There's a lot of talk about social media in recruitment. A lot of discussion focuses on the likes of Twitter and curious recruiters sign up, post a couple of times then give up and head back to hitting the phones. Twitter can take some time to develop a following big enough to be worth the return. So instead, here's three tips for using social media in recruitment that you can use today.
LinkedIn Answers - LinkedIn has a Q&A section on their site where LinkedIn members can ask questions on a variety of business issues. It's a chance to establish yourself as an expert in your own field. For example you could respond with advice when candidates are looking for advice on which IT qualifications are valued by employers. Or if employers are looking for advice on vetting candidate qualifications. It's a chance to get in front of both candidates and employers. LinkedIn
Blog - Blogging is another great way establish yourself as an expert in your field. You could omment on industry topics or have a weekly advice column for candidates. Either way they're a great way to get in front of potential clients and candidates and they best thing is your posts show up in Google searches. Check out Utah Tech Jobs or Recruiting Nevada for some good examples of recruiters blogging.
Facebook Ads - most people have come across Google ads which tend to be pricey and ineffective. Facebook ads have one cool feature for recruiters - the ability to target users at a certain company. Looking for telecoms gurus? Set a campaign to target BT, Cisco and Nortel employees. You can even advertise by location to further narrow your search down. Best thing is that they're reasonably cheap and get a good response.
It's easy to try the most hyped social media strategy of the month, get disappointing results and give up. There's no one size fits all solution here and there's a lot of noise from so called experts. But with a little patience and perseverance there's a chance for you to exploit opportunities your competitors are not.
If you've had any social media recruitment successes then it'd be good to hear about them.
