As recently as 20 minutes ago before I sat down to type, my main message was going to be that JIT hiring is 
coming. Already, as I have studied this phenomenon more, I have grown to realize that I was almost a step behind. It’s already here.
The early model of JIT hiring is what we call getting hired by connections. Someone knows someone…has a long history…knows them and their skill set well… etc etc. The job never ends up getting posted because with one behind-the-scenes meeting/interview, the candidate is locked down and hired. Job never gets posted. No additional candidates pursued.
Because companies of all sizes and life stages are looking to shorten the cycle time to hire the best candidates, this model will continue to exist and take shape. Only nowadays, it is being fueled by innovation and enabled by technological sophistication. The purpose is the same, though, and that’s to build deeper and more insightful knowledge of a job-seeker on the front end. Then, when a vacancy arises, it can be filled quickly by a vetted candidate. The parts that are evolving are the methods to learn about candidates, ways to acquire them as followers and, of course, the notion of scaling up the process to cast the net over the widest possible pool of candidates.
What does this mean for you? Yes, it means new opportunities to network and become visible while also learning more about companies yourself. After all, the fit needs to be two-way for a sustainable match. Most importantly, though, it means your job search needs to adapt from the ‘posting/apply’ process that is starting to become obsolete.
The big picture problem that unifies us all is how do we match the best/right employers to the best/right employees? Speed and success – however measured – are the metrics. Here are a number of examples of companies that have started up here in Canada alone, but will surely cross borders. Each takes an insightful and unique approach to the opportunity:
Ten Thousand Coffees
While LinkedIn can get you access to business people, 10K Coffees enriches the networking experience by bringing young professionals together with those who are experienced and willing to help. Advisors are volunteers, and come from all walks of business life. They cannot guarantee jobs, but they agree to meet with Canada’s youth individually or in groups; in real or virtual environments.
The concept is evolving. Companies are now getting in the game by hosting a bigger ‘coffee’ sesh where up to 100 career or company enthusiasts can attend an informal chat at one time. Business are now talking about their opportunities and challenges and appealing to the participants for solutions. They find a number of cool ways to generate dialogue…and, therefore, relationships. For you, the candidate, this is your chance to show how you think and present yourself while allowing for you more research on companies that appeal to you on the surface.
Secure the Job
I’m informally doing some work with this company that has a vision that is multi-faceted. At its core, STJ will deliver career insight in the form of a sophisticated job description in crowd-sourced, ‘wiki’ format. The JD is supplemented by mostly anonymous contributors who provide advice and insight on what the career is actually like along with advice on how to network, secure the job and then be successful once there. The sum-total for you represents a clear sense of what the career is and requires so that you can see if it’s a fit. In layman’s terms, you’ll get to see what color the grass really is…
It doesn’t stop there by a long shot. The B2B model will allow companies of all sizes to simplify their posting and recruiting process by making use of the ready-made JDs as they post to the site. Users can follow select careers along with the companies that participate. Social media-style networking will be built in to facilitate advanced networking, all designed to help you land a job immediately when the need is there.
Riipen
I’m totally giving these guys a call right after I post this. To me, this smells like ‘networking meets think-tank’ with a strong value proposition for both companies and job-seekers alike. Created by business students from the University Victoria, Riipen’s premise is that the academic world only goes so far in prepping students for the real world of business. Its solution bridges this need gap to get students one giant step ahead in their career development.
Companies can tap into Riipen’s project platform, which (for a small fee!) enables them to access the power of student thinking and creativity to solve real problems. Companies get help. Students get experience. Both sides get to know each other well, with many ‘projects’ serving as interviews for more permanent roles. The intent is transparent to both sides going in. Love it. And, by the way, I love it. (Did I tell you I love it??)
ClearFit
Once you have an algorithm, you’re on your way. Just ask google. ClearFit brings big data to the matching process with its job boards that for now are attracting the smaller and medium sized companies that have few engrained processes but still an acute need to find outstanding candidates.
ClearFit’s offer to businesses is codified job matching. Applicants register on the portal and provide a number of inputs on their skills, job history and even personality. All this goes into the WOPR (I’m not going to explain that reference, look it up) and out comes the best candidate match for a posted job.
The system has many built-in tools to prevent gaming to force a match. Of note is that Clear Fit serves the business more than it does you, the applicant, because there isn’t much promise that the company would be a fit for your wants and goals. However, if you are lucky enough to be matched, you walk into an interview already with a leg up. All told, this is a great business proposition with long-term potential. Now if only Tinder was reading this and taking notes…
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My heart truly goes out to this generation of graduates and job seekers because the process of launching your career is so much more labor intensive than it has ever been. This reality is so much the reason for this blog…doing my part to help. Hopefully, though, you look at the new recruiting models – both in and out of JIT systems – as an incredible opportunity to not only land work but also score the right job. The process can be longer but the results can be better. If you embrace this notion by staying current (I haven’t even scratched the surface of entities playing in this space) and putting the work in, you could have a lot to look forward to.
MARKETING: from the inside 