I’d be very grateful for your support.
This Issue’s Sponsor: Yahoo! HotJobs
This issue of WEDDLE’s newsletter is brought to you through the generous support of Yahoo! HotJobs
Find the right candidate right now.
Combine Yahoo!’s reach and cutting edge search technology with HotJobs’ career expertise and let Yahoo! HotJobs go to work for you.
To speak with a representative, call 1-877-HOTJOBS (468-5627).
Section Two: Site News You Can Use
HealthandFitnessPros.com launched its job board for lifeguards, pilates and yoga instructors, acupuncturists, weight loss specialists, estheticians, massage therapists, coaches, personal trainers, instructors and other professionals and managers in the health and fitness industry.
Pew Research Center released the results of a February, 2004 survey which found that 58% of Americans aged 50 to 64 and 46% of those aged 59 to 68 now use the Internet. In the War for the Best Talent, this cohort of the workforce offers a powerful combination of workplace experience and savvy and, among those online at least, a gender ratio of 50% male and 50% female. How can you use your corporate career site to reach this population? Their interests and information needs (especially in the area of work scheduling and benefits) are very different from those of the rest of the candidate population, so set up a special area on your site to address them. This channel should also include testimonials from other “seniors” employed by your organization and a question and answer feature (that actually provides answers).
Researchers from Tufts University and UCLA surveyed 1,600 manufacturers and found that 45% of their annual economic growth was due to workforce management techniques; 55% was due to capital investment. Not surprisingly, the single most effective workforce management technique was found to be skills development. What’s that got to do with recruiters? If we want to see the return on investment we expect from our shiny, new applicant tracking and candidate management systems, we’re going to have to upgrade the skills of the recruiters who use them. In too many organizations today, a significant percentage of the recruiting staff practices the VCR principle. As they do with their VCR at home, they use only about 20% of the capability built into the system at work. Why? In some cases, it’s undoubtedly due to a lack of corporate support, but in others, the culprit is simply a lack of skill. At home, that means someone can’t record the Sopranos while watching a movie; at work, it means they undercut the potential productivity gains and effectiveness possible with advanced technology. What should you do? Set up continuous training regimen and a peer-to-peer mentoring program and then raise the minimum acceptable bar in the performance appraisal process. Ultimately, make skill in using your organization’s technology a condition of continued employment.
WEDDLE’s and ExecuNet are pleased to announces a Webinar series for recruiters and HR professionals. The three-session series is entitled
Unfair Advantage: Tactics, Strategy & Leadership for Winning the War for Talent. Each session is a stand-alone program that promises to pack plenty of learning into 90 minutes. Session 1 covers best practices in online recruiting; Session 2 explores key strategies in winning the War for the Best Talent; and Session 3 addresses the secret weapon for winning the talent wars-leadership. All of the sessions will be delivered by WEDDLE’s Publisher, Peter Weddle. You can sign up for one session or for all three. There is a registration fee of $195 per session/$390 for the entire program, but it provides site access, so you can have as many colleagues as you want attend the program. Best of all, WEDDLE’s subscribers get a whopping 39% discount. For more information and to register, please call ExecuNet Member Services at 1.800.637.3126. Make sure you identify yourself as a WEDDLE’s subscriber to get the discount.
Yahoo! HotJobs launched a new homepage for its site. Designed to enhance the user’s experience, the new page has a warmer and more inviting feel, easier-to-use features (e.g., the new My Resume” module simplifies the process of creating and submitting a resume) and easier-to-locate services and information. The upgrades were developed in the Yahoo! Usability lab where they were tested with actual users prior to implementation.
Section Three: Site Profiles
Site Insite … how well do you know the Web’s 40,000+ job boards?
1. You need a seasoned programmer who will feel comfortable in the culture of your IT department. Which of the following sites would likely provide candidates who can fit right in?
2. Classes are about to start, and you’re still recruiting for a grade school teacher. Which of the following sites would help you ace your search?
3. You’re looking for an experienced physician assistant to fill a position at a urban medical center. Which of the following sites would be a prescription for failure?
(answers below)
Site Spotlite … from the pages of WEDDLE’s 2004 Guides and Directories
Net-Temps
A WEDDLE’s 2004 User’s Choice Award Winner
Post full time jobs: Yes
Post part time, contract or consulting jobs: Yes – All
Distribution of jobs: International – USA, Canada
Fee to post a job: $101-200/posting
Posting period: 30 days
Can posting be linked to your site: Yes
Resume database: Yes
Number of resumes: 27,000
Source of resumes: Direct from candidates
Top occupations among resumes: Administrative, information systems/technology, management
Other services for employers: Auto notification of resume-job matches, Banner advertising, Special area for HR professionals/recruiters, Status reports: banners, postings
Answers to Site Insite
1. Only GeekFinder.com; the others do not post job openings.
2. All of them would help your search.
3. PApeople.com, the site of a professional audio services company in Australia.
This Issue’s Sponsor: Yahoo! HotJobs
This issue of WEDDLE’s newsletter is brought to you through the generous support of Yahoo! HotJobs
Find the right candidate right now.
Combine Yahoo!’s reach and cutting edge search technology with HotJobs’ career expertise and let Yahoo! HotJobs go to work for you.
To speak with a representative, call 1-877-HOTJOBS (468-5627).