Why Society Has “Following” All Wrong

Scroll down to read more!

Why Society Has “Following” All Wrong

Scroll down to read more!

Table of Contents

I am an original Austinite. Yes, I was born and raised in Austin, Texas. The city is booming. I have watched this college town become #1 on most lists for places to live, and to find employment. Every year SXSW rolls into town. I have always avoided SXSW like the plague for the most part because of the enormous amount of people that come into town.

Why Society Has “Following” All Wrong

 

I was excited this year though. I was thrilled to be a part of TalentNet. I have engaged with most of the thought leaders that were present on Social Media, but I had never met them face-to-face. I didn’t really know what to expect.

Although a lot of the sessions were impactful, none were more impactful than the presentations by Michael Beygelman, CEO of Joberate, and Brad Warga, and SVP Customer & Employee Success with  Gild. The topic was about big data and how recruiting IS going to change.

 
One of my favorite things said in one session was by Michael when he said “We do not need to focus on being followed. We need to focus on following interesting people”

Hours upon hours are spent sourcing candidates and our return is very minimal. LinkedIn Inmails are not as effective anymore and we have to become more resourceful in the ways we find individuals. Even when we find the small percentage of individuals that can actually do the job, are they a good “fit” for our organization? A lot of the time, they are not!

Machines are basically going to be able to search thousands of resumes in seconds and change our jobs forever. Humans are not going to be able to identify and target talent as quickly. Maybe “sourcing is dead” is a true statement? My thought? Only time will tell. Machines will get smarter, but I don’t think we are 100% there yet.

So, what else about the future of recruitment was highlighted in this presentation? Society has following ALL WRONG. In 2014 we are consumed with “follow me” or “like me”. We are being taught that the larger our following, the more successful we will become.

We do not need to focus on being followed. We need to focus on following interesting people. Think about it for a minute. What if we spent more time trying to find those people that no one else knows about? They are interesting, smart, and our future.

Recruiting in the future will look much like it did before the Internet hoopla. If people are going to be identified by a computer in a matter of seconds, it is time to really build those relationships with the people that matter. A computer will not replace recruiting, but the model will change.

Start today by following interesting people and don’t worry about who is following you! Do you agree? Love to hear your thoughts.

Did you like this post? Share it!

3 Comments

  1. I agree totally. This is what I do. I have few followers. Instead, I follow, present good ideas, and let things happen from there. It works.

  2. Hi Henry,

    Thank you for responding! Strong message and I wish I could take credit for it. If you ever get a chance to attend a TalentNet event, I would strongly suggest it. It was terrific!

    Will

  3. Hey Will, good to meet you at the SXSW event. I also enjoyed all the presentations, including the Gild presentation. We are really aligned and fully support what they are doing, as both our companies are tackling some of the same problems.

    Just one quick clarification, it was our presentation (Joberate) and our technology that enables companies to follow people, not Gild’s. Here’s the deck if you want it for your reference, and we discuss this topic on slide 9. http://www.slideshare.net/Joberate/03072014-talent-net-live-austin-beygelman

    We introduced this idea some time ago and have a hashtag #WeFollowYou, and the idea really went viral.

    Looking forward to catching with you at future events.

    Take care.

Comments are closed.

A Word From Our Sponsors

Ads help make Workology resources free for everyone. We respect your privacy. To see our Privacy Policy click here.

Recommended Posts

27 Companies Who Hire Adults With Autism

List of companies who hire and employ adults who are neurodiverse. ...

The Costs of Form I-9 Software

Read the complexities of Form I-9 compliance software costs. We break down pricing structures, features & benefits to help HR professionals....

Episode 415: Registered Apprenticeship Programs in the Clean Energy Sector With Dr. Janell Hills

In this episode, we interview Dr. Janell Hills from IREC about developing registered apprenticeship programs in the clean energy sector....
Sanjay Sathé, Founder & CEO of SucceedSmart, is no stranger to disrupting established industries.

Q&A With Sanjay Sathé, Founder & CEO of SucceedSmart

Sanjay Sathé, Founder & CEO of SucceedSmart, is no stranger to disrupting established industries. ...
supporting caregivers: the sandwich generation at work

Supporting Caregivers: The ‘Sandwich Generation’ at Work

Are companies doing what they should to support employees who become caregivers? ...

Recruiting Reimagined: How Specialized Software Strengthens Hiring in 2024

Even during fluctuating economic crosswinds, the war for talent remains white-hot across most industries. To efficiently staff crucial openings while staying within strained budgets,...

Checkout Our Products

Ads help make Workology resources free for everyone. We respect your privacy. To see our Privacy Policy click here.

More From Workology

Recruiting Reimagined: How Specialized Software Strengthens Hiring in 2024

Click on read more to open this post on our blog.
supporting caregivers: the sandwich generation at work

Supporting Caregivers: The ‘Sandwich Generation’ at Work

Are companies doing what they should to support employees who become caregivers?
Sanjay Sathé, Founder & CEO of SucceedSmart, is no stranger to disrupting established industries.

Q&A With Sanjay Sathé, Founder & CEO of SucceedSmart

Sanjay Sathé, Founder & CEO of SucceedSmart, is no stranger to disrupting established industries.

Episode 415: Registered Apprenticeship Programs in the Clean Energy Sector With Dr. Janell Hills

In this episode, we interview Dr. Janell Hills from IREC about developing registered apprenticeship programs in the clean energy sector.