Katrina Collier has been an independent voice on social recruiting since 2009. Through Winning Impression, she advises companies how to include social media in their recruitment mix and job seekers how to use social media to gain access to job opportunities. She regularly speaks at industry events and conferences, and she writes social recruiting articles for her own blog, Work4, Computer Weekly and Social Hire.
In the first of a series, Katrina shares her thoughts and wisdom on where best to find and attract talent.
Part 1: Social Network Choice
Job seekers have smartened up to the fact that they can access you and your company on social networks. In fact, the number of visitors to UK job boards fell by 26% in the last year.
This could be down to a drop in unemployment, but it’s more likely due to the rise of the savvy social job seeker.
Operating under the radar, social job seekers are quietly checking you out.
Yes, you.
And not where you expect either.
Jobvite’s recent Job Seeker Nation Study revealed that:
Yet in my experience, companies resist Facebook, thinking it a personal space. Fearing it would be creepy. Preferring the ease of LinkedIn.
But if 94% of recruiters are active on LinkedIn and only 36% of job seekers are, wouldn’t it be easier to be heard on Facebook?
And…
So what can you do?
1. Run a few Facebook Graph searches and make sure that your target audience is on the network.
Try searches like:
- People who are [job title] and live in [location]
- People who work at [competitor] and live in [location]
- People who like [relevant skill] and live in [location]
2. Make the most of your Facebook page.
Add an attractive Cover Photo, complete the About section, and share photographs and videos that give insight into your company and people. Don't use your page as a job post feed, instead attract job seekers to your people, projects and products by giving them a peek inside.
3. Find out who your social champions are and ask for their help.
Avoid forcing people to engage, instead find out who in your company is happy to share updates about the great things that you’re doing. Let their natural enthusiasm shine through.
4. Monitor your page!
If you start engaging on Facebook you must make sure you keep an eye out for applicant comments and questions and address them quickly. Nothing repels a social job seeker faster than a neglected page!
What do you think; will you be giving Facebook a try?
You can find out more about Katrina's work here: http://www.winningimpression.com/
The Three routes to market
Social LinkedIn has changed the jobs market in the same way Monster, Reed et al did in the early noughties. It has become a giant candidate database for agency and in-house recruiters while at the same time masquerading as a Social hub…oh and there are some interesting stories on LinkedIn Today…no wait, I mean Pulse. In 2014, if you are a candidate, passive or active, you absolutely must have a profile on LinkedIn. Ideally it will be accurate too! There are a few things to remember:By Jez Styles, AdMore Recruitment
In the light of the office a little egg lay on a desk. One Sunday morning the warm sun came up and – pop! – out of the egg came a tiny and very hungry recruiterpillar.He started to look for some candidates.
On Monday he ate through 50 LinkedIn invitations. But he was still hungry.
On Tuesday he ate through one Blog (this one), but he was still hungry.
On Wednesday he ate through 15 LinkedIn company updates, but he was still hungry.
On Thursday he ate through 280 Telephone calls, but he was still hungry.
On Friday he ate through 12 Tweets & messages, but he was still hungry.
On Saturday, he ate through 3 Skype Interviews, 4 meetings, 75 Text messages, 5 Google + messages, 90 Voicemails, 791 Emails, 12 Inmails, 14 comments on LinkedIn Groups, 7 Comments on blogs, one comment for trade press, 5 LinkedIn status updates, 142 CV applications, and 3 new job adverts.
That night he had a brainache!
The next day was Sunday again.
The caterpillar ate through one nice database search, and after that he felt much better.
Now he wasn’t hungry any more – and he wasn’t a little recruiterpillar any more. He was a big, well-connected recruiterpillar.
He built a small talent pipe-line, called a database, around himself. He stayed inside for more than two weeks. Then he nibbled a hole in the database, pushed his way out and…
...he was a beautiful Social Recruiting butterfly!
A rough summary of my last 7 days. Inspired by "The very hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. Of course, if you have kids you’ll know that already!
Click here to follow us on LinkedIn for interesting updates on Retail and the latest job vacancies
By Jez Styles, AdMore Recruitment- Specialists in Retail and Hospitality Recruitment, Search & Selection, Talent Management and Career Development.
I was inspired to write this blog after discovering the ‘@AreaManagerGuy’ Twitter account. Twitter is filled with great information and can provide you with an incredible amount of ideas. I have to admit though that I have become increasingly drawn to the more humourous accounts, a bit of Social media light relief. Some of these are getting increasing amounts of exposure but I thought I would highlight a few for those that are new to Twitter or only occasionally use their account:
Steve Steveson - @AreaManagerGuy
My favourite feed by a country mile. Mixing up banter with his wife alongside classic retail quotes @AreaManagerGuy says all those things that every Retail Store Manager has heard before...but couldn't quite believe at the time! The food retail equivalent of TV's Phoneshop. 3769 followers can't be wrong! @WHS_CarpetA twitter account devoted entirely to highlighting carpet horror stories in WH Smith stores. With 2911 followers and lots of independent contributions I would imagine the joke wears a little thin at WHS HQ! Scan down the feed and you can quickly see how WH Smith has consistently kept profits up!
WaterstonesOxfordSt - @WstonesOxfordSt
A genuine Retail consumer account with a great sense of humour. The guys behind this account manage to combine some good marketing information with lots of sarcasm. Not the lowest form of wit on this occasion.
#KeepingChristmasGoing - @Dresserman
A hashtag curated by Steve Dresser, KeepingChristmasGoing is exactly what it sounds like. A collection of observations and photos of Retailers who just can’t let go of Christmas. It has been a little light on activity over the last couple of months but is sure to build again from January to May!
Paddy Power - @PaddyPower
Like ‘em or loathe ‘em the Bookmakers are here to stay. Paddy Power have pulled off a string of publicity stunts and their Twitter feed is very edgy. If you are a Sports fan you won’t be able to help yourself but smile.
As always, if you have any favourite feeds let us know in the comments below.
So what should a good recruiter be doing for you?
Career Advice
A specialist recruiter should be able to give expert career advice and both challenge and assist you in your career goals and objectives. They should be highly knowledgeable in your field and very well connected. Your recruiter should be a career partner and not just an agent that will place you in a role.
Recruiters can and should provide impartial career advice. When paid commission you need to appreciate that some may have a short term attitude and advise what is best for them and not for you as the candidate. However, the best recruiters will take a look term approach, appreciate that people will remember great advice and certainly never forget bad advice. Although in the short term they may lose out on a fee, longer term if they do the right thing then you are much more likely to engage them when you are looking to recruit. So look out for the signs that they are thinking long term.
Recruiters can if they are willing provide advice across a range of areas including advice on CV’s and Interviewing. They typically do not change for these services but do it as a way of adding more value to the candidates. Again they are likely to only provide in depth advice to those individuals who they have built a relationship with.
Job Search
In addition to some of the added value areas, fundamentally you want your recruiter to give you access to the best jobs in the market. So, do plenty of research and ask plenty of questions; what roles are they recruiting? Who are their key clients? Are they recruiting the types of roles you are interested in? The competition out there is fierce and through building a strong relationship with key recruiters in your sector you can try and ensure you gain access to these roles. A good recruiter should always call you back. In the current market, recruiters are incredibly busy, there are large number of candidates on the market chasing relatively fewer roles, however if you agree up front how to communicate and how frequently then you should be able to find a way that works for both parties.
Process Management
A good recruiter should "coach" you through the recruitment process. They should be using their in depth knowledge of the client and the individuals within it to guide and advise you on how to position yourself. They should be able to give you a strong insight into the culture and how you will fit. The are also likely to get in depth feedback from the client after each stage so make sure they are sharing this information with you, so you can understand what you may need to do more or less of. In fact a really good recruiter will always think long term. The better ones will coach you through a process even when they aren’t representing you but it is with a client they know. They will appreciate the long term benefits of doing this and the potential for the future.
Offer Negotiation
Whilst there are a multitude of reasons for moving jobs, increasing your salary and benefits is often an important aspect. Your recruiter should be instrumental in negotiating the right salary for you. They should know the client well and will have a real feel for what the client may be willing to pay for someone with your skill set. But make sure they are clear about your parameters because as much as you want to receive the best offer you also don’t want to put yourself in a situation where you are jeopardising a potential offer because the recruiter is demanding an unachievable salary on your behalf. Also make sure you understand the full package. The benefits on offer may vary considerably from your current role and other roles you are considering and it is wise to look at the package as a whole. This will both influence your thoughts around basic salary but also may give you some leverage. Make sure you have this information early in the process. Like any negotiation the Recruiter will be aiming to find middle ground that is acceptable to both you and the client. It is ok to push but get a feel for where those boundaries lie.
Post Placement
A good recruiter won’t just place you and collect their fee, they will support you through your notice period and then though your induction into the business. They should provide you with an insight into the key players in the business you are joining, the culture and advice on how to integrate into the business. They should keep in touch and ensure that your induction runs smoothly, feeding back to the client where appropriate.
Conclusion
Identifying and then building a relationship with the right recruiters will be critical if you are determined to make the best career move possible.
So how can you ensure your recruiter is doing all these things for you? Firstly please choose wisely. It is best to get recommendations and check their credentials.
Secondly to gain this level of advice, support and opportunity you need to invest time in building a relationship with the recruiter. This is easier said than done when working in a demanding and consuming role, so select a small number of well connected recruiters. For some additional advice on job hunting please read our recent blogs Looking for a job in 2013and How to avoid joining the wrong business.