The new vogue notion in the media is that social networking can be an effective way for talent to market themselves. It is also the current "in vogue" method to source talent . . . and rightly so.

With so many people online, there is so much information available to choose from . . . were i not for all the work, it would make sense to forgo 3rd party recruiters and do it yourself.

Here are a few ideas that you can employ to help you use social networking sites effectively.

Are you using Twitter to broadcast job openings?

Is your Twitter account connected to your Facebook page and your LinkedIn account?

If you are a recruiter, are you searching LinkedIn regularly for candidate leads (to use it effectively, you really need one of the services they charge for)?

Does your firm have a fan page on Facebook? Do you monitor it for what people say about the firm? Do you list positions there with links to your website?

If you have a LinkedIn profile, is it only constructed toward promoting yourself or does it promote opportunities at your firm.

Have you created a presentation about your firm and why it is a great place to work and posted it to Slideshare.com . From there, you can connect it to your LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook accounts. Add it to Scribd and Docstoc , too.

Do you answer questions on LinkedIn Answers?

Do you use tags on LinkedIn to categorize people?

Do you actually recruit from LinkedIn? You know, use the information that is there and then pick up the phone and call someone?

Have you actually Googled yourself and seen what others may have said about you?

Have you searched groups on Ning to find groups where your target audience might be lurking? Ning is a service that allows people to create their own social network. Search for groups to join or create your own.

Deploying some of these ideas will result in more hires less expensively.

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter*

Concepts in Staffing

TheBigGameHunter@cisny.com

 

© 2010 all rights reserved.

 

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter, is Managing Director of Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm, He has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff in many disciplines since 1971. He is a retired certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.

He is the author of “Get Yourself Hired NOW," “Get Your Job Search Organized NOW," "No B.S. Job Search Advice," "The Single Best Question You Should Ask on Any Interview," and, his newest, "Look Me Up: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Social Networking Your Way to Job Search Success," They are available at www.GetYourselfHiredNOW.com, www.Scribd.com and The Kindle Store on Amazon.

*The Big Game Hunter is a registered trademark of The Big Game Hunter, Inc., Milford, PA 2007