Collaboration: The future of recruitment

30.01.2013

Collaboration: The future of recruitment

Introduction

2012, according to Tony Wai, Managing Director of Crackerjacks Contracting, was the year that saw the rapid increase of social networking and cyber-technology. It showed us that businesses are warming to the idea of “virtual communication” by enhancing their own online identities, restructuring their websites and creating an online presence in social mediums.

Rachel Botsman, a social innovator who writes business books and runs seminars about the power of collaboration has inspired me. She suggests that as part of this social media hype, businesses were also unknowingly partaking in collaborative consumption; an increasing trend which is disrupting outdated models of business and reinventing what and how we consume. Her passion surrounding collaborative consumption triggered me into what has turned into an obsession of creating an online community where professional contractors can be found by businesses looking for talented professionals.

This concept of collaboration gives meaning to the ‘what’s mine is yours’ philosophy, the emphasis on sharing through network technologies. To give you a better idea, think of successful businesses in our backyard; a classic example being Trademe, who enable peer-to-peer exchanges to almost any kind of asset whether it be skills, space or materials.

Collaborative consumption should also be considered the way of the future for recruitment. It’s underlying function of allowing us to consume more efficiently than ever before presents the opportunity for businesses to adapt to users’ wants and needs much faster than traditional business models.

Technology advancements have enabled us to work in a social and mobile recruiting age where we have instant access to information about applicants based not only on their traditional CV, but on social media channels such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, the list goes on. The increase in use of social media channels over the past year is exceptional, but we need to understand the benefit they can provide for our businesses.

In terms of recruitment, social media channels create a time efficient way of being able to virtually “meet” potential candidates. We can match a name to a face, and more importantly, make an informed judgement around individuals when they apply for roles. We need to start thinking outside the traditional recruitment process and use these alternative and cost-efficient ways to seek the credibility of applicants.

In my opinion, we are at the extent where there is no longer a need to ring referees. If we look at what is already in front of us we have the professional network, LinkedIn; which is an extremely useful (free) tool that needs to be used more by New Zealanders.

Acting as an online CV, LinkedIn even has the ability to post roles, apply for jobs and join different groups of interest. The underlying problem with online profiles is that there are layers of collaborative consumption; people who are truthful in their social media profiles, and those who aren’t. The benefit of online tools like LinkedIn and Crackerjacks is the rating, comments and endorsement features which verify that a person has the valid experience that they claim - an ideal function for recruitment professionals seeking the credibility of an applicant. This access and the ease of integrating tools like LinkedIn with a user experience of your own, eg: signing up and creating your profile in Crackerjacks while automatically transferring your LinkedIn details across, enables us to make informed decisions about the applicant’s organisational fit and role criteria, as well as collaboratively working across two channels.

Social media channels are cost effective ways of reaching target audiences, sharing important messages and promoting business. If we don’t use it smartly in business practice we miss out on engaging potential customers, spreading messages and meeting other business bodies that may lead to opportunities. If we embrace the underlying values of collaborative consumption, we can readily work with other organisations, individuals and social networks to reach our business goals to grow, extend and expand business sooner than we readily expect.

ENDS

Facts:

• Crackerjacks is an online solution to professional contracting. In essence the website connects businesses with professional contractors. After launching in Auckland in October 2008, it is used in Auckland, Waikato and Wellington. The candidate database currently stands at 6722 contractor professionals. See website for more details www.crackerjacks.co.nz

• Crackerjacks Contracting has been undergoing an entire site transformation over the past 6 months re-launched their new initiative on October 1st 2012

• Tony Wai is the Managing Director and Founder of Crackerjacks Contracting. He first launched Crackerjacks after experiencing frustration when searching for contractor talent

• Rachel Botsman is a social innovator who writes, consults and speaks on the power of collaboration and sharing through network technologies. She has inspired a new consumer economy with her influential book What's Mine is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption Is Changing The Way We Live. TIME Magazine recently called Collaborative Consumption one of the "10 Ideas That Will Change The World".

• Rachel’s presentation “The currency of the new collaborative economy is trust” can be found atwww.rachelbotsman.com

© Scoop Media