Recruitfest
On September 23 and 24, I’m going to be in Toronto for the second annual Recruitfest. It’s the Recruitingblogs.com conference event. It’s unlike any other get together in the HR – Recruiting – Talent Development industry. A regular review of the Recruitfest facebook page will give you some idea of what’s in store.
Most conferences, inside and outside of the industry follow the same old formula. You’re either a presenter or you’re the audience. Even the less structured unconferences have a hard time with no prescription the dynamic. The idea that authority figures have the answers is nearly hard wired. If that’s what you’re looking for, Recruitfest is the wrong place to find it.
The essential idea at Recruitfest is that we are our own best teachers.
The people who lead ‘tracks’ at Recruitfest are there to facilitate a conversation, not to pontificate and spew expertise. In a web world, the difference between ‘expert’ and ‘not-expert’ is less distinct than it is on TV.
It turns out that you can learn more in a conversation.
The “I’m the teacher and you’re not” model has its uses. If you’re brand new to an arena, it’s easier for a one way conversation (lecture style) to be useful. Boot camp, Introductory seminars, deep technical training and familiarization with precise procedure are all useful circumstances for a top down form of education.
Pontification (fortunately for me) also has its place. Strong opinions with substantive underpinnings can provoke extremely interesting conversations. Many people use stong opinions from others as a way of testing thier own thinking. When focused opinion and theory are delivered properly, they enable others to think for themselves about issues they might have missed.
But, at Recruitfest, the idea is conversation in a community context. We learn together because we like learning and we like being together. Any of the tracks at Recruitfest could begin with the phrase ‘for your consideration’.
Even the Animal Radio Show, which will no p be broadcast live from the event, is about clarity of thought. Over the years, the Recruiting Animal has perfected a confrontational style of engagement that is both rigorous and entertaining. It is unlike anything else in the industry.
There is a generational difference at work. Take a look at the Recruitfest Facebook Page. What you’ll find is a ton of grassroots promotion by Gen X and Gen Y practitioners. It’s not your father’s Recruiting Conference.
Here’s why you should come to Toronto for the 2009 Recruitfest.
The essence of Recruiting in the future is collaborative relationships among people who share a worldview and business objectives. It’s not going to be a recreation of Recruiting the way your grandfather did it. It’s going to be all digital, non-hierarchical friendly and laid back. Recruitfest is an example of an event that’s designed to practice what it preaches.
