Networking With Fewer Heads

The mood at ERE West in March was decidedly guarded. Despite the usual booth shwag and cocktail events, I couldn’t help noting the huddled; whispering groups in the general conference area. Casually strolling past these groups I caught random words and phrases; “At least a 20% reduction,” “He was with them for nearly 10 years,” “I don’t know, but I think he’s still looking.”

ERE attendance and exhibitor participation was noticeably down this spring; the conference a shrunken version of it’s former self and a mirror of the employment market in general. Still, the buzz was fast and furious around the topic of social networking and recruitment and I returned to the office mid-week with a renewed sense of purpose about the direction of CPGjobs and our increasing expansion of networking tools for clients. Ours is an industry poised for transition, and the numbers bear this out.

Research recently conducted by Forrester found that it’s the six-figure earners that are the most active in social computing

Should this be networking?
compared to all other income groups – particularly in the areas of blogging (65%) and engaging in critical activities like writing reviews (36%). Top-notch experience, education and social connections mark this group of “passive candidates” who are less likely to post their resumes or apply for jobs through your ATS.

Two Approaches to Social Recruiting

Basically, there are two approaches organizations can take when recruiting on social networking sites, passive and active.

The passive approach involves setting up recruitment-oriented home pages for your company or firm on social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn.

The active approach involves trolling multiple social networking and 2.0 enabled career sites using each site’s available search tools.

Both approaches are time consuming and can become complicated due to the free-form nature of member profiles across many of the most popular social sites.

Forrester has a slightly different take. They recommend that companies enhance their two-way communication with candidates with Web 2.0 functionality so that candidates have the opportunity to ask questions, receive trustworthy answers and gain a more transparent view of what your company has to offer. This they say is the most effective way to reach top talent and make the best use of social technology in the recruiting space.


“Efficiency and Effectiveness”

Upon returning from ERE renewed and inspired, I threw myself back into the task of reaching out to new and current CPGjobs clients to let them know about our dedicated, fast growing group of over 8,000 CPG professionals on our LinkedIn group, CPGpeople. As part of these conversations, I also talk about our exclusive People Search product, which allows permission-based direct networking between experienced, qualified CPGjobs candidates, their professional networks, and our client companies.

A familiar theme began to emerge in these conversations. “Michael, I’m down to two heads in my department. I know I need to be using social networking tools, I should be reaching into sites like yours and filling my pipeline with connections, but I just don’t have the personnel or the time. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day.”

Now, here’s a wrinkle the 2.0 research seems to miss; the time, resources and financial commitment required to seriously push your organization into the social networking space may simply no longer be available. The resources that remain must be used wisely, meted out with the guarantee of a return.

According to Wikipedia, downsizing is the “conscious use of permanent personnel reductions in an attempt to improve efficiency and/or effectiveness.” Efficiency and effectiveness? Tell that to the increasingly frustrated and growing cadre of Human Resources executives at America’s largest corporations.


A Third Approach

I return to the Forrester model.

Facilitating two-way communication between your organization and skilled professionals is the real point of the social recruiting model. To find the best candidates you must provide in-depth information about your organization, establish trust and thereby gain access. This is the way to reach top talent. Ironically, the medium in our industry has changed, but not the method. But one thing is for certain; this is no longer an option. It’s a necessary part of recruiters’ jobs, and it must be accomplished in a time of shrinking resources.

Shrinking resources (time & money) may not be needed

If you are a consumer products company or a recruiter working in the CPG space that is looking for experienced men and women with industry skill sets and exceptional professional connections, but you don’t have the time or “heads” to troll the vast social networking space, have I got 8,0007,500 connections for you! And if you’re a CPGjobs client with People Search, there are hundreds (in many cases thousands) more talented professionals interested in connecting with you and learning more about your company. Each one of these professionals is linked to an average of 38 other professionals with their own personal connections.* You do the math.

But we go beyond that. CPGjobs’ mission is to “Help connect professionals in the consumer packaged goods industry.” A key part of our service to clients is making these industry connections on your behalf. We don’t consider this an “extra service.” It’s core to what we do everyday. We consider ourselves an “outsourced resource” – your networking partner actively connecting your employment brand and jobs to our vast network of talent connections. We deliver these connections directly to you, no strings attached and with no increase to your internal headcount or redirection of scarce internal resources.

No long hours in front of a computer punching keywords into search engines. No asking for “permission to connect.” Like any good business partner, we help our clients do their jobs better.

OK. I’m tooting my own horn here. But this is something I’ve always known about this business. It’s not about connecting with 100,000 people. It’s about connecting with the right 100,000 people that will deliver a desired ROI. We learned this lesson with the mega-job boards and we’re learning it again with the mega social sites

Social networking sites. ??

The Way Forward

CPGjobs, the company I founded nearly 10 years ago is in an unprecedented period of change. Internally and through partnerships with industry innovators, we are developing new technology-based solutions that will enable our clients to work more efficiently and effectively. We will be reaching out to more candidates than ever before and offering them more services and better access to decision makers in our clients’ organizations. Based on my conversations with many of you, your organizations are also in a similar transition. But you are not alone. We stand ready to partner with you as you develop your Web 2.0 strategy. We can deliver the connections you need.


I am reminded of something leadership guru Mark Sanborn said, "Your success in life isn't based on your ability to simply change. It is based on your ability to change faster than your competition, customers and business." It’s this last piece – changing faster than your business - that keeps me excited about what we do.


Looking out over the current landscape, I’m betting that we are all going to be working with “fewer heads” for some time to come. As for me, I’m banking on the “Third Approach.” Will you join me?



* Anderson Analytics, 2008