Recruitment, The Times They Are A-Changin'

[Paul Jacobs]

Come gather 'round recruiters

Wherever you roam

And admit that the technologies

Around you have grown

And accept it that soon

You'll be tweeting, and not so much working the phone

If your billable return to you

Is worth savin'.

Then you better start social networkn'

Or you'll sink like a stone

For the times they are a-changin'.

Come sourcers and researchers

Who connect on LinkedIn

And cast your referrals wide

The chance to recommend a friend won’t come again

And don't commit Facebook suicide too soon

For the online community is in a spin

And there's no tellin' who

That it's bloggin'.

For the trailblazer now

Will be later to win

For the times they are a-changin'.

Come employers, hiring-managers

Please write on your company’s wall

Don't stifle the chat

Don't block up the hall

For he that gets hurt

Will be he who has stalled

There's a battle outside

And it is ragin'.

It'll soon shake the job boards

And rattle newspaper revenue some more

For the times they are a-changin'.

Come HR managers

Throughout the land

And don't criticize

What you can't understand

Your job seekers and your employees

Are beyond your command

Your old road is

Rapidly agin'.

Please crowdsource

If you can't lend your hand

For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn

The social recruiting curse it is cast

The slow one now

Will later be fast

As the present now

Will later be past

The old advertising order is

Rapidly fadin'.

And the first one now

Will later be last

For the times they are a-changin'.

[Paul Jacobs]

OK Maren, for you I will do it. I need to borrow Gerry Crispin's hat though. Watch out New Zealand Idol!

[Dan Nuroo]

I am poised eager to Re-Tweet

[Maureen Sharib]

I hope Steve Levy sees this.

[Slouch]

Cool-aid in isle 3

[Jerry Albright]

I can tell you're a very creative guy Paul. I applaud the effort!
But this can't be entirely serious, is it? From what I can tell there are no "Big Billers" relying primarily on Social Media for their success. Are you saying they should forsake their current revenue/business stream just to adopt SM? Or be left behind?

I've said this before but it's worth repeating - what is the point of joining hoards of other recruiters standing around on the moon (since we have the technology to get there) if the vast majority of our clients are still here (doing business) on planet Earth?

You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up to ya later. (Right after I wrap up all these old school placements!)

Early adoption a must? Wrong. Good luck though. Please take my competitors with you!

[Fran Hogan]

I'm with Jerry. Most of my clients are still on Earth. My phone is still my best tool. However, I'm on the bandwagon with Twitter and LinkedIn, etc. just in case. Trying to balance my time to maximize both is my dliemma!

[Maureen Sharib]

I meant Jerry - I'm w/ Jerry (and now Fran)!

[Todd Kmiec]

I'm going to hang with the clients on earth too, but I'll tweet with the recruiters on the moon because it's fun. They do have Twitter on the moon don't they?

[Maureen Sharib]

It seems the Amish have been "tweeting" about their simple lives for years.

[Gerry Crispin]

I want to hear the tune Paul- especially if you can do Bob's voice