Blogging4Jobs

As someone who has worked as a Recruiter I understand how important social media is in finding quality job search candidates. I’ve used tools like chat rooms, online communities, blogs, Twitter, FaceBook, and even internet dating sites to source and place candidates.  As a blogger, I have used Blogging4Jobs, my blog to develop an online personal and business brand that has provided me with a solid reputation in my industry as well as landing a handful of clients who found me and reached out after reading my posts and content. The Human Resource industry has been slow to adapt and understand the new media world. Since not all HR professionals are Recruiters and vice-versa, job seekers are at an advantage and a disadvantage at the same time.

Think of recruiters are salespeople who are in the business of finding people for companies they either work for as employees or as third party agencies who search and find candidates most often on behalf of companies they represent. Human Resource professionals are more analytical personalities who are focused on policy, procedure, technologies like payroll and application systems, as well as legal concerns with protecting the company in mind. Most HR professionals do not like recruiting, work in recruiting or if they do, are not passionate about the process. To them it’s a means to an end. I like to think that I am the exception to the rule and have worked in and understand both.

The good news is that according to EMarketer, the tides when it comes to HR and social media are changing. A recent survey regarding HR Executives found that HR Professionals spend an average of 3.77 hours per week for work purposes. About one half of respondents reported that a social media helped their brand and made them more valuable as a job candidate.

This change in thought from HR Executives and business leaders makes personal branding even more important than it ever was before. As you continue to grow and build relationships and your personal brand, companies are becoming more aware of its value and seeking out influencers and thought leaders either internally within their own organizations or externally and often using social media networks and communities. This also makes managing your online and personal brands strategically and targeting your audience, content, and touches more critical in your future job and career success.

Photo Credit Looking Glass & EMarketer.

By nature it seems that the HR and Recruiting community is very social.  We like to have a good time and sometimes we like to take those online connections offline at events, unconferences, or tweetups (twitter meetups).  It’s nice to have a beer with a social media someone who in many ways you know better than your sister or co-workers through their tweets, facebook, and blog.  Even if you can’t make it to the unofficial SXSW tweetup, I still encourage you to attend one in your local area.  It’s a great way to see social media in action and how building online connections build your brand and grow your business.

So it’s with great pleasure that I invite you to the “Unofficial” SXSW Tweetup this Friday in Austin, TX beginning at 7:30 PM at Garridos Restaurant 360 Nueces St. Apt. 10, a five minute walk from the Austin Convention Center.

The event is not limited to only HR and Recruiting peeps but anyone who has an interest in meeting fun people who are attendees of the South by Southwest Interactive and Music conferences.  We’re also looking for sponsors to cover the cost of food and drink so if you’re a sponsor and interested in being held in high regard by 80 social media influencers in attendance, you know who to call.

As for the tweetup, I ask that you register first so that I have an accurate count for the restaurant.  And if you’re at the conference, send me a tweet and let’s hook up.  I’ll be in Austin from this Thursday thru Tuesday.

I certainly enjoyed my visit to London to attend the TRU London conference.  As someone who has a background and a love of culture and anthropology (my undergrad is in Anthro.), I love to soak up the people, the places, the culture, and nuisances of wherever I am traveling at the moment.

What I have found and always loved is that the British language is so enjoyable and endearing.  And because of this and just my love of the Brits, I’ve compiled a top 10 list of my favorite British sayings or words that have caught my attention over the last week.

As I’m learning more about the language there are different meanings associated depending on your tone and intent.  The same is true for the United States version of English Language but things can be quickly be taken out of context.  Some words when said a certain way are extremely vulgar and mean different things.  While I’d love to go into more detail specifically, this blog must remain a PG rated show for the purposes of the audience.  However, if you are interested in learning more about what exactly I mean, give me a shout, and I’ll fill you in.

1. Bonny. My friend, @lasanto who lives outside of London in a beautiful Victorian home that he is currently renovating used bonny to describe someone’s laugh as bonny.
2. Dodgy. As in the context of Bill’s hair who was in need of a good cut.  It just sounds fun and makes me laugh.  Dodgy.
3. Pikey. Meaning trashy and the Irish not necessarily an assumed connection in the states.  Where do they get this stuff?
4. Bloody. As in absolbloodylutely which according to my TRU London friends is a word.  Love it especially over beers among friends at the pubs.  It just screams British.
5. Would you Adam and Eve it? Meaning would you believe it.  I thought this one was particularly interesting.
6. Ankle Biter. Also known as a child.  In the States, we associate an ankle biter with small breeded dogs.
7. Bacon Sarnie. My love of bacon comes to London.  This is a bacon sandwich.  Those of us in the HR space appreciate our affinity and obsession for bacon.  No unconference can be complete without some sort of bacon reference.
8. Billy No Mates. Has no friends.  Certainly not the case at this unconference.
9. Bacon Butty. Another name for the bacon sandwich.  Man, I love England!
10. Cheap as Chips. As in inexpensive and cheap.  Loving this saying.

Is there something I left off the list?  Let me know. . . Cheerio!

Photo Credit Cantuar.

Geolocation systems seem to be on every social media expert’s mind these days.  Like any new technology, geolocation is an interesting and untested tool that I believe can be used as a way to further strengthen your company’s brand, drive consumers to your multiple locations, and as well as a great way to inexpensively market your business.  For the technology challenged, geolocation is the identification of the real-world geographic location of an Internet-connected computer, mobile device, website visitor or other. IP address geolocation data can include information such as country, region, city, postal/zip code, latitude, longitude and timezone.

I, myself have been toying with iPhone mobile geolocation applications like Gowalla and Four Square, learning how to navigate the systems while finding ways to leverage them for talent and recruiting purposes.  These tools while still in their infancy have a lot of potential for a new way in which to engage a different candidate audience while being to text, email, or call a connection while learning about their current interests, hangouts, and activities that these users devote their time and attention to.

For a recruiter who uses these tools, geolocation mobile applications can do the following:

• Provide you with candidate information beyond the basic resume and online profile.Learn about a user’s circle of influence and travel throughout a city.  (Especially helpful if you are recruiting within a large metro area.)

• Both applications notify your approved friends within the network of your whereabouts as well as providing the option to automatically update on Twitter and Facebook.  This could be helpful in using google and bing to search these networks and targeting your geolocation search.

• Develop strategies as to target certain areas your target candidate pool frequents.  Maybe there is a particular coffee shop or networking group that Audio Visual Engineers frequently visit during lunch or after hours.

• A method in which to learn and possibly disqualify candidates.  Like any online profile candidates often post inappropriate and incriminating information.

• Alert candidates to job openings within certain locations in the metro by including your contact information embedded within the location.  New founders of a location that has not been discovered by users can be customized to promote a service, location, or products.

Some concerns that can and will hold recruiters back from using these new tools as a recruiting source:

• It’s messy, time consuming and hard to search.  Gowalla offers a more robust search option allowing you to view locations by city and zip code.  Four Square does not.

• Not everyone is embracing this new technology outside of tech nuts and social media enthusiasts.

Geolocation applications are a hot topic in 2010.  I’m excited to see how professionals both inside and outside of recruiting will begin to use them to generate and grow their business.  Early adapters who develop strategies to leverage these new tools will be the clear winners as the race for talent continues to heat up while money conscious businesses look for ways to lower overall recruiting and business costs.

Photo Credit Antikewl

**This post is being featured on CruiterTalk as part of the 2010 Talent Carnival.  A special thanks to Ryan Leary.

The recession in the UK has understandably made the HR job-seeker’s endeavour significantly more difficult than in times of plenty, but the current challenge appears to be even greater as a result of certain dubious and shoddy practices within the recruitment industry.

The shop-window for HR jobs in the UK largely consists of either printed media in the form of People Management journal (the official publication of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) and its rival magazine Personnel Today, or the overwhelming and increasingly confusing choice of online media.

To use the present week as an example; People Management magazine carries a mere 23 job adverts (22 of which are in public sector or Not-for-Profit organisations) whereas its online service carries an initially staggering 709.  Although many UK local councils have yet to fully embrace the use of online advertising, and cling to more traditional practices of lengthy handwritten application forms, it stills seems difficult to believe that there are so many more HR jobs out there in the private sector.

But the basic evidence would at least lead one to believe that the online service is the place for the HR job-seeker to concentrate on.

Or is it?

During the last week I have seen at least two online job adverts (by agencies of varying size and reputation) where they are advertising vacancies for hiring organisations, perhaps not without the permission of the organisation, but where it has been made perfectly clear to the agency that any CVs that are submitted will only be reviewed once the in-house campaign has run its course. If the in-house campaign is successful, no CVs will be requested from the agency.

So, any application submitted to the agency rather than the hiring organisation is likely to be a total waste of time and effort.

In addition to this structural confusion, the recruitment consultancy sector is now facing mounting criticism for a lack of basic customer care to applicants. Sadly, it’s not unusual for a candidate to be approached by an agency suggesting that they may wish to apply for a particular role, for the candidate to even progress to interview stage, but subsequently to receive no feedback whatsoever from the agency. Understandably, recruitment agencies are finding themselves on the receiving end of vitriolic criticism from aggrieved candidates. Basic customer care and contact are becoming noticeable by their absence.

It would seem reasonable to assume that in the scrabble for the few genuine recruitment assignments that that are out there, rival agencies are indulging in whatever practices they feel are necessary in order to elbow their way to the front of the queue. Unfortunately, it is often HR job-seekers who are injured in the rush. It’s even more unfortunate that the injured HR job-seekers will in the not-too-distant future be those who award the recruitment contacts in their new organisations, and with such incidents fresh in their minds, the lack of professionalism will be the undoing of many a recruitment consultant

The end of the recession may hopefully be in sight in the UK, but if recruitment agencies are to benefit from the growth in jobs, there’s a lot of activity to be undertaken to put their house in order.

Graham Salisbury is our guest blogger and originally trained as a teacher and acquired his battle scars in the official “School From Hell” – the UK’s worst performing school!  A jump from the frying pan into the fire took him into the turbulent world of HR, where he worked as a senior HR Manager for some of the best known companies in the UK.

Graham is  currently in the process of establishing a new career on the boundary between HR and Education, working with schools and universities, particularly in the area of Business Studies and Hunan Resource Management. My HR Case Studies website is being developed to provide a pool of resource material, HR Case Studies and discussion starters for teachers of Business Studies.

Photo Credit Rainy Day in London.

Just this past September ERE held there Expo in Florida.  One of the key speakers for the Expo was Mike Grennier of Walmart.  Now, I didn’t get to go to the Expo but because all my “friends” were sending back copious twitpics about how much fun it was I decided that I had better watch the stream from the Expo.  During Mike’s speech he made an off-the-cuff remark that maybe instead of Recruiting reporting to HR, HR should report to Recruiting.  I got thinking about that idea and pretty soon it started to sound pretty good to me.  By now you’re likely thinking “this dude is a power tripping maniac”, right.  Well I’m not tripping here, but I do think there’s some validity to this argument.  So without further ado, or disclaimer, here’s why I think HR should report to Recruiting.

Number one reason, HR is a cost centre, sorry, it’s the absolute truth.  Agreed good HR practices are good for the business, but all those policies, training etc, they all cost money.  Recruiting however, brings money into the business.  This is no better illustrated than when we work in consulting environments.  We bring in top talent, those folks get deployed on contracts, they bill, therefore the business makes more money (pretty simple).  Here’s where it get’s even funkier, we start to up the talent quotient, we bring in a diversity of talent.  All of a sudden the business can start charging more margin on the consultants, and hey, maybe they are really smart people and they start to develop new offerings that the business can sell to differentiate themselves in the market.  BAM, we’ve provided real value to our business right.  OK, well, now your thinking Geoff, that’s great for a consulting business but what if it’s not that kind of environment.  Well, we still affect any businesses ability to produce their product.  Even in a strictly automated factory setting a certain amount of human capital is required.  If those folks are not in place, the process becomes slowed or in some cases stalled thus directly impacting the viability of said business.  My point is, we (Talent Acquisition or Recruiting) bring the Talent in the door, and in most businesses that alone would put the Recruiting function at the top of the pecking order.  Hey, again, HR has an important role to play in nurturing that talent (if they choose to), but most often Recruiting is impacted by the performance of HR, so maybe we should be driving the process.

Number two reason, Recruiting understands Marketing and Branding and Social Media so much better than the HR community.  First let me address Marketing and Branding, on a daily basis Recruiting speaks with your customers.  That’s right folks, all those folks we interview, they are not just potential employees, they are also your customers.  During those interviews we come away with a very good sense of what people think about your company.  If it’s all-good, we can help you capitalize on the market intelligence that we gather on a daily basis.  If it sucks, well, we can help to make it better by identifying what messages are actually out there about your company.  Today’s HR is more focused on internal movement, policies and processes.  They are not as outward looking as Recruiting is, so once again they limit themselves in their ability to make true impacts on the business….just keeping it real here folks.

And here’s the part that really gets my shorts in a knot.  Recruiting has been talking about Social Media for a long time, at least as long as Facebook and Myspace has been around.  While certain sectors of our profession are still asking “is it a fad” most of us agree that Social Media is here to stay.  So because we’re always so concerned about the best way to engage talent, we’ve started to build talent communities, we are following people on Twitter, we are starting Fanpages on Facebook, we are building talent pools and puddles to better attract the brightest and best to your companies.  So here’s where it gets interesting.  What if Mr. or Mrs. CEO we took those concepts and turned them around to your customers.  We (Recruiting) all ready know what they are saying about you, we already have the data about where they are hanging out on the internet and in Social Media.  And we’ve been working in this world long enough to know how not to f*&^k it up royally.  Now let’s turn that knowledge into a way to really help you break into markets that you may have never played in…to bring people to you that previously you hadn’t had the chance to engage with.  Sadly HR seems primarily focused (and sometimes Marketing and Legal) on limiting the liability of using Social Media.  In most cases that means shutting it down all together, basically telling employees that as an organization we don’t trust you.  You Mr. or Mrs. CEO are therefore put in a situation where you’re shutting your door to untapped markets because you are afraid of what people are going to be saying about you.   As Recruiters we can tap you in on a little secret —- they are saying it anyways.  Your customers as we speak are tweeting about you, blog posts are being written about you, and Facebook folks are leaving comments on each other’s walls about you.  At the very least turn to your Recruiting teams and ask them to generate some data about what is being said, because they know how.

My third and last point, I think Recruiters are more fun…now I’ve known some (a few) fun HR folks, but most of them seem stressed out, worried and overworked.  Recruiters though, we know how to party.  Now wouldn’t you want to work for the fun people, I know that I do.  And the Recruiters that I work with well – they are “off the chart”.

So next time you look at your org structure, just think…who should report to who…for a little fun, challenge yourself.  Because that’s Radical.

Guest blogger, Geoff Webb has more than 20 years experience in recruiting and is a Social Recruiter and Master Sourcer who loves social media and also calls Toronto, Canada, home with his two girls.  Geoff is an avid contributor to Recruiting Blogs, the largest online recruiting community.  You can find Geoff on Twitter, @radicalrecruit or visit his blog, Radical Recruitment.

As we begin to see the rays of sunshine begin to shine through the gloom and doom of the economy and the economic recession, it’s important to remember that change is near.  This addition of the Carnival of HR highlights Talent Management and the focus on the current and future economies.  With so many great submissions concerning Talent Management, we look to highlight some of the best HR, training, and recruiting minds in the industry today.

But first to know where we’re going, we need to know where we’ve been.

• Mick Collins with Info HRM looks at the year in review with What a Year.
• Melissa Prusher of Devon Group with 10 Minutes with Lisa Rowan gives us some insight on the economic rebound.
• Sharlyn Lauby of HR Bartender with a post on Ethics reminding us its important not to always run with the herd regardless of the economy.

And as the economy improves and the inevitable turnover churn begins, bloggers discuss the important of engagement.

• Melanie Quinn of Capture ISG with 5 Reasons Why You Need Employee Surveys.
• Jennifer V. Miller & Lisa Rosendahl team up with a dual post on Mentoring.  Lisa’s post is  A Mentoring Frame of Mind while Jennifer brings a different point of view with The Sweet Spot of Mentoring.
• Jon Ingham with Strategic HCM further explores employee engagement and disects my own post in Developing Social Capital.

Employee engagement and reducing turnover starts from the top down and bottom up.

• Wally Bock from Three Star Leadership bring us Leadership without Position.
• The HR Store encourages others to go bold or go home with, Feedback and Performance Management Reviews.
• Amit Bhagria, of Young HR Manager outlines the steps involved in Performance Consulting and One Step Beyond Training & Development.
• Vishveshwar Jatain of Benify inspires us to do more with 6 Offbeat Ways to Beat Attrition and Improve Retention.

The changing face of HR is key in the financial, corporate recovery, and rebirth.

• Trisha McFarland of HR Ringleader with “Re-Branding HR.”
• Mark Stelzner of Inflexion Advisors and his post, Mad Men and the Future of HR.
• Cathy Martin of Profitability Through Human Capital with HR Rock Stars.
• Gireesh Kumar Sharma of Talent Junction reminds us that HR’s Role is Critical in Terminations.

And for those of us who are the more than 16 million looking for work or those who are considering jumping into the job search, our HR Carnival experts offer some great advice.

• Laurie Ruettiman of Punk Rock HR and Interviews, Unemployment and the Cloud.
• BP Rao of People at Work and Play discusses the social media platform Linkedin with India-Big Market on LinkedIn.
• Ken Klaus of Talent Apps grabbed my attention offering expert advice on engagement and choice with The Da Vinci Conundrum.

Or for those that are looking for those that are looking for more. . .opportunities, more hours in the day, and more fun at work.

• Dan McCarthy of Great Leadership warns us with Head’s Up Your About to be Promoted or Fired.
• i4CP and their post Uncovering the Secrets to Higher Productivity by Mark Vickers.
• Drew Tarvin of Humor that Works reminds us that laughter is the best medicine with 101 Ways to Create Humor at Work.

A special thanks to our contributors, HR Minion our humble carnival ring leader as well as the opportunity to host the Carnival.  Look for the next Carnival of HR on October 14th hosted by Strategic HCM.

Talent Management is changing and forward-thinking companies must begin preparing for the changing job market.  Over the last several weeks, the news publications and news networks have begun reporting positive changes in the economic markets.  The Globe and Mail reported last week, that as the economy improves, we will see a “W” shaped recovery.   A W shaped recovery has a large dip which we have already experienced, followed by a rise, and follow by another dip before we return to a stable and improving economic environment.  According to EconomyWatch there are almost as many alphabet letters as potential economic recovery scenarios from V, W, U, S, and L.  Being an optimist, a realist, and not an economist, I believe what we are currently experiencing is a V recovery although slow.  And based on my non-economic assumptions and research, my belief is that in Q2 of 2010 we will begin to see the job market drastically changing.

In this recession, employees were thrust into the job search as collateral damage from corporate cost cutting strategies.  Candidates were forced to take lesser positions resulting in lower salaries and benefits in order to feed their families and survive.  As the economy being to improve and positions are added, these job seekers will re-enter the marketplace often with short tenures at their previous companies in search of increased benefits, flexibility, and compensation.  Job hopping and gaps in employment won’t be near as important factors in considering candidates as previously.  As successful business leaders, we must consider the following to compete in the changing job market and consider employee retention and recruiting strategies in this new economy.

• Poll our employees. These high performing and under paid employees who either entered the workforce after being restructured or laid off will be in high demand.  Determining what is most important is extremely crucial to lessening and planning for increased turnover.  As American’s have spent less, what’s important has changed.  Do not assume that salary is most important, scheduling, benefits, and personal development are also motivating factors in ensuring employee retention.  SurveyMonkey offers a low cost way to survey your employees and determine their wants, needs, and desires for as little as $200 a year.
• Seek feedback. It’s one thing to survey current employees to determine what’s important.  It’s another to actually have a conversation either in a group setting or individually to dialogue and learn more.  Host meetings with your teams, be open, and allow them to speak freely about what’s important.  Employees who feel valued and empowered are much more productive than those that are managed by fear.  They are also less likely to leave their current company.
• Take action. All the meetings and surveys in the world can’t convince employees that you mean business.  Develop an action plan based on their input and over communicate your plans as well as your reasoning behind them.  In my experience, sometimes the smallest things can make a difference.  Be creative in your actions and make decisions with your employee demographic in mind.  Adding a $500 gaming system to your break room can be a difference maker to Gen Y employees while offering financial and newspaper magazine subscriptions can appeal to the Boomer and more traditionalist generations.
• Follow Up. Communicate, communicate, and communicate some more.  Follow up with your staff quarterly being open to recommended changes and feedback along the way.  Yes, following up takes work, but so does interviewing and training new employees.  How do you want to spend your time in 6 months after losing over half your staff to new opportunities?
• Build a Candidate Pipeline. Not every employee is motivated by gaming systems and magazine subscriptions.  Being reaching out and building relationships with performers in positions and industries you may be interested in recruiting over the next 6-12 months.  Develop a strategy to engage these potential candidates as a way to seek out referrals and develop a brand within your industry niche.  You don’t have to spend a lot of money to host a networking event, pick up the phone, or work with your local university.  As we have seen in the rise of social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and FaceBook, it’s the relationship that matters.

Recruitfest, the official “unconference” Day 1 has officially come to an end. Here are some highlights in my humble opinion.

• Jenny’s DeVaughn’s social media discussion was packed full of great information for beginners and advanced social media users.  She discussed the importance of being genuine while being yourself on sites like FaceBook, Twitter, and MySpace.  Use websites like complete.com, twittergrader.com, twitteranalyzer.com, and hubspot.com to manage your social media ROI.  Jenny recommends that new users to Twitter focus on 10 topics to build your brand, and I wholeheartedly agree.  I was particularly intrigued by Starbucks’ virtual job tryout for company store management positions.  (Look for a blog post with more in depth information soon.)  Be sure to follow Jenny on Twitter @jennydevaughn.

• Julia Stone & Jerry Albright‘s discussion covered a variety of topics from recruiting industries and specialties to requisition forms, and establishing a structure and process when recruiting for both candidates and clients.   Great dialogue between third party recruiters like @Animal and Dave Perry as well as internal corporate recruiters and staffing agencies.  You can follow Jerry on Twitter @Jerry_Albright and Julie @bizwerkerjulia.

• My final discussion was led by Bill Boorman.  He discussed the importance of tactics and talent focusing on candidate relationships regardless of if they result in placements, referrals, or future potential placements.  Bill also discussed the importance of preparing for the changing job market in the next 12-18 months as the economy changes and evolves.  He recommends showing value to your current client base by providing them candidate reporting including the amount of time and work invested whether or not you make a placement.  You can follow Bill on Twitter @billboorman.  Some video of Bill’s discussion is below.  Take a look and leave a comment.

Looking forward to more great discussions with attendees later this evening and tomorrow.

Check out the article below and see my quotes!

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Jon Jordan got a weird feeling recently when he interviewed a candidate for a sales and marketing position.

The applicant’s claim of double-digit sales at another company didn’t parallel with that company’s turbulent history. “It didn’t match up,” says Jordan, founder of Atlantic Business Technologies, a Raleigh, N.C. web development and marketing firm with 30 employees.

He went on LinkedIn and found a connection in the applicant’s network to verify his suspicions. The claim “was completely false,” says Jordan, 30. The applicant didn’t get the job.

Jordan’s not the only one cruising social networking sites during the hiring process. A June Jump Start Social Media survey of 100 hiring managers at small, mid-size and large companies found 75 percent go to LinkedIn to research job candidates before making a job offer, while 48 percent check out Facebook and 26 percent go to Twitter. When asked where they find talent for job openings, 66 percent said LinkedIn, 23 percent said Facebook and 16 percent said Twitter.

Social media sites have become an integral piece of the hiring puzzle; it’s how to leverage these sites most effectively as a recruiting tool that has companies scrambling. These sites are low-cost or free to join, but it takes time and effort to make them truly useful.

“Most companies aren’t doing enough,” says Veronica Fielding, president of Jump Start Social Media. “They think there’s an ROI that’s got to be associated with it immediately.”

Other companies are still trying to wrap their heads about the whole idea of social media. When Oklahoma City-based HR consultant Jessica Miller-Merrell gave a talk about social media at an HR conference this spring, some people asked her how to use “Tweeter,” while others believed social media was the domain of marketing and Generation Y, not the HR department.

“Most of the HR people there [were] not seeing the value yet,” says Miller-Merrell, who blogs about the social media/HR axis on her site, BloggingForJobs.blogspot.com.

On the other end of the spectrum are entrepreneurial firms like New York City’s 5W Public Relations, which is seeing a big payoff from its social media recruiting efforts. The 75-employee firm has a LinkedIn profile, a company Facebook page, a blog and a Twitter account with hundreds of followers. Founder Ronn Torossian, 34, posts job openings to Twitter and recently recruited a great hire with way. He’s recruited other employees through Facebook. “I think social media absolutely does work to help recruit [new hires],” he says.

Atlantic Business Technologies posts job openings on Twitter that direct applicants to the company website and the company’s Facebook page. Its LinkedIn profile offers a company overview and employee profiles. Jordan likes taking the company’s job openings viral on Twitter by “re-tweeting”– that is, having his followers spread the word to their followers. “Many times it just takes a couple of ‘re-tweets’ to get potential candidates to review the job description,” he says. “Facebook and LinkedIn are great for networking and Twitter is better for broadcasting.”

Twitter is more than a form of microblogging; it’s also a real-time search engine. Miller-Merrell suggests using hash tags that designate a topic (i.e. #jobs) and simplify Twitter searches. “You can actually search for ‘#jobs’ and use advanced options to sort or narrow it down by zip code,” she says. Sites like TweetMyJobs.com and Jobshouts.com will let you post job openings that are fed over to Twitter. For best results, balance your marketing with links and trendy insights that position your brand as a valuable part of the Twitter community, Fielding says.

How to Build a Social Media Strategy
This downturn is a great time to develop a social media recruiting strategy if your company doesn’t have one yet. Here are some basic tips for getting started:

Analyze your staffing needs. What kinds of jobs will you fill over the next year, and which social media sites will get you in front of your target applicants? If you run a small grocery, your potential workers are on the more casual Myspace and Facebook. If you need a director of sales, LinkedIn is a better bet.

Start where you’re comfortable. Some sites will feel more intuitive to you, and that’s fine. Dedicate 15 minutes to your favorite social media site a few times a week until you’ve got it down, and then branch out. Learn how other entrepreneurs use social media sites for recruiting, and don’t be embarrassed to ask other members on these sites for shortcuts as you’re learning them.

Remember your manners. Would you walk into a networking event full of people you don’t know and tell them to find the perfect applicant for you ASAP? Of course not; that would be rude. The same manners apply in cyberspace. Join some groups on social media sites and participate actively for awhile before you ask members to forward your job listings and so on. Good manners and common sense give people a good vibe about you, and your company.

Don’t do too little, but don’t do too much. Some candidates might think your company is in the dark ages if its social profile is too low, while others might get intimidated–even suspicious–if your company seems to be everywhere, all the time. Ponder the right level of exposure as you position your company.

Be consistent and responsive. Make sure employees have a uniform way of describing the company on these sites so job seekers aren’t confused, Fielding says. Designate an employee to check the company’s social media pages daily, too. If a customer posts a message to your company’s Facebook page saying the company is unresponsive, you’ll only further this perception if the complaint goes unanswered for weeks.

Realize that it’s a long-term commitment. Don’t expect a quick ROI from your social media efforts. It takes six months minimum to build relationships with people on social media sites “and that’s if you are hardcore,” Miller-Merrell says. Be patient, stick with it and be prepared to make a few mistakes as you poke around these sites.

What you do now will put you miles ahead of your main competitors in finding the right hires when the economy picks up. “If you don’t have good people, you don’t have a good product,” Jordan says. These days, you can’t have a good recruiting strategy without a good grasp of social media, either.

Chris Penttila is a freelance journalist whose work has also appeared in The Costco Connection, Oregon Business magazine, QSR Magazine, TheStreet.com and other publications. She lives in the Chapel Hill, N.C. area and chronicles workplace issues on her blog, Workplacediva.blogspot.com.

The South Oklahoma City Chamber Presents:

“Media Mix-a-Lot: Using traditional media in conjunction with online social networking to promote your business” featuring Jessica Miller-MerrellApril 8th from 9:00 am-11:00 am or 1:00 pm-3:00 pm
John Massey Center
11919 South I-44 Service Road
Oklahoma City, OK 73173
Visit http://www.southokc.com/index.asp or contact the South Oklahoma City Chamber to register. (Space is limited to 30 per session) “Social Media & Recruiting:” presented by Jessica Miller-MerrellApril 17th from 9:00 am-4:30 pm
Will Rogers Theater
4322 N. Western Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK
Visit http://www.okace.org/ to register.Interested in having Jessica Miller-Merrell speak at one of your events? Email me directly at jessica@xceptionalhr.com.

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The OkACE Conference Presents

HR & Recruiting Professionals: Please take a short 13 question survey to help those in the job search.

Click Here to take survey

Results will be discussed in future blog posts to come and shared with HR professionals and job seekers alike.

Happy Hunting!

Jessica

Who’s Who in Recruiting? Learn the job search lingo. See below.

Headhunter

A Headhunter is an independent recruiter whose client is a company that’s searching for candidates for a certain job. Some Headhunters specialize in searches for high-level executives, while others specialize in specific professions or industries.
A Headhunter working for a “contingency fee” only gets paid by the client company when the search is completed and the candidate is hired by the company. There may be many Headhunters involved in the search for a candidate to fill that position, but only the Headhunter who finds the candidate that’s hired will be paid. A Headhunter working on “retainer” is usually the only Headhunter involved in the search and gets part of their payment from the client company at the beginning of the search. Contingency or retained fees may range from 25–50% of the hired candidate’s first annual salary. A Headhunter may recruit at job fairs but usually relies on other methods. It’s important to remember that the Headhunter is working for the company—not for the candidate.

Recruiter

A Recruiter works for the company that’s hiring, usually in the Human Resources office. He or she is responsible for identifying and recruiting candidates for certain positions within that company and receives a regular salary—though they may receive bonuses for filling positions, that’s not their only compensation. Recruiters often work at career/job fairs. Many Headhunters call themselves Recruiters, so it’s important to ask who they work for and how they’re compensated.

Career Counselor

A Career Counselor helps their Client to assess their professional abilities, identify their career goals, and explore their career options. Counseling usually requires face-to-face interaction, and the work is directed internally at the Client. Counseling often involves several sessions, with the cost ranging from $50–$150 per hour. The Counselor may encourage and support the Client during his job search, but the Counselor doesn’t aid in the actual search.

Career Coach

A Career Coach helps their Client attain their career goals. Like a mentor, the Coach motivates and challenges the Client, urging them to action. Coaching focuses on the Client’s external goals and may require more time than counseling. The Coach helps the Client create an action plan to achieve their goals. Sometimes coaching doesn’t require personal interaction between the Coach and the Client and can be done by telephone or e-mail. While a Coach may ask their Client to sign a contract, they’re usually paid hourly, and may charge from $100 to $200 per hour.
The Coach may teach résumé writing and interview techniques, as well as other job search skills, but the Coach doesn’t usually aid in the actual search.

Here is a recent answer that I provided to someone on LikedIn regarding the changing job market.

Question: With newspapers in a quick decline, where should my students look for internships and jobs?

Free-falling revenues and major cutbacks at many newspapers are a cause for concern for my students at the University of Oklahoma College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Granted, they are learning all types of reporting/editing styles so as to keep up with changing media but some are still looking for that paper clipping to add to their portfolios. I also starting approaching freshman and prospective students with the ideas of getting internships as soon as they could. How should I, as a Career/Internship Coordinator, change my teaching tactics to fit these changes while still providing the 1,700+ students with traditional and changing resources? I’m a firm believer in networking (personal and online social) as well as being connected to various organizations and daily email news feeds to stay current on industry trends.

Answer: I would focus my efforts on networking for not only you but your students as well. They should be attending meetings for professional organizations throughout college and building their contact base. Social networking is also a great route to direct them to as they are already very savy in this department.

Here are some sites that might interest you in the local OKC area: http://www.prsaokc.com/ http://www.greatergrads.com/ You might want to consider students having internships with smaller magazines like the Gazette or Norman Living here locally. This would allow them the opportunity to learn about all areas of journalism-ads, sales, editing, reporting, instead of one. I would love to come and speak to your students more about using social networking both traditional and online to their advantage.

Kind Regards, Jessica