Anyone who’s been involved in hiring – from either the candidate, or the recruiting side of things – has at some point encountered a shared frustration: “Why is this so (expletives removed) hard?”

It shouldn’t be.  From what I’m told, it used to be as simple as walking into a store with the help wanted sign in hand and saying you were their new clerk, or going with Uncle Wally to his club and meeting your new boss.  Kind of like a scene from Mad Men, minus the smoldering looks and innuendos.  Granted, those were the days when you’d work at that company until you retired with the gold (likely plated, but still…) watch.  Lower turnover meant companies could spend less time constantly interviewing, and the same went for their employees.

The downside was that you could get stuck – either with a job you hated, or a sub-par employee.  The new economy changed that – for better and for worse.  The upside is mobility.  The downside is… mobility. Constant job posting. Dialing candidate after candidate.  Applicants complaining of black holes when they sent their resumes in.

Soooo…. huzzah for social media. The days of clubby networking meetings, or just walking in the door with that sign in your hand may be gone, but Web 2.0 has brought the best part of that spirit back. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn are returning recruiting back to what it should be: conversations with interesting people about opportunities.  Only the clubs are international, and the meeting rooms are everywhere & can include anyone.

Social clubs on steroids, in other words.