I’m trying something out this week that I am a little nervous about. But you tell me – awesome, or awful?!
At this point, a lot of folks have dipped their toes into the water of social media for talent. Maybe you’re using it to source, or amplify your employer brand, or build a “talent community”… or maybe you’re just using it to network and learn from other HR pros. But what’s next? How do we evolve what we do with social media as recruiting types?
Lots of folks have been talking about “talent communities” of late. Yesterday in fact, I was over at SHRM Talent at a pre-conference session talking about just that. What are talent communities? Are they a fad? Are there benefits? And for me… I shared that it’s all about a mindset. Community is a mentality. Your communities of talent can live and breathe in a variety of places – on social media channels, in real life… but the biggest thing? It’s simply that the community is two-way. And there’s got to be “engagement.” And you’ve got to give to them. Which means more than just tell them about your jobs. You’ve got to support them as job seekers, as fans of your brand. And me thinks, you should have a little fun with your community too.
So, I’m experimenting this week with that. And I’m curious to know what you think as I share my first ever Facebook campaign for job seekers at Marriott — “Put Your Best Foot Forward”. The gist is simple.
Our engagement efforts in social media ultimately are aimed at supporting our talent community to put their best foot forward as job seekers. We want them to have that sense of confidence to deliver a firm handshake and their best answers in the big interview. So from May 1 to 10, every day for 10 days straight, we will give away a $100 USD gift certificate to Zappos.com to help community members literally put their best foot forward in a new pair of shoes. Really! (You all know the retailer… and apparently I can’t imply endorsement… read the fine print to see who the gift cert is for though… and you can enter too by the way… just click here.)
So, we’re trying to give back a little something and simply say thanks for being a part of our community. And make a gesture to put some muscle behind this desire to really support job seekers. And folks who know me also know I love shoes. Which is a weird but awesome way to combine my interests with my job. Ha! But you tell me - what say you? Fun? A little weird? Awesome? Gimmicky? Awful? I’d love to know. And I’ll share with you what folks think of the campaign once it’s done and over with.
Way too often I feel like with social media we’re trying to ram job openings down job seekers’ throats. I see tweet upon tweet about job openings. I see FB and LinkedIn updates of the same. And I’m guilty of having done this in the past. But as this space evolves, it just doesn’t quite meet the spirit of “community” that I think we’re all desperate to achieve. So this is part of what I think is next. True engagement with our “communities” beyond just jobs. A sense of fun. And perhaps, us being a little less selfish by giving back a bit. Hit the comments and enter Put Your Best Foot Forward for yourself!
I think this is a really cool idea, and attempts to engage job seekers. I think your point about engagement is spot on. You have to give people in your “talent communities” more than job openings. I mean, those are great, but give them reasons to care about those job openings, post pics displaying your culture, provide links to thought leadership pieces, etc. Just my $0.02.
Thanks for the feedback, Kelli! I’m so anxious to see what folks think about it! The FB promo aside though, the bigger message is definitely spot on… communities have got to go deeper! I hope we all get there!
Good luck Jessica! My 2 cents….
I work in government and I think the best way to build talent communities is to educate candidates on the culture, expectations, and the assessment process. Too many companies keep their processes, wants and desires a secret or don’t want to “prep” a candidate. A large part of the function of a talent community is to help job seekers determine if they fit. That’s why I used the word “educate” at the beginning of this comment. We’ve gone through the awareness and marketing phases using social tools, but our communities expect more and need more in order to make informed decisions (and to make recommendations too!). A good government example is the Forum at Careers@State.gov. (not my agency!).
thanks for the comment, tom! i agree that the heart of a social media strategy or talent engagement strategy has got to be in education… promo after promo probably won’t work but once in a while, fun is good. i like your perspective and think it’s spot on… help job seekers self select in or out – and make them better candidates by being well informed and prepared!
i’ll def. check out that link too.
cheers!
Jessica,
Seems like a cool, fun and unique idea! I will share on the social networks for these last few days of the promotion. I’m sure your user feedback has been positive so far!
Kudos,
Maisha