Twitter and Recruitment
Posted By: Thomas Shaw, 4:50pm Monday 01 December 2008
A few weeks ago, I resigned up for Twitter to see how much it has changed since I was last actively "tweeting" on the website. There has been a lot of discussion about whether Twitter is useful, fun or just a fad.
Twitter http://www.twitter.com
My twitter page http://www.twitter.com/thomasshaw
In the past few days I have received a number of emails, and read a number of blog articles on using Twitter for recruitment. Twitter is a mini-blogging tool, where you have 140 characters to tell all your 'followers'
The best way to use Twitter for recruitment is...
- post hot jobs, or latest job links on twitter back to the employers or agencies web site
- recruitment news updates.. ie "Looking for a PHP developer in Melb, Top rates apply"
- speaking/networking functions.. ie "Speaking at XXX on how to find a job", "Meet us at the Careers Expo"
- Links to career content - employee profiles, videos, articles, etc.
- Follow discussions on various topics or trends
- Connecting with job seekers via twitter
Resources:
Have I Got A (140 character) Story For You! - Published by Sitepoint.com
http://6rec.com/6m8t
Recruitment and employer branding using 140 characters - EngageOnline
http://6rec.com/wio3
Zappos using Twitter to connect with job seekers - John Walker
http://6rec.com/53s4
Recruiting via microblog, Twitter - Slideshare
http://6rec.com/d8sv
The following article was sent from Recruitment Systems http://www.recruitmentsystems.com.au in their latest email newsletter.
What is Twitter?
Twitter is a communication channel for people to tell other people what they are doing. For a simple but biased explanation see Twitter in Plain English on YouTube. You may ask: "Why would they bother - why would anyone care?" - and that's a reasonable question!
Upsides/Downsides
Upside is difficult to measure but they might exist - the downside is a lot more keyboard activity for less productivity. If one of your staff come to you with a Twitter proposal get them to justify it, have them put some money on the table - it could be a fancy lunch if it doesn’t work - and then measure results.
How can Recruitment Directory benefit from Twitter?
With millions of Twitter users posting their microblog entries called tweets, there is a lot of useless noise being generated. Cutting through the noise can be difficult and there isn't really one definitive use for Twitter. Potentially you could benefit from:
- Following the tweets of top recruiters for snippets of their wisdom
- Keep up with industry news
- Track discussions on specific topics or trends
- Promoting available positions to thousands of potential candidates
- Branding of your business in a casual, social and personable environment
- Keeping your clients and candidates informed by allowing them to subscribe to your tweets
How can Recruitment Directory start using Twitter?
First decide whether or not you want to take on yet another online social media site. A good way to make this decision is to search Twitter for topics relevant to your agency and see whether people are making useful tweets. If there seems to be some useful discussion going on you might want to Join Twitter and start posting promotional tweets about your business and following tweets of your clients or top recruiters.