Amidst all the breathless commentary about commercial social media sites, there’s another online social environment that’s being overlooked by many recruiters. It’s the most talent-rich resource on the Web, yet it hardly ever gets mentioned at recruiting conferences or in recruiting publications. The result is best described as LockedOut – the social recruiting strategy that increases the cost and reduces the yield of talent acquisition.

What is this untapped resource that provides more social access to talent than commercial social media sites? It’s the online career center of America’s professional societies and trade associations such as the American Hotel & Lodging Association and the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association. They will connect you to more passive, high-caliber candidates in more occupational fields and industries than any social media site on the web.

Consider the statistics provided in a forthcoming book entitled, The A+ Solution, by John Bell and Christine Smith. They report that:

• “There are currently over 70,000 recognized trade and professional associations in the U.S.. The IRS recognizes these associations under the same tax classification Section 501 (c)(6), because they are ‘organized under either a common business or professional interest.’
• Over the last dozen years – in the aftermath of September 11 and the unprecedented economic downturn that began in 2008 – the number of trade, professional and charitable organizations has increased by over three percent.
• One in every three Americans is a part of our nation’s vital association and nonprofit industry.”

Compare that coverage of the economy and talent participation rate to commercial social media sites, and the potential advantage of recruiting at the career centers of professional societies and trade associations is so clear even hiring managers will see it.

LockedIn on the Society & Association Advantage

As with commercial social media sites, there are several ways to tap talent on the websites of professional societies and associations. The best strategy, therefore, is one that involves several facets.

First, use the right sites. When recruiters do use societies and associations, they tend to gravitate to the largest or best-known group. Those organizations should definitely be a part of the mix, but so too should ancillary groups that will expand your reach into the target demographic or probe specific segments of it.

For example, if your healthcare system is recruiting for an accounting position in its Finance Department, you would certainly want to use the career center at the American Institute of Certified Professional Accountants. However, my Guide to Association Web Sites lists 180 associations that specialize in the finance and accounting fields, many of which would increase the reach and diversity of your recruiting.

• They range from the American Society of Women Accountants and the Healthcare Financial Management Association to the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting and the Association of Healthcare Internal Auditors.
• In addition, you could also use the career centers among the hundreds of healthcare-related associations, including the American Hospital Association, the American College of Healthcare Executives, and the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
• Second, it’s also important to use all of the resources societies and associations provide at their sites. Post your jobs on their job board; search their resume database, if they offer one; and network with their members in their discussion forums. Every person who applies, every individual whose resume you see, and every prospect with whom you connect will be in the right field and possess a rare and important attribute. Their membership in the society or association indicates their commitment to staying current in their field and/or industry and thus increases the probability they will be exemplary performers on the job.

Are commercial social media sites a useful recruiting resource? Of course. Are they the best way to reach passive, high-caliber talent? Absolutely not. That distinction belongs to the country’s professional societies and trade associations. So, avoid being locked out; make sure you’re locked in on the advantage they provide.