Job Boards - Misconceptions and Realities: Part 3

I've been quite delinquent in posting the third part of this series, so my apologies.

So why are so many Recruiters frustrated with the Job Boards? Part of the problem I believe is that recruiters in general have been conditioned by the Job Boards over these past several years to think that the more efficient that you make the job posting process, the better. Think about the job posting lifecycle in most organizations (particularly those whose ATSs are integrated with Job Boards):

Manager creates the Req > Manager sends the Req to HR to be posted > HR puts the Req into the ATS (if the Req wasn't created in the ATS in the first place) > The approved Req is posted to the company website and multiple job boards with the push of a button > HR/the Recruiter sits back and waits for the resumes to flow on in.

The process of creating and posting a job Req is primarily viewed as an administrative function with very few if any touch points by the Recruiter, and has been automated to the extent that the view is commonly, "Post it and they will come, and do it ASAP" (when the reality is more like "Post and Pray".

If Recruiters want to be more successful with their postings on the Job Boards, they need to take more ownership of the postings they put out there. They need to ensure that the posting delivers a clear and compelling message. They need to follow up quickly and directly (preferably a phone call rather than an email) with qualified candidates. They need to take a more strategic view of which job boards are right for what jobs, and only post jobs where most appropriate.

Efficiency is important in anyone's Recruiting process, but not when the efficiencies enable the recruiting function to overlook what the job posting says, where it is being posted, and how candidates are followed up with. My complaint with the major Job Boards is that they have always been focused on quantity, rather than quality, with moving faster rather than moving smarter. Let's face it, quantity and efficiency means more dollars for the Job Boards. It is up to us as Recruiters to take responsibility for the quality of the postings we place on the Job Boards, and the process we use to ensure that we are using the right Job Boards for the right Jobs, and that the best candidates are being followed up with in an effective manner.

One final note. I am a firm believer that technology is too often the scapegoat, when the real culprit is typically the use of technology. Too many recruiters see recruiting technology as 'plug and play', when the reality is that you will only get out of any resource a reflection of the effort that you put into it. The Job Boards set themselves up as the 'silver bullet' solution, and most everyone has been left disappointed as a result. The Job Boards can train Recruiters on how to post jobs and search resumes, but maybe they need to do a better job on training Recruiters how to be better Recruiters, in particular, how to more effectively engage candidates with their job postings and their follow-up.

That's enough preaching from me on this subject. I hope you have found some useful insight here and encourage you to comment of course (am I on target, or full of it?). Until then, happy posting!

Life, Work, The Terps and Golf

I haven't done a post in a while (I do owe Part 3 of my thoughts on Job Boards still...), so I thought I would check in. It's been a very busy and draining start to the new year. My grandfather passed away a couple weeks back. His health had been in decline for the past two years. It was the first time I had lost someone so close, death certainly puts things into perspective. At the eulogy I delivered during the funeral service, I said that I thought he was a man that was larger than life and that he was in my eyes a great man. He was great not because of any personal or professional accomplishments, not for any material possessions he may of gained in his lifetime. He was great because the size of his heart, and the strength of his spirit. It was truly amazing looking at pictures of him and my grandmother over their 60+ years together. They were always smiling. Big, beautiful smiles. He will truly be missed.

The past several days have been very busy at work, catching up, some travel, some meetings, and continuing to set up our Experienced Recruiting strategy moving forward. I was in beautiful, warm South Florida at the end of last week to meet with the recruiters based out of our Ft. Lauderdale office. The past two days were spent with the recruiters based out of our Timonium and Bethesda, MD offices. As I have said before here, we have some great challenges ahead of us, but I continue to be encouraged by the desire of our recruiters to learn, grow, and work to build out a world-class recruiting function.

On a much lesser note, I'm mystified by this year's Maryland basketball team. Last week, I saw them be humiliated by an average Miami team. I think that both teams were there to play a basketball game, but it was hard to tell. It was one of the ugliest games I had ever witnessed. Then on Saturday, they come out with one of their best performances of the year, beating the previously undefeated Clemson Tigers. As I write this post this evening, I'm witnessing my Terps being beat up by UVA. They were down by 20, cut the lead to 3, now they are down by 15 again with 10 minutes left. Not looking good. Winning on the road on the ACC is tough, but I was hoping for a better effort tonight. This years Terps are very talented, but unfortunately, very inconsistent as well.

Oh, BTW, my firm is sponsoring a new PGA event this year. A big time branding opportunity for us. if you are a golfer with an established handicap, you must check this out!