Social Media in Recruitment How Far is Too Far

Social Media in Recruitment How Far is Too Far The other day, my colleague told me a crazy story about a candidate who was instructed to log into her Facebook account during an interview so the hiring manager could see it. Surprisingly, the candidate â€" in relaying her story to my colleague â€" seemed more concerned with whether or not she would be hired than she was with what many would consider an abuse of power and invasion of privacy. The whole thing left me wondering: When it comes to using sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for recruiting â€" what we call social recruiting â€" how far is too far? With so many nuances, and so many (as yet) unwritten rules, how can recruiters best utilize social media to source quality candidates and assess whether they would be a good fit? Thankfully, there are some best practices emerging to help recruiters know when they’ve pushed the proverbial envelope too far â€" as happened with my colleague’s friend. Beyond learning the hard way what works and what doesn’t, hiring professionals are discovering a new line of  recruiting applications  and tools designed to help them rise above the same old hashtag to better identify, connect with and place viable candidates. Powerful Tools, But Often Misused: Oftentimes, recruiters open the floodgates of LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, with only a vague idea of how to turn these networks into powerful tools for sourcing and screening candidates. Though hiring professionals are doing their darnedest to develop sound strategies for utilizing social media in their recruiting efforts, it’s easy to become overwhelmed or misstep their bounds. For all their good intentions, many recruiters using social media to source and screen candidates are stumbling over the same issues. Here are the top three: Spamming job posts:  The surest way to alienate yourself from your talent pool and render your social recruiting efforts ineffective is to spam people with your job opportunities. You know, things like regularly flooding Twitter streams with the same job openings, or sending every “great opportunity” to passive candidates again and again. It becomes all too easy for even the best jobs to come off as white noise. The key is to be social and engaging. Share industry news and articles of interest, exchange personal messages and keep track of members of your network. Prying rather than researching:  Some positions certainly require a flawless social media presence (e.g., marketing or public relations reps, executive-level employees, etc). For the rest of the folks looking for jobs, though, your screening shouldn’t be focused on thumbing through photos to see if candidates indulged in one too many eggnogs at the family Christmas. There’s a fine line between professional research and what I call “eStalking.” When using social media to screen candidates, look for things like relevant experience, professional work samples or overall impressions of their personality and interests to see if they would fit within your company culture. Ask yourself, if you were the candidate what information would be appropriate for the hiring company to assess about you? Penalizing candidates for level of access:  Many candidates â€" especially Gen Y’ers â€" dichotomize their social media presence. It’s not uncommon for a candidate to deny recruiters access to their personal social profile (i.e. Facebook), and invite them to connect via LinkedIn instead. Be careful not to write off candidates for showing a bit of backbone and managing their public image â€" it’s hardly something to penalize. Rather, it could serve to answer any questions you may have about their ability to represent your organization. Lessons Learned from the Trenches As in everything, some people are experiencing more success in social recruiting than others. Some of these are pioneer recruiters who have learned from their mistakes. Others are born with the knack for plugging into social networks, and have picked up a few tricks worth sharing. Carolyn Betts, CEO of  Betts Recruiting, describes herself as falling somewhere in between. Recently featured in a  New York Times  article, Betts has been leveraging social media to grow her recruiting success since 2004. She and I chatted last week, and she shared some of the lessons she learned from the trenches. Focus on strategy.  Social media offers hiring professionals a great opportunity to take recruiting efforts to another level, but you need a strong idea of what you want to accomplish and how you want to accomplish it. Otherwise, you’ll be wasting valuable time. “You can spend a lot of time looking at profiles, rather than getting an idea of their qualifications,” says Betts. She suggests starting with one social media site, familiarizing yourself with it, and then growing your presence as you get a stronger idea of how things work. Have realistic expectations.  â€œI have never had a candidate that a client wanted to hire, and didn’t hire, based on their social media presence,” says Betts. However, according to a study conducted by  Reppler  â€" an online image management service â€" 69 percent of hiring professionals rejected a candidate for just that. Bottom line: Hiring professionals need to determine upfront how much weight they are giving a candidate’s social media presence. When you consider the industry you’re in and the position you’re hiring for, are your deal-breakers realistic? Leverage the right apps and tools.  Many of the more successful social recruiters owe their success to the tools they’re using. They know that in order to make the most of your social recruiting efforts, you need to leverage the tools that have emerged to make social media more manageable for businesses. Why go it alone when there are applications, plug-ins and add-ons with built-in social recruiting best practices to source and screen candidates more effectively? Software Expanding Recruiters’ Reach Software developers are following these trends, and taking note of where recruiters are spending the majority of their time. As social media has expanded its reach, so too is HR software growing to help recruiters make best use of things like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn in their hiring strategy. Before recruiters can fully harness the functionality and features of these tools, however, they must first determine whether or not they are in the right social media playground to reach their desired candidates. For example, many recruiters are finding LinkedIn overcrowded. One  study by JobVite  estimated 85 percent of U.S. companies used LinkedIn for recruiting last year. However, the same study found that only 30 percent of active job seekers are on LinkedIn. So where are the candidates, then? According to JobVite’s report, 80 percent are on Facebook. But here’s the catch: the data recruiters are looking for â€" education, work history, experience, references, etc. â€" isn’t as readily available on Facebook as it is on LinkedIn. Some third-party software developers are stepping in, however, to help catch Facebook up to speed on the sourcing and recruiting front to put more actionable candidate information into the hands of recruiters quickly and efficiently. These new social media recruiting solutions can be broke down into two categories: Standalone applications that tap into employers’ networks.  These applications exist outside of your  core HR software, though they may have some integration capabilities (most vendors would say integration is “forthcoming”). Facebook applications like  BeKnown  create a portal within Facebook where recruiters can review candidates’ skills, experience, and education â€" as well as check out candidate endorsements and socialize. Other standalone applications like  HireOrbit) designed to automate and promote an enhanced employee referral program. Employees can share links to your jobs across any number of networks or via email. These tools can track where in the web your referrals are coming from, and identify which of your employees shared the link. Full-function applications designed specifically for automating social recruiting.  Bullhorn Reach  is one of the few systems in this category that I’ve seen that successfully adapts the recruiting process to include changes social media has had on the industry. Not only does Reach constantly scrape relevant information from your social networks, it uses this information to track and source potential candidates across your social networks. For example, a list of qualified candidates in your network is automatically generated every time you create a new job. Furthermore, Reach can also help enhance referral programs, engaging employees and making it easy for them to share your openings via their own social networks. What I also found interesting is the “Engage” function within the system, which allows users to share interesting articles with your network. Links posted feature a branded bar with information on your company, specialty, and open jobs. Clearly as social media matures and new software continues to emerge, we’re in store for more changes when it comes to social recruiting. But what do you think? What experiences have you had so far with social recruiting and what mistakes are you willing to share? Or what strategies and/or tools are working well? Feel free to share your comments below. Author:  Kyle Lagunas is the HR Analyst at Software Advice â€" a company that reviews human resources and applicant tracking software.

Are You In The Right Profession - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Are You In The Right Profession - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career As a career coach, at times I am being asked for advice, whether the person is a good fit for what they do professionally or want to do in the future? Often I refer such a case to my business partner who is a well-qualified and very experienced career counselor who meets with clients several times before a mutually agreeable answer is reached. I have seen people change careers even after a very long period in one profession but that is challenging since the person already attained a certain salary level and going into something very different does not provide credibility and experience to compete with others who have been already on that track for several years. However, there are times when parents of juniors and seniors in high school ask my opinion about their children’s future. In that context I came across a very comprehensive study that came out of Georgetown University. This study focused on the value of having a Bachelor’s degree. They evaluated 171 majors and found some eye popping results. For example, the median annual earning for someone with a Bachelor’s degree can vary from $29,000 for Counseling Psychology major to $120,000 for Petroleum Engineering major. From this example one can rightfully question the value of a college degree to start with. 8 percent of all majors fall into the category of Business Management and Administration with a median annual income of $58,000. 5 percent of all majors are in General Business with a median income of $60,000 and four percent in Accounting with a median income of $63,000. This study also looked at the correlation between the college major and then the pursuant profession. For example, 19 percent of Physics major went into Computer and Management occupation and 14 percent into Engineering. 18 percent of Liberal Arts majors went into Management and 15 percent into Sales. At the other end of the spectrum there are majors which are extremely unpopular to the point of less than 100th of one percent such as Nuclear Engineering, Soil Science, Pharmacology and others. Another interesting fact, which is not surprising, is that the Nursing major is pursued by 92 females and 8 percent males. On the other hand Nuclear Engineering attracts 91 percent males while Elementary Education 91 percent females. This study is also ranking people by their race and ethnicity. For example the most popular major for School Student Counseling among African-American is at 38 percent.  For Hispanics Biology Engineering is the highest major at 22 percent. The most fascinating information in this study deals with peoples’ earnings. When talking about earnings people are “bracketed” between the high, low and then 25, 50 and 75 percentile. As mentioned earlier the top major with the highest earning is Petroleum Engineering where the 75th percentile is $189,000 while the median is $120,000.     A subset of this study deals with the disparity between male and female income. In most cases males make more than females by various degrees but in some cases, for example Information Science major females median earning is $75,000 while males’ is only $65,000. The conclusion is that women earn the most with a degree in Pharmacy Pharmaceutical Science and Administration and the least in Theology and Religious Vocations. In summary, nowadays the options and opportunities for young people to pursue their career’s desire is very complex and a good decision and fit can keep the person happy and well compensated while a career with a poor and haphazard decision will create many years of misery and a path of poverty.

What Makes Employee Advocacy So Effective

What Makes Employee Advocacy So Effective Your employees are your best advocates for your business. Why? Because what more reliable source is there to learn about a company, than first hand from the ones who work there? Employee advocacy is  becoming more and more popular among businesses, for marketing purposes  and to build a great employer brand. Not only is it  really easy to implement, but it also has a far more genuine feel to it than regular brand messaging shared by official sources and therefore your target market are more inclined to trust the information and take it on board. This infographic by Dynamic Signal explains just why employee advocacy is so widely used. How is business going digital? 88% of businesses are going through a digital transformation. 87% of B2B marketers use social media to distribute content. 78% of sales people using social media outsell their peers not using social media. 88% of employees already use social media. What are the benefits of employee advocacy? 90% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know. Brand messages reach 24 times further when shared by employees. The average employee reaches 1,140 on social media. 50% of employees already post messages on social media about their employers. What are the results of employee advocacy? Employee advocacy has 11 time more content amplification. It brings 5 times more website traffic and 25% more leads. It also results in  24 times more brand awareness. Find out more below! More on this topic at  Employee Advocacy: The Ultimate Handbook.

4 Inspirational Ways You Can Become an Entrepreneur

4 Inspirational Ways You Can Become an Entrepreneur There are two things that keep us from moving forward fear and lack of motivation. It takes a lot of courage to take that one big step that will lead to a big career change. Only decades ago thinking about quitting a well-paid job to start your own business was far from being a usual thing to do. Now people are more flexible and ready to live in a fast changing environment. But the stakes are still very high because there is a risk of losing everything you have and get nothing in return. If you have been thinking lately that your job does not bring you as much joy as it did before, it may be the time to make a bold step forward. Here are 5 reasons for starting afresh and the inspirational examples of women who succeeded in it. Turn your hobby into a profitable business. If you cant wait for the workday to end looking forward to spending time with a brush in your hand, you might start thinking about the way of turning a hobby into the main source of income. As soon as you realize that painting brings you more joy than spending 8 hours in the office, it might be the right time to make a change. Think about the opportunities you can use to monetize your life passion. The goal is to find the right niche for your product or service and start building a new brand. There is no need in a huge amount of investment which makes this a relatively easy thing to do. Nicole Snow, Darn Good Yarn. It is the perfect example of combining art and business. The result is a successful wholesaler and retailer that has grown into a strong international brand. Nicole saw the opportunity in the market. It lacked high-quality products and she decided to find them. She brought an improvement to the world of crafts and is happy with what she does. Spot an opportunity at work. There is almost always a way to improve the work process. But it can be extremely hard to do if you are working in a big international company where there is a rigid control system of all the processes. Any change gives the managers a huge headache. Moreover, they would often ignore your ideas thinking they are not realistic. It is difficult to convince them otherwise. When you see a real way to improve the existing business, start a new company that will outstrip the competitors. Sara Jones, Hiring-Hub.com. After working in recruitment for several years, Sara knew everything about this business. She saw some major flaws in the communication between employers and recruiters and decided to invent a new online platform. It made the interaction easy and transparent. The traditional approach to recruitment needed an update and a new perspective. Sara saw the drawbacks and turned them into her benefits. Have children. Becoming a mom brings a lot of changes not only into your personal life. Your career goals and priorities might get affected by the new circumstances. There are many women who decide to sacrifice their careers to be closer to their children. But this life-changing event can also mean a fresh start of the professional life. We live in the era of freelancers and flexible working schedules. You can take an active part in upbringing while managing a successful business. Andrea Sexton, Andrea Sexton PR. Her second child was the reason why Andrea decided to start her own PR business. She wanted to spend more time with children and quit her job. Now she enjoys working without missing out on her childrens lives and gets good recommendations from multiple clients. Overcome a personal challenge. Sometimes only tragic events can help us realize the importance of the choices we make. After you overcome a major problem in your life, you can clearly see the reality and make the right decisions. You start to understand the real value of life and time each of us has. This inner change can bring you to the new conclusions and new career opportunities. Halley Gray, Evolve Succeed. Halley did not like working in the office but tried to adapt to the strict rules and tight schedule. She was struggling but did not want to give up. Then a terrible thing happened. Her mother was diagnosed with a stage 4 cancer. This made Halley realize how short life was and that every day mattered. She quit and founded her own marketing service. She discovered her talents and helps small businesses to develop. Authors bio: Martha Simons is a contributor at Translateshark.com. She holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration (Marketing) and writers about business and education for various online platforms.

10 Effective Tips to Ace a Job Interview

10 Effective Tips to Ace a Job Interview Interviews can be truly annoying. After all, the interviewers will examine your entire history under the microscope. The issue is you’ll have very limited time to persuade your future employers about why appointing you would be an incredible business decision. However, with proper planning and a little practice, you can nail your interview perfectly.Undoubtedly, you’ve got to acquire all the required skills and credentials they’re expecting, and you’ll need to show all the details in the best possible way. Your resume should be perfectly formatted with not even a single typo or grammatical mistake.evalIn addition to that, you’ll also be required to make proper eye contact with an interviewer, do the strong handshake and smile a lot. Besides these obvious interview strategies, there are some other important aspects needed to be considered by you before and during your interview. For your convenience, we’ve gathered here a list of 10 most useful tips that if taken seriously , can help you nail your interview.1. Do Your ResearchInvestigating the firm ahead of the interview and knowing as much possible about their work, products, target market and competitors will give you an opportunity to comprehend and address the firm’s requirements.You can do this by evaluating the previous press releases, current job openings and important events they’ve organized. The objective is to talk about the firm as if you know a lot about them.Make sure to talk about impending objectives and ideas for growth to exhibit your interest and to show the interviewer that you’re concerned about the company’s expansion and want to play an active role in achieving that.2. Review Your ResumeCreating a resume is entirely different from essay writing. Be very sure to know the basics of crafting an effective CV. In addition to that, you also need to know each and everything mentioned in your resume. Try to review it a day before an interview. Talking brilliantly about your past job positions will make you look confident and assured about your work.3. Study the Job Description CarefullyThis is certainly one of the most important aspects of acing a job interview. After receiving an interview call, you require to review the job description in detail so as to get a clear idea about what the employer is expecting.If the job description asks for consideration to technicalities and specifics, you must modify the conversation accordingly. Perceiving this, you can plan the interview and take up illustrations from former jobs that will represent this attribute.4. Exhibit your Proficiency with Real ExamplesevalThe interrogator wants to see you’re energetic, competent and fit for the job, but it will be difficult for him to accept this unless you validate it. You can prove this by narrating a story about your previous experiences, your achievements and accomplishments during your previous jobs. Communicate it in depth and back your arguments by suitable examples an d concrete illustrations.5. Put Together an Interview KitAssemble a job interview kit that comprises of sufficient copies of your resume along with some other useful things like pen, notepad and water bottle. Make sure to place copies of your CV in a tidy pocket and other things in another small pouch in your car.6. Build AffinityYou’ve probably heard the saying that the first impression is the last impression. Building rapport is one of the ways to ace your job interview. A firm handshake and a friendly smile can help you shape a great environment for your interview.In addition to that, you can also enter into the conversation by inquiring how Making an eye contact with your interviewer will help you show the strength of your personality. Direct eye contact is an indication of self-esteem and self-reliance.It is crucial to make direct eye contact when you shake hands with your interrogator. From beginning to end, be certain to maintain this connection so as to exude self-confiden ce and positivity.8. Exude Positive EnergyYour body language will convey whether you’re a self-reliant, composed, apprehensive or unclear of yourself. To nail your job interview, you should make use of your body language to exude positive energy. Things like your posture and the way you sit will make a huge difference. Show that you’re attentive and paying attention to each and everything.9. Be a Good ListenerListening is certainly one of the most important yet overlooked interview skills. To ace your job interview, it’s crucial that you not only listen properly but also pay attention to the gesture and body language of the interviewer. Give your interviewer sufficient time to complete the sentence and then reply by selecting the best possible words. Don’t rush and take your time to express your ideas.10. Follow UpInstantly after the interview, forward a thank you note in writing. A handwritten note is the best choice as it will give more of a personal touch. Show your grati tude and say thanks to the interviewers for their time.It is necessary to look confident and composed on the day of your job interview. One way to achieve this is to plan it properly so as to avoid any confusions and mishaps. Take a hint from this post and enjoy success in no time.What do you think of this post? Do you know some other useful strategies to nail a job interview? Feel free to share your feedback in the comments section below. Good Luck!