Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn… Some businesses use innovative methods of recruitment, such as the American company Zappos, which encourages candidates to network with the company’s current employees via social media sites. But is it effective?
Bye Bye recruitment sites
Zappos has said goodbye to specialized recruitment sites like Monster and Workopolis. And, it will no longer publish job postings on its own website. Welcome to the world of recruiting 3.0.
Candidates who wish to work at Zappos, an online shopping site based in Las Vegas, will now have to network with the company’s current employees on social networks like Facebook and Twitter if they want to work there. They will need to demonstrate their interest in the company in order for them to get noticed by recruiters.
Zappos has also created a new section on its website where you can find all the necessary contact information for each department’s employees. Candidates interested in working at Zappos must connect with employees of the department where they wish to work at and interact with those who may become their future colleagues.
The goal, according to Mike Bailen, the organization’s resource manager, is to create a long-term relationship with potential candidates even before they are hired. One can even read on Zappos’ website that the company wants to “learn who you are and that our first meeting should not take place because of a job.”
The company also aims to ease the hiring process by having a bank of highly motivated potential candidates. Effective? Only time will tell…
Speed dating, not just for finding love
One practice that is becoming more and more popular in France, and has recently started in Canada: “speed dating” between employers and candidates. The concept is the same as speed dating between singles. A couple is allocated a specified period of time (often 15 minutes) where a candidate and business leader meet. For recruiters, this concept allows to meet as many candidates in the shortest possible time. The practice even allows the interview to be prolonged in order to learn more about the candidate.
Hiring… via video
In France, young people between the ages of 16 to 24 often struggle to find a job in the traditional manner since they have no experience to include on their CVs. That is why Orange, the telecommunications company, has created an App on the company’s Skyrock account aimed at customers looking for their first job. The concept? Video job offers, posted on this App, and lasting about a minute. Potential applicants can respond via their own video, which will only be seen by the recruiter. Therefore, everything can be done simply by cell phone, this generation's favourite means of communication, states Orange. Whether this approach will be offered to other age groups remains to be seen!