Talent community or field of dreams?

Build it and they'll come. Will they? Will it work? Will anyone really care?

There is constantly so much debate about the talent community. Brave New Talent apparently advertise "Build a community in 10 minutes". But what is the point? 10 minutes, 10 days or 10 years does it really matter?

Take our friend Twitter for a moment. Let's take our stereotypical sales person. Nowhere to be seen until they smell money and then they're all over you on any channel they can find you. Sign the deal and whoosh, they be gone never to be seen until of course it is time for that renewal. Or take prospective customers. Need that proposal like yesterday for that pitch they are doing to the board tomorrow. Love you for your help until they've had it. Next day and whoosh they be gone never to reply to your e-mail or voicemail ever again.

Surely job seekers and recruiters are no different. No one cares about a long term relationship in the sales process. It's all about what I can get out of it for me and if we have a match then bingo we do a deal. If not, hasta la vista baby. Once I'm a customer/employee we have a vested interest in a long term relationship but otherwise it is a process of selflessness; getting what you can for your own benefit. But that's fine as long as we all recognise the rules of reality and stop trying to kid ourselves there is something deeper bringing us together.

But here's another point. Who cares if this is how it works? I have a sneaking suspicion that all that really matters is success but the measures of success I hear talked about are what are wrong. Not that I actually hear that much about measuring success. I've heard about recruiters now having more applications (due to a Facebook advertising campaign) than they can handle whereas before they didn't have enough applications. That's the success measure? I hope not! Furthermore, surely it's not about number of discussions, number of members (for a recruitment approach), comments, status updates etc. Surely is it about solving your business problem. If volume solves the problem then great but I rarely hear the problem articulated.

I "hear" the debates about what makes a TC a TC but rarely do I hear any of the debatees talk about the business problem that they are trying to solve. They all seem to get het up about definition whilst missing the WHY. Like why do I want one? How will it help me? What problem will it solve? I see so many great ideas turn quickly into code but rarely into a successful business. Before we start writing code we need to check that the users will want what we are building.

Steve Jobs would argue against this BTW. He apparently (I only read this point, he didn't tell me when we had a beer last year) thinks that the last place to look for product ideas are your existing customers (candidates). I kind of agree but still think it is a good idea to ask a few candidates what they think of your idea. Like will it help them achieve what they want to achieve? Simple stuff but hands up anyone who has built a business/product recently and actually asked "customers" if it helped them BEFORE they started to produce?

Yeah, yeah I know you don't have to launch the perfect product first time these days but you do need to know that what you create solves a real problem. Of course you think it does solve a problem, why else would you create it but without actually checking with some potential users/customers first it is like roulette. There's a slim chance you are right but why not just check?!

But, and it is a BIG but, what if you just know that this is the right thing to do? What if all the naysayers can argue with such eloquence that they must be right? Should you listen or should you follow your heart? Build it and they will come. Maybe it is not the idea that is wrong but the strategy or the build or the market. Maybe they will come but just from somewhere else. Sometimes you just have to say WTF; I'm doing it anyway.

The opening words of this trailer say it all; yet still they came. In the meantime I'm off to get my tractor; I've work to do!

Click image to view video on YouTube as "embed" disabled by Universal Studios!!

UPDATE IN RESPONSE TO COMMENTS

Some great comments below so please do read.

@Ken Glad you enjoyed; I always go the distance ;-)

@James Great to hear but call me a cynic; I've heard it so many times now so seeing is believing. I await your evidence!

@Alex The watering holes dry up often and the animals adapt to survive. Newspapers died as job seekers migrated to job boards. I'm sure they'll continue to adapt to survive. As far as the fence is concerned, I believe social media/collaboration tools are a great addition to the recruitment process so I fall off the fence on the side of technology. 

@Steve Not sure how BNT has revolutionised anything. A revolution generally requires volume to make a change e.g. A forcible overthrow of a government or social order for a new system. I hardly see BNT as having achieved this. As far as your own efforts are concerned, well done. That is far more evidence than a load of PR and hollow words.

@Maren Oh Maren. What can I say. You know how much I like you and such eloquence and hope and belief. I hope your dreams comes true.

@Sukh You are right in the examples you give, however they are but three people. I too hope that we will see such visionaries in recruitment one day. Until then, maybe we have to resort to basic principles for now. 

NOTE: I have not really had a beer with Steve Jobs but if I did I am sure he would share at least some wisdom with me.

WHAT DO I REALLY THINK?

I do think that the engagement aspects of social tools for recruitment make sense. I also think that candidates will have a "relationship" with a recruiter but only as a means to an end. Either they get a job with the company or they get a job elsewhere. Once the candidate has a new job the relationship is over. Obvious. But, the point I do not believe in is the idea of a candidate maintaining a relationship while they are waiting to get a job one day. Maybe if you are someone like Google it is an outside possibility but in reality, if Google want you they'll hire you - now. They are growing so quick they can always find a job for a great candidate.

Bottom line: I'm a fan of the social career site. I just don't think there is enough discussion about the business problem that needs solving. Maybe I should have just tweeted that instead :-)