While it\u2019s critical that recruiters have an online presence, what does it take to build the kind of social profile that will attract the passive candidates you want to place?<\/p>\n
Successful penetration of your message across social channels is enabled by the density and reach of your network, which in turn should send your posts to their networks.<\/p>\n
Justin Laliberte, the IT managing partner at Lucas Group in Atlanta, is an advocate of using social media to make an impression with other industry professionals. He shares information frequently and in a targeted way. \u201cIf you take a look at my online profile,\u201d he said, \u201cI push content on a regular basis. It’s not a direct way of asking someone to buy what I\u2019m selling, so to speak, it’s about educating people and helping to validate useful content.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPart of our core values is building relationships and we see social media as really the way to start doing that,\u201d said Kelly Martinez, who manages digital and online strategy for TEKsystems in Hanover, Md. \u201cWe’re always looking for ways to be part of the conversation that’s already happening and then add value to it, which is very important. You’re giving somebody a reason to keep coming back, anything less than that and you become part of the background noise.\u201d<\/p>\n
Twitter and Facebook are for frequent, rapid-fire engagement; these are the channels for job posting. \u201cThey\u2019re quicker,\u201d noted Martinez, \u201cand information is more easily shared with our followers\u2019 networks which helps us get our message out.\u201d<\/p>\n
A key element that the recruiters mention being wary of is hashtag fatigue. When posting, don\u2019t muddy your message by hashtagging skill sets and topics that aren\u2019t valuable to that post or linking to those jobs.<\/p>\n
Instagram, Pinterest and even Youtube buttons are appearing with greater frequency on recruiting firms\u2019 front pages.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are still trying to figure out what to do with Pinterest and Instagram,\u201d Martinez said, \u201cbut I think there’s a place for them in the strategy because they are quick wins. People find an image they like and will repost it or retweet it pretty quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
By having a dashboard tool to help engage across platforms, you\u2019re ensuring that you\u2019re using social media in a controlled and cognitive way.<\/p>\n
One of Laliberte\u2019s favorite tools is newsle, a Web application that allows users to follow news derived from their social networks. \u201cIt\u2019s an informal way of letting someone know you\u2019re out there,\u201d he said. \u201cI’ll flip an article to the person that newsle pushed to me and will congratulate them, or comment on the story. I’m making an impression by paying attention to what they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n