Month: December 2015

How to Use Twitter to Effectively Find Top Candidates

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_03Offering a platform of just 140 characters, Twitter may not seem like the most helpful tool for recruitment. However, it can be an effective way to find top candidates. These tips detail some of the top ways to recruit candidates through Twitter.

Ask for a Retweet

One of the keys to successfully using Twitter as a recruitment tool is to request an RT, or retweet. Asking an already large audience of followers to retweet a post about a job opportunity can significantly increase the pool of candidates. Says recruitment expert Tom Gimbel in Entrepreneur, “When asked, most people are willing to retweet, and you can easily leverage your network and get your message spread. [1]”

Include a Shortened URL

Tweets are limited to 140 characters, so don’t waste precious letters spelling out a long URL for a job application site. Instead, shorten the URL through a site like Bitly, which will give recruiters more space to craft a succinct explanation of the job or a call to action.

Use Appropriate Hashtags

Many candidates in search of specific jobs will use hashtags on Twitter. Recruiting tweets should include specific hashtags as well as more general job-seeking terms. According to an article in Inc., key general hashtags might include #recruiting, #hiring or #staffing [2]. For specific career opportunities, also include hashtags for skills needed, like #Germanspeakers or #programmers.

Tag Major Recruitment Twitter Users

Small businesses that don’t have a large existing group of Twitter followers may want to tweet job openings to major recruitment players on Twitter. These social media recruitment platforms, such as TweetMyJob, can help those searching for employees reach a wider audience [3].

Time Tweets to Get the Most Views

One LinkedIn article reminds recruitment professionals that the timing of Tweets can play a big role in how many views each will receive [4]. Using tools like CrowdBooster can ensure that each Tweet gets maximum visibility in the preferred time zone.

Twitter can be a way to recruit professionals in virtually any industry, and these tips ensure that recruiters can effectively find top candidates through this social media platform.

[1] http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226960

[2] http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/05/using-twitter-for-recruiting.html

[3] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2morrowknight/tweetmyjobs-and-social-re_1_b_1371164.html

[4] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140403173251-2061783-why-twitter-is-a-recruiter-s-secret-weapon-and-how-to-use-it

Does Your Business Deliver Video Content to Attract Professionals?

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_16In order to recruit and retain the right professionals for your organization, you have to be up to date and familiar with technology. Some of today’s most successful marketing trends involve the use of video content such as interviews with your current staff and a glimpse at the facilities and inner workings of your business. Studies have shown that people prefer to watch a video for information than read that same information in written form [1]. When you are searching for the next candidate to fill a position at your organization, consider these video content marketing strategies:

Video Content for Attracting Professionals

One of the most useful types of video content to attract young professionals is gamified content. This includes virtual tours of your work environment and a competitive game in which candidates get to spend a day in the life of a manager or another type of staffer at your organization. To recruit the cream of the Generation X crop, gamification may still be successful, but include other video content that highlights the culture of your organization. Show employees having walking meetings, gathering in the break rooms or working in their flexible spaces.

Where to Showcase Your Video Content

In addition to what you include in your marketing and recruitment videos, the places where you post and link to them are also important. At the very least, your recruitment videos should be posted on your social media accounts and on your website as social recruitment is slated to be the biggest hiring trend for 2016. YouTube, for example, is currently the third most popular website in the world with over 800 million unique users visiting each month which makes it the perfect place to find a new audience [2].

If you work with any college or university alumni associations, ask that your video content be posted there as well. Professional associations are another place to link your video content for attracting tech-savvy professionals to your business. Recruitment websites are key locations to include your video content as well.

Retaining Your Great Hires

Once you have attracted and hired the professionals that your organization needs, your next task is to retain them. Recognize your successful staff by giving them verbal praise for a job well done. Consider showcasing their achievements in your next recruitment video. Marketing your successes shows potential hires that you maintain a rich and rewarding work environment.

[1] http://174.129.240.118/resources/employment-branding/10-reasons-you-shouldnt-recruit-without-video/

[2] http://recruiterbox.com/blog/5-great-recruitment-videos-on-youtube-and-why-they-work/

Can Facebook Help You Find Quality Talented Professionals?

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_01When your business needs to find talented professionals to join your team, knowing where to look can be a challenge. In today’s social media-driven world, people are flocking to websites such as Facebook not only to share photos and status updates but also to find jobs. Putting your company on Facebook helps to get the word out fast to an audience of interested and skilled professionals.

A recent survey by Facebook found that 70% of respondents agreed that Facebook is an effective recruiting tool because it allows recruiters to cast a wide net and connect with more potential job seekers than other services because of the widespread use of Facebook [1]. With over 1 billion users, Facebook can be a valuable source for recruiting qualified professionals.

Paid Ads

One way to find talented professionals to recruit is through Facebook ads. You can choose how and when your ad appears, so if you are not offering relocation expenses, then you may wish to only have your ad show up when your physical location is within 60 miles of a user’s IP address. You can also try pay-per-click ads, for which you are only charged when someone clicks your advertisement. Facebook ads allow you to specifically target the type of candidates that you desire. For example, if you need someone familiar with Share Point, you would include that in your keywords. You may choose to run the ad constantly or only during specific hours of the day.

Facebook Pages

Facebook pages are a free resource that you can utilize to your benefit. Essentially a profile for your business, this page is public and allows you to update it with your job postings. You can also include pertinent links with information that the best candidates will want to know, such as the health care benefits, amount of paid time off and other perks of working at your company.

Facebook Marketplace

The Facebook Marketplace allows you to place free, basic ads for the job openings available at your business. In a marketplace ad, you are able to include the job description, location, reason why you need to fill the job and other basic information. You are also able to upload an image of the job’s location or any other image that you think would be useful in recruiting skilled employees.

Facebook’s enormous membership, combined with its precise targeting mechanisms, allow recruiters to pinpoint their ideal candidates and leverage them to build an online talent community. Facebook Ads average around $0.25 per 1,000, which is only 1% of the cost of TV advertising [2] – the result is a low-cost, but highly effective recruitment campaign.

 

[1] https://www.facebook.com/notes/social-jobs-partnership/recruiting-survey-social-media-helps-connect-job-seekers-with-employers/404484379619706/

[2] https://moz.com/blog/1-dollar-per-day-on-facebook-ads

Why Recruiters Should Be Hiring People They Wouldn’t Be Friends With

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_018According to Joel Peterson, the Chairman of JetBlue Airways, the first mistake in recruitment is hiring someone just like you [1]. When making friends, it might be natural to gravitate toward people who look like you, went to the same school as you or are the same gender. In the workplace, however, recruiters should be hiring people from diverse backgrounds, even if they might not be friends in a different setting.

Diverse Groups Can Solve Tougher Problems

A study put forth through the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that diverse groups are better at solving complex problems than homogeneous but high-performing groups [2]. Hiring qualified candidates is key, but so is hiring a diverse team with a range of backgrounds and experiences that can add value to problem solving.

Diversity is a Key Driver of Innovation

A recent Forbes study showed how a diverse workforce can greatly increase innovative ideas [3]. Thinking outside of the box is easier if every member of the team has a unique worldview. The same study revealed that feelings of inclusion may encourage team members to work harder and prove their worth through innovative ideas and an increased drive to perform at the highest level.

A Diverse Group Can Attract a Larger Consumer Demographic

The Center for American Progress believes that a diverse workplace can bring about a number of economic benefits, just one of which is appealing to a larger consumer demographic [4]. A team with varied and diverse upbringings, cultures, ethnicities, genders and life experiences will be able to utilize these differences to create advertising campaigns that reach a bigger percentage of the total population. This, in turn, can increase consumers, users and profits for any given company.

Diverse Hiring Practices Means a Wider Hiring Pool

When recruiters expand their scope to include candidates they wouldn’t normally be friends with, they are widening the hiring pool significantly. At the same time, Glassdoor reveals that recruiters may have an easier time attracting top talent if they have a diverse workforce, which is a plus for many candidates at the highest level [5].

[1] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20130529070259-11846967-top-10-hiring-mistakes-1-hiring-yourself

[2] http://vserver1.cscs.lsa.umich.edu/~spage/pnas.pdf

[3] http://images.forbes.com/forbesinsights/StudyPDFs/Innovation_Through_Diversity.pdf

[4] https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/news/2012/07/12/11900/the-top-10-economic-facts-of-diversity-in-the-workplace/

[5] http://www.glassdoor.com/press/twothirds-people-diversity-important-deciding-work-glassdoor-survey-2/

The Pros and Cons of Hiring Candidates With Online Degrees

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_12According to the National Center for Education Statistics, as many as 12.5 percent of current college students are exclusively taking classes online through distance learning programs, and an additional 13.3 percent take both online and traditional college courses [1]. This means that employers are facing an increased number of applicants with online rather than campus-based degrees. There are both advantages and drawbacks of hiring candidates with online degrees.

Pro: Basic Working Knowledge of Computers

In order to successfully earn an online degree, students will need to be relatively computer savvy [2]. In a world where most employers expect their applicants to have a minimum of a basic working knowledge of computing, it can be reassuring to know that an online degree holder is capable of posting in online forums, streaming live lectures and researching on the Internet.

Con: Less Prestige in Top Company Positions

According to one 2010 study, online education credentials become less acceptable to companies the higher the position being applied for [3]. While an online degree may be considered acceptable at the entry level, a full 42 percent of hiring managers surveyed would not hire an applicant for a CEO or CFO role with just an online education. This is partially because of the perceived prestige for a business that is led by executives with a traditional or even Ivy League education.

Pro: Demonstrated Capability of Self-Motivation

Unlike traditional campus degrees, online degrees don’t have the accountability of professors calling on students in class or student centers filled with frantic studying for finals. In order to complete an online program, students have to find their own motivation. According to Forbes, motivation is one of the top qualities to look for in a candidate as it shows a willingness to work hard whether or not someone is watching every step of the way [4].

Con: Potential for Unaccredited School or Degree Mill

One drawback of hiring a candidate with an online degree is the time it will take to determine whether their degree is accredited. The U.S. Department of Education considers a degree mill to be a school that essentially offers diplomas for a fee rather than for a passing effort [5]. Identifying these schools and ensuring the legitimacy of an online degree may require more resources when hiring ne

[1] https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=80

[2] http://nation.time.com/2012/10/18/can-an-online-degree-really-help-you-get-a-job/

[3] http://www.shrm.org/research/surveyfindings/articles/pages/hiringpracticesandattitudes.aspx

[4] http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2013/02/26/how-to-determine-motivation-in-a-job-interview/

[5] http://www2.ed.gov/students/prep/college/diplomamills/diploma-mills.html