> Google+ and Recruiting

When it comes to social media, there is no doubt that some platforms are better than others. Of course, this is very dependent on one’s goal, as the audience tends to vary from site to site. For instance, LinkedIn is designed for serious professionals who want to connect with peers and potentially advance their careers, which makes it a valuable asset to recruiters. Facebook and Twitter are absolute must-haves for anyone, including recruiters, mainly due to their vast audiences.

Then there is Google Plus.

To this day, it seems that Google Plus is still some sort of enigma to many people. Why? I’m not entirely sure. Perhaps it is rooted in an innate distrust of Google, though I’m not convinced that’s what’s keeping people, and especially recruiters, from using it. Newsflash: Google Plus is now the second largest social network in the world. If that’s not enough to convince recruiters to jump on board, consider the following:

Circles

This was Google’s big selling point when they launched Google Plus (remember the commercials?). At the time, people were very dissatisfied with Facebook’s sweeping privacy changes, and Google tried to capitalize. The “circles” feature allows you to choose who can see each post. While this might be more useful for individuals who don’t want their boss know about their latest weekend outing, it can also be helpful for recruiters who want to control who is seeing what. After all, recruiters and staffing agencies often have two distinct audiences: job seekers and companies who might hire out their services to fill positions.

Communities

While not unique to Google Plus, a lot of communities on Google Plus tend to be vibrant and active. Recruiters will want to take a look at “Job Postings” communities within their particular industry, among many others. This is probably the best way to target audiences, but recruiters should make sure that they don’t try to promote their own openings too much. It sends the wrong message, and people will eventually tune you out. Try to engage in industry-related discussions and give job seeker’s tips geared toward their field of work before mixing in the occasional job opening.

IT Audience

This is not applicable to all recruiters, but for those who focus on the IT field, Google Plus is an absolute must-have. People in the IT community tend to be more active on Google Plus than anywhere else, so if you haven’t joined Google Plus you are lagging way behind. It’s time to get on board.

 

As mentioned in the introduction, the usefulness of social media sites depends largely on what you plan on doing, but there is no longer an excuse for staffing agencies and recruiters to not be on Google Plus. It’s certainly not the ghost town that some people claim, and the site has a number of features that warrant giving it at least a look. What are you waiting for?

-Cobey Culton

> Using LinkedIn to Find a Job

Last month we put up a blog post that discussed the ever-evolving role of social media within the job search. We concluded that social media can go a long way towards helping your job search or hurting it, depending on how you decide to use these relatively new platforms.

Each social media platform probably warrants its own blog post, and even then we would just be scratching the surface of how to use social media to land a job. In light of this, we decided that it would be helpful to focus on LinkedIn in today’s post. Of all social media sites, LinkedIn is the most professional-oriented, which makes it particularly valuable when looking for a job.

Here are some tips to help you get the most out of LinkedIn:

Step 1: Perfect Your Profile

On LinkedIn everything begins and ends with your profile. From your profile picture to your experience, your profile on LinkedIn is essentially an online copy of your resume.

With that in mind, choose a profile picture that gives off an aura of professionalism. This is typically the first thing that people will look at when viewing your profile, and as you hopefully already know, first impressions are vitally important. A head shot is often best because people will be able to see and recognize your face. Also make sure that the picture is reasonably current so that hiring managers and/or recruiters aren’t in for a surprise.

While having a good profile picture is important, the real meat of your LinkedIn profile lies in the “experience” section. In fact, it probably isn’t a bad idea to lift this section right off your resume. Use the “professional summary” section to provide a summation of your experience, highlighting experiences that are particularly important or notable. Remember to list your skills in the “skills and expertise” section. People who can vouch for these skills are able to “endorse” them if they feel so compelled.

Step 2: Connect

Once your profile is satisfactory, start connecting with people you know in an effort to grow your network. The more people you know, the more opportunities you will have to potentially advance your career. If possible, try to get at least one recommendation from someone you have worked with. These recommendations appear on your profile and will only increase your chances of landing a job.

Make sure that you don’t go overboard, though – only connect with people that you know and trust. There is no need to connect with random people just so you can look popular or important, and these people will likely decline your invitation anyway.

Step 3: Search and Stay Active

While it’s not unusual for people to be contacted by recruiters or hiring managers, don’t sit back and assume that employers will find you. Go to the job search section and see if there are any that look appealing. If there you find a position that seems to be a good fit, don’t hesitate to hit the “apply now” button. Also, be sure to take note of what keywords appear in postings that interest you. Ensure that these keywords also appear in your profile so that you are more visible to employers and/or recruiters.

 

In the end, LinkedIn is just one of many tools that you, the job seeker, have at your disposal. Hopefully the tips above will get you headed in the right direction, at the very least. Good luck!

– Cobey Culton

> Social Recruiting

The recent advent of social media has undoubtedly provided staffing agencies a huge opportunity. Job seekers are more accessible than ever, with LinkedIn, Facebook, Google Plus, and Twitter literally putting millions of people at these companies’ fingertips.

As Andrew Hally points in a recent blog post on The Staffing Stream, though, many staffing agencies fail to employ these social tools effectively. The statistics are actually pretty alarming. Here is a brief excerpt from his post:

In 2012, only 12 percent of recruiters were connected to all three of the networks, with 14 percent of recruiters using a combination of LinkedIn and Twitter for recruiting versus eight percent using LinkedIn and Facebook. Fifty percent of North American recruiters using Twitter for recruiting have fewer than 50 followers, and 26 percent of North American recruiters using Facebook have fewer than 200 Facebook friends.

Oddly enough, Hally makes no mention of Google Plus, which recently surpassed Twitter in active user count. With only 12% of recruiters using LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, there is no telling how far that number would tumble if you added Google Plus into the equation.

So, the first problem is abundantly clear: staffing agencies and recruiters simply aren’t utilizing social media to its fullest extent – but why?

One reason could be the distinct disconnect between the overwhelming number of people that are active on social media websites and the number of people that recruiters are actually reaching. Fifty percent (yes, 50%) of North American recruiters have fewer than 50 followers. Obviously, there are a number of factors at play here, so we have to be careful to not oversimplify the problem.

Part of the explanation may lie in the fact that websites like Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, etc. are able to provide a smorgasbord of job opportunities from a handful of recruiters. These websites also allow the job seeker to target specific opportunities that match up with their ambitions, which is clearly a better alternative to being spammed on Twitter/Facebook by recruiters who post a new job listing every ten minutes (the majority of which are irrelevant to the job seeker). However, job boards really only reach active job seekers – there is an entire network of people who may not be actively searching for a job, but could be convinced to take a better opportunity.

The bottom line is that staffing agencies should try to engage job seekers on sites like Twitter, Facebook and Google+ which will in turn drive traffic to their website/job listings. Instead of posting a stream of job listings on Twitter, they should attempt to provide something somewhat proprietary: a blog, interesting/relevant links, etc. Social recruiting is about creating an audience – one in which there are both active and passive candidates.

 

This is not to say that recruiters shouldn’t toss up the occasional job opportunity, especially if it is one that will attract a larger audience than others. Still, recruiters should take a hard look at their social media strategy. It is certainly a powerful tool, but only if used the right way.

– Cobey Culton, Digital Marketing Intern

> Social Media and the Job Search

In today’s day and age, social media websites have become an integral part of the job search for both job seekers and employers. Job seekers use social media to identify job openings now more than ever before (it’s all about networking, after all) and companies, like it or not, have started using social media profiles to vet potential candidates for job openings. In fact, a recent CareerBuilder.com survey indicated that 37% of employers use social media profiles as a part of their screening process (http://goo.gl/mkSGu).

It might sound a bit disconcerting that companies actually sift through your “digital footprint” as a part of their evaluation process, especially if some of the content on your Facebook or Twitter profile is not particularly flattering. Instead of destroying your prospects of getting a job, though, you (the job seeker) can easily flip this to your advantage – but how?

Keep private interactions, well, private…

There are numerous “red flags” that companies look for when perusing your various social media profiles. Profanity, pictures of you having a little too much fun, and/or poor grammar are all examples. Check your privacy settings and make sure that these more “personal” items are not public. Or even better, don’t post these things at all! All they can do is hurt your prospects of getting and job, fair or unfair. There is nothing wrong with leaving some of your profile viewable to the public – just be smart about that content.

Present yourself in a professional manner

As you probably know, first impressions are absolutely critical. They are equally critical when companies take a look at your social media profiles. Whether it be Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google +, or any other site, make sure that your profile picture communicates an aura of professionalism. This is obviously somewhat subjective, but you can’t go wrong with warm smile and professional attire. Your social media profiles are a great opportunity to market yourself to potential employers, so take advantage! On a site like LinkedIn, where job seekers and employers are the priority, this is especially important. Ensure that your resume is easily viewable/accessible and that your grammar and spelling are top-notch.

Engage in discussion

While certainly not essential, engaging in a larger community discussion relating to your field of work can’t hurt. If anything, it shows that you are actively involved and interested in today’s topics of discussion in your industry. Plus, you might learn a thing or two from these online conversations. Twitter is a great place to find these discussions, which are often identified by hashtags. Sites like Facebook, Google +, and LinkedIn also offer separate communities where people in the same industry can exchange ideas.

With the relatively recent emergence of social media, job seekers and employers alike are still trying to determine the best way to put these websites to use. For job seekers, the idea that potential employers can do a quick Google search and pull up a wealth of information in the form of Facebook/Twitter profiles is daunting – but it doesn’t have to be.

Just use good judgment when posting updates and pictures that are more personal, and try to create a positive, professional image with the information that is publicly viewable. The good news is that (for the most part) this information is all within your control.

 

Once you have established a professional image, go ahead and unleash the power of social media: network and engage. You will be glad you did.

– Cobey Culton, Digital Marketing Intern