How to build a world-class talent community

As global commerce strengthens, talent acquisition professionals are suffering an exodus of talent into retirement, other careers and the arms of competitors. One emerging approach to combat this is the use of “online talent communities,” which can strengthen a company’s ability to compete and produce significant results for talent acquisition leaders, if executed correctly.

The fundamental strength of talent communities is they reflect changing demographics and new realities about how people engage with the world of work. Companies that leverage these groups are able to reach across all labor categories — temporary workers, full- time hires, independent contractors, project-based workers, interns, alum, retirees, etc. — and give them reasons to stay connected. A well-designed talent community is an important element of any company’s talent supply chain management strategy.

We’ve discovered seven factors that multiply the chances of creating successful talent communities.

Customer mindset. Beyond user-friendly experiences, companies must design talent communities that treat members as customers. Much as corporate marketing is becoming the institutional voice of the customer, the talent community must be a talent-centric space that invites talent to connect with the company on their terms.

Authenticity. Social networking has brought customers and users into the corporate tent. Yet many companies struggle with the old habit of broad- casting directives, which doesn’t work in an age when people instantly come across company information from sources other than the company. An inclusive talent community makes it easy for people who are interested in working for the company, or staying connected with it, to get information they know to be true.

A steady stream of high-quality content. The information created and shared within the talent community must be useful and refreshed frequently. People are bombarded with emails, tweets and posts and resent sifting to find the relevance. Producing high- quality, targeted content does the sifting for them.

A consistent voice. Companies invest a great deal in creating brands that resonate with the marketplace. This includes establishing a voice — a point of view and a set of messages customers recognize immediately. The best talent communities align with a company’s personality as expressed through the brand and reinforce the benefits of working there.

Boundaries. Social media has brought down barriers and relaxed communication styles. While authenticity is important, this doesn’t mean companies should adopt an “anything goes” mindset. The talent community is a professional space whose members should behave and communicate accordingly.

Comfort with trial and error. Failure is becoming an option, thanks to Silicon Valley startups. It’s going to happen in any new endeavor, so the talent community is not immune. Leaders, however, put practices in place that mitigate damage by anticipating and preparing for it.

Superb technology. Corporate technology platforms can do everything from capturing minute bits of content to distributing millions of messages automatically. It might seem efficient to outsource the talent community to an automated template. Resist that temptation. The best talent communities are custom-designed to target the talent you need and align with the company’s relationship management efforts.

Companies with vibrant, well-designed talent communities will have a clear edge over their competitors for years to come. By leveraging the changing preferences of how talent chooses to engage in the future world of work, they will deliver scarce talent to their operations with speed and quality, at a significantly lower cost. And isn’t that what talent acquisition is all about?