For a while now, I’ve been searching for a way to define my role.  I have somehow found myself in a position where my responsibilities and duties don’t align with a recognized function within an HR or Recruiting group.

At times, I’ve attempted to describe it as Employment Branding, but that’s not exactly it and I don’t feel comfortable pushing forward the redefinition of a rather established practice with something it’s not.

It all began in September of 2009 when I first started dedicating my efforts to Rackspace.  The original dilemma was this…

Here was this amazing company filled with an eclectic mix of brilliant minds and outgoing personalities.  Fun, innovation and creativity at work were never in short supply.  However, for the outside world, the perception was rather limited to Rackspace being a fun place to work.  A quick search engine dive would, by and large, return pictures of Ping-Pong matches and festive events.  While definitely a part of the work environment, this in no way encapsulated the entire picture.

The reality is, Rackspace has the type of environment and culture that most companies would kill for.  Our Core Values originated from the Rackers themselves and the amount of talent you encounter within our walls is mind blowing.  As a newcomer at the time, it was pretty overwhelming and engaging.  It also led me to believe that our outward-facing presence required less of a strategic approach and more of a tactical one.

I wasn’t interested in establishing an Employment Brand.  From my perspective, that would have only lead to a static picture of what I was observing.  All I could think about was how to capture and share our culture with the world – this very special and unique standpoint of a Racker.

Then came the topic of social media – social recruiting – social networking – social <insert buzz word>.  When I started researching approaches being pursued by other companies I found a plethora of hype around utilizing Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for the purpose of “engaging” talent audiences.  My gut told me to hold off. For however much I enjoyed using these tools, something didn’t sit quite right.

The majority of approaches I witnessed had a lot to do with simply sharing jobs.  While I can understand why the natural inclination would be to share “opportunities,” it just didn’t seem to do justice for this much larger pursuit of sharing our culture.

So, there I was, pondering an approach – wanting to do more, but wondering how.  Then it hit me.

Forget about all the fancy tools and approaches for now… focus on the Rackers.  Hop into the trenches and help them tell their stories.  If retention really starts in the recruiting process, then what better approach could I take than to share the authentic stories of the Rackers in their own voices.

Instead of creating a universal message from the result of endless internal focus groups, I wanted to help create a place where a job seeker could get to know the people behind the brand – the people who they would be applying to work with.

RackerTalent.com started as a result of this philosophy.  We would create a place where a job seeker could find answers to their questions and simultaneously get to know the various personalities within our organization.  Not willing to settle with a simple headshot and quote, we decided that a blog would be the best approach.

In March of 2010, we launched our new site and started engaging Rackers.

To date, we have 28 contributors from 4 continents that have expressed their unique points of view.  Their posts range from real-life examples of our Core Values to stories highlighting their personal journeys to Rackspace.  Some posts tell of reasons why not to join our organization.  We even have executive perspectives on the meaning and cultivation of talent.

The tools I use for my job look much more like an investigative journalist than a traditional marketer.  I roam the hallways with my camera searching for relevant aspects of our culture to share.  In fact, just last year I took over 26,000 pictures.

Getting to know Rackers – exploring their unique perspectives and experiences – is key to understanding our evolving culture.

I don’t have “normal” weeks and most days don’t turn out how I expect them to.  It’s real-time engagement with the people and events that go into creating our culture.

Recently, I started what we’re calling the Rackspace Walkabout.  For the next 6-12 months, I will be spending quality time with groups of Rackers from across the organization in an effort to better understand the nuances of different work groups.  I started in Blacksburg, VA and intend to touch every segment of our business.  Perhaps I’ll just start up again once I finish.

You see, culture evolves, as do the people who create the culture.  New contributors join the team, strategic directions are decided and new customs spring up out of nowhere.  Culture is an evolution.  Our contributors share our culture so that future Rackers can open up a window and see what it means to be a part of the team.

In my mind, I engage in Culture Branding – the acts and efforts behind sharing an authentic picture of what it truly means to be a part of our team.

As our industry contemplates approaches for connecting with future talent, I encourage you to consider this…

It’s great to become an employer of choice, to win awards and to show the world the laundry list of reasons why our workplaces are great.  But, more importantly, we should always keep in mind that the most engaged and longest lasting contributors to our organizations are the ones who fit within our cultures.  Our goal should be to accurately depict ourselves knowing good and well that for the right person, we will absolutely be their best place to work.

Today I am speaking on the topic of “Culture Branding” for the first time.  I’ll be sharing with the #TruLondon group an analogy that I use to explain why we do what we do.  A boat, an iceberg and balloons…

Instead of trying to explain it here, I’ll attach the presentation that I plan to deliver later today.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What are your thoughts?  Does your organization have a culture?  How do you share that in an effort to connect with and attract the right talent?

London called and they want their #Tru back. (#jokefail)

It’s that time again – time for another round of #TruLondon with Bill Boorman and crew.

Wow!  I’m amazed that a year has gone by already.  Based on my conversations with Bill, there seem to be some major changes in the works.  I’m looking forward to seeing it come to fruition.

This year, I will be presenting on a few related topics over the course of the event.

I’ve been pretty quiet over the past year, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been hard at work exploring our realm of social recruiting.  In fact, more than ever, I’ve had a chance to observe and experiment with ideas and theories to gain more clarity around the effectiveness of all the many tools at our disposal.

The main topic that I plan to explore during the conference is Employment Branding… or, perhaps I should refer to it as Culture Branding.

I’ll explore how the ability to share true corporate culture is changing the expectations in the marketplace.  As we continue to progress and the talent wars heat up again, employers will be held increasingly responsible for providing an authentic and accurate picture of what their environments have to offer.

I’ll also dive into some of the more tactical pieces related to the process leading up to, and the current status of, our Culture Branding initiatives at Rackspace on RackerTalent.com.  Since March of 2010, we have added over 28 bloggers from four continents and established a much better idea around what job seekers are interested in before joining our organization.

For a long time, the industry has focused on theory.  I think it’s time to turn our focus to tactics and best practices.  I will never claim to know all the answers, but I’m excited about sharing what I’ve learned to date.

Come join me for a session that promises to be candid, open and chock full of real-life examples from an Employment Brander at work.

See you in London!

It’s easy to fall in love with social media – recruiting – (insert word of choice).  Let’s face it; you’re able to connect with a bunch of like-minded individuals, the tools are ever evolving, and, if that weren’t enough, it’s a great conversation topic.

I remember the day it clicked for me.  At that moment, it wasn’t about LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, blogging or any other popular social tool.  It had much more to do with the Internet as a whole – the ability to connect across multiple channels, share content/ideas and collaborate with others.  That’s what made me sit back and say “Wow!”

In the beginning, I had very few people to discuss it with who shared in my enthusiasm.  Alicia Arenas (@aliciasanera) received the lion’s share of my “Wow!” outbursts – she still does.

One thing to know about me is that I get pretty excited when I’m passionate about something – it’s a blessing and curse.  On one side, I don’t usually waste much time contemplating an idea (analysis paralysis).  On the other, being this way requires a certain level of comfort with accountability – things don’t always go as planned.

The first few weeks after my “Wow!” moment were pretty intense.  Late nights, research galore, lots of experimenting – loads of coffee!  Looking back, some of the experiments and questions seem trivial…

“I wonder what would happen if I started a hashtag?”

“I wonder what the best way is to edit photos for Twitter?”

“What the hell is CSS?”

“What is WordPress?”

“Why does Facebook keep changing their system?”

**Bang head up against the table**

“This blog post is dumb… I should start over.”

“I’m really nervous about pressing the Publish button.”

“I should blog more often.”

“How can I measure results?”

“Am I just wasting my time?”

Anyone who has launched a blog knows that it can be a bit of a nerve-racking experience.  I mean… you kind of have to put yourself out there.  Whether you go full life story or limit your blogging to a professional focus – you’re still delivering it openly for the world to judge.

People may say they don’t care, but I don’t buy it… they care.  I haven’t seen any eager volunteers for the crappy blogger award – although, I’m sure most of us “bloggers” have deserved it from time to time.

When I accepted the position with Rackspace® to head up our employment branding initiatives, I was presented with a whole new set of concerns.  It was no longer about me and how I wanted to build and convey my message – there were co-workers (Rackers), customers and shareholders to keep in mind.  Pressing the “Publish” button took on a whole new meaning.

Over the past year, my work has been heavily focused on figuring out how to build and guide a social strategy based on a foundation of authenticity.  It occurred to me early on that sharing anything less than a true picture of reality would be more harmful than helpful in this new and extremely connected world.

The process of fully grasping this approach and making it useful have been extremely interesting, sometimes challenging and, overall, very rewarding.

As I prepare for TalentNet Live this weekend and Social Recruiting Summit next month, I’m reminded of all the many journeys that have led up to now.  I’m excited to share the many lessons I’ve learned and collaborate with all of the other practitioners and eager minds in attendance!

Let us not forget how fun and interesting this can be.  Remember your “Wow!” moment and go share it with someone else who can join in the excitement.

When did it click for you?

Photo Credit, deanmeyersnet

A while back, I had the opportunity to hand feed Ostriches.  It’s quite an experience and I’d recommend you try it… as least once.

One thing I learned about feeding them was that an Ostrich knows what it wants and it’ll go for it – sometimes nipping at your fingers in the process.  Naturally, if one took too strong of an approach, I would move on to the next.  Little did the Ostrich know, I had a whole bucket full of food hidden away.  With a gentler approach, they would have received my whole stash.

Fast forward to tonight as I scrolled aimlessly through Facebook, I noticed the following from Boolean Black Belt (Glen Cathey):

“#LinkedIn – active vs. passive candidates? I’m telling you, based on laws of statistics alone, % passive is same as any other source.”

At first, it kind of bothered me.  I mean, “passive” is where it’s at, right?  Isn’t that what all of the top search firms get paid the big bucks to do?  Further, isn’t this the pool of hidden talent that every company is after?  How could it be the same size?

Then I stopped and pondered his quote for a moment.  Could there really be as many active as passive candidates in the market?

Wasn’t this whole social media recruiting thing giving us an edge in connecting with audiences (namely the elusive “passive” grouping) that weren’t easily accessible in the past?

Then something occurred to me.  Perhaps, as recruiters, we have been ignoring the majority.

Candidate Groups

There are three groups of candidates in my mind… active, passive and non-active.

The “Active” group is pretty easy to define.  This is the group of candidates who remain active in the pursuit of career opportunities.  They apply for job openings, they are networking for a new position, and/or they stay in constant contact with their recruiter of choice.  In a nutshell, they’re ready to make a move and they actively participate in that process.

The “Passive” group is a bit trickier.  To me, this group consists of the people who are open to opportunities, but aren’t investing time and energy into the pursuit of a new role.  Should the right position come along, or the right convincing recruiter, they may consider a move.  However, for the most part, this group is happy at work, performing well and not out trolling the job boards for a new place to call Office.

Finally, we have the “Non-Active” group.  These are the individuals who think they are performing well, are living a good enough life that they don’t even want to consider transition AND they don’t have time to deal with recruiters.  They are content in their routines and/or happy with their current status.  These are the people who will come to us when they are good and ready and no sooner than that.

To expand on the “Non-Active” definition a bit more, this would represent the largest grouping of talent.  Following along with Boolean Black Belt’s logic;  if as of May of 2010 we have over a  9% unemployment rate in the U.S. (Active job seekers… at least, I hope so) and the Passive pool is the same size (9%), then the Non-Active group would represent over 80% of the talent pool.

Before you challenge me to a duel on the statistics, let’s say that the “Passive” group is much larger… how about 30%?

Even then, we are left with a Non-Active grouping of over 60% of the working population.

Branding Picks Up Where Recruiting Ends

As my career has shifted more towards the direction of employment branding, something has become very apparent to me.  For all of the efforts that the recruiting profession pours into hiring the Active and Passive pools of talent, we don’t often consider our largest potential group of candidates.

Some may say that Social Recruiting (aka Social Media, Social Networking, Social Rambling… etc…) has been the tool used for this type of engagement with the general population of Non-Actives.  While I agree to a certain extent, I would also argue that we’ve been actively utilizing the tools to connect with people who are open to opportunities (i.e. Passives).

I don’t blame us – in fact, I totally get it.  It’s easier to quantify the results when we consider currently attainable objectives.  If I put in X amount of hours into Y activities, I can quantify the results with Z figure.

I’ve done these kinds of calculations myself… in fact, I’ve written about ROI in Social Recruiting before.

Social Recruiting Balance

How can we utilize Social Recruiting effectively in balancing our active recruiting efforts (better defined by BBB as active and passive sourcing efforts) with our long-term Non-Active recruiting efforts?  After all, likelihood says that the Non-Actives will eventually look for a new position… it’s our job to be there first, right?

Is it simply a matter of framing the target and setting the long-term goals?

With our current technology, connecting with this audience is very attainable – we meet them where they live and play (online).  So, how do we speculate and measure the effectiveness of the energy and dollars we invest today in results that we are not likely to see for years?

I could contemplate this all night long, but I’d love to see what you think.  The pool exists, the tools exists, the long-term value exists…

Why The Ostrich?

That finger nipping, overly eager and somewhat scary looking Ostrich, had no idea of the food supply he gave up because of his aggression.  All of his focus was on the here and the now… and, as a result, it cost him something much greater.

Are we giving up our treasure chest of a talent pool by remaining so tactical?  How can we find balance and brand for the future?

P.S.  Glen Cathey (Boolean Black Belt) is a fantastic contributor in the online recruiting space.  This post was not intended to counter his comment or thoughts on the topic… he just caused some ideas to bounce around in my head.  Thanks Glen!

* Thanks to Vincent Kan for catching my late night spelling errors!

I clearly remember the day I swore that I would never again work for another person or company for the rest of my life. *Clenched fist*

How does that saying go?  Never say…

So what happened?

Back in September of 2009, I started working closely with a San Antonio based technology organization called Rackspace.  For those of you from San Antonio and the surrounding areas, I’m sure you are already familiar with this gem of a company.  If you are from further away, you may not be… yet.

This short description may help:

Fanatical Support® has made Rackspace the world’s leader in hosting. We deliver enterprise-level hosting services to businesses of all sizes and kinds around the world. We got started in 1998 and since have grown to serve more than 70,000 customers, including over 51,000 cloud computing customers. Rackspace integrates the industry’s best technologies for each customer’s specific need and delivers it as a service via the company’s commitment to Fanatical Support. Our core products include Rackspace Managed Hosting, The Rackspace Cloud™ and Rackspace Email & Apps(formerly Mailtrust). There are currently over 2,800 Rackers around the world serving our customers.

In essence… really great and cutting edge technology, people (Rackers) who have a passion for what they do, and, if that weren’t enough, the organization has an amazing commitment to servicing clients.

What I’m up to

When I started working as a consultant for Rackspace, we began exploring concepts and approaches for creating a more authentic candidate experience.  Social media, as a tool for sharing and connecting with a variety of communities, seemed like the most promising route for establishing this piece of the talent acquisition arm.

During and after our initial conceptualization, I worked closely with the Director of Recruiting (Paul Norman), to design and create an employment portal (I like “Talent Portal”) that would serve as more than a simple stopping point to read bullet points and apply for a job.

We wanted to create something that would allow future Rackers to peer through the window and gain an understanding around what the culture at Rackspace really meant.  The hope being that once they had a chance to see it, they would be more inclined to engage in dialog about potential opportunities.

It takes a culture

While the above outlined goal was great, it takes more than a good idea and some planning to make something like this work.  I can tell you now (with a high level of certainty) that the culture of the organization matters most when attempting this sort of task.

Without the spirit and support of the many Rackers who have helped us along in this process, it would have been impossible to establish a system for sharing the authentic employment experience at Rackspace.

Fortunately, Rackspace is a company that takes great pride in being transparent and allows employees to engage in social media freely.  At last count, I’m pretty sure there were over 600 Rackers on Twitter alone.

As the months progressed, we engaged with Marketing, Communications, Legal, HR, Sr. Leadership and many others to establish a plan and level of understanding around what we were about to do next.  Everyone showed a huge amount of support for the project and so we pushed forward.

Further, the Recruiting team at Rackspace has been amazing!  I have never before worked with a group of individuals more committed or passionate about what they do.

Birth of an employment a talent portal

As of March 11, 2010, we launched our new talent portal and I accepted a permanent position with Rackspace to head up the efforts as we push forward.

With the help of the many amazing Rackers involved, we hope to share and engage talented individuals around the globe who are interested in working for an organization unlike any other I’ve witnessed.  For me, Rackspace is more than a company – it’s a way of doing business and a commitment to serving.

Just take a look at the Rackspace Core Values.  NOTE… these were not concocted during an executive retreat in the hills – they were created by the Rackers themselves and they truly reflect the spirit and commitment you will find when you walk through our doors.

• Fanatical Support in all we do.
• Results first, substance over flash.
• Committed to Greatness
• Full Disclosure and Transparency
• Passion for our Work
• Treat fellow Rackers like Friends and Family

I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining Rackspace and to have once again regained my faith that a company like this actually exists.  It’s refreshing!

I encourage you to stop by “Racker Talent” to see what we’ve been up to!

It was a great first day of the conference!

Bill Boorman gathered together quite a crowd to enjoy the 2nd UnConference of it’s type here in London.

Lots of discussion, debate and, of course, fish and chips, all went in to making today interesting.

I attended a number of tracks today as I wandered from room to room and here are some of the key points that I took away:

1. The ROI discussion is alive, well and all over the board.  Engagement vs. Candidates Attracted vs. Quality of Candidates is still at the center of the debate.  The Tru answer is not yet clear
2. Employment Branding is coming to center stage.  Now that a number of people know how to use these social media tools (Twitter, Facebook, etc…), the question becomes how to use them appropriately to spread the employment brand of a company.  I really enjoyed this session today and would expect for this topic to continue to heat up!
3. HR Technology… or the lack thereof.  While there are plenty of HRIS, ATS and Performance Management tools available for use, many are questioning effectiveness.  Additionally, the topic of social media integration came up.  In essence, the larger the system, the less nimble.  While some smaller software providers are doing great work, it’s difficult for them to scale.  The debate was pretty heated and (as pictured above) Steve Boese and Sarah White were both a part of the team leading the track.
4. The Candidate Experience debate was also in full force with varying opinions on how to provide applicants with an experience they will remember!

All in all, it was a great day and it was interesting to hear the opinions of others outside of the U.S.

Often times it’s easy to lose perspective about how things are done in one place versus how they are conducted abroad.  The systems, cultural norms and adoption rates for various practices and technology differ… and, it’s something we should probably keep in mind.

My guest today was Kirit Sagoo from Rackspace UK!  She is a sharp recruiter and just recently joined Twitter.  I’d recommend connecting with her!

As a final note, I went to the Dr. Martens store in London today!  I’ve wanted to go since I was about 10 years old, so it was a real treat!  I have a pair of interesting boots to wear to tonight’s TweetUp!  I’ll be sure to add photos tomorrow.

Anything  you want to bring up at #TruLondon?

If so, be sure to hop on Twitter and shoot me a message or you can leave a comment.  Simply add “@theredrecruiter (your question)” and I’d be happy to bring it up over here across the pond!

Can you remember back to a time when you were playing a board game (let’s say Monopoly) and out of nowhere your opposing player tossed the board?  Perhaps you had just landed on Boardwalk and your golden real estate buying opportunity was presented.  The other party, so competitive and eager to win, would suddenly lose all “normal” logic and ruin the game to save from being defeated.

The thought of this scenario just baffles me!

I’m not saying that we have to be all Mr. Rogers-esque with the world and hold hands as we peacefully frolic through the land of “all is fair.”  HOWEVER, there is definitely something to be said about acceptance and reasonable action.

“Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca

The other day I witnessed a situation in which a recruiter received the dreaded “I’ve gone with another company” call.  Having been there myself, I could immediately relate to the deflated spirit I was seeing evolve as the call came to a close.  That feeling, above almost any other, has a very real and lasting impact on a recruiter – especially if they believe in what they do!

Nothing is ever just business to the competitive heart.  The internal spirit which drives us to excel is, in most cases, a very personal attribute which quite often extends to every aspect of our lives.

Losing that perfect candidate, being out-recruited by the competition OR, heaven forbid, having a counter-offer accepted, can really mess up a day!  In all too many cases, it can mess up your groove for a week, a month or even more.

Take back your recruiting mojo!

You do it for a reason!

You recruit because you like people, or perhaps you love the competitive nature of our business.  Some of us do it because we want to help others – we aspire to open doors and create opportunities.  Some have a real passion about their companies and love the role of brand crusader!  “Come work with us!  We have a great culture… you’ll love it here!”

It doesn’t matter why you recruit… not getting what you want, when you want it, how you want it, always stings!

So, take back control of your spirit and recognize that in times like these you have both the biggest opportunity and run the biggest risk.

5 Reasons to keep your head straight in a tough recruiting situation

1. Employment Brand – Remind yourself that others make decisions based on their current circumstances (or their perceptions of those circumstances).  Be as consistent in hard times as you are in the good ones.  In the end, your employment brand and the candidate’s impression of your company only improves.
2. Referrals - Every candidate you interact with becomes a brand ambassador.  If hiring the person isn’t going to work out, you should always keep in mind that they may know someone who will (now or in the future!).
3. Turnover – Ultimately, it’s for the better if a candidate declines your offer up front.  How much worse would it be if they come on board, get trained and then decide to go with the competition.
4. Sanity – Your “Groove” – if you take it too hard, you may just send yourself into a downward spiral… that wouldn’t be very productive!
5. Self-Worth – If you believe in what you have to offer and the integrity of your approach, one candidate (be them outstanding) should not be able to alter that belief.  Just remember this.

Just keep recruiting, just keep recruiting

“There is no comparison between that which is lost by not succeeding and that lost by not trying” – Francis Bacon

You win some, you lose some.  In the end, we are only left with how we conducted ourselves in the process.  Will we mess up along the way?  Of course.  Can we improve through experience?  Of course.

Just keep recruiting!

How do you keep your head on straight when faced with disappointment or irrational behavior?  What’s the secret?

Photo Credit, therichbrooks

This is more of a question than an opinion…

How many organizations are currently living in a false reality when it comes to talent?

Sure… they may currently have access to stellar talent due to the economic climate… but have they prepared for recovery.  Have they prepared for a potential talent exodus?  What happens when the talent pool realizes that they have spent the past 2-3 years underpaid and under appreciated?  What happens then?

I would normally recommend the use of agencies to help fill the gaps… but, there are two problems with this…

First, a whole lot of third-party and corporate recruiters left the industry during the downturn.  They’ve moved on.  Perhaps they can be attracted back… but, it will take time.  The second question is expense.  Reactive recruiting (often the type of recruiting agencies get called to help with) gets very expensive.  With higher demand and fewer third party providers, that will drive prices up.  This isn’t going to be cheap.

So, what’s the solution?

I don’t know how to fix this issue overnight, but if I were a betting man, I would put my money on paying close attention to your current employees’ needs, wants and desires.  There may still be a chance to make things right.

Oh, and if you are the type that sits back and says “Well… I gave them a job!” – you’ve lost your mind.  You are probably the same person that thinks it’s okay to treat employees as numbers instead of as human beings.  Good luck to you when the economy recovers… your people will be more than willing to speak with recruiters about how green the grass really is on the other side.

So… who knows?  What’s the solution?  What steps should employers be taking now to improve their internal employement branding?  What would you like to see more of?  Less of?

Your thoughts are valuable!  Thanks for sharing

Photo Credit, Scumfrog