Recruiter Chicks

Why the big focus on Talent Communities?  I guess it depends on who you ask.  I hear a lot about it from Recruiters or Companies that think if they build it –they will come.  Who are “they”?  All those passive candidates that have been alluding them — or that utopian pipeline they are sure exists.  You know the one — full of completely vetted candidates that fit whatever role you might have, whenever it might open, and available to make a change exactly at the time THEY need them.

I have said it before, but I will say it again – I still call that a Talent Pool.  Don’t get me wrong – that is a really nice Talent Pool.   Maybe you have granted access to the Company’s Recruiters, or even some Hiring Managers or testimonials from people in key roles that you recruit for that can talk about ‘A Day In The Life’.  I don’t think we can call something a “Community” though, just because that is what we want it to be.

As I have written before, I struggle with the idea of anybody “owning” or “managing” a talent community.  How can a company build one that is real and sustainable — and more than just a talent pool with a means to connect with potential candidates when it is convenient for them?  One that is focused on continually attracting, discovering, developing, and keeping the attention of (and investment from) that talent pool — because that is where the ‘community’ comes in to play.  If the only WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?) is that you MIGHT get a job with that company when THEY are ready to consider you — is that really enough to make or sustain a community?  Not likely for most companies.

What are some successful talent communities — and what do they have in common?  In my first post on Examining Talent Communities, I looked at SourceCon — but another good example I believe are Youth Sports Clubs.

So why look at Youth Sports Clubs and not Professional?  While I think you can look at either, Youth Sports Clubs are organizations focused as much, if not more, on Talent Development as Talent Management — and YOU, the talent,  pay to play, so to speak.  I am a Swim Mom, so swimming will be my example — but as many of you know, the same holds true for Soccer, Volleyball, Softball, etc.  Both my girls joined a swim club at an early age and have spent countless hours WORKING, not just playing, really hard to hone their swimming techniques and times — time they could have spent doing a lot of other things.   All those hours at practices and swim meets, for a few glorious minutes in the pool — and not always for the ‘win’, maybe just to beat your best time — or to qualify for another race.  But in being a part of this community, they have just also happen to become part of a talent pool accessed by other swim clubs, schools, colleges, even employers looking for swim instructors, coaches, and lifeguards.

What drives these kids though?  What is in it for them?  Glory of a win/qualifying time/personal best, trophies, championships, varsity letters, scholarships, jobs — none of this is promised or guaranteed — yet they all stay engaged, motivated, striving, learning, growing, developing, sharing, investing, and/or competing.  What can companies learn from organizations like Youth Sports Clubs or my previous example of SourceCon — neither of which were created to fill jobs necessarily, but are great talent pools as well as communities?  What do these talent communities, and other examples I will explore in future posts, have in common?

Alexis and her backstroke hero, Aaron Peirsol

1. Attractor – Talent Communities have a strong sense of who they are, what they do, and what they want.  This attractor gives the group meaning and draws new members to the group.
2. Belonging – Talent Communities not only ‘validate’ that sense of who you are, but also provide a means to share, learn, network, and practice to ultimately achieve what you want
3. Challenge – Talent Communities provide individual challenges and growth that are aligned with the Attractor
4. Mantra – Talent Communities create core principles, goals, rituals, rules/guidelines and systems/process that organize the group into a recognizable and self-regulating community
5. Champions – Talent Communities are led by champions that actively promote and nurture the mantra of the group

Definitely something to think about when trying to build, manage, or lead a talent community of your own.  I think it is interesting to note that in either of these examples cited thus far, Youth Sports Clubs or SourceCon,  the owners or leaders of these communities are not the only ones able to have access to this talent pool — and frankly I think that is a key point that we will explore deeper in a future post on how companies can build similar sustainable communities.  I will also continue to examine other examples of talent communities — and look deeper at mantras, key components, as well as thoughts on how to structure a talent community.

And yes – I am featuring proud swim mom pics of my oldest — as well as the short clip below of my up-and-comer, kicking some serious booty and striving to follow in big sister’s footsteps.  Yes, she really passed all those kids 

Talent communities continue to be one of the bigger buzz words, er, hot topics in our profession — chat, conferences, blogs, and even the solution we are proposing to our organizations about how to attract, engage, and identify talent.  As a Recruiter or Hiring Manager, this sounds wonderful, right?  You see, what we will do is build it and they will come…and it will be wonderful.  But will it?  If you had to describe it to your business leaders, much less the people you want as part of your community – how would you do that? 

Interestingly enough, much of the “talent community” discussion ends up being a debate on how to define it.  That is right – talent communities are the answer, but people don’t always agree on what it even is — fascinating.  What I want to know is what was the question in the first place?  Who even asked the question?  Whose need are we trying to solve?

For the better part of almost 15 years I have recruited or consulted to companies recruiting in spaces where there is either a shortage of qualified workers or just in general smaller pools of specialized talent — and a high bar/expectation on hiring the best of the best.  Talent communities are a logical solution right?  It has certainly dominated the conversation lately but I am going to go out on a limb here and make a suggestion if you are also going through this same exercise.  Don’t get caught up in the buzz words and what everybody says it should be – step back and ask yourself a few questions:

What (and who’s) problem are we trying to solve? 

Most of the answers I hear are more about recruiting, branding, staying in contact with your own talent pool (which I define as previously identified, qualified applicants, potential or target candidates, alumni in good standing, etc not yet hired/re-hired) — and of course the mecca for those elusive “passive candidates” that are still yet unknown.  When we need them Chris, we want to be able to find them — and they will already be engaged and excited about our company and ready to move forward when we are ready to hire.  OK, I say, but first let’s decide…

Who is our audience?  What are their needs?

So the answer to our audience question was found in the above answer, but the problem seemed to belong to that of the Recruiter/Organization.  But what are the needs of the audience who would make up the better part of your “Community” (or however it becomes defined/called)?  If you don’t know, you first need to work on learning this as a part of the conversations you are having with this audience.

You may know or find out there is already a “place” your defined audience “goes” to meet or connect with others, learn, share, engage and/or otherwise collaborate with each other.  No need to re-create the wheel in this case, join and be a part of that community.  Add value and/or content, help make connections for others, make yourself available for people to approach and learn more about you and/or your organization — and as you see people who you are interested in, add them to your talent pool.

If there is not one already established, do they seem to be interested in a “Community”?  If yes, is it specific to your organization – or is it more industry or profession related?  If it is specific to your organization, what and how would they want to see it structured to meet their needs?  Certainly look at your own needs to see if and where they may intersect before you try building or facilitating the creation of a “Community”.

If you do build it, how will you handle the people who don’t necessarily meet your talent needs – but are potential applicants, future candidates,  or customers that are interested in you?

Be prepared for this – how you respond is critical and will become a part of defining who you are as an organization so it should align with your culture and brand.

I had the honor of being asked to join an amazing group of people, Amy Ng, SVP Human Resources at Citi, Frank Zupan, Talent Acquisition at Dealer Tire, and Jessica Lee, VP Talent Acquisition for APCO Worldwide (as well as Editor of the Fistful of Talent blog) to discuss this very issue on TChat Radio last week.  TChat Radio is hosted by Kevin Grossman, Meghan Biro, and Matt Charney (but absent this episode) — and of course Crystal Miller, who also helps bring it all together with the ever popular #TChat on Twitter going on at the same time.  Click on this link to listen to this lively discussion as well as see all the chat on the Twitter back channel!  It is worth it!!

The important thing is to think through these things before embarking on a solution.  For it to be successful, it needs to not only meet your specific needs but the needs of your audience as well.  My next post will address where I think the real opportunity for Talent Communities are — and that is within our own organizations…Stay tuned!!!