How One Company’s Decision to Eliminate Job Postings Could Affect Recruiting

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• July 3, 2014
• By Susan Shain
• 5 Comments

Transactional. Spammy. Inefficient.

These are words that online shoe retailer Zappos might use to describe the traditional recruitment process.

And they’re not the only ones. Since bad hires can cost companies a lot of money, many recruiters have begun looking for alternatives to the endless cycle of job postings and resumes.

Zappos, which has no job titles and pays employees to quit, is already known for its experimental policies. Now, it’s turning the recruitment process on its head.

The Social Side of Recruitment

As described by a recent Wall Street Journal article, hopeful Zappos employees will no longer be able to apply to traditional job postings:

“Instead, they will have to join a social network, called Zappos Insiders, where they will network with current employees and demonstrate their passion for the company—in some cases publicly—in hopes that recruiters will tap them when jobs come open.”

By eliminating job postings and “keeping a pool of willing and able candidates at the ready,” Zappos hopes to streamline their recruiting and hiring processes, as well as find better candidates, the WSJ reports.

Though few companies have taken measures as extreme as Zappos, several — such as General Motors — are starting to become more social (and less formal) in their hiring practices, the article says. We’ve seen that in our experience, too, with more companies recruiting through social media and video, online networking events, and open-ended job postings.

The bottom line: You want to find people who are a good fit for your company. To do this, it might be time to turn to social media and other informal forms of recruiting.

Because if Zappos’ new methods prove successful, maybe even resumes will go the way of the VHS.

Do you think the recruitment process most companies use is outdated or inefficient? Should other companies follow Zappos’ lead?

Susan Shain (@TravlJunkette) is a travel blogger who loves helping people discover adventure through international travel or alternative careers.

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