Igor Zovko

Social Recruiting – What are you talking about?

One of the easiest and the safest ways to explore the job market and land that dream role is through social recruiting media.

Just about everyone is using Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to network, both for personal and professional reasons. Are you prepared for companies and recruiters to find you on all these social recruiting media sites? If not, you should be.

Social recruiting is a new concept for many companies and they are still experimenting with what works from a recruiting perspective, and what doesn’t. That means there are no hard and fast rules on how to connect and position yourself to be found, but there are tactics you can use to make the right connections with people in your industry and your career field.

Network, network, network…

Network before you need to and build your network well in advance, not when you are backed into a corner. Talk to your connections on LinkedIn or other networking sites. Join Groups on Twitter and Facebook, post and join the discussion. Be engaged and proactive in your communications. By building a network in advance, you won’t have to scramble if you unexpectedly lose your job or decide it’s time to move on.

While the market is improving, things may still be moving a little slowly, depending on your industry, which means fewer roles advertised. There are still opportunities out there however; you just have to work a little bit harder to find them. One of the best ways to do this is to network. Essentially, networking is getting to know people who can help you develop your career prospects.

Brand Management

Did you know that there are other great uses for your social networks aside from just meeting friends or building relationships? It’s called Brand Management. Social Media is creating the opportunity to amplify your personal brand now in more ways than ever.

You can use your social profile to promote yourself and your skills to different companies or organizations around the world. Essentially, this is a very effective way which will help you build and grow your personal Brand.

Recommendations

It’s common knowledge within the recruitment industry that over 70% of job seekers find their next role through recommendations so take the time to develop an effective network.

Sourcing candidates from referrals particularly where people have vouched for the candidate contributes considerably to the success of the hiring company’s recruitment function. So it’s obvious why the preferred and most successful methods of sourcing people are referrals that come with recommendations.

Recommendations and referrals have many benefits such as:

Financial rewards offered by the hiring companies and the recruitment agencies

Enables you to build a positive social image

People that you recommend are likely to return the favour

It helps you to grow your professional network and validates your professional merit.

Referrals

Good quality referrals benefit everyone. The employer gets a quality candidate, the referee is a better fit for the role and the referrer has a chance of getting the referral bonus while building their social capital and protecting their reputation. A three way win

One of the greatest advantages of a referral is that we can be sure of its authenticity and credibility. Keeping this in mind, please send in referrals that you can truly vouch for.

Below are some things to consider when making referrals:

Follow up with the person you referred to see whether they were interested in the role and to get some feedback on the way the hiring company or the recruitment agency conducted themselves. Bear in mind, there are lots of unprofessional operators out here and it’s important that you protect your network from such people.

If you know the hiring organisation, talk to HR & the hiring manager, try not to be just a “postman”.

Don’t overstate your influence in the process; remember, you are dealing with people’s lives.

Don’t forget the rules. Some companies, organizations and industries have specific rules that must be followed.

Make sure you only refer people who you would be proud to associate yourself with. The quality of the referral reflects on your personal brand.

I hope that this article inspires you to go out there and reconnect with the people that can help you further your personal career. Explore new ways of marketing yourself through the use of online social media. Remember, network, network and network.

If you would like more information on any of the topics from the article, feel free to contact me…