Social media in the HR industry

Greg Savage, the founder and CEO of Firebrand TalentSearch, held a seminar entitled 'New Kool versus Old Skool'. Below are the key points taken by Jessica Meisels on the use of social media in the recruitment industry:

• Percentage of people who use social media for job searching in Australia: 24% of baby boomers, 24% of gen X and 23% of gen Y.
• 81% of companies now use social media to recruit.

So, how is recruitment to remain a strong industry with the introduction of social media for job searching?

• Realise that everyone is a candidate, not just those who apply.
• Network with previous applicants.
• Actively source employers or employees who may not be looking.

Tools to set up the framework for your use of social media. Ask yourself 7 questions:

1. What are the objectives?
2. Who is the target audience?
3. How much time am I willing to invest?
4. What is the tone I will use?
5. What is the content, and how will I tailor it for my audience?
6. Is what I’m spruiking appropriate to sell?
7. Is this an opportunity to show my company’s expertise?

Differences you should have between your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn sites:

• Facebook is casual, more informal, and can have more of a relaxed tone.
• LinkedIn is a professional website for networking.
• Twitter needs constant updating. Make sure that each tweet is relevant to your niche market and engaging.

And the similarities:

• Use a professional photo in your profile.
• Include key words in your biography.
• Engage with your followers - answer questions if they ask, pose questions yourself.
• Have links to all forms of social media on all your platforms so that all your professional work is inter-connected.
• Ensure that your personal sites have no linkage to your professional ones.
• Focus on pre-existing relationships, as well as forming new ones.
• Appear knowledgeable in the field you are attempting to connect with.
• Remember that it can take time, even up to a year, for things to really get off the ground.