Network Noise

Convinced that Social Recruitment is the way to go? Wondering where to start?

In the second article on the Social Recruiting series by MixORG, we talk about the large number of platforms through which you can target talent these days. How can each of these be used and what are their special features? Read on.

LinkedIN: According to a survey conducted by recruiting platform, Jobvite, close to 80% of organizations today are on LinkedIn for the purpose of recruitment. A professional network where people list out their professional achievements and qualifications, this is one of the best portals to spot appropriate talent. Added advantages: use premium filters and professional recruitment tools, directly message candidates, attract right talent with targeted campiagns.

Facebook: Without doubt the single largest networking platform today, this is where you want to be if you want to reach out to a larger audience. Attractive Social Apps don’t just give out information, but also engage job seekers and serve towards Employer Branding. This is also one of the first places an employee will check you out. That is to say, a future employer’s brand and image can make or break depending on their Facebook page.

Twitter: Follow Google’s own example and tweet about job opportunities, offices, culture and work life. Thanks to Twitter’s ‘Follow’ option, interested job seekers can now ensure your job postings reach their home page directly. The power of ‘Retweet’ would ensure that word spreads around rapidly enough.

BranchOut: Surveys on Social Recruiting claim that more than 80% of job seekers today are on Facebook. BranchOut, thus, is an attempt to create a professional network within Facebook and capture this audience. The ‘Jobs Tab’ allows brands to post jobs here, leverage on relevant Facebook communities and use the effective Recruiting tools this portal offers. Job seekers find it easy to spot the vacancy, apply, share the job with friends and find their contacts within the company.

Pinterest: The fun pin-up board is the last place you might expect yourself going for recruitment purposes. But this is exactly where you may want to go if you’re looking for creative people. Jeanne was famously hired by Pinterest after she used the portal to pitch herself through a stunning ‘visual resume’ pinned to her page. Employers too, are now pinning up job-postings on their Pinterest board!

With so many options to advertise those vacancies in your organization, what are you waiting for? If you’re still wondering how to begin your social recruitment on these amazing networks, remain with us. The third article in this series of blogs on Social Recruitment will be coming soon with some tips and tricks for you!

Read other articles on Social Recruiting and Social Media here: http://mixorg.tumblr.com/archive 

My first day at work and as I hurry towards office, worried that I may be running late, I come across my two bosses at the corner tea-stall, sipping tea at leisure. My warm welcome to work begins right there! As I step into the two-room office space in the basement, I am greeted with a whole lot of cheerful “Good mornings!” by bright, excited young people. A few jokes are cracked and laughter echoes through the office. One second. Is this really a ‘Monday-morning-at-work’?!! Where are those typical gloomy ‘Monday-blues’ faces?

As all laptops and PCs whir into action, each screen tunes into… Facebook!! Oh yes, it takes me a minute to remind myself that I’m in a Social Media Marketing office. No more secret rendezvous with social media websites: this is our bread and butter! I smile as I think of the average private firm, where every employee invariably masters the art of ‘Alt+Tab’ every time his boss walks past his desk, to cover up his networking tracks. Now MixORG, on the other hand, is just a little different. One of the first things I am inducted into at office is MixORG’s own private Facebook community: MixStories. “This is where we keep in touch; share resources, ideas and collaborate”.

A quick scan through MixStories and the value of a medium like this begins to sink in upon me. I can instantly access all links and resources that were shared among members even 6 months prior to my joining office. “How Higher Education uses Social Media”, “Infographic: The Social Network Decision Tree”, “How to Get More Likes on Facebook”… and my induction has already begun! Not just that, it’s all documented in a perfectly chronological sequence, ensuring that old and new employees know all about MixORG’s projects and campaigns, without the hassle of assigning someone the dreary task of documentation. It all happens on the go and that too, leveraging on the power of Social Media Networking!  We guys surely practice what we preach!

Suddenly, someone shouts from the other room, calling everyone for the cake-cutting ceremony, in honour of MixORG’s birthday. As their baby turns one, pride and joy is visible on each face in the room. A fancy Standy wishing MixORG ‘Happy Birthday’ and declaring that “We Can Because We Believe We Can”, makes its way into the centre of the room. A random guy from the road is dragged in as everyone crowds around the Standy waiting to be captured in a single frame. Picture perfect indeed!

The day gets on and everyone immerses themselves in their work. ‘Work’ actually does not seem a very appropriate word for what seems more like a way of life to ‘MixORG’ians. Discussions range from new business opportunities to mythology, and from online retail to fashion blogs. Occasionally silence descends as people tap away onto their keyboards. And when least expected, the office erupts in a flurry of activity and noise, until one guys has to literally shush us with the threat that the landlady upstairs will descend onto us to avenge the chaos!

So as I sit on a half-broken big red couch in the middle of a hap-hazard office with people milling in and out, I gear myself for three more months of being at MixORG…  true to its name, a place where people and ideas mix. Only one thing brings a frown on my face: by the end of my internship, I fear, I’ll be too spoilt to fit into a corporate job with its crisp suits, formal round-table meetings and confined-cubicles!