An alert for Recruiting Professionals: Time to Change!!

I have had this uncanny feeling in the past few months that the hiring game has changed...

And as I read a recent article in ERE, it only reinforced a lot of my observations, fears and convictions. I know I will be guilty of parroting it over and over again-as I have mentioned it over several times in different blog posts..but let me say it once again. The shift from the industrial economy to the intellectual economy has been very evident, and as a result we see:

- the power of choice -shifting from the 'employer' as a provider of jobs- to the 'employee' today who calls the shots. She/he decides what to work on, where to do the same, with whom, when, why, and at what terms.

- the tenure of employment has long changed from 'lifetime' to a '2-3yrs' stint- even questioning the concept of a permanent job.

-the onus of career management /training & development is now with the individual who is strongly becoming a 'free agent'.

And given these major shifts in preferences, it is quite often difficult to fathom that a majority of recruiters- both in the corporate world & those in the industry, still hope to live by the code they had probably adopted in historic times!! In this digital age, one needs to be abreast with not just the changing power of technology-but most importantly, the influencing attention that aspirations & opinions can enable.

Move over. It is Recruitment 3.0!!

The article "A Vision for the Future of Recruitment" is a 'must read' for any CEO who wishes to attract and manage the best talent.

Here is a quick take on what the authors say:

1. Not everyone is looking for a job. How does one reach out to the 'non-active' segment -which could include the best candidates!!?

2. Everyone is a potential candidate or brand ambassador, even your customer.

3. Employment brand is pivotal to the success in talent acquisition.

4. Building communities and relationships is key for improving awareness, engagement and influencing potential employees!

Hey, doesn't this sound so much like the tenets of Marketing?

While a lot of us folks in the HR fraternity wax eloquently on the value of 'human capital' -are we even capable of putting a 'marketing cap' and 'understand the needs and desires of a customer' who could perhaps be the difference between us and our competitors??

I shall be glad to have your thoughts, as usual. Not just offline as before..but also online...It is time for us to change the way we are looking...

PS Am reachable on twitter ( @achyutmenon)