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As a growing company, we always have human resource needs that come up. In the past few months itself I have searched online for: blog writers, PR professionals, a printing press, an ebook layout artist, a copywriter and an intern.
What might surprise you is that I didn’t use elance or craigslist. I used Facebook and Twitter!
What are the steps to hiring star talent using Facebook an Twitter?
1. Finalize the Job Description - If you want to catch the right fish, you have to use the right bait. Okay, okay, I have never been fishing-but you get the idea! Don’t look for someone to “kinda sorta” do something. Have a solid description of what you need.
2. Formulate your Ad under 140 Characters - “Need a part time graphic designer, 2 yrs. experience a must. Link.com for more information.” Or “Now hiring an intern. Smart, go-getter, can work from home!” Provide a link to a webpage for more information if needed. Encourage others to repost your ad, and be sure to thank them when they do. Be patient as it can take a few hours to a few days to circulate around fully.
3. Paste your Ad Into Your Status Update box - You can tweet your ad and post it as your status update on Facebook. I use ping.fm which allows me to update all my status boxes across the board (including Linked-In, Bright Kite, and FriendFeed.)
4. On Facebook: Look into groups. On Twitter: Look at Search. By now, there are thousands of groups on Facebook representing a RANGE of professionals. You can find a group using the general Facebook search option. Think about who you want to hire first. Let’s say you are looking for a PR professional. Search for “Public Relations.” I just did a real quick search on Facebook and found an Offical PR group. It has 10,000 members AND you can post job opportunities on the wall. Perfect! On Twitter, you can use twitter search and type in industry related keywords. Be sure to try phrases as well, i.e., “looking for a job.” This will list anyone who has tweeted that phrase. Contact them directly if the opportunity makes sense.
5. Track and follow up. Track the applicants and follow up with everyone who responds. It’s not good etiquette to ignore responses. Even if someone isn’t a good fit, let them know. They took the time to respond. They deserve a polite response.
6. Narrow down the applicant pool. Check their profiles, their notes, and their updates. What does this tell you about them? Their profile tells a story. While some people may cry foul and say “well, Facebook is just where I have fun”-they are still savvy enough to know that people judge the full picture.
7. Schedule skype interviews. I prefer to do an initial interview on skype because 1) it lets me see their written communication skills and 2) generate a quick impression. If they seem like a good fit, I hire right then and there. If I need more information, I schedule a phone interview.
Any more questions about hiring using social media?
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Comments
01.07.09
Interesting ideas on spreading the word about your job, but these examples all deal with people who know you and find your job you "post".
What about ways to go hunt people down, doing searches in LinkedIN, Twitter, etc.?
01.07.09
Hey Matt,
So, the idea behind finding star talent is to start with the people in your network and let THEM find you the talent you seek. I don't use LinkedIn much, but on Twitter and Facebook you can look into group and post your job description there. You can reach thousands, and they don't have to be a part of your network!
Hope this helps.
- Shama
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