Start Off 2010 Right with a Social Recruiting Checkup

As we begin another year in our recruiting careers, it is time to assess our social recruiting efforts. Here are some tips as you reflect and refocus your online social recruiting goals:

1. Examine your social media footprint. You can start by visiting Pipl.com to see what information exists about you online. If you don’t like the content that is shown, you have an opportunity to immediately change it. Start commenting on blogs of influencers in your industry. Contribute a post to ERE or Recruiting Blogs. Be a part of Twitter conversations to share best practices. Create a Google profile.
   
   
2. Your social media presence should reflect your passions. Reassess your professional goals. It may be time to hire a career coach to help you identify strengths or skills that you are overlooking. Read, Crush It, by Gary Vaynerchuk for inspiration.
   
   
3. Update your avatar. I had the same profile picture for over 6 years, until a close friend suggested that I change it. It is important that your photo shows who you are professionally.
   
   
4. Review your online bios. Due to size restrictions, you will have different versions on Twitter, LinkedIn and your company website. Your bio should reflect what makes you special and different from other recruiters, including critical keywords so that your profile can be found. Is your bio a long-winded press release that no one will take the time to read?
   
   
5. Plan your social media activities after you set specific goals. Social media networks are designed to engage. You may start in LinkedIn searching for an IT candidate and 30 minutes later you wind up in an alumni group looking for old friends. In order to combat this, calendar specific functions. For example, from 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM, reserve time to find 10 qualified candidates for your Java Developer opening.
   
   
6. Change the frequency of your social recruiting activities. Social media never sleeps. How often do you update your Twitter or LinkedIn status? When was the last time you posted something to your company’s Facebook Fan page? Set Outlook reminders to ensure that your communication is consistent to your social media communities.
   
   
7. Keep paying it forward to candidates. Conduct a complimentary webinar for your ideal candidates on a subject that they truly value.  Volunteer to speak or review resumes at job seekers groups, like a career ministry to help those who need recruiting resources now more than ever.
   
   
8. Outline your job notification process. When you get a new opening within your company, how do you promote it to your networks? Is there a standard process based on past recruiting metrics or a random series of posts depending upon how you are feeling that day?
   
   
9. Evaluate your accomplishments on specific platforms. Hopefully, you have been measuring your recruiting activities. Review your past placements. Where did your best referrals and candidates come from? When you are determining which social platforms to focus your resources into this year, don’t believe the hype and the propaganda of biased resources. Your best social recruiting platform may be an internal network from employee referrals or cold calling niche online directories of candidates. Remember that your social recruiting strategy is unique.
   
   
10. Add innovative tools to your social recruiting tool kit. It may be time to reevaluate your career website and the candidate’s experience with your online presence. Maybe you should consider incorporating video, jobcasts, Facebook advertising or an iPhone app for potential candidates. Be sure that any tactical choices support your comprehensive recruiting plan.

In the ever-changing world of social recruiting, there is always room for improvement. Continue to engage with potential talent in new ways and measure your results of each social recruiting campaign. Let’s continue to evolve our social recruiting efforts in 2010!

Comments

[@HRMargo]

You are a supreme example of community stewardship. You pay it forward by offering the free webinars. You give freely of yourself when asked, and you make time to speak with people in transition (like me). You are wicked smart, funny and energizing. I respect and admire you, and that's why I wrote a post about you and your webinar. I hope everyone that reads this endorsement will retain your consulting services. You Rock.
Thank you for helping me along the way.

Sincerely,

@HRMargo Margo Rose http://hrmargo.com

[Jenny DeVaughn]

Thanks so much for your heartfelt comment, Margo. I appreciate your support, including your blog post and wish you all continued success in 2010. Hope to meet you in person at an upcoming recruiting conference.

[Eric Jaquith]

I find that "my" reflecting and focus sometimes need tools to help. I highly recommend a journal instead of blogging to get started. Sometimes your business challenges and personal growth needs to be done offline and then shared with the world at just the right time. I switched to a computer journal 8 years ago and I recommend the Journal.

Good Luck to all in 2010. Thanks for your friendship and terrific writing Jenny,

Eric Jaquith

[Jenny DeVaughn]

Eric, I wish you would turn your professional journal into a book that I could buy! Thanks for your friendship and advice in 2009 and beyond.

[Chris Jordan]

I'm taking this advice and applying it to my industry, and my own professional goals. This is a great list, Jenny! I always appreciate your insight and ideas and I'm excited to see how far it takes you in 2010!

[Jenny DeVaughn]

Chris, you are an exceptional networker and I appreciate your comment. I look forward to sharing more best practices with you in 2010.