Each day I speak with recruiters about Social Media who shares their enthusiasm about using this channel for sourcing. The next question is – how soon they should expect to get profiles and where all they can post the jobs. Social Media is being viewed as a next best thing in recruitment as well as a “magic wand” which will produce profiles from thin air!

There is a definite wave about “Social Recruiting” in the air which needs a proper understanding, strategy and implication rather than blanket usage. It’s imperative that we understand the real power of Social Recruiting with a broader spectrum than just a short sighted approach.

I have compiled a list of what I think the real Social Recruiting is and what it isn’t.

I get so many queries like can you post this in Facebook and LinkedIn. Well, are you treating them as job portals for posting? Do you even know where and how to post? Is this a “readymade” tool for job searching? Any new concept brings along a need for learning and exploring. Social Media is more than a tool and not even a strategy in itself.

In short, recruiters should not to see Social Media merely as a tool. They need to see this as an opportunity to reach out to bigger target audience, engage them in meaningful dialogue and create a talent pool to gain a distinct competitive advantage over competition. Social gives enormous opportunities to create proactive and long term candidate pipeline along with building a great employer brand. This is so much more than just posting in groups, pages and twitting like “Job Robots”.

So next time, do think “long term” and “strategic” while using Social Media. One thing more – it’s there to stay, so use it before your competitor does

I would love to get your opinion on the above list. Any additions / changes you suggest? Let’s open up a discussion…