Mastering The Gig Economy: A New Way To Land Fortune 500 Jobs
WORKING NOT WORKING MAGAZINE
Organizations are engaged in a feverish competition to snatch up gifted individuals for tasks ranging from one-off projects to long-term stints in C-level positions. More than 50% of businesses see freelancer hiring as a part of their short-term future. Apple, Calvin Klein, The New York Times, Airbnb, and Google, among others, are seeing hiring in a new light. There’s a cadre of freelance winners ready to share their genius — and Fortune 500 companies are doing what they can to snag them before someone else does.
This seismic shift toward a recruitment market economy has allowed highly talented gig hunters to become ridiculously selective. That’s why employers need ridiculously smart strategies to woo the crème de la crème.
The following article first appeared on Forbes.com, written by William Arruda. In the excerpt below, Working Not Working Co-founder Justin Gignac comments on how WNW injects personality into the hiring and applying process so there’s a heightened level of humanity, trust, and understanding from square one.
Winning In The Recruitment Market Economy
Smart companies no longer sit around and wait for candidates to come to them; they actively pursue top talent, investing time and resources in the process. They’re upping the ante, making themselves irresistible to savvy searchers. To this end, many employers have transformed their methods of persuasion and lure.
The old set of job-hunting rules placed the onus on freelancers. They sent résumés, portfolios, clips, CVs, and more to companies, hoping for a bite. Although this is still commonplace, Fortune 500s are starting to play the “Look at us!” game to compete for top talent.
For example, at the premium recruitment site Working Not Working, organizations’ job listings sound like social media posts. “You’re probably not one to take a job just to make your friends jealous,” starts an advertisement for a Nike art director.
And that’s just the beginning of the disruptive postings seen across the Working Not Working UnJobBoard. The company’s co-founder, Justin Gignac, sees this as a shift from advertising the desired skill sets and responsibilities to focusing on personality and culture. “It’s important for companies and job seekers, both freelance and full-time, to get a real sense of each other before taking the plunge,” he says.
Flipping the power dynamic may take some getting used to, but it’s a potential gold mine for candidates and employers alike.