The world of social media can be confusing at best especially with the myriad of sites out there claiming to be social media websites. So what is all the hype about huh, and why should we be listening as recruiters? In short – social media is a must have for digital engagement and reputation development especially in recruitment!

As mentioned there are a lot of sites out there from photo sharing on flickr, video sharing on YouTube, social bookmarking on the likes of StumbleUpon, Wiki’s, aggregators, presence apps, online gaming to the most well known of course; the social networking sites. These all have value when talking brand development and engaging with your candidates and clients alike. But again what is their value to the recruiter?

At first glance, the easy answer of course is the networking capabilities offered by LinkedIn and Facebook. More and more recruiters are filling roles via LinkedIn headhunts but long term this isn’t where the real benefit lies. It’s great but the higher value is in developing your online reputation. That said, both are intrinsically linked and if you go about your online interactions in the right way your online reputation will in turn develop along with your network.

So what should we be doing?

 *   Understand the channels you are engaging in – audiences and interests are very different between Twitter and LinkedIn for example.
*   Filter! Again all the channels have different nuances, don’t have an automatic link from your Twitter to your LinkedIn. Content you commit to the web is exactly that, committed to the web…forever!
*   Don’t spam – think about who you are contacting and what value your potential relationship will hold.
*   Be unique – linked to the above point. Read links and add value to your responses / Retweets.
*   Don’t just suck up, be negative if that’s what is required.
*   Be respectful especially if following the above point!
*   Develop relationships not business contacts.
*   Track! - Know your goal and understand how to achieve it by tracking blog comments or Retweets etc.

By following these few simple steps you will not only be engaging in the right way but you will begin to develop your reputation online. By doing this you will become a trusted and valued connection within your network.

FACT: LinkedIn is just about the most optimized site out there for a person’s online presence – think about the keywords on your profile and the links you put on it. By adding a WordPress blog for example you have a superb portal to showcase not only your knowledge but your personality!