I interviewed Gerry Crispin co-founder of CareerXroads at the 12th annual HR Technology Expo today. A visionary on recruiting trends, he is always fascinating to talk to. He shared several points. First, social networks continue to explode. The caveat is no one seems to know what the outcome will be. Related to this, hiring companies increasing seek and job seekers need to possess skills in this area. One caveat he mentioned was, “90% of students still don’t use LinkedIn or Facebook to uncover and contact alumni to assist them in their job search. Mr. Crispin offered that candidates should be using these tools to explore connections with others and engage them to help their job search. Another statistic he cited was, “99% of job candidates apply for a job without having anyone refer them.” This is particularly problematic since a referral carries a lot of weight in the employment process! He went on to say that one needs to meet people in the company that they wish to work at to: a) give them a job referral and b) help facilitate the employment process.
Another caveat Mr. Crispin shared was, “just because you use technology, doesn’t mean anything. For example, a poorly developed resume using the best technology tools still will find its way into the garbage.” Therefore, one needs to use technology wisely and also spend time making sure the fundimentals are correct.
Lastly, he shared several tools for technical recruiting. The job board Dice was excellent for IT recruiting. He also recommended two aggregators: 1) Simply Hired and 2) Indeed. They point to the best avenues to fill a particular job.
