Jeremiah Owyang has led the way in many respects on defining Community Managers and their roles within organizations grappling with social media and Web 2.0 technologies. Ultimately, it’s not about technology, but more about the ways in which technology allows us to communicate and interact more effectively.
Consumers have more power than ever. They can voice their opinions openly, collect feedback, get advice, etc. Consumers have more control and as such are becoming more demanding of companies.
The same holds true for job seekers and their interactions with employers. Job seekers - as consumers - are more demanding: they want more information, more interaction and more transparency. They want a better candidate experience than they’ve had (and let’s face it - if you’ve ever applied for a job, it’s typically very, very painful and frustrating!) Technology can empower companies to open their doors and put themselves out there, but someone still has to do the work. And someone still has to get it and understand the value of leveraging social media and Web 2.0 technology to give job seekers and candidates what they want.
Enter the Candidate Community Manager.
In the Standout Jobs world we call this person a “Talent Agent” but this term (coined by Shannon Seery Gude) - a Candidate Community Manager - is great.
I’m tempted to re-publish all of Shannon’s post, but I won’t. Just go read it. She makes a very straightforward and compelling argument for why it’s so important for companies to make sure their online recruiting presence and recruiting communication strategies are strong and ready to go. And she extends that argument to the idea that companies will have to identify someone to lead the way…as the Candidate Community Manager.
Let me conclude with a quote from the post:
The results for a progressive company that implements a social recruiting strategy, lead and fostered by a Candidate Community Manager will be increased relevant and real online conversation about their employer brand, their culture and job opportunities that exist. This will lead to increased credibility, exposure and most importantly, an increased understanding of your target - The Candidate.
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