Social Recruiting Summit: Lessons Learned

When an event has Laurie Ruettimann as the Chairwoman, a list of unbelievable speakers, attendees from all over the world, quick hit sessions and is located in the city that never sleeps, my expectations are high. The Social Recruiting Summit did not disappoint. Here are a few of the insights that continue to resonate with me:

1. Monster Worldwide should add a new revenue stream: event planning. I spent time organizing the #monstersocial tweetup with Eric Winegardner, Alana Lombardi and Kathy O'Reilly. Each person I interacted with from their organization was exceptional. The 675 Bar was a great venue. The tweetup was also a success due to the dedicated help of Ernest Feiteira and Kathleen Smith.
   
   
2. When discussing social media and recruiting, show me the data! We want to see the actual return on your social media investment. Master Burnett, Fred Wilson and Gerry Crispin provided lots of insights and the true analytical impact of social recruiting.
   
   
3. If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it at all. Blame it on my Midwestern roots or the influence of my parents. When speaking or interacting in a public social network, I always try to find the good points to comment about people or organizations. In the past, I haven’t always succeeded and I have been deeply humbled by those moments. One can deliver an authentic and memorable message to their target audience by being polite.
   
   
4. The recruiting industry is full of unselfish leaders. I’m grateful to be a part of a conversation with those who are willing to share their experiences and miscues in social media, even in front of their competitors. Also, there are many of our colleagues that work tirelessly behind the scenes, especially the ERE team so that we can attend conferences like the Social Recruiting Summit.
   
   
5. Conferences are more rewarding when we include everyone. I loved the Google Wave started by Chris Hoyt. It was like having a live wiki of the event where we could instantly collaborate and have a document to review or update in the future. ERE also provided the live feed online and posted the #socialrecruiting Twitter stream via Twubs. We could share ideas and feedback with those who were interested in the event, even if they were not there in person with us.

Thank you again to those who made certain that the Social Recruiting Summit was one of my favorite conferences this year. I appreciate the ways you have encouraged me to continue to evolve and learn. Hope to reconnect with my friends, old and new, again soon.

Update on Friday, November 20, 2009 at 2:01PM by Jenny DeVaughn

View the cool Social Recruiting Summit #monstersocial tweetup video by clicking here.

Moments Captured at the ERE Fall Expo 2009

The ERE Fall Expo was a success thanks to the hard work by David Manaster, Todd Raphael, Scott Baxt, Kevin Plantan, Brendan Shields and the rest of the organized ERE team! My photostream of the event is available on Flickr. Here is a quick video of some fun moments that I had at the event:

Even though we are in a recession, I have attended more conferences and networking events this year than I have in my recruiting career. Next week, I'll be leading a discussion on social recruiting at Recruitfest in Canada. At the SHRM-Atlanta Annual Conference, I will be giving two social media presentations. In November, I wouldn't miss the Social Recruiting Summit in New York City.

It is crucial that you continue to grow and develop your business relationships. The power of social networking is enhanced and solidified with face-to-face communication. This will never change.

Who's Got Your Back?

It was a pleasure to attend the ERE Fall Expo. During the events, it was clear that people were committed to building stronger relationships. I was impressed with the non-stop networking, referrals and the best practices that were shared.

It reminded me of Keith Ferrazzi's latest book, Who’s Got Your Back.  Keith discusses the value of having three trusted relationships who will hold you accountable, offer mutually beneficial relationships and unbiased feedback in order to reach your true potential.

In this fast-paced digital world of connecting through several social media networks, is it better to have three true lifelines or an extensive reach of millions?

Road Trip to the ERE Fall Expo

Let the countdown begin. Before daylight, I will be riding with a crew from Atlanta, GA to Hollywood, FL to attend the ERE Fall Expo, including the ERE Foundation Poker Classic and Tweetup.

All of the ERE festivities are in one unbelievable location at the
Westin Diplomat Hotel & Spa on 3555 South Ocean Drive in Hollywood, FL.

Now we just have to get there.
Your advice, comments and encouragement during this 10 hour adventure are welcome!