Some experts indicate that most open positions will be filled by candidates that the employer already knows through referrals, networking, and internal transfers.  Given this statistic, it stands to reason that creating a social platform for potential job seekers to meet and connect, refer each other and interact with employers makes a lot of sense.  With the current cultural shift from local to global communities and a new generation entering the market place, especially in the hi-tech industry, job seekers are attempting novel ways to interact, connect and build their own networks online.

Enter social media into the world of employment.  As a result of blogging, vlogging, podcasts and viral videos, job seekers have been hired, employees fired and employers lauded and denigrated in the most public and open of formats. While there are some who would argue that corporate blogging is dead and we shouldn’t forget the principles of good old fashioned marketing campaigns, I think there is room for both where applicable in the employment brand space.

The question in my mind is; why haven’t more tech companies (who often complain of the lack of qualified candidates) invested time and energy using technology to reach great candidates and build communities of job seekers to draw from in both the short and long term hiring game?  Is this just another symptom of “HR” being behind the curve in their ability to embrace technology?  Why are companies so hesitant to open the Kimono, so to speak, on their work environments?

While I think there are great tools and platforms that attempt to fill this void, they can only go so far.  A good example of one of these networks that has a strong value proposition within the market is Jobster.  When Jason Goldberg and his team first came to us at Microsoft a couple years ago, I will admit that I was skeptical of the benefits of this type of interactive platform.  In some ways, I still am.  It’s great to offer a platform for job hunters to proactively research company information and companies to reach their target audience, but where I think Jobster can truly capitalize is on the interaction between job seekers. 

The real connections will happen between the people that list their profiles, provide meaningful information about themselves and their companies and create shared connections with other job hunters in similar situations.  It’s not about job descriptions or recruiter interactions through the service; it’s about these company ambassadors who put themselves out there as real people.  It’s about employees attracting future candidates through their candid impressions of their work environments.  This is what attracts people and is where the referrals will happen and jobs will be filled – these ambassadors will calibrate their fellows online and refer them for jobs at their companies.  Regrettably, these ambassadors have an informal role and companies can only rely on this interaction to a degree in creating a strong presence with job seekers.

So what am I advocating as a solution, and is social media the right technique to use in evolving your employment brand?

Net/Net:  Technology corporations can use similar techniques, albeit in a more formal manner, to fill the gap in existing tools and practices to create interactions and build communities of job seekers to draw from over time.  The best part is that they don’t just have to rely on the social media darling, blogging, to accomplish this goal.  The even better part is that it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to incorporate some of these methods, along with traditional marketing, to enhance their overall employment brand.

We’re planning on exploring this idea of building transparency (and ultimately community around your employment brand) through social networks, viral video, podcasting and other social media practices in future posts and articles.  We’ll define new terms being used and the current landscape, answer the ultimate questions when it comes to new media (what is it, does it work, is it right for your company, etc), provide case studies from both the job seeker and employer perspective and provide insight on how to get started.

However, you will play a big role in helping to inform us on topics of interest as well.  If there are burning questions you have that you would like to have answered about personal brand, employment brand, social media and this new wave of employment marketing, or you would like to share your experiences, drop us a line.  We’d love to hear from you!