New face of IT recruiting

by Emmanuel Conde

April 4, 2008 —

Move over job fairs. The recruiting industry has changed, and it's either do or die. Recruiters who once relied on faxes and job fairs to collect candidates and connect with hiring companies must consider social networks, blogs, virtual worlds, and other online media in order to survive. There's a lot to choose from, and the key is to keep it fun, share the experience, and connect the virtual and real worlds when possible.

As I've mentioned in this column before, I use Second Life to recruit for Cisco-certified IT professionals. Here's my avatar in Second Life as he relaxes in front of the stage at Crystal Sands (SLURL Visit Eclectic Dream (216, 28, 22)) where Bridge Resourcing Solutions recently sponsored a live music event. Based on the number of resumes I received, it was a recruiting success.

Here I am again in the Second Life office of my current employer, Bridge Resourcing Solutions, on Etopia Island. My avatar is having an evening champagne before calling it a day and going back to the music scenes to network with other Avatars.

Unfortunately, many recruiting efforts are conducted without the intention of ever meeting in person, but break this trend when you can. For example, I recently held a mixer in London at Tower Bridge for many of the CCIEs I've met primarily through LinkedIn who have helped me with various salary surveys and mentoring initiatives. This face-to-face meeting was fulfilling, and it set the standard for my next CCIE Mixers in San Francisco and NYC where prominent bridges will be the backdrops. The CCIE Mixer in North Carolina will target a museum if our plans continue as they have. So the virtual world and the real world do meet in my world and it is fun. (I love my job Charles. Thanks!)

My virtual experience is also expanding to include a repeat of my Resume Writing seminar held recently on Cisco's SIM, and a series of Career Planning sessions. With the new talent joining the IT ranks some coaching goes a long way to creating long lasting relationships.

When I speak to youngsters about their careers options in Cisco networking I sometimes see the light come on over their heads. Baby boomers are leaving the workforce in hordes and heading off into retirement. The crop of Generation X and Y resources are a very creative bunch fed on reality shows, Xbox, WOW, You Tube, My Space and other computer generated existences. With the ripple effects of the dot com bust still being relived in many career conversations the new generation of IT talent seems to get the message about careers in network technologies. The new generation of network engineers and CCIEs has lived more closely with the technologies then my generation did. The creative experiences we have enjoyed are nothing compared to what the next crop of talent will invent. So the virtual landscape is a great place to share knowledge and mentor.

I'll leave you with two final things that have pleasantly surprised me about the new face of IT recruiting. I've found that my focus has transitioned from a local economy to a global one. Working in the emerging economies of the Pacific Rim and the Middle East has given me a whole new perspective on my career. This was made possible by the internet age and the emerging technologies we hear so much about. Specialization has also been an interesting change. Some of the most difficult areas to recruit in are also some of the most lucrative, and recruiters focusing on a single technology sector are beginning to make their names. SAP recruiting is a good example.With so many companies implementing SAP architecture and applications into their environments searches for SAP professionals was a major market for recruiting companies that wanted to distinguish themselves and step out of the traditional developer headhunting mold.

Bridge Resourcing Solutions