by Craig Bromberg
Most companies spend millions protecting their offices, but let their most important assets—their employees—walk through the door without blinking an eye. It’s no secret that talent is the hidden weapon of innovation, but few companies spend as much to protect their talent as they do guarding their material and intellectual assets. Employees have caught on. They know loyalty is a myth. And thanks to the Internet they have all the information they need. Companies may have jobs, but candidates are in the driver’s seat, with knowledge of the best jobs and managers before they sign up. As a result, recruitment has been turned upside down. We asked a group of global experts to talk us through the lastest twists of the talent revolution in the age of social networks.

Cara Erickson

// I solve talent puzzles. It’s finding the right piece in the puzzle, knowing exactly how to connect the dots to help the organization get where they need to go.

// A candidate’s ability to succeed is directly related to how he or she fits the client. Usually, at the very first meeting, I meet the person who needs to make the hire and the person above that person so I can see not just the skills-fit but the culture-fit. Statistics show that when executives fail, it’s because of a disconnect in the culture-fit, not a lack of hard skills.

// When you’re looking to help a company innovate, it’s always a high impact hire. Sometimes it’s not obvious what a company needs—you have to help them define their needs and think outside the box. I recently recruited someone with a strong consumer media background to a B2B media company focused on technology. Sports is a lot different than technology, but his skills still transferred.

// The tools for identifying candidates are more efficient than ever. I get candidates faster and get to market faster by knowing who’s out there. Most of my clients are paying me to find candidates who are not active job seekers. The value I bring is my referral networks, where I have access to people who will return my calls.

// There’s art and science to a search. The science gets done offshore, by a researcher who identifies candidates using Spoke, Zoominfo, Google, Hoovers, Linkedin—whatever—to generate names. The art is the relationships you develop and the ability to know who’s truly innovative—being able to interview between the lines so you know how to assess someone’s way of thinking. That’s what you pay a recruiter for.

// I’m part advisor, psychologist, matchmaker, marketer, negotiator, list developer. There’s a very strong pseudo-psychological role between candidate and client, recruiter and candidate, and recruiter and client. You have to be an extraordinarily good listener to understand what your client is really looking for and where your candidate is going to be most successful.

// The web is creating truly savvy jobseekers. There’s an extraordinary amount of information out there and before you commit to a job, you should do the research. If you don’t, you’re making a mistake.

// More clients who are just starting the process say that if they had this person at that moment, they’d hire ’em right there. That’s when I know they’re going to be anxious through the whole project.

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