Hiring Tips: Social Recruiting

November 1, 2010

While perusing startup recruitment related blogs, I came across an article from Chris Brablc from Smashfly titled, Why Social Recruiting Fails!Over the past year, social recruiting has become an important part of my overall recruitment strategy as I work to build OpenView’s network and database of candidates for the venture capital firm’s expansion stage portfolio companies. The article above was interesting to me since it outlines some common reasons why social recruiting may fail. So, thanks to Smashfly, I would like to share some of them with you below, along with my own assessments…

4 Reasons Social Recruiting Fails

  1. Lack of an overall strategy – Just like anything you do in recruiting, you must have an overarching strategy behind your social recruiting. Who is in charge of managing your social profiles? What type of content will you share with your followers/contacts in terms of recruitment? While experimentation in terms of social networking platforms and how to best utilize them for your company’s recruitment strategies is important, an overarching social recruiting strategy will help you stay focused on your objectives.
  2. Lack of measurement – In order to measure the success of your social recruiting initiatives, track your metrics such as the hits to your Careers site (and which social networks have led them there), Mentions and ReTweets on Twitter, and source data for candidates to enter in your ATS (Applicant Tracking System).
  3. Not enough time – If you aren’t willing to take the time to learn and develop your social profiles/connections, you probably aren’t ready to start a social recruiting strategy. Any social recruiting strategy should involve your company’s management teams, and if they are not prioritizing it, there is less chance for success.
  4. Just another job board – Your recruiting efforts are likely to fall on deaf ears if the only way you utilize your company’s LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook page is with job postings. Share articles pertinent to your company and your industry, and be personable! Social networks are a great way to communicate the culture of your company, which is something a potential candidate will consider when deciding whether to apply for a job.

VP, Human Capital

<strong>Diana Martz</strong> is Vice President, Human Capital at<a href="http://www.ta.com/">TA Associates</a>. She was previously the Director of Talent at OpenView.