Social Media for Recruiters – Part 1
Posted by Katia on 01 May 2008 at 02:14 pm | Tagged as: Social Media
Everyone I know is involved in some social network in one way or another, whether it is blogging, YouTube, Facebook, Myspace or LinkedIN. Social Media is reaching gigantic proportions and its high time companies jump on the bandwagon because if you don’t, you will be left behind.
Any industry can benefit from the social media revolution and recruitment is no exception.
Society as we know it is changing rapidly and recruiter’s behavior are changing with it. The latest trends in online social networking are not a fad, they are here to stay, all the more reason to watch your step as it’s a tricky territory, and reputation is everything.
Many recruiters have started to discover the possibilities of social networking sites as a source of tracking down new talent. A passive way to find potential employees that may not be looking for a new position now but may be an ideal candidate in the future. The search is never over and if you lift your brand awareness to level where they will contact you first, that is extremely important.
As well as helping with the search for talent, social networking sites can also give your company an influential medium to increase brand awareness as well as a platform in which you can interact more personally with your target market.
There are always threats, but that is a part of the territory, threats like those that Facebook brings can be twisted around to your advantage. If someone has something important to say about the company, it’s important you know about it. It’s how you handle the criticism and controversy that is important.
You need to ensure that your website and all your interactions deliver the maximum value to your target market. You can do this by incorporating great content, podcasts, employer videos, CV and career support, training opportunities, as well as sector and interesting and informative industry news.
The key is maintaining a position of authority as opposed to giving the perception of a sales person. If people feel like they are being sold to, they will not return. And it is the same within your online social networking community. Candidates have got to trust your company, transparency is critical.
There is so much to learn about how to interact with social media and there is no rule book that illustrates how you should be dealing in this experimental arena. For recruiters, the challenge is to take responsibility for helping clients build, manage and defend their employer brand online, as well as find the most effective ways to use such tools to differentiate themselves so they are not left behind.
“Recruiters must create responsibility for regularly checking key environments and using web tools such as Google Alerts for automatic monitoring,” recommends Harrison. “They must demonstrate that they are listening to the online conversation.”
Vigilance is a key to the success of your brand when it comes to any social media activity, from the start it is important to realise that managing your own online brand, or your client’s brand, needs dedicated time and resources. You need more than a fabulous profile on Facebook!
For starters, a blog is the best place to kick off the drive. It’s a platform where you can attain great levels of engagement and profile-raising. In this competitive, candidate-driven market, it can really lift the profile of your company from merely a recruiter to an authority that really knows the industry and has something valuable to offer.
There are several routes that one can take, next time I will talk about how you can use LinkedIn, Podcasts and Industry forums to find great talent and raise your brand awareness. Social Media is extensive and if you combine your efforts online you will reap the greatest rewards, it’s all about doing it efficiently and effectively.
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