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The Fordyce Letter

Straight Talk for the Recruiting Profession


Articles tagged 'social media'

Business, Editor's Corner

2011: What You Can Expect in Recruiting

by on Jan. 3, 2011


2011

As we close out 2010, I am very much looking forward to the coming year for The Fordyce Letter. Why? Let me share a couple of reasons:

  1. The Fordyce Letter is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2011. Can you believe it? Granted, other print publications have been around longer: the Wall Street Journal has been around since 1889, the New York Times since 1851, and Time magazine since 1923. But TFL is the only print (and web!) publication dedicated solely to the interests of the external search and placement world. That it has been around since 1971 and is still going strong is a milestone and speaks volumes about the rich tradition of the publication. We look forward to celebrating this year with you; we know that many (including myself!) “cut their teeth” on the recruiting industry by reading issues of TFL. If you have a fun memory of TFL, please do share it with us!
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Social Media, The Business of Recruiting

Podcast: Greg Savage, Part 2

by on Oct. 19, 2010


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Yesterday, we posted Part 1 of the podcast with Greg Savage, where Savage shared with us about his new role with Firebrand Talent Search as well as Aquent’s decision to refocus its business on temp, contract, freelance, and temp-to-perm placement. Today, we bring you Part 2 of this podcast, with Savage sharing his thoughts on social media’s role in the future of recruitment. Three takeaway points from this talk:

  • Social media will be part of the future of recruiting. Embrace it.
  • Personal branding will be important for recruiters to establish themselves as experts in their field.
  • It is still critical to establish direct connections (as with a phone call) with candidates to build relationships.
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Social Media

Social Media + Legal Reality & Perspective = Caution for Recruiters

by on Sep. 23, 2010


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As search professionals and recruiters, we are learning more about the benefits of leveraging social media and integrating it as a trusted recruiting tool in identifying talent for our clients. It should be a critical component to sourcing combined with other proven methods. After all, our clients and candidates use it and so should we. I see social networking becoming more of a key component to recruiting as we can reach out to more people using social networks. It is also critical that we understand the powerful opportunity it presents for corporations to engage in real-time dialogue with customers, stakeholders, and candidates, and use it similarly with our clients as well.

Using social networks can give us a competitive edge in identifying and engaging the best candidates available, however, these sourcing options also bring potential legal pitfalls that we need to be aware of. For example, what happens when a candidate has revealed protected information via their social profiles?

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Social Media, Technology

Why Do We Need These Clones?

by on Jul. 26, 2010


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A good old-fashioned quick rant. I like Yahoo Groups. It was the first version I saw for what I needed at the time. Now there’s Ning and Google and LinkedIn and many others doing what they do best but also trying to copy Yahoo Groups.

And Yahoo is messing with me too now. I got an invite from someone to share pictures and status updates and all the same crap that’s on FaceBook via Yahoo. Why do we need ten different versions of Facebook now? They won! Let it go! Just stick with your main Yahoo stuff.

Just yesterday I saw a new search aggregator that says it’ll search about 10 of those things at once for info on people.

Maybe we all need a ‘personal portal’ that will handle all these requests from all these entities so we can actually get something done.

Now I need to go update my LinkedIn status so it’ll go out on Twitter and Facebook so people will know I have a new blog entry. If I send it on Plaxo and my Yahoo Profile it’ll also go to people who spoke to me once and could not care less. In fact, what I should really do is just call Tom, Ron, and Clyde. Then the only three people who were going to read it anyway can say…he’s at it again…

original post from Dave Staats

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Social Media, Weigh In!

Quitting Twitter

by on Jul. 1, 2010


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Our friend (and yours!) Jerry Albright made a brazen announcement yesterday that he is quitting Twitter, and that as of June 30th his account would be gone. On his blog, he states:

“It was pretty easy to feel “OK” about being on Twitter during most of 2009. Everyone was there – and more were joining every day. It was “interesting” to feel like one of the first rather than one of the last – so I hung out. It has now become apparent to me that there is no viable BUSINESS reason to spend much time on Twitter as a 3rd party recruiter. Might be great for plenty of other professions – but recruiting? No way. Sorry.”

This is a common sentiment in our world of recruiting – that Twitter is a waste of time, and that real recruiters are on the phone with candidates and not tweeting out job opportunities. On the other hand, others argue that Twitter is a growing source of candidates, as well as a valuable tool to develop a good online presence and enable candidates to find you as well.

As search professionals, to which of these thought processes do you subscribe? The way we approach recruiting is different than the way our corporate recruiting counterparts do. Neither way is right or wrong; they are simply different. Twitter certainly has value it can offer, but does it belong in a 3rd party recruiter’s resource toolkit?

We want to hear from you! Do you use Twitter? Do you find it to be a waste of time, or a good resource to add to your arsenal? Have you made placements or gained new clients based on conversations you’ve had via Twitter, or has it been a dead-end street for you? Share your experience in the comments below.

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The New World of Social Media Recruiting, Part 2

by on May 28, 2010


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Yesterday’s part 1 of this series detailed the right mix of marketing, PR, and social media for recruiters today.

Now we continue with the right ways to build your social media brand.

6 Steps to Build Your Social Media Brand

  1. Secure your vanity name on all social media sites. As mentioned earlier, the “Big Three” are LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. For a full list, Google: [Social Media Websites]. Do this quickly, before another obtains your name. If your name is gone, a nickname or pseudonym could work. Choose your “handle” with your audience in mind.
  2. Write a professional bio. You might have two bios (short and long), but include your accomplishments, a professional photo “avatar,” and contact info. When writing your bio, think about your unique background and a broad audience. For help, review others’ bios and/or Google: [How to Write a Professional Bio].
  3. Learn how the social media sites work. Each has their own how-to page and lingo. Visit the sites. Observe, listen, and watch what others do and how they’re interacting. If a friend or colleague is an active user, ask for help. You might also Google: [How to Use Social Media Sites].
  4. Build your networks. On LinkedIn, send “Please join my professional network.” On Facebook, send “Be my friend” messages. On Twitter, follow people who seem interesting to you. Many will follow back.
  5. Join the conversation. Post what’s going on in your life. You might find something interesting or have something in common (work life, travel, food, sports, politics, etc.) Post a comment or respond. Engage others by asking questions. For example, “Do you …?” or “How do you …?”
  6. Link your networks. Most sites have areas to connect other sites. This enables “networking leverage.” By connecting your full network, you will maximize your reach and build your brand further.

An Investment in Time

Social media takes an investment in time, like building relationships with clients, candidates, and industry partners. Remember the two parts: “social” and “media.” Both should be integral to your marketing strategy and incorporated into daily/weekly activities.

Keep in mind the 5 Es of Social Media:

  • Enlighten
  • Educate
  • Entertain
  • Empower
  • Engage

When used effectively, social media, marketing, and PR can be very powerful in building your brand and your recruiting business. All increase your name as an expert in your field: people find you; business flows to you; and your revenue increases.

Finally, you can create and manage your own brand.

It’s been said that LinkedIn is like going to the office, Facebook is like going home, and Twitter is like going to the bar. Hope to see you at the party!

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The New World of Social Media Recruiting, Part 1

by on May 27, 2010


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We live in exciting times. Remember the mid ‘90s, when the Internet was growing exponentially? It opened up the world with speed of communication and spread of information.

The Internet continues to transform the way people live and how businesses operate, including ours — search and recruiting. Now we manage databases and use new tools to efficiently prospect, manage relationships, and deliver for our clients and candidates.

After the Internet boom, media stories were written about what would be the next “big thing.”

Well, we have two big things happening now, in my view. The first is about energy. We can’t live without it and must find new sources of clean energy to satisfy increasing demand while protecting the environment. This is a topic for other experts.

But the “big thing” in recruiting and staffing is Social Media, and how it will increasingly change the way we do business.

Businesses are in the midst of great transformation. All centers around information: how to find it, manage it, and communicate it effectively.

We in recruiting are at the epicenter.

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Untangling the Web for Recruiters

by on May 11, 2010


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For anyone looking for more specifics about recruiting with Google, Twitter, LinkedIn, and beyond, consider signing up for today’s webinar hosted by Amitai Givertz.

Ami, a co-author of Guerrilla Recruiting with David Perry, will lead the 90-minute webinar. He promises to help you find buried information and “apply it to improve lead-to-contact ratios, candidate engagement, screening success, and so on,” and how to apply “guerrilla tactics for generating candidate flow from social networking sites and resume databases.”

Join the webinar today at 3pm Eastern. The cost is $95, which includes session recordings, references, self-paced study guides, video tutorials, and other recruiting tools.

Email info@brownbagrecruiter.com or call (561) 922-7567 for more information.

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Twitter: Silver Bullet or Time Dump?

by on Dec. 22, 2009


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Here is my own definition of Twitter:

Time

Wasted

In

Trying

To

Escape

Rejection

Take ownership of your success and quit trying to find the silver bullet. In the world of sales and recruiting, your prospects have to be interrupted. Recruiting is based on interruption marketing, not permission marketing, which is the foundation for social networking. With other types of marketing endeavors, such as selling information or services, Twitter might be effective. If you market a message to an audience that cares about what you have to say (except for time-wasting tweets about your latest meal), then yeah, it makes sense to communicate with them.

But to get the attention of a high-level prospect or a passive candidate who doesn’t want to move (the candidate who is worth a full fee), you have to interrupt them on the phone with an effective recruiting call, not a tweet that they’ll roll their eyes over.

Here’s an exception: As a rule, you always want to go to where your clients and candidates are. If you know for a fact that your candidates and clients are on Twitter and are actively reading your tweets, then give it a shot. For example, those who are in IT recruiting. But if you tweet, tweet responsibly. Tweet about value-related subjects, such as career advice, leadership advice, and anything that can solve an immediate problem.

And when you’re done tweeting, get back on the phone. It’s where the action is.

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Recruiting 2.0: Harnessing the Power of New Media to Discover and Hire the Finest Talent for Your Organization

by on Nov. 19, 2009


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The evolution of the Internet is changing the way companies across an array of industries do business. This is certainly the case for the recruiting industry, where the evolving social media arena is revolutionizing the way corporate and agency recruitment professionals advertise and fill job opportunities.

Today, recruiters can use Web 2.0 applications to not only promote job opportunities, but also to learn more about candidates than they would from traditional resumes alone.

Despite its simplistic and user-friendly face, however, companies that are attempting to capitalize on Web 2.0 open media channels and networking capabilities are experiencing noticeable growing pains. The sheer size of the media space that makes it so attractive can be the very thing that makes it so intimidating to navigate and utilize.

As new users struggle to define their online persona, the boundaries between the professional and personal arenas become increasingly blurred. Moreover, training, implementation, time-management, and even cultural obstacles are among the challenges companies face when considering the use of social media venues for business purposes.

A Unique Approach

Hollister Inc., a Boston staffing firm, is one company that is successfully integrating social media into its business model.

The firm recognized both the opportunities and the challenges that Web 2.0 presented and took an out-of-the-box approach to harnessing new media. As a full-service staffing firm centered in Massachusetts’ multi-industry job market, Hollister recognized early on that a basic company fan page, group, or Twitter handle would be hardly enough to reach its extremely diverse market.

With this in mind, Hollister partnered with its new media communications agency, 451 Marketing, and developed a model called Recruiting 2.0 — a cutting-edge social media recruitment platform that allows Hollister to consistently position its clients’ jobs on the most frequently used and fastest growing social media channels.

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