Whether you are looking for a job or looking for a potential candidate, social media is a tool that can enhance this process. Social media can be very complex but the basics are easy to follow. The fundamentals consist of interacting, informing and listening to other people in your selected networks. Since social media has such a wide spectrum I am going to be focusing on how to utilize the basics of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to better your job and candidate search.

Job Searching in Social Media

• Facebook - This was once a network only open to college students and now has become available to everyone including companies. What does this mean? It means that your profile and what you post can be viewed by companies, recruiters and other people in the industry. Keeping this in mind you have to think about how you want to present yourself. One of the easiest things a job searcher can do is “like” a company they are interested in. Keeping up to date with the latest industry news and the company can help learn more about the company you are interested in. Some companies may even post open positions they are looking to fill. Another simple step is using Facebook to keep in touch with former employees and build a network.

• LinkedIn – Though the structure might be slightly similar to Facebook, LinkedIn is a great tool for learning about events (career fairs, etc.) and for building a network. A good thing to do is use keywords that cater toward your talents when using the site. If your specialty is recruitment marketing, then make sure that “recruitment marketing” can be found with ease on your page. Have a question? You can ask regarding a particular industry or job position on LinkedIn. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, social media is about engaging. Another tool that can be very useful is getting recommendations. Of course you have to earn them, but when you do get them make sure they are visible. Treat this site like a virtual resume and don’t forget to check your spelling.

• Twitter – Surprisingly Twitter is still somewhat new to many people. Twitter is a very useful platform for building networks, joining and following certain groups and sharing information. Unlike Facebook and LinkedIn, Twitter has a constant flow of information from job positions to tips on job searching. Depending of who you are following, the content of the information may vary. Using hash tags (ex. #jobs) can help narrow down these searches. With some much information incoming, hash tags make it easier to find what you are looking for.
These are very simple and quick things you can do during your job search. More companies are getting involved with social media and are now even asking potential hires how well they can utilize social media. Making accounts and becoming involved is one of the best ways to learn about social media. So why are you waiting? Get active, get involved and learn more about the places you would like to work.

Recruiting in Social Media

• Facebook - So how can Facebook, once a network strictly for college students, help a business find potential candidates? Making a page for your company is the first place to start. Users can like a company and become part of their network. This is huge and a must if you plan on using social media to recruit. This can build your companies visibility on the web, and more importantly build relationships with future employees. Facebook is also an easy way to do a quick search on someone you just interviewed. Don’t feel like you are being sneaky, this is a tool, use it. Just like you are searching the candidate, they are most likely going to be searching you. Facebook can reflect your company’s culture and what your company stands for. With the wall feed feature, a company can post open jobs and post the latest industry news. Even beyond sending text related messages, companies can also add videos to their page. Videos can be advertisements, company tours and even company events. With over 400 million users on Facebook, this is an opportunity that cannot be passed up.

• LinkedIn- Very much like a resume, LinkedIn can provide a lot of insight on a candidate. Unlike resumes though, recommendations on the site can provide telling information about that future employee. The events section can also allow recruiters to create live webinars, career fairs or even find events to participate in. LinkedIn also has several recruiter tools available that can help HR professionals source quality candidates. Tools like their advanced search features narrow down the search results when looking for a potential hire.

• Twitter – This tool can come in handy when looking for potential hires. An easy thing a company can do is post a job opening and use hash tags to better focus on that specific job. Relevant information is also a great thing to post; this can create conversations and more importantly, increase traffic to your page if the information is retweeted. The more traffic that is incoming, the better your chances are in finding future candidates.

Social media is this vast pool of interactions, via the web, that has become a part of everyone’s life whether we like it or not. Many companies have used social media for a number of reasons: building relationships, marketing products and advertising certain products or services. It is important to understand that social media is hard work and just having a page won’t cut it. Show your candidates that your company is human and get to know them on a more personal level through social media.

About the Author: Ralph Leon is currently a marketing intern at CKR Interactive, a recruitment marketing agency. Using social media, he manages the company’s online presence while actively participating in the recruiting community. For more information regarding recruiting and social media follow Ralph on twitter @CKR_Interactive