So what is a recruiting un-conference I hear you ask?

Well, if a conference is a line-up of speakers who stand at a podium with a powerpoint presentation, talk for 55 mins, take questions for 5 mins and then move on to the next speaker, then an un-conference is the complete opposite of that! First of all, there are no speakers, no presentations, no podiums and no being stuck in your seat for an hour being bored by someone who isn’t relevant to you. Instead, we have track leaders, talent/TA experts whom we have invited to start a conversation around topics that they feel passionately about with people who share that passion.

Tracks? Are we on a train now?

Glad you asked, tracks mean topics, and themes, which are navigated by a track leader, who sets the direction the discussion goes. Track leaders lead a 40-minute “track” on a chosen topic which typically involves participants sitting around in a circle with the track leader opening the discussion with a 5-10 minute background on their topic and then opening the idea/ topic up for discussion within the group. For the rest of the time, anyone can contribute, offer an opinion, ask questions, tell a story or even direct the conversation to a brand new topic!

So track leader is like a key-note speaker?

No, the track leader is not in charge, they moderate, facilitate the discussion, and keep it alive with ideas and questions. Tracks can go off in any direction and often the best insights are offered by the participants themselves, people who perhaps don’t normally get the spotlight at events but who have great insights to offer or just really interesting questions to ask.

Wait a minute, how do those tracks you are talking about work?

So if you now have an idea of what a “track” is, we will have four of them running concurrently at any one time so you get to choose which one is of most interest to you and if you decide to move on to another track at any point, you just get up and wander over to another track or maybe grab a coffee off-line with someone you really want to chat with one-on-one. Our participants regularly end up creating their own mini tracks all day long without even knowing it!

But I’m kinda shy and don’t want to be picked on!

You can contribute as much as you want or merely sit back and take it all in, it’s up to you. I personally love just sitting back and taking it all in, jotting down some ideas and making note of really interesting people that I plan to network with later on. Then again, I’ve been to know to jump in and tell a track leader that I completely disagree with their point of view and let all hell break loose! Those are the really fun tracks!

So is it all just a bit chaotic then?

No, not at all. Each track leader is allocated their time and the next hour of tracks is announced to all as the previous hour is wrapping up. I have started tracks with just two other people and ended up with thirty people by the end of it, you just never know. All we ask is that everyone is respectful of other people’s opinions and to respect that debate drives innovation and ideas, it’s not an argument!

Will there be opportunities to network with track leaders and participants?

Absolutely, that’s the whole idea! You know the bit at other conferences where you chat to people over coffee between speakers and grab a drink with them at the end of the day? That’s what it’s going to be like for afternoon solid!

What can I expect to learn from tru?

If you’re wondering how others in TA and talent do it, what issues are being thought about, from talent pooling to internal mobility to volume hiring, to joining with talent management to create better opportunities for our people?

Want to learn how the big companies and the small companies do it really well or just figure out issues other your peers are also struggling with, then this is the (un)conference for you. In Europe, there were businesses started and software developed at tru. That’s how much effect a tru conference can have on you!

Ok, I’m almost convinced, I’d love to go, but I can’t afford to take a whole day out of my job:

Trust me, this is better than any training you will ever pay for and you will earn the time back tenfold. Come and go as you please, it’s your conference!

 

 

Thanks to Johnny Campbell from Social Talent for these insights based on the #tru events in London and Scotland

 

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