Most social media consultants will tell you plenty about the virtues of social networks and job advertising. And there are of course many. They of course would be out of a job if there weren’t. But it’s important to make a distinction between good and bad, or inefficient, strands of social networks – and the recognition that there are other ways to attract top quality candidates.
In the modern HR world, there’s a simple truth: you’re a fool if you ignore the power of the little black book, old fashioned as it may seem. High end business people still use old school contact networks to trade positions and find the right candidates for their work. They go on personal recommendation that has nothing to do with inclusion in a social media stream.
As a social media consultant, Peter Wilkinson points out that unless you want to miss out on potentially excellent candidates, you should be looking to tap the potentials of every resource at our disposal.
Within the social network, there are potentially fruitful avenues for recruitment, there are occasionally fruitful avenues and then there are the “base coverers”, which you really only need to use if you have the time and money to take care of every angle.
Peter notes that LinkedIn is probably the most fruitful social media avenue for most professional recruiters. As an HR professional you can join circles and networks with other HR pros – sharing recommendations and building man up to date picture of the current state of the market, which is inestimably useful to you when you come to hire.
Peter also points out that you can groom potential candidates on LinkedIn through open contact, interviews and informational discussions – branding yourself in such a way that high quality candidates come straight to you.
Facebook is a good place to find less business connected employees, candidates who may be just starting out, graduates and school leavers. Here, you can post plenty of information designed to train the candidate in the art of filling out application forms and conducting job interviews – making your Facebook page a valuable resource for precisely the kind of person you are hoping to attract.
Peter realises that there are online recruitment approaches that do not use social networks. While these are still being used by potential prospects, they should not be ignored. It must also be noted, though, that online job boards except for very specific ones, are being used less and less in favour of LinkedIn or Facebook.
No recruitment strategy is complete until it goes wherever its candidates go. The online social media marketing consultant, then, also points out that you can use the social network to research your market. Identify, engage, enthuse – and the quality of your candidates goes up.
Peter Wilkinson, Social media consultant,