Zappos Axes All Job Postings, Launches Social Network

May 27, 2014 at 1:32 PM by Rob Stevenson

The folks over at Zappos have never been known to do things by the book. Their profound and innovative Screen_Shot_2014-05-27_at_1.28.59_PMcompany culture, as well as obsessive focus on customer service, has set an example and a bar for growing companies. Today, Zappos proved they're just as happy to shake things up in the recruiting department, as they axed all job postings on sites like LinkedIn and  Monster, and will even take openings down from their own website. In their place, Zappos will invite interested talent to be a "Zappos Insider", which grants them access to a social network where they can engage with Zappos employees and recruiters in meaningful dialogues.

In a cheeky blog post this morning, Mike Bailen, Senior HR Manager at Zappos, explained some of the reasoning behind the move:

It’s not you; it’s me. From newspaper ads, Monster, CareerBuilder, Craigslist and Indeed, you’re all a company has ever really needed. You’ve been there through thick and thin and you’ve kept my recruiting team very, VERY busy. Unfortunately, I need something more. You’ve given us thousands of impersonal, transactional and cold introductions. Studies show that recruiters spend 5-7 seconds on a resume. That’s hardly an introduction. It’s barely even a handshake!

Clearly, part of the goal of Zappos Insiders is to do away with the impersonal recruitment conversations which talent detest and seasoned recruiters abhor. In fact, by creating a low-pressure, low-expectation environment, Zappos are on the path to creating long-term relationships with talent, learning their skills, likes, dislikes, and rather than fitting a role to a person, aim to fit a person to a role. Most organizations only source talent when they have open reqs, which perpetuates the short-term nature of recruiting conversations. To combat this, Zappos Insiders will simultaneously foster a community and hiring pool, where talent can learn about real Zappos employees, and where recruiters can turn first when openings do come along. Later in his blog post, Bailen explains a bit more about the goals and content for the network:

Insiders have unique access to content, updates, tweetchats, online hangouts and back-and-forth discussions with recruiters and hiring teams. Insiders will also be the first people we’ll consider when there are new openings. Becoming an Insider is that first step in a long-term relationship. It’s not a short-sighted affair which is what we’ve been having.

While tools such as job boards make forming a pool of candidates easier for the recruiter, it can often result in disengaged candidates, and create more work for as one must then dredge through applications. Zappos' move is especially exciting because it aims to create a two-way hiring street, bringing life back to recruitment and making the hiring process informative, engaging, and, in a word, human. 

What do you think of Zappos move to ditch job boards? Have you found success with job boards, or are you as disenchanted with them as Zappos? Leave a comment or tweet @EnteloRob!

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