1-2-3: Taking the First Steps to Using Social Media for Recruing Contents Twier 2 Facebook 6 Blogs 9 RSS Feeds 10 LinkedIn 11 Dice Talent Network 12 Social Media Terms 13
1-2-3: Taking the First Steps to Using Social Media for Recruiting
ContentsTwitter 2
Facebook 6
Blogs 9
RSSFeeds 10
LinkedIn 11
DiceTalentNetwork 12
SocialMediaTerms 13
1-2-3: Taking the first steps to using social media for recruitingFacebook,Twitter,YouTube,blogs.Friends,followersandfans.Socialmediaisubiquitousandhasrapidlyreshapedthewaypeopleconnect,communicateandshareinformationonline.
Whatstartedasawaytomakenewfriendsandreconnectwitholdonesisnowanimportanttoolforbusinessesthatwanttobuildtheirbrands,gainawarenessandsellproductsandservices.HRmanagersandtechrecruitersarealsousingsocialmediatoolstosourcecandidatesforcurrentjobopeningsandbuildapipelineofprospectsforfuturehiringneeds.
Whilesocialmediatoolscan’treplaceexpertise,hardwork,truerecruitingknow-how,andspecializedjobboards,theyareavaluableadditiontoyourrecruitingtoolbox.
Buthowdoyougetstarted?Withalltheoptionsandjargon,takingthefirststepsintothesocialmediaworldisdaunting.Thiswhitepaperwalksyouthroughthefirststepsingettingstartedwithtopsocialmediatoolsandprovidesvaluable“Tips”tohelpyousavetimeandbemoreeffective.
1-2-3: TwitterTwitterisasocialnetworking“microblog”thatletsyoushareyournewsandthoughts,gatherinformationandbuildconnectionswithotherpeopleonthenetwork.Youhave140
charactersineachpost–or“tweet”–toletpeopleknowwhatyou’redoing,whatyou’rethinkingand,inthecaseofrecruiting,whoyou’relookingfor.
Peopleinterestedinwhatyouhavetosaywill“follow”you.Youcanalsofollowotherpeople’stweetstoseewhatthey’redoingandbuildyournetwork.Theconversationbetweenyouandyourfollowersiscatalogedinchronologicaltimelineonyourhomepage.
Top social media tools used by marketers*
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Blogs
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Twitter Pros
Popular—About125millionregisteredusersasofJune2010.
Real time—Postingsarriveinrealtimesoyoucanstayuptotheminuteonwhatpeoplearedoingandsaying.
Searchable—YoucansearchTwitterforspecificpeople,locationsandtopics.
Twitter Cons
Time consuming—Tobeeffective,youneedtotweetregularlyandreplytoyourfollowers.
Unfocused—Peopletweetaboutanythingandeverything,soyouhavetosiftthroughalotofinformation.
Limited space—Withonly140characterspermessage,you’reverylimitedinwhatyoucansay.
*SocialMediaExaminer,2010SocialMediaMarketingIndustryReport.
Step 1. Set up a Twitter accountGotohttps://twitter.comandclickon“SignUp.”Followthesimplestepstocreateyourownusername,passwordandlocation.
• Aftersigningup,setupyouraccountandprofile.• Clickon“Settings”intheupperrightcorner.• Clickon“Account”inthesub-menuandcompletetheform. - AtthebottomoftheAccountpage,whenaskedwhether youwanttoprotectyourupdates,leavetheboxunchecked. Ifyoucheckthebox,you’llbeexcludedfromTwitter’spublic timelineandyourvisibilityonthesitewillbe lowereddramatically. - Click“Save”toupdateyoursettings.• Thensetupyourprofile.Yourprofilegivesyourfollowerssome informationaboutyouandalinktoawebsitesotheycanlearn moreifthey’reinterested. - Click“Profile”inthesub-menu. - CompletetheProfileform. - Addapicture.Followthestepstouploadaphotoofyourself. - Addalinktoyourwebsite,careerspageorjoblistingsfor moreinformation. - IntheBiosection,writetwoshortsentencesaboutyour roleasarecruiterorstaffingmanager.You’relimitedto 160characterssomakeyourmessageconciseandcompelling.
- Click“Save”toupdateyourprofile. - Click“Design”fromthesub-menu. - Followthestepstopersonalizeyourhomepagebackground. - Click“SaveChanges”toupdateyourbackground.
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Twittersignuppage
Twitterprofilepage
Tip Ifyou’reinHRforacompany,consideraddinginformationaboutthecompanyintheBiosection.
Tip Asarecruiterorstaffingmanagerbesurethatyouselectausername,or“handle,”thateasilyidentifiesyouandisn’ttoocatchy.
Tip CompaniesoftenuploadacustomTwitterbackgroundtoprovideadditionalcontactinformationtofollowers.
Step 2. Follow, search and tweetWithyouraccountandprofilecomplete,it’stimetobuildyournetworkonTwitter.
•Startfollowing.TobuildyournetworkonTwitteryouneedto“follow”people– inotherwordssignuptoreadtheirposts–andyouneedpeopletofollowyou. - StartbyreachingouttocolleaguesandpeopleyouknowonTwitteralready. Searchfortheirnameusingthebasic“search”featureintheright-hand columnofyourhomepage. - Ifyoufindsomeoneyou’reinterestedinfollowing,clickthe“Follow”button thatappearsnearthetopoftheirprofilepage.Theirtweetswillappearin yourTwitterhomepage.They’lllikelyreturnthefavorandstartfollowingyou andyournetworkwillstarttogrow.
• Conductasearch - SearchingforconnectionsonTwitterisanotherwaytobuild yourfollowing.ThesearchfunctionalityontheTwitterhome pageislimited.Instead,visitwww.search.twitter.comfora separatesearchtoolownedbyTwitterthatoffersadvanced searchoptions. - Clickon“AdvancedSearch”anditwilltakeyouto http://search.twitter.com/advanced - Createasearchbyenteringkeywordsorphrasesbasedon thecandidatesyou’retryingtohire,forexample:“C++”or “Javadeveloper.” - Youcanalsosearchgeneralphrases–“lookingfornewjob” or“jobsearching”–tofindtweetsfrompeopleinthemarket forwork. - Limityoursearchgeographicallybyaddingacity,metroarea orzipcodeinthe“Places”section. - Hit“Search”andthetoolwillpullupallcurrenttweetsthat matchyoursearchparameters. - Reviewthelistandifyoufindsomeonewholookslikeagood prospect,checktheirbioandthenconsiderfollowingthemto startbuildingarelationship.Clicktheir“Follow”buttonifyou liketobeginfollowingsomeone.
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Twittersearchpage
Twitteradvancedsearchpage
Tip PeoplefollowingyouwillreceiveyourpostsontheirTwitterpageandtheirfollowerswillseeyourpostsaswell.
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• Start“tweeting”athttps://twitter.com• Tweetingupdatesyourfollowersonwhatyou’redoing,whattype ofcandidatesyou’relookingforandwhat’snewatyourcompany. - IntroduceyourselftotheTwittercommunitybytypingacommentin the“What’shappening?”boxatthetopofyourTwitterhomepage. Clickthe“Tweet”buttontopostit. - Thencontinuetweetingbysharinginterestinginformationandinsight tobuildtheconversationbetweenyouandyourfollowers. - UsekeywordsasmuchaspossiblewhenusingTwitterforrecruiting.Your tweetsappearinTwitter’sSearchResultssoaddingkeywords–specifictech skills,jobtitlesorlocations–makesiteasierforpeopletoconnectwithyou. - Tryaddinghashtagstoyourtweets.Ahashtagisawordorphraseproceeded bythe#sign(i.e.#TechRecruiting)usedinatweettogrouptweetsona particularsubjectorevent.Hashtagsmakeiteasytosearchfortweetsona topic.Createyourownhashtagoruseanexistingonetocommentonatrend ortopicbeingdiscussedonTwitter.
Step 3. Try other Twitter toolsRetweet—Sharingideas,informationandresourcesfrompeoplewhofollowyouiscalled“retweeting.”It’sapowerful,easywaytoshareinformation,givesomeonekudosforagoodideaandextendyournetwork.Retweetsareindicatedinthetimelinewith“RT.”
Direct Message—Youcandirectmessage,or“DM”afollowerusingthe“DirectMessage”linkintheright-handcolumnofyourhomepage.DMsareonlyseenbytherecipientandaren’tcatalogedinthetimeline.
@YourName—Whenyouseeamessageincluding@(YourUserName)inyourtimelinethatmeanssomeonewroteamessagetoyouorreferredtoyouinamessage.
Tip Keepitshortandinteresting–acounterintheupperrightcornerofthe“What’shappening?”boxwillletyouknowwhenyou’veusedall140characters.
Twitter—tweetingandothertools
Tip Onceyou’veconnectedwithaprospectivecandidate,DMthemwithinfoaboutaspecificopportunityortoarrangeacall.
Tip Asarecruiter,it’simportanttokeepupwiththesementionsandreplybackaccordingly.
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1-2-3: FacebookFacebookistheworld’slargestsocialnetworkingservice.Itletsfriends,colleaguesandfamilymemberssharewhat’snewintheirlivesviaanonlineprofileor“wall”whereuserspoststatus
updates,videos,photosandmore.TheemphasisonFacebookisonpersonalcommunication,butitsfunctionalityforbusinessisgrowingsteadily.
Insteadofcreatinganindividualprofile,businessescanestablishaFacebookFanPagethatcanincludecompanyupdates,employmentopportunitiesandinsidernews.TobuildanetworkonFacebook,businessesinvitecustomersandprospectstofollowthemonthesite.
Step 1. Set up a Facebook account and page•Visitwww.facebook.com. - Clickonthelinkinthelower-rightcorner thatsays“Createapageforacelebrity, bandorbusiness.” - Completethefieldsunder“CreateaPage.” - Confirmthatyouaretheofficialrepresentative foryourbusiness,andclick“CreateOfficial Page”button.
Facebook is the largest worldwide social networking site with more than 500 million registered users.*
Facebook Pros
Popular—MorepeopleuseFacebookthananyothersocialnetworkingservice.
Flexible—Youcaneasilyupdateyourpagewithtext,photos,videoandlinks.
Customizable—Youcansupportyouremploymentbrandbyaddingyourlogo,brandingmessages,visualsandmore.
Facebook Cons
Cluttered—It’shardtostandoutintheendlessstreamofupdates.
Socially oriented—Mostpostsarerelatedtosocialinteractionratherthanprofessionalnetworking.
Time consuming—ForaFacebookpagetobeeffective,youmustcommittoupdatingitregularly.
Facebookcreateapage
Tip FacebookProfilesrepresentindividualsandmustbeownedbyanindividual.FacebookPagesaredesignedforbusiness,organizationsormusicalgroups.
*NPR.org,July2010
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• SetupyourFacebookPage. - Onceyou’vesetupyouraccount,you’llbetakentoyourFacebook pageor“wall.” - Followthestepstocustomizeyourpagewithtext,photosandlinks.
- Intheupperleft-handcolumnyou’llseean“EditPage”link underneathyourprofilephoto.Clickonittolearnmoreabout settingsandusefulpre-installedapplications.
• ReviewtheaccountandprivacysettingsundertheAccounttab, whichappearsintherightsideofthemainmenu.Adjustthem tomatchyourcompany’ssocialmediapolicy.
Step 2. Friend and post Withyouraccountandpagecomplete,it’stimetobuildyournetworkonFacebook.
• Makefriends. - TobuildyourFacebooknetworkoffans,you’llneedtopromoteyourpage. - PromoteyourFacebookpageexternallybytellingyourbusinessassociates, employees,andprospectivecandidatesto“findyouonFacebook”andshow theirsupportbybecomingafan.IncludealinktoyourFacebookpageon emailsandallmarketingmaterials. - ConsideraFacebookad.Learnmorehere.
Facebookeditpages
Tip Yourwallrepresentsyourcompany–makesureit’sinteresting,informativeandsupportsyouremploymentbrand.
Tip Youcanfindhundredsofadditionalapplicationsforyourpageonline.Appsareagreatwaytoengagevisitorsandgivethemareasontoreturntoyourpage.
Tip Manycompanieschoosetoshowpostsfromthemselvesandtheirfans.Thatincreasesactivityonyourwallandmoreimportantlyshowsyourfansthatyouvaluewhattheyhavetosay.
The average person spends more than 5 and a half hours per month on social media sites.*
*TheNielsonCompany
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• StartPosting. - Letyourfriendsandfansknowwhat’sgoingonbypostingor“updating yourstatus”inthe“What’sonyourmind?”boxatthetopofyourwall. YourupdatewillappearintheNewsFeedofeveryonewhoisfollowing yourcompany. - Updatescanbenewjobopenings,companyupdates,industryinsightsor interestingresourcesyou’vefoundonline. - Photosareanothergreatwaytoshow,ratherthantell,what’shappening atyourcompany. - Whenyou’redone,besuretohitthe“Share”button.
Step 3. Update and reply Keeptheconversationgoingandbuildyournetwork–andpipelineofprospects–byregularlyupdatingyourstatusandreplyingtoyourfans.
• Updateyourstatus. - Somecompaniesupdatetheirstatusdaily,otherslessfrequently. Dowhat’sright–andmanageable–foryouaslongasit’sregularly andyourpostsareengagingandpurposeful.
• Replytopostings. - Whenafanvisitsyourpageandleavesamessage,itshowsupinyour NewsFeed.CheckyourNewsFeedregularlybyloggingontoyourFacebook pageandreviewingpostsinthecenterofthepage.Besuretoreplyto comments–whethertheyarepositiveornegative–tocontinuethe conversationandshowthatyou’relistening.Thatresponsivenesswillhelp growyournetworkovertime.
One page, many voicesCompaniescanhaveoneFacebookFanPagebutanunlimitednumberofpageadministrators(foundunderthe“Editpage”option).Administratorscanaddcontenttothepage,whichaddstothevolumeofupdatesandprovidesdifferentviewpointsforyourfans.
Tip Ifyouhaveaspecificjobtofill,makeiteasyforprospectstofindmoreinformationandapplydirectlyfromyourfanpagebyprovidingalinktothejobinthecareercenterorjobssectionofyourcompanywebsite.
Tip Encourageinteractionandcreateadialoguebyaskingfansquestions.
46% of the U.S. online adult population reported visiting Facebook in the past 30 days.*
*InformationWeek,June2010
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1-2-3: BlogsWithablog(acommoncontractionof“weblog”)youcreateyourownonlinejournalandinvitevisitorstocomment.Unlikeawebsite,ablogisajournalorlogofinformationusuallyorganized
topicallyandchronologically.
Useacompanyorpersonalbloginconjunctionwithothersocialmedialoutletstomaximizeyouronlinepresence,helpexpandyourmessageandstrengthenyouremploymentbrand.
Step 1. Find a blogspotYourfirstjobistofindaplacetohostyourblog.• Searchonlineforbloggingproviderswhoofferpre-madeblogtemplates.
• Followthesimpleonlineinstructionstoestablishyourblog.• Addbuttons,images,widgetsandmoretocustomizeyourblog. You’llfindplentyofoptionsonline.
Blog Pros
Control—Chooseyourownfocusandaddasmuchcontentasyouwant.
Personalized—Ablogshowcasesyourpersonalityoryourcompany’sculture.
Multiple voices—Severalpeoplecancontributetoablogtosharedifferentperspectivesonyourcompanyandemploymentbrand.
Blog Cons
Low visibility—Buildingarealfollowingforyourblogischallenging.
Time consuming—Toberelevantblogsshouldbeupdatedregularlyandthattakestime.
Tip Blogger.com,Google’sbloggingsite,andWordPress.comarethetwolargestsites.They’rebotheasytouseandfree.
61% of adult Americans use social networking sites today.*
*PewResearch,May2010
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Step 2. Start blogging • Startaddingentriestoyourblogaboutyourcompany,availablejobs,typesof candidatesyou’researchingforandindustrynews.
Step 3. Spread the word• Buildtraffictoyourblogbypromotingitonyourothersocialmediaoutlets andmarketingmaterials.
1-2-3: RSS feedsRSS,or“reallysimplesyndication,”isatechnologythatsavesyoutimebydeliveringrelevantandupdatedinformationfromyourfavoritemediaoutletsdirectlytoyourinbox.YousubscribetoRSS
onthesitesyouvisitmostandviewtheupdatesusingafreeonlineRSSreader
Step 1. Find a ReaderToreceiveRSSfeedsyouneedanRSSReader.
•Aquickonlinesearchfor“RSSReaders”will yieldmanyoptions.
•Followthesimpleinstructionstocreatean accountwithyourchosenRSSReader.
Tip Postseveralblogentriesbeforeyoupromoteyourblogsovisitorswillhavemorethanoneposttoread.
RSS Pros
Time savings—RSSdoesthesearchingsoyoudon’thaveto.
Convenient—Updatedinformationfromyourfavoritesitesisconsolidatedinoneplace.
RSS Cons
Information overload—Ifyousubscribetoseveral–orseveraldozen–RSSfeeds,youmayfeeloverwhelmedwiththeamountofinformationpresentedtoyou.
Not candidate focused—RSSfeedsaregoodforcullingindustryinformationbutaren’teffectiveforsourcingcandidates.
Googlereader
Tip GoogleReaderisagood,freeRSSReader.
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Step 2. Subscribe to feeds• Subscribetofeedsfromyourfavoritewebsites.Justlookforabuttonon thesitethatincludes:RSS,XMLorSubscribe.Or,checktheright-handside oftheURLaddressbarforanorangeorblueRSSbutton.Clickontheiconand followtheprompts.
Step 3. Start reading• YourRSSReaderwillstartdeliveringupdatedcontentregularly.Checkyour readersitefortoolsthatmakeiteasiertoreadandorganizeallofyourRSSfeeds.
1-2-3: LinkedInLinkedInisanonlinenetworksitedesignedtokeepyouconnectedwithcolleaguesandclassmates.Thesiteisbasedonindividualprofilesthatincluderesumes,linksandmore.LinkedInletsyou
connectwithpeopleyouknowthroughdirectinvitationsandthenlinktoawidernetworkthroughthoseconnectionsandreferrals.Youcanalsojoinindustrygroupstodiscusscommoninterestsandshareideas.
Step 1. Set up a LinkedIn account •VisitLinkedInatwww.linkedin.com - Followthesimplestepstocreatea LinkedInaccount.
LinkedIn Pros
Professional—LinkedInistargetedtowardsprofessionals,notcompanies,soit’sagoodwaytoconnectwithcolleagues.
LinkedIn Cons
Too general—SinceLinkedInisopentoallprofessions,it’shardtofindnichecandidatesliketechprofessionals.
Inefficient—Youneedtoinvestalotoftimebuildingyournetworktoachievethebestresults.
Few candidates open to your recruiting—Whileyoumayfindpassivecandidates,theyaren’ttypicallylookingforjobs.Passivecandidatesonspecializedjobboardsareopentojobopportunities.
LinkedInhomepage
Step 2. Create your profile• Followthepromptstobuildyourprofile.Youcanuploadaphoto,add informationaboutyourbackgroundandemployment,includelinksandmore.
Step 3. Make connections • Onceyourprofileiscompleteyouusethetoolsunderthe“Contact”tab tobuildconnections.
A powerful combination – job boards and social media Nowjobboardsaregettingintothesocialmediamixcombiningextensivecandidatedatabaseswiththecommunityaspectsofsocialnetworkstogiveusersthemostpowerful,informativewaytosearchforcandidatesyet.
OneofthefirsttoplayisDice.TheDiceTalentNetworkcombinesnetworking,socialmediaintegrationandbrandinginonetool.Itoffersthehighlyefficientfeaturesofaspecializedjobboardwithallthepopularaspectsofsocialnetworkingforanefficient,effectivewaytoconnectwithandhirehigh-qualitytechcandidatesonDice.
SeehowtheDiceTalentNetworkoperatesinthisoverviewvideoanddetaileddemo.Ifyou’dliketolearnmore,contactDiceat1.800.979.DICE(3423).
The Dice Talent Network combines…
The best of specialized job boards:• Jobpostings• Resumedatabasesearch• Activeandpassivecandidates opentohearingfromyou• Nichefocusandspecialization• MeasurableROI
And the best of social networks…• Personal/corporatebranding• One-to-onenetworking• Robustcompanyand personalprofiles• Messagingandchat• Relationshipbuilding• Sharedideas
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A Facebook page with a million fans is said to be worth $3.6 million or $3.60 per fan.*
*Virtue
The bottom line on social media Ifyou’vedecidedtoaddsocialmediatoyourmix,makesureyourgoalsareclearandyou’veallocatedenoughresources–timeandtalent–tomakeitworthwhile.Mostofthesocialnetworkingtoolswe’vetalkedaboutinthiswhitepaperarefreebutittakessubstantialtimeandefforttogetresultsusingthem.
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Social media terms to know
Avatar—Graphicalimages,usuallyvisualcharacter,representingaperson.
Blogs—Awebsitecontainingchronologicalinformationwhichisself-publishedbyindividuals.
Direct Message—“DM”onTwitter,amessagesentdirectlybetweentwopeopleonTwitter.
Handle—AusernamethatidentifiesyouonTwitter.
Hashtag—Awordorphraseproceededbythe#sign–#TechRecruiting–usedinatweettogrouptweetsonaparticularsubjectorevent.
News Feed—ThecontinuouslyupdatedlogofcommentsonaFacebookpage.
Newsreader—Awebsiteordesktoptoolthatgathersupdatedcontentfromyourfavoritewebsitesandblogsandorganizestheminoneapplication.
Peer-to-Peer—Referstodirectinteractionbetweentwopeopleinanetwork.
Retweet—“RT”onTwitter,toshareatweetpostedbysomeoneelse.
RSS—“Reallysimplesyndication,”atechnologythatsavestimebydeliveringrelevantandupdatedinformationfrommediaoutletsdirectlytoyourinbox.
Tweet—Ashort140-charactercommentpostedonTwitter.
Widgets—Asmall,stand-aloneprogramthatcanbeembeddedinotherapplications,likeawebsite,blogordesktop.
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