Attracting Talent by Leveraging Talent Communities

Gautam GhoshProduct Evangelist and India Marketing Lead,

BraveNewTalentE: gautam@bravenewtalent.com

Twitter: @GautamGhoshPh: +91-97422-39954

Blog: http://www.gautamblogs.comFB: http://www.facebook.com/HR.Blogger

Passive recipients of

information

Active knowledge

sharers/drivers

Constrained by natural

(or psychological) boundariesBorderless

Face to face ‘Invisible’

Living within our means Have It All

Job for Life Continuous Learning

FROM TO

Society is undergoing dramatic change

Tomorrow’s consumers are today’s

digital natives

Therefore…

• Your Culture is your Employment

Brand and your employees are your

brand ambassadors

SOCIAL TECHNOLOGIES ARE CHANGING THE GAME

How Talent Management Practices, The Nature of Work Itself and the Structure of the Workforce are Changing

Social technologies are not just other tools

Fundamental shifts - content

• Authority � User Generated– Influence (trust factor)

• Authenticity• Tolerance

• Broad/Generic � Niche Relevance– Numerous Channels, Fragmentation– Noise

• Buying Visibility � Earning Visibility– Social Trending/Discovery

Fundamental shifts – talent management

• Linear � Lattice Career Progression– Flatter, Virtual, Collaborative, Project Based

• Accelerated Mobility– Time in Tenure, Development Cycle

• Formal � Informal Learning– Social Collaboration, Learning Networks

• Silo’d � Integrated Resourcing– Full Time Alternatives

• Complexity

THE ROLE OF ONLINE COMMUNITIES

What is an online community?

An online community is a group of people with similar goals or interests that connect and exchange information using web tools.

. . .An online talent community is a group of people that share an affinity for an organization, profession or skill that connect , share opinions, exchange information, and collaborate using web tools.

Three distinguishing pointsConnects Organization/Profession/Skill

with all Stakeholders Groups

Connects Members toOther Members

Connects Members toNon-Members (Discovery)

COMMUNITY

What’s not a talent community

Any centralized database of individuals (applicants, candidates, direct sourced

targets, etc.)

Role in the modern world

• Online communities are the new “meeting places” for digital citizens across the globe

• They form the backbone of the modern support system

• They are where content gets discovered• They are where discussions happen

whether you participate or not• They are where perceptions are formed,

vetted and cemented

What talent communities can enable:

• True Employer Branding– Segment, share/listen, test alignment

• Broader Talent Ecosystem Engagement– See talent across all labor types

• Discover Talent Otherwise Overlooked– Added insight, pre-applicant assessment

• Cultivate / Grow Future Talent– Mentor, influence, educate/develop

• Leverage Brand Army

GETTING STARTED

Key Action Steps, Success and Failure Factors

Key action steps – the basics

Define how and what you want members to do2

Understand your target member(s)1

Design a community that delivers value to all3

Set realistic expectations4

Plan for the internal change management needed to support talent communities and community mgmt

5

Be realistic about allocating resources6

Healthy communities are like gardens• You have to seed them

(content and interaction)• You can’t put some plants

together• You need to fertilize infant

plants• You have to manage pests• You have to eliminate rotten

matter• You need to split them when

they grow to large• Your results grow as your

skills grow• It takes time!

Success factors – beyond the basics

• Great Community Manager – Dedicated champion of transparency– Solicits/drives interaction– Doesn’t judge– Capable of engaging with different audiences– Promotes diversity of thought and inclusion

• Build in rewards for desired member activity• Connect to offline events• Build on member commonalities• REMEMBER: It’s not about YOU!

Failure factors

• Assuming all professions are created equal– If existing CoP’s cannot be found, you face an

uphill challenge

• Focusing solely on the technology• Not dedicating time/resources• Delivering little/no value• Locking down the target member too tight• Not designing for interaction

KEEPING YOUR AUDIENCE ENGAGED

It’s Just Like Any Other Relationship

Six keys to successful TC engagement

Dedicated Time Together2

Common Interest1

Two-way Communication3

Tolerance for Honesty4

Authenticity / Empathy5

Opportunity to Grow Together**6

Design for engagementCurious Applicant Pipelined Newly Hired Ambassador

Alumni

Employee

Contractor/ Consultant

Outsourced Service Provider

Competitor

Intern

Aspiring Employee

Other Stakeholder

This is the only segment that values job announcements.

This movement requires a planned experience.

MEASURING YOUR EFFORTS

Focusing on the Wrong Measure Will Drive the Wrong Activities

Common Community Measures

• # of Unique Visitors• Conversion Rate of Members• # of repeat Visitors• Average time between repeat visits• # of minutes spent in community• # of referrals per time period• Conversion rate of referrals• # of interactions per member

Content, Conversations

People interested

People with Skills

CompanyEmployees

Attract

Dev

elop

Engage

Going forward

- Integrate social into recruiting

- Leverage technology for upgrading

skill

- Address the larger talent ecosystem –

employees, candidates, partners,

customers, suppliers

- Focus on creating an open and

transparent organizational culture

ABOUT BRAVENEWTALENT

Drive tagged audiences to your community

BraveNewTalentCommunity

PlatformEmail

Campaigns

LinkedInAdvertising

TwitterAdvertising

SEO/SEM

PrintAdvertising

News

Word of Mouth

FacebookAdvertising

BraveNewTalent allows organisations to leverage their internal knowledge experts, aspiring leaders, alumni, customers, strategic partners, vendors, etc. to cultivate the next generation workforce by engaging in dynamic multi-party, multi-modal conversations focused on professional topics.