LinkedIn Teaches How to Scale the “Red Carpet” in Talent Acquisition
I was especially intrigued by what Daniel Shapero, LinkedIn’s VP of Talent Solutions & Insights, had to say. Shapero talked about creating a “special” experience for each and every potential candidate for your business. Instead of “rolling out the red carpet” for those in the upper echelon of the pyramid, Shapero advised companies to roll out a bunch of smaller red carpets, i.e. to begin using smart tactics to create a special experience for a broader range of the hires businesses are trying to make.
Shapero explained how each person’s experience of creating something special is unique to him or her. And job seekers want to feel connected to an employer by being able to make an impact with the experiences that create (in the business arena).
“The idea of progress and connectedness is why people feel special,” he explained. And how can employers create this special feeling for potential candidates, therefore increasing talent acquisition effectiveness? Shapero offered three different ways, which he deemed “Scaling the Red Carpet.” These include:
1. Connecting through talent
Shapero explains that employers have to build a brand with a person in a way that makes him or her feel connected and that he or she will do impactful things that will help move the person’s career forward.
He cited Intel as an example. The company talked about the “amazing things” it was doing in the space of Android developments by releasing sponsored updates. News outlets picked up these releases and also talked about what Intel was doing.
Content that shows versus tells people about the things your organization is doing is what gets people excited, Shapero explained. And Intel leveraged this notion using content to show its brand and connect to talent.
2. Leveraging social capital
For this tactic to scale the red carpet, Shapero used the example of Tom Poole, the director of Recruiting at Vantiv, a payment processing and technology solutions provider in Columbus, Ohio.
“The most successful talent pool of your organization right now are the existing connections of your employees,” Shapero said. He said Poole (and Vantiv) pulled a list of potential candidates and then mapped the list against internal employees to determine which connections existed. He then worked to setup an email campaign, asking the employees to contact the potential candidates.
Shapero said the company discovered about 900 internal connections but most were siloed. So, Vantiv used one of LinkedIn’s Recruiter to reach out to potential candidates and he also paid a referral bonus of $1000 if an employee reached out to potential talent.
3. Targeted senior engagement
For this final point, Shapero used business process management company Appian. Michael Beckley, the company’s chief technology officer, spends three weeks going on road shows (14 schools) to recruit college graduates. Shapero explained that this executive spends 15 percent of his time on recruiting, which is a large portion for most C-suite leaders.
“Executive engagement has to be a part of the closing process because that’s where you’ll get the most success,” Shapero said. And one way to get executives on board with the closing process is by bringing data into the process, especially when it comes to the areas of competition, geography and function. Shapero explained how recruiters can use LinkedIn’s products to leverage data for all three areas.
For example, LinkedIn has:
- Competition
Talent pool reports: data comparing how many people your company has won and lost versus competitors.
- Geography
LinkedIn has 70 talent pool reports that show supply and demand based on geography. Shapero explained that hiring people matters in certain geographical markets; so, companies need to have the right people closing the deal.
- Function
LinkedIn’s Talent Brand Index shows your company how attractive you are to people. It does this in two ways: 1) analyzing how many people know who you are and 2) how many people are interested in your business.
Shapero advises that if you’re going to bring your executives into the discussion, bring them in when most needed by looking through the lenses of competition, geography and function.