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Twitter - Recruiters don't really need to follow or be followed......
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I've been thinking about how to use Twitter more effectively. I have tried tweeting my lunch menu, dinner menu and occassional snack menu. Still nothing. But I press on.......
Recently I had the pleasure of being part of the Animal Show (please don't make me link to it.....) where we discussed some very simple approaches to using Twitter in the recruiting world. Since that time it has occurred to me: I don't need to follow anyone. And quite frankly - nobody needs to follow me.
Very simply all you need to do is set up your account and start tweeting. Don't follow anyone. Don't expect anyone to follow you. Just tweet your jobs. Tweet them with the #splits for other recruiters to find you. Tweet them with the word "job" in there along with the top buzzwords for candidates to find you.
All the other stuff is just annoying. I mean - how many "helpful" links do you need every day? I don't need any.
What I need is my next placement.
If candidates are using Twitter for their job search - the first thing they are likely to do is search for one. Pretty simple, eh? Your tweet will be found in their search regardless of how many Twitter addicts are following your every thought.
Recruiters will find you using #haveaguy, #needaguy, #willdosplits, #splits............Thanks for all your efforts on getting that word out JD!
So why bother with the rest of the crap on Twitter? Unless you've got far too much free time.
I will be using a new account for "real" work. Having no followers will make sure I am not bothering anyone with only tweeting openings.
We'll see how it goes.
Recently I had the pleasure of being part of the Animal Show (please don't make me link to it.....) where we discussed some very simple approaches to using Twitter in the recruiting world. Since that time it has occurred to me: I don't need to follow anyone. And quite frankly - nobody needs to follow me.
Very simply all you need to do is set up your account and start tweeting. Don't follow anyone. Don't expect anyone to follow you. Just tweet your jobs. Tweet them with the #splits for other recruiters to find you. Tweet them with the word "job" in there along with the top buzzwords for candidates to find you.
All the other stuff is just annoying. I mean - how many "helpful" links do you need every day? I don't need any.
What I need is my next placement.
If candidates are using Twitter for their job search - the first thing they are likely to do is search for one. Pretty simple, eh? Your tweet will be found in their search regardless of how many Twitter addicts are following your every thought.
Recruiters will find you using #haveaguy, #needaguy, #willdosplits, #splits............Thanks for all your efforts on getting that word out JD!
So why bother with the rest of the crap on Twitter? Unless you've got far too much free time.
I will be using a new account for "real" work. Having no followers will make sure I am not bothering anyone with only tweeting openings.
We'll see how it goes.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Recruiting Animal on -
Jerry is right -- or, rather, will be if and when standardized hashtags have become generally accepted.
Karla Porter told Harry Joiner that he didn't have to expose his valuable contacts in his followers list. He could store them as bookmarks instead.
Here's a link to the show.
PS: Now you can delete @jerry_albright from your followers list, go to twitter search and enter #lunch to see what the action is.
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Permalink Reply by Jerry Albright on -
Animal - among the top issues I've wrasstled with is that very subject: putting together an entire list of candidates (or clients) that my competitors can grab so very easily. I have yet to hear from anyone (in the real recruiting trenches) with a legitimate rebuttal to that concern.
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Permalink Reply by Recruiting Animal on
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Is anyone trying to rebut it Jerry? You're fighting a battle that isn't there.
PS: You've got too much free time.
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Permalink Reply by Jerry Albright on
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So why is everyone clamoring to do it then Animal?
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Permalink Reply by Recruiting Animal on
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Here's why Jerry.
Because the hashtag system is still fairly new and not standardized.
Also, if I know for sure that you are a good source for a steady diet of valuable info I might as well link to you. Unless of course I don't want to point my competition to a good source.
Likewise, if I know that you are a good market for what I have to offer I want you to be my follower (unless, again, it can hurt me to make our connection public).
But, look at most recruiters' lists of followers and the people they're following. Most followers are sources of professional info and water cooler chit chat.
They are not candidates or clients
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Permalink Reply by John Sumser on
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As it grows, Twitter will become increasingly useful in the way that you image, Jerry. Twitter isn't what it appears to be at first. The aggregate result of lots of Twittering is a database of observations, wisdom and little facts. Filling the database is a good idea.
The standards will emerge but you can be sure that any job needs a title, a location and the fact that it's a job. All three items will be hash tagged, don't you think?
Also, if I know for sure that you are a good source for a steady diet of valuable info I might as well link to you. Unless of course I don't want to point my competition to a good source.
Likewise, if I know that you are a good market for what I have to offer I want you to be my follower (unless, again, it can hurt me to make our connection public).
But, look at most recruiters' lists of followers and the people they're following. Most followers are sources of professional info and water cooler chit chat.
They are not candidates or clients
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Permalink Reply by Dan Nuroo on -
Twitter is more than just a place to locate people. The amount I have learned from links people have posted there, outside my normal online haunts has been the key to my use of the tool. 140 characters of RBC esq (almost), if you will.
The collaboration and learning (when you look around the grocery lists or just filling up the car with gas etc posts) are invalueable. So much so that I have now implemented Yammer into my company here, to try to facilitate the same learnings for all.
From my point of view using it as a people finding tool, will be an added benefit! To only use as a Recruitment tool would be short changing yourself I think Jerry.
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Permalink Reply by Slouch on -
The tagging of the location and job title for the purpose of what Jerry is talking about which I think is using twitter to make placements, is not necessary. If you include #splits in your twitter input, a recruiter only has to search #splits and then the city or state without the # in front of it.
Look at this search on twitter for #splits and technology
Now look at this twitter search for #splits CT
The only thing that was tagged in the search was #splits the city and state were not tagged.
The reason/concept for the search is the word that needs to be tagged, in this case #splits is for recruiters who want to identify opportunities with other recruiters. It's just a matter of getting enough recruiters who recognize the value of the potential transaction to adopt it.
On another note, and I think related to what Jerry is saying is that it's unfortunate when I show someone my twitter page for the purpose of explaining how twitter works and why it's a valuable resource, what I tell them does not match what it is my twitter page shows them. I bet that is the case with a lot of people. I tell them it's easy to fix, I just need to follow those who provide the best value for my time. They say well, why don't you just do that?
The real value of twitter is the efficiency it brings to locating and doing business and it might even be available from Google soon. The other thing is that it's perfect for recruiting.
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Permalink Reply by Maren Hogan on -
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Permalink Reply by Maureen Sharib on -
I agree with John when he says that this thing will evolve. For me, at the present time, just having a mechanism out there that forces me to encapslate my thoughts into 140 characters that convey information is priceless. Priceless, I tell you. The value will emerge.
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Permalink Reply by Irina Shamaeva on -
I (mostly) agree with you, Jerry. Following and being followed is perceived by many as being similar to connecting on LinkedIn. (It's about "love" in a sense.) Perhaps people put too much into following and unfollowing; on Twitter, it's less "personal" and is less like networking.
To recruit on Twitter it certainly makes sense to 1) create visibility to your jobs by using a good variety of keywords; 2) search for potential candidates.
However, other "stuff" like twitting links and following can and should be used as well. As an example, if you post useful industry links along with posting jobs, candidates may find and follow you as somebody who creates good content for their industry. You can post links to employment news, for example. Creating a following of potential job seekers wouldn't hurt. Also, don't forget about referrals that your followers may send you.
If you find somebody who you think might be a candidate it may be good to either send them a message or follow them. Many people will follow you back or take a look at your message.
Also it is true that you can create as many twitter personalities as you like (unlike LinkedIn). You could create a twitter persona for every niche you recruit for, for example.
I am not sure what % of candidates will look for # tags at this time but you could try educate your pool of candidates about it.
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Permalink Reply by Todd Kmiec on -
I'm partially with Dan Nuroo on this, but maybe flip flopped. I started using Twitter to build the community or enhance the community of people I want to be in touch with. I looked at it as the virtual office, some professional sharing that is helpful, some relationship building within that virtual office, and yes some water cooler talk. I see all of these things as very valuable long term. However, the search aspect is potentially much more powerful and much more valuable from my perspective. So I see great value in both, more in the search and find side, but plenty of added benefit in the virtual office water cooler side to make followers and following well worth while.
Todd Kmiec
Todd Kmiec & Associates
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