Social networking blog

Ten things you need to be doing in social recruiting to succeed

I am not sure there has been any other subject that has caused as much discussion in the recruiting industry, as social media. Yes there is the continual banter over video CV's, job boards, ATS's and career sites, but social media really gets people going.
Many people I talk to think it is a complete waste of time, and that their recruiters have got better things to do, than build relationships with candidates and clients, that may prove useful in the future. Others, like me, believe it to be an essential part of future recruitment strategies, as the (already) difficult to find talent will get even harder to source in the coming months.
The debate will continue.
In the recruitment sector I am amazed that still not as many people are actually using it for social recruiting as people would think (or would like!). But that doesn't mean it isn't a fantastic recruitment tool.

[Note to recruiters: if you are struggling to find candidates and have not yet tried social media, stop being a Homer and give it a try - it will surprise you! ]
The problem for me is that too many people getting involved think it is easy. Set a Twitter account up, build a Facebook Page or create a YouTube Channel - that really is the easy part.
What about the content strategy, engagement and time committment? Oh yes, maybe add a few objectives and measurement along the way?

For all of you that think social media is just a sales or marketing channel that will bring you instant success, think again! There is so much more to social recruiting (and social media) than just sell, sell, sell. Here are my ten things you need to be doing to make social media work for you in recruitment (in no particular order):

1. Communicate with ALL of your audience, not just candidates
2. Participate in the conversation
3. Learn how others use social media effectively
4. Share your knowledge and insights with your community
5. Help others with questions
6. Educate people about your company
7. Inform candidates about opportunities
8. Entertain your audience - people like to be kept amused
9. Inspire people to want to talk to you and your company further
10. Engage, engage, engage. This is the lifeblood of a successful social media presence.

Now go and take a look at your Twitter stream or Facebook Wall and see if your presence on social media is demonstrating any of these. Especially consider no.10 - is there ANY engagement in your social recruiting activity ....................... didn't think so!

You can always check out my free how to get started using social recruiting guide if you want to make that first step!