Zappos Says Goodbye to Job Postings

Zappos, an online retailer, has been one of the most talked about companies in the HR and recruiting space mainly because of its unique practice in offering employees bonuses to quit the company. Now, Zappos is changing its hiring process beginning with the very first step: the job opportunity posting. (For our first analysis of this important new idea, please read

Zappos Is Revolutionizing Hiring — but Is It a Good Idea? )

The job description is one of the first interactions a potential candidate has with the company, and while most companies rely on job descriptions to explain to candidates what the position entails, Zappos has a different opinion. “Job postings are a conversation killer,” stated Zappos’ candidate experience and engagement strategist, Stacy Zapar, “Gone. Poof. Done.” And done they are.

“A job posting is that bright shiny object in the room that distracts from the real conversation and networking to be had. It’s a dead-end road, a recruiting black hole where applicants go to die or leave with a negative experience and impression of your company. They’re one-way conversations where your candidates don’t really have a voice. They’re that sore thumb sticking out as we make this evolution back to old-school, relationship-based recruiting.” – Stacy Zapar.

Now What?

Zappos has a new program called Zappos Insider, which can be found on the company’s careers page. The Zappos Insider was created as a place for candidates to reference so they can learn more about the company and its culture. To do so, the candidates will need to become members of Zappos Insider. By becoming a member, candidates have the opportunity to chat with Zappos Ambassadors, which places them in a position of higher consideration when positions become available.

The candidates who invest the time to enroll and learn more about the company are given preference. This process eliminates candidates who apply anywhere and everywhere. The Zappos Insider program encourages a more engaged relationship between the employer and prospective employees.

Take a Look for Yourself

I had to see this for myself, so I traveled to the Zappos Career page here. At first glance, it seems to target the millennial generation. The images are bright, enticing, and less ‘corporatey.’ I actually want to click around and learn more about the careers at Zappos. At the bottom of the page, Zappos Insider encourages you to join in on the Twitter conversation. Just one month ago, @InsideZappos  only had around 1,200 followers, according to Twitter Counter. As of the time of this writing, that number has more than doubled. This is a great way for a company to build its brand through social recruiting.

Is This the Future?

Companies may be apprehensive about doing away with job postings completely but even Zappos is hedging its bets for now (the company is keeping job postings for its technology jobs as a control group to measure success). From a user perspective, I spent more time on the company’s career page than I have on the retail site!

If your company’s culture is fresh, fun and appealing to Millennials, then represent it on your career page. This year, 36 percent of the U.S. workforce will include Millennials, and in six years, Millennials are expected to grow  to nearly half the workforce. Now that a new generation is entering America’s workforce, it’s time to revamp our recruiting and hiring processes, and what better place to start than with the first step candidates take?