Articles - Recruiting and Candidate Dev

Today’s professional staffing service providers need to look beyond merely compiling resume databases to fill positions. In a time when matching the right person to the right job is critical for clients looking to save money, building talent communities allows staffing providers to not only have the talent on hand, but to build relationships with the talent.

This leads to a better understanding of what their strengths, weaknesses, and needs are. In turn, this leads to more satisfied clients who are matched with talent that meets their company’s requirements.

To build a talent community that reflects your staffing firm’s brand, you can use existing tools that your talent already accesses. Here are the top three ways to cultivate robust talent communities that allow for an exchange of ideas, networking, and improving service to your clients.

1. Use your “careers” page as a hub. The “careers” section of your website is for more than just job listings. Use it to communicate and interact with not only potential job applicants, but alumni, successfully placed talent, recruiters, and hiring managers. Consider using photos, videos, testimonials, and other multimedia to give visitors to the page a look behind the scenes at your company. Giving that kind of insight not only helps with brand-building, but also helps talent and hiring managers alike see what is possible by engaging your firm.
2. Utilize social networking platforms. LinkedIn groups are a perfect opportunity for professional staffing service providers to create robust talent communities. Many professionals, including job seekers and hiring managers, are already using LinkedIn to find placement or talent. LinkedIn groups have the tools built into the platform, so your firm can easily create a group, start discussions, and encourage online networking and information sharing. Invite alumni as well as current and prospective talent.
3. Keep a human touch in your talent communities. Nothing is worse than a community that doesn’t have input from the creator, or — even worse — gets overrun by spammers. Engage members of the community in conversations by posting links to interesting articles on your blog or other sites. Respond to topics created by members. Start discussions on trends you’ve noticed in the industries you serve. By responding to queries and adding to discussions, the community remains under control and humanized. Both talent and clients have an opportunity to ask questions and learn more about what you do, and you learn more about your clients’ needs as a result.

Talent communities might be fairly new, but utilizing them to extend your brand and better serve your clients is essential for professional staffing service providers. Use existing tools and engage in conversations, and you’ll not only provide clients with the best talent for the job, but also attract top talent, retain current clients, and attract new business.

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