Since the emergence and eventual proliferation of social media platforms, the goal of all HR managers and job-seekers is to learn how to effectively maximise its obvious huge potentials. Interestingly, the next question now, after the initial major ‘getting-to-know’ stage, is, does all these hoopla about social recruitment efforts really worth it? Can real people actually get real jobs from real companies?
Okay, yes, this is the Linkedin, Branch-out era; but don’t be surprised that there are still some folks out there with their doubts about both, the effectiveness and workability of social recruitment. And you don’t blame them.
It is ingrained in us, since the known beginning of industrial revolution, that if you are looking for a job; you get dressed up, knot your tie, put on your best face and knock on doors. The whole system of employee-employer relationships got started that way.
But now we are talking about a paradigm shift. A total revolution that is changing how we relate and survive. Today, we are facing the same sort of conflict that the last generation of the Agrarian age had over how life is supposed to be run.
This is a new era. And buddy, it is called the information age! The very fabric of this society now literary hangs on a very bare ‘web’ thread.
This is the new deal and the earlier we all adjust to the realities of this time the better our chance of surviving it.
Okay, accepted.
But, let’s go back to the issues on the table. Does it work?
Wrong question!
The right questions are: How do I maximise the huge potentials of social recruitment? How can I get a job using this new tool? Or how do I make the right connections in order to enhance my chance?
Social recruiting is still a young idea and as such, companies and people are trying to experiment on what works and what doesn’t. There are no fixed, set in the mould, straight answers, but there are still tactics and tips that will be of great benefit.
Position yourself
You need to be just as serious to keeping your social habitat clean, as you would be about getting your shoes clean. If you are a job seeker, you have to pay close attention to your networks. Your group of friends. What you post, yarn and share. Today, all an employer needs in order to do a quick background check on you, even before you open your mouth, is sitting with him in his office right now.
Make your connections before you need it.
Linkdin for example has made it all easy for us to join or be ‘linked’ to our choice groups or clusters. It doesn’t take time to identify your own ilk. But, once you are in, start making yourself visible and known. Not in an obnoxious kind of way, this is a fine art of skills and relationships management. Cultivate, be productive, and contribute. Jobs get advertised on walls, ever before it reaches the dailies.
Stay in touch
One of the dynamics of today is the fluidity and flexibility of the workforce. This is not just a once-and-for-all kind of a relationship. No. Go there back again and be relevant. Give back and keep giving. You never know when you will still need these folks again.
What Not To Do.
- Do not take advantage of people. This is a small world after all. Make friends, yes, but be genuine and not exploitative.
- Do not post anything without thinking about all its ramifications. Liken your actions on line as being in an open office. Stay away from anything that you wouldn’t let your colleagues see or hear, let alone your boss.
- Watch your back. Never go online to cool off your emotions. Stay in control. And if you are like me, whisper inside a wall opening! Don’t discuss your boss, or a co-worker. Once it’s out online, it’s out of your hand!
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