The Slow Agonizing Death of the Job Post

Why the professional job post is dead:


The $50k and up professional job postings are soon to be completely obsolete as job searching becomes a more social process.  The only way for this to not become a reality is if Applicant Tracking Systems stop existing as the black hole of recruiting, and  start becoming real people responding to candidates.  The result comes from the fact that social media is not only changing it for the candidate, but for the recruiting function as well. 

Historically, 2% of online applicants at any tier-one technology firm result in an actual hire.  However, the highest ratio of candidate to hire is from employee referral.  By making job searching social, the theory is that it will help filter down the number of applicants and lift up the number of referred applicants.  

If this occurs, and I believe it will, the number of overall applicants will be manageable. Additionally, because they are going to be likely tied to an internal team member, managing that interaction from a human perspective will be organic.  

So how does this tie into the Method Manifesto?  It’s the acknowledgment that sourcing is no longer just about building a pipeline for the present.  More and more companies want a pipeline of cultivated candidates from likely skill sets, so when the inevitable role opens, the staffing department is ready to go.

How do you do that?  Sensing this has been coming, major job boards are already touting that you can use their platforms to build your candidate pool.  I believe this is bogus, because a pool of candidates primarily with just active seekers seems highly ineffective.  I am not saying active seekers cannot be good employees, of course they can, but by the vary nature of the action they are seeking when you are ready they will likely not be.  The key is to develop these networks with potential candidates based strictly on profile with a mix of active and passive personalities.

So why are job boards dead?  In the next couple years, a new post in pushed candidates will respond, likely because of retweets and network referrals, not because they saw the job on a job board.  Under $50k job opportunities, excluding internships, will be business as usual...for now. 


Jonah Manning
