LinkedIn Talent Connect Key Takeaways #intalent

LinkedIn hosted its annual Talent Connect Conference this week where 3,000 recruiters could “learn best practices, make new connections, and get inspired by stories of recruiting leaders changing the world through best-in-class talent acquisition.” The event held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas also gave attendees the opportunity to eat, drink and be merry in Sin City, gamble away their Q3 bonus cash, and - provided they recovered from the prior night’s revelry - pause to appreciate recruitment’s worthy purpose in driving businesses forward and impacting lives in the process.

Unlucky recruiters stuck back at the office followed along via the live webcast and the #intalent twitter stream. If you didn’t make the conference, here are some nuggets of what you missed. Fog Machines, Lights, and Techno. Oh my! The morning keynotes were all held in the MGM Conference Center’s massive grand ballroom. These mega sessions were a well-orchestrated production complete with fog machines, disco lights, a DJ spinning club music, and even a freestyle parkour performance. (Photo Source: ‏@pjmooresandiego) I can only imagine what it took to pull off what appeared to be a flawlessly executed event. Before delivering his keynote session on Wednesday morning, Chris Hoyt of PepsiCo gave us a sneak peek of what this operation looked like backstage. (Photo Source: @therecruiterguy) The Softer Side of CEO Jeff Weiner Attendees got the opportunity to listen to LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner (Weiner holds a 97% approval rating among his employees) share his perspectives on LinkedIn’s vision, products, and his own approach to recruiting talent. When asked about his vision and LinkedIn’s mission, he explained how many companies confuse the two. “Vision is the dream,” said Weiner. “It may or may not be realizable, but the mission needs to be recognizable, measurable, and focused.”  He advised companies to add an aspirational component to their culture definition or risk losing credibility with their teams by recognizing aspects of their culture that don’t exist yet. (Photo Source: @lindsay_chat) When asked what he looks for in his own recruiting efforts, Weiner described his ‘5 Tool Player,’ likening it to a baseball talent scouts’ holy grail – a player that can hit for average, hit for power, run, throw, and field. In the business world, Weiner looks for 5 key traits: Technology Vision, Product Sensibility, Business Acumen, Leadership, and lastly, Resourcefulness. He recommended if you ever find someone who possesses all five to act quickly but if not, just strive to build a team that collectively makes them up. And what are the keys to happiness according to Weiner? Live in the moment, strive to be loving vs. right, step back to observe your own thoughts when you’re emotional, identify one thing to be grateful every day, and take time to help others. #intalent Branding Session Highlights Talent Acquisition Leaders from Dell, Suncorp, Expedia, Express Scripts, and CH2M Hill shared best practices on how they've developed a strong employment brand and amplified their message across multiple channels, directly impacting their recruitment efforts.  Before developing your talent brand strategy, it’s critical to understand where candidates research  companies (it might surprise you), and how the available employment branding solutions compare when it comes to job seeker traffic, product features, and price.

• 42% said that if they didn't have a good candidate experience, they would change their buying habits.
• Be sure to differentiate your corporate brand from your employment brand.
• Start small. Know your organization’s culture re: social and engaging others
• 4 Stages: Define Your Brand, Gain Executive Buy In, Develop & Execute, Measure & Optimize
• Know your brand and find great ways to embrace it. The folks who are turned off, aren’t the right fit anyway.
• Actively monitor and manage your social media channels, interact and engage with your fans
• Don’t go it alone – partner with marketing, communications, etc.

Want more employment branding resources? Here are 10 companies doing a great job promoting their talent brand as well as this free ebook with advice on how to leverage employee reviews to magnify your messaging efforts and build your base of brand ambassadors. 100 Most inDemand Employers Announced In between keynote sessions on Wednesday morning, LinkedIn announced its list of the 100 most inDemand Employers, calling out #5. Microsoft #4. Proctor & Gamble #3. Unilver #2. Apple #1. Google. How did they come up with the winners?  According to LinkedIn’s website: “We analyzed billions of data points between members and companies and compared the data with surveys of thousands of members to determine a company's familiarity and engagement score. Our analysis also weighted member actions like viewing employee profiles, visiting Company Pages and following companies.” Glassdoor wanted to see how these employers fare in the eyes of their employees to determine whether these companies are greatly desired because of an enticing consumer brand or because they truly have an attractive talent brand. We found “in demand” doesn't necessarily mean desirable for employees. It was my second straight week spent in Vegas after attending last week’s HRTech Conference at Mandalay Bay. Lady luck was on my side this trip since I was finally rid of my sinus infection and ended up scoring big at the blackjack and roulette tables. Next it’s on to the 2013 Nonprofit HR Conference in Washington DC to run an employment branding innovation lab alongside recruitment heavy hitters Jason Lauritsen of Talent Anarchy and Jessica Lee from Marriott.