TMP’s selling Facebook Snake Oil
I received a call last week accompanied by an emailed presentation about TMP’s Work With Me Facebook gadget, which after a lengthy conversation and review of the material I am labeling:
“New & improved TMP snake oil“… 2.0 of course
Let’s start with excerpts from the November press release…
“After adding the employer specific application (gadget) to their Facebook profiles, employees will be able to self-select which jobs will be displayed by job category, enabling their friends to view job details and seamlessly apply to positions of interest directly through WORK WITH ME. Employees and corporate recruiters can view real-time click-through metrics to evaluate progress, in addition to receiving candidate referral information that aids in facilitating traditional Employee Referral Programs.”
In short, for a $23,000US annual price tag your employees can add your company jobs to their Facebook profile page and make them available to their friends. The pay-off is IF one of their friends applies to a job through the Work With Me gadget on their Facebook profile they could receive an employee referral cash bonus.
Bonus? This unproven product should be a FREE bonus for clients who are already spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, maybe more, with TMP.
“One of TMP’s goals is to help our clients embrace and implement innovative, interactive strategies,” stated Michelle Abbey, president and CEO of TMP Worldwide. Did you notice the word “EFFECTIVE” is absent? Freudian?
At the end of the day, this is just another vendor who is focusing more on the Whiz Bang and not the best BANG for a clients buck. TMP just needs to refocus on client needs and get away from islands and avatars.
Chad,
I am standing and applauding this post. All show and no go is what I see here. Excellent! Thanks for telling it like it is.
In a similar vein but not social media, ATS providers are continually repackaging the same old stuff and selling it as a breakthrough, innovative, more productive etc. without really changing the game or giving recruiters a strong recruiting tool.
Michael Homula
Thanks Michael…
I truly believe ATS providers are pulled in millions of different directions by the multitude of clients. It’s easy to blame them, although the companies who are constantly demanding more customizations and provide continuous Scope Creep are just a guilty.
Hi Chad,
Thanks for your perspective on TMP’s facebook application!
Many employees have extensive online networks, and facebook applications and blog widgets give employers the ability to make their jobs content portable, allowing them to leverage distribution channels outside of their career site and job boards.
I understand your push-back on price and certainly the reference to “whiz bang” when it comes to Second Life given only approx 500k active users, but with 45+ Million active users on a site like facebook, I am interested in why you think facebook applications are snake oil and wouldn’t be an effective channel through which to drive referrals?
Shannon Seery Gude
I guess you like it then Chad.
I fail to see the difference from the existing person employee referral bonus system that most companies have to an online referral bonus except for you get to annoy everyone you know all at once online. Then the next idea for a new scheme might be after you get your online referral bonus from getting all your online Facebook friends to come to your company’s website, then you can maybe sell them tupperware or a good set of steak knives while on Facebook too. And just like when you do all this type of stuff in person with your offline friends they really appreciate it and find it actually quite endearing to be hearing a sales pitch coming from their so called friends?
Give TMP a call about the Tupperware idea, they may take you up on it…
Hilarious Joe.. Thanks for stopping by - Chad