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Experimenting with social network recruiting

MySpace and Facebook are changing the rules of online hourly recruitment.

Just a few years ago, advertising on social networking seemed to be an afterthought for most businesses, including employers looking to ramp up recruitment. But from 2006 to 2008, there was a 70% increase in spending on this fast-growing medium, according to emarketer.com.

Social networking, the newest online recruitment tool for businesses of all sizes, means interacting within online communities designed for people who want to connect with others who share their interests. Depending on the platform, social network initiatives can include features like chat, news feeds, messaging, blogs, email, discussion forums and video sharing. This phenomenon is becoming more and more popular, particularly among students and young professionals, with Facebook and MySpace dominating the competition. MySpace currently has 124 million monthly unique visitors, compared to Facebook’s 276 million. Twitter, a network whose members communicate in 140-character comments via web or cell phone, is the latest phenomenon. Whether you’re looking for name recognition or a more modern recruitment strategy, it’s time to get online and start building a profile.

Search for yourself  – and others.
To find out if you already have a following on a particular social network, you can usually perform simple searches within that website’s main interface, even if you aren’t a registered member. Search for variations of your company's name and see what people are saying about you. If you’re new to user profiles, blogs and widgets, search for other companies’ sites to get a better idea of how to get started and what you’re up against. Note features like messages boards, polls and comments pages that encourage people to interact with your business and provide feedback.

How to leverage social networking for recruiting
The advantages of joining a social networking site are significant. It allows for small and medium-sized businesses to gain company name recognition and the benefit of an interactive experience. Engaging in real-time dialogue with potential job seekers shows that your company is open and responsive. Social media can also drive traffic to your homepage and attract potential applicants.

Social media allows companies to build an interactive relationship with their consumers and encourage feedback in a fun way – but it doesn’t take a million dollars or a crew of IT professionals to get this kind of an initiative off the ground. Most social networking sites are free to sign up, so all you need is a user name and password. You can usually enter text just as you would in a Microsoft Word document, and you can even preview your page before you publish it.

Information you would add to your own company website or partnering job board can be plugged into a social networking page as well. Be sure to highlight job openings, benefits, events and fun facts about your company, and keep everything updated and relevant. Also, make sure your profile accurately reflects your company’s culture and stays current. Nothing says "lame" like a Facebook page that was last updated six months ago.

Putting it into practice
Once your page is up and running, set some goals for what you want to accomplish and deadlines for site upkeep. Decide who can submit and view comments – registered users or anyone who views the site? You also need to establish how often the site will be updated and what content will be included. Finally, find employees who can be trusted to contribute and interact with users. Business owners can operate these sites all on their own, but remember: transparent communication is key in social networking. Employers should be open and honest when interacting on these sites.

Be sure to consider the risks associated with social networking. You will be losing some control over your brand, but you are gaining an open and honest dialogue that engages employees. While you may want to implement profanity filters and prohibit the discussion of certain personnel issues, too many restrictions will limit the success of social networking initiatives. Social networking sites aren’t targeted to a specific audience, so make sure you put links on your company web page to direct viewers who otherwise may not have found your profile.