During the final session of #HRevolution, Mark Stelzner presented the point that the HR social media crowd tends to mainly reinforce our own enthusiasm…

AMEN!!!

The goal, the future… the (hold on tight) CHANGE that we are going to see in this space will only be driven forward by everyone embracing a sense of inclusion.  Our efforts to explore the latest and greatest social media tools should be balanced with our desires to bring in the soon-to-be adopters – perhaps the hesitant-to-be adopters.

So, why should we?

In my humble opinion, social media, as it applies to HR has two apparent benefits.

1. Talent Acquisition
2. Learning

Let’s look at this closer…

Talent Acquisition

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that companies can experience great benefit from engaging with their target talent markets within social media communities.  This approach reinforces like-mindedness and shared values… not to mention openness to accountability.  All values that will be increasingly important with potential candidates to your company.

The tools and manner in which companies are approaching candidates within social media is limitless.  Personally, I would advocate some balance and limits in this type of implementation – but, truth be told, every company will have to find their own style and approach.  Effort and energy aligned, it can be very successful!

Learning

The other great benefit for HR professionals in social media is the ability to learn and share with others within your professional space.  Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration!

Knowledge has never before been so easy to gain!  With thousands of HR peers currently socializing and sharing professional thoughts, you have a real opportunity to learn.  Jump in!

How Can We Move It Forward?

Getting started is simpler than you might think.  I’ve chronicled approaches in the past, but if I had to do so again (in a simple way), I would recommend at least starting up with Twitter to connect with HR pros.

So, here is a two-part step-by-step:

1. Go to Twitter – http://twitter.com
2. Set up your account – Choose a fun name!
3. Make sure you use a picture – a name with a face is important!
4. Make sure you put some thought behind your bio.

Now for connecting with others:

1. Perform searches for “HR”, “SHRM”, “HRevolution” and anything else that you think applies to your field.  If people include it in a Tweet (message sent out on Twitter), you can find it by searching from your Twitter home page.
2. Start following people who are interesting to you!
3. Ask questions and send out helpful Tweets.
4. Respond to people who Tweet interesting things!

These eight steps will not change everything… but, I can promise you that it will get your ball rolling forward.  If a more comprehensive explanation is desired, check out the video I put together for SHRM last year – a few things have changed with Twitter, but, for the most part, things are the same.

So, let’s get HR Tweeting!  Let’s, at the very least, expand the bubble!

How else would you recommend that we include the masses?

Photo Credit, Pink Sherbet Photography

Wandering around on Facebook yesterday, I encountered a comment from Chris Brogan that stated the following:

Chris Brogan It’s weird having too many ideas. You end up having to throw them somewhere like storage, and they grow dusty. Give them all away. You’ll make more.

So, this got me thinking about the previous post on Virtual Talent Reality.  One of the challenges that I brought up was that with a decreased level of recruiters and an increased demand for talent… the prospect of recruiting through third party agencies is going to get expense – very expensive!

While Chris’ comment had nothing to do with recruiting, it has everything to do with collaboration.  As the wheels on my mental bus went round and round, I started thinking about the competitive climate that we have created in recruiting.  Why is that?  I know that agencies like to make money and I know that companies like to attract and hire the best people… but why aren’t we helping each other more?

There are a ton of holes in the plan I’m about to present, but I think that it’s possible on some level.  Yes, the kinks will need to be worked out… but, just go with it for a minute.

Let’s start with the challenge again:

Fewer Recruiters + Higher Recruiting Demand = Higher Fees = Expensive Strategy

Instead of living in our little secret recruiting worlds, what if corporate recruiting departments were to partner up.  What if they were to join forces with other companies in order to filter through the talent.  There are some candidate confidentiality concerns with this, but I’m sure it can be dealt with if the companies approach this with a high level of transparency.

Think about this:

• ATS Systems allow companies to connect their talent databases.
• Companies want to hire skilled candidates that want to work for them… if the recruiting partners both want a candidate, it can still be left to a candidate to make the right decision for them.  Did I mention “transparency”?
• Companies, working collectively, could negotiate better rates for everything from job boards to job fairs to ATS Systems.

Some challenges that could come up:

• Ensuring that candidates realize they are applying to a central database.
• Creating a channel where the candidate can confidentially apply to one company (needs to exist).
• Figuring out the distribution of financial obligations based on volume of recruiting.

Collaborative Vs. Competitive Recruiting

I can understand how some companies would look at this and say… that’s crazy!  I get it – it’s a bit out there.  But, consider the amount of money that could be saved, the increased access to desirable candidates and the ability to collectively create better recruiting processes.

We don’t need to fight over talent… we need to figure out how we can best serve talent.  Ensuring that candidates are choosing the right position will have an immediate impact on your employment branding and retention.

Just an idea…

What do you think we can do with this?  How can we collaborate instead of compete in the recruiting space?

Photo Credit, Rennett Stowe

Guest Blogger – Alicia Arenas

Over the last several months, I have developed relationships with executive search and recruiting professionals on Twitter. The conversations I have with these folks are always enlightening and inspiring. This may not reflect the industry as a whole, but the people I talk with represent the true spirit of entrepreneurialism. What they do involves sales, risk, research, an intense understanding of human behavior, negotiation, intuition, knowledge of employment law, compensation and the ability to influence. You have my greatest respect.

Why a post for recruiters?

I recently had the privilege of being a guest panelist at a recruiting association meeting. Their goal was to give their members an insider’s, HR perspective on the world of recruiting. Do you know what shocked me? I was surprised to learn how little the recruiters really understood about the inner workings of HR. Hopefully this post will shed some light on what is happening behind the scenes in HR.

Human Resources Professionals Know Little About Effective Recruiting

Don’t get me wrong, most all HR professionals have received some type of interview training, but we’re not taught how to recruit. And the quality of the interview training we do receive is lacking. Here is what it looks like: 1/2 day of employment law training, 1/2 day of behavioral interview training & maybe 1/2 day of practice interviewing. That’s it. I worked for four Fortune 500 companies and this was the extent of the training the HR team received. If you are working with someone in a Generalist or even a leadership position within HR, this is probably the extent of their formal training too.

To get you even deeper into what happens behind the scenes, I would invite you to think about how tough it is to do something important when you haven’t been taught how to do it well…  Now insert that responsibility and pressure into the real life scenario of an HR pro: the need to effectively recruit for multiple openings along with handling employee relations issues, benefits questions, drug testing, background check verifications, training, investigations, performance management, audits, budget reviews, special projects, etc. If there is an employee crisis somewhere, the mountain of work gains altitude each day that crisis needs attention.

What does this mean for you?  Opportunity.

Be a Consultant, Not a Recruiter

This is a true story. There was an IT recruiter who wanted to do business with me, but we did not have (nor did we anticipate having) any IT openings. I explained that to him and his answer was “That’s okay. Someday you will. In the meantime, do you want some pointers to help you with your other openings?” Pointers? Of course I wanted pointers! So over the course of a couple of months he took time from his business to show me how to be a better recruiter. He gave me search tips, taught me to read between the lines in a resume and how to get worthwhile information from references. Because of his help, I did a better job filling the positions I was responsible for. The result – he made me look good to my hiring managers. Folks, in the HR world that is priceless. We’re seen as a “drain on the budget” or “a necessary evil.” When something you do helps us deliver results to our internal client, that is golden. Three months later I had an IT opening – it was for an EVP. To whom do you think I gave the order?

What do you think? What can you do today to shift your focus from recruiting to consulting?

I am a self-proclaimed social butterfly.  I would prefer to stay awake all night and socialize than to sleep.  I’m not sure why I was built this way, but I was.  Perhaps it was my very social parents… maybe living abroad… I’m not really sure.

I am sure that some people attend conventions to learn all the latest and greatest trends.  Some people probably go to reinforce past lessons.  Surely there are many reasons for attending career-related conventions like SHRM.  My reasons, however, revolve almost entirely around meeting new people and sharing new experiences together.

This was the first time that I had attended the SHRM conference.  I didn’t really know what to expect or what to look for – no real comparative benchmark I suppose.  So, I went in to it with a child-like curiosity.

I wasn’t interested in learning about the nitty-gritty of HR since I’m not an HR practioner, but I was interested in learning about the personalities that make up the HR world.  I was also really excited to meet the Blogger and Twitter friends that I had made over the past four months!

The Blogging/SM Crowd

The most common question I’ve received since returning home has been about the blogging group that attended the conference.  It seems that there is some real interest in who this group is and what they are like in person.  My answer has been and will continue to be simple.

The group that is involved with social media as it applies to HR and Recruiting seems to be, for the most part, very down to earth.  My quick take… in alphabetical order:

• Cheesman seemed like a pretty chilled out kind of guy
• Franny… well, you just want to give her a hug… big smiles and very nice!
• Jennifer was always very focused (she had a bunch of interviews to do)
• Kris and Jessica are both very ambitious and have a lot of vision for their site
• Lance is very easy-going and fun to chat with – very intelligent
• Laurie does not go around biting off people’s heads (in public anyway)
• Mark is about the coolest individual anyone could hope to meet – seriously
• Mary Ellen is wicked smart and easy to have a conversation with
• Mike knows his stuff and is a lot of fun to bounce ideas off of
• Sharlyn is very smart (I wish I could have chatted with her more)

I sure hope I didn’t forget anyone… hmmm.  Did I?

Anyway, the moral of this story is a pretty simple one.  There is some talk about conventions becoming virtual in the future.  A time and a place when we won’t have to meet in person, in a foreign city, thrown out of our “norm,” to sit through days of convention stuff.

I don’t want it to go there.  There is way too much value in spending time with new and old friends… reconnecting and creating new stories together.

What’s To Come

I have a bunch of things to write about from the SHRM conference… but, I know that everyone does as well.  So, beyond the 2-3 “must write” topics that I’m going to put out, is there anything that you want to know about from my experience at SHRM?  Were you left wondering about a particular aspect of the conference?  If so, drop a comment and ask.

It was great meeting everyone in person!  Thank you for adding new stories to my life experience.  Hopefully we will have more great times ahead!

Photo Credit, Kristi Jones

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Jack Welch‘s speech today at the SHRM conference.  Let’s face it… it’s Jack Welch – it wasn’t cheap for SHRM to get him here.  With that cost comes a set of pretty high expectations from an HR crowd that has undoubtedly gone through a bit of a financial rough patch of late.

The conference started out with a bunch of lights… a typical New Orleans style band… and, of course, a few speeches (one of which came from the new CEO of SHRM Lon O’Neil).

Finally, Jack Welch was introduced.  The style of delivery chosen was a Q&A session… which I found to be pretty interesting.  Instead of a “talk at you” set-up, they went the informal conversation route – a good idea I thought.

I frantically Tweeted throughout the entire speech.  Little tidbits offered by a person that is arguably one of the most influential figures in business today.

When all was said and done, I headed outside to ponder what I had just listened to.  Trying to wade through the thick list of business-appropriate messages, I was left with two that stood out above the rest.

Control

Take control of your career.  Take control of your strategic position within your organization.  Take control of the message that your company is sharing.  As an HR professional, quit laying down and taking it.  Pushing paper should not be your forte – but, you are going to have to put your foot down first.

HR is an extremely important function within organizations today, but the professionals that dedicate to it have been pushed to the back.  It’s time to grab the bull by the horns and make your voice heard.

Trust

Trust was a bit different and I loved it!  Selfishly, I liked it because it reinforced some of the thoughts that I have been sharing over the past few months.  I also enjoyed it because he delivered it as a warning more than as a random piece of advice.

Jack stressed that companies are changing.  The ability to attract talent in the future will be tougher because the focus is going to be heavily placed on an organization’s ability to provide something different, fun… engaging!  Our ideas on good work environments and engaging professional pursuits are going to be tossed on their heads.  We have to give employees something more than stability… we have to give them a place that they enjoy hanging out at.  A place that will open their minds and undoubtedly shoot for their hearts.  This will be the future of talent engagement.

He also stressed communication and how it ties in to trust.  Jack said to forget about creating messages for different tracks… the media, in-house, customers, etc… you are who you are.  People will see through and distrust companies that can not be open and consistent.

Ha!  Sounds an awful lot like the social media dialogue…

Trust, consistency… what makes someone stand out in social media is the very model that will make companies stand out going forward.  As HR professionals, Jack is challenging you to confront the status quo and to get interested in the message.  Step up!

So… that’s it.  That’s what I took away from Jack Welch.  As for the investment to have him at the conference, I think it was worth it.  If 5% of that room left with a better sense of the future, I think that the fee will be paid back 10 fold over the next few years.

Now I’m off to wander the streets of New Orleans for a bit.  This “Live Blogging” thing feels like a big responsibility… so, I’m taking as many pictures as possible and posting them to my Twitter page.

What did you take away from hearing Jack Welch?  Do you disagree?  Speak up… this should be a dialogue.

This is a continuation from my last bit on Glassdoor, a company that has dedicated to transparency in employment through the use of a very user-friendly feedback/participation model.  There is no doubt in my mind, after having spoken with the Co-Founder, Tim Besse, that Glassdoor will make a presence in our employment lives.

So, in Part 2, I wanted to go through a bit of the Q&A with Co-Founder Tim Besse.  It was very obvious from our phone conversation that he has a lot of passion around this product… and rightfully so.  They are putting time, energy and money into making Glassdoor a healthy forum for the free-flow of salary, company review and interview information.

Exchange with Tim Besse, Co-Founder, Glassdoor.com

The first part of the interview centered around what’s going on currently with social media and how Glassdoor fits into that picture.

The vision, as I understood it from Tim, was not to simply provide a platform for people to input data and “secret” details about companies.  Rather, Glassdoor envisions an environment where employers will participate in the conversation as well.  In order to facilitate this, they offer free accounts to HR departments.  Once the HR Representative has been verified, they will have open access to comment on everything within the system.  It was obvious that Tim believes in the power of a two-way dialogue.

This is great news for HR departments who have a concern about misleading or false information being spread around the internet.  As with other social media platforms, you have the opportunity to add your thoughts/comments on anything that pertains to your organization.

Tim was also insistent that Glassdoor is not in the business of company bashing.  Glassdoor was not intended, nor will it become, an environment for bashing companies.  As you will see if you fill out a company review, you will be asked to provide both “pros” and “cons” of working for the particular company in question.  The feedback that is submitted by users is reviewed by Glassdoor before being posted to ensure that comments side more towards being constructive than simple rants about the terrible aspects of a company.  He seemed very realistic in his desire to maintain a balance in this new environment and make sure that the conversation remains healthy.

How Does Your Company Rank?

So… the piece of the interview that interested me the most was about how company rankings are different on Glassdoor than they are in the “standard” rating systems.

With this new social media environment, it becomes next to impossible for a company to hire outside consultants to teach them how to raise their rank.  At Glassdoor it’s all about keeping it simple.  Along with a user entering the “pros” and the “cons” they are also asked to rank the company’s CEO (much like a political polling venture) and complete a short ranking poll.  Questions from the ranking page ranged from “How satisfied are you with your opportunities for professional growth?” to “Employer support in balancing between work life and personal life?”

The companies that are judged end up with a cumulative score.  What’s interesting to Tim and to most anyone familiar with the other rankings, was that many of the companies making the list are not the same as what you would find in the “standard” rankings.  Check them out for yourself, but I think that you will find it to be very interesting.

A Note For Social Media

The conversation with Tim was great.  He seems like a very down-to-earth professional who has a real passion for what Glassdoor is doing.  His intent in making Glassdoor successful is loaded with the underlying desire to make the workplace better.  At the end of the day, I can only hope that more innovators will grasp this spirit and make it a reality.

Tim was kind enough to explain how Glassdoor is also trying to make their system useful for those of us that like to play around in the social media world.  Once you are logged in to the system, you will be able to copy/paste links to their website for blog postings or any other social media related sharing activity.  While a non-member will need to register if they want to look at additional information within the site, Tim pointed out that Glassdoor put in this feature to help spread the word and the free exchange of information.  I think that it’s great!

So, go check out Glassdoor at www.glassdoor.com and let me know your thoughts.  I think that you will like what you find.

Is your company ready to be judged in a very organized open forum discussion?  Do your executives know the power of social media on impacting the company brand?

Photo credit to Tambako The Jaguar

Day 2 at the SHRM Staffing Management conference here in Las Vegas was a lot of fun!  From the mingling around with the guests to the presentation to the dinner with the SHRM team… all in all, it’s been a very worthwhile adventure!

Yesterday was mainly spent working on the presentation and then meeting with attendees afterward to discuss social media.  There were a bunch of great questions from the audience, but the one that stuck out in my mind the most was about the legality issues that may accompany social media in HR.

More than a few people asked about the risks of reviewing a person’s social media presence as it relates to discovering information that they legally should not have prior to making a hiring decision.  They raise a great question.  Unfortunately, I’m not in a position to communicate the legal ramifications of using this platform… so, I’ll leave it up to you.

Does your company have a policy about reviewing social media?  If so, is it driven from the legal risks?  What are they?

At the end of the day, I had the opportunity to break bread with a number of the executive leadership team members from SHRM.  We had a great discussion about social media and what’s going on in the future with the organization.  I knew it the first time I spoke with China Gorman (COO of SHRM) and it was only reinforced again – SHRM is very interested in learning about their community.  While this process of discovery will not happen over night, I think that everyone will be pleasantly surprised with the future of the organization.  Regardless of the final form, it will be defined by and driven by the overall SHRM community.

One other individual that I had the opportunity to speak with was Ryan Estis.  Ryan was one of the speakers at the convention in Las Vegas.  He specializes in teaching corporate recruiting departments to implement sales into their recruiting process.  Great guy with a solid message for everyone.

So… the time has come, the end is near.  I’m packing my bags and leaving on a jet plane back to San Antonio, TX.  Thanks for staying up with the happenings at the conference!  Hopefully I won’t catch Swine Flu on the trip back home.

Given one option, what would you change about SHRM?

First and foremost, let’s start by recapping on what SHRM is and what they do…

Per the official SHRM website:

“The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the world’s largest association devoted to human resource management. Representing more than 250,000 members in over 140 countries, the Society serves the needs of HR professionals and advances the interests of the HR profession. Founded in 1948, SHRM has more than 575 affiliated chapters within the United States and subsidiary offices in China and India.”

So, now that you have a recap, let’s dig in to my interview with China Miner Gorman, the COO of SHRM.

Q&A from HR Professionals

Last week I sent out a request to the HR professionals in Texas and around the country that I have worked with in the past.  The response with questions was overwhelming.  I narrowed them down a bit and chose a few to use in the interview with China.  It was evident after the first few email responses from my contacts that HR Professionals are very interested in social media and how it will impact their roles in the future!

Social Media – Questions

Q: How will SHRM prepare me as a professional to leverage social networking technologies?

A: Part of it is engaging with SHRM on our new website and with our new platform now and in the future as we design new applications. These communities will be geared towards the community itself. Users will be able to establish any sort of community they like. Not only will you be able to connect and engage with other HR users, you will have instant access to valuable information to share with others. You will be able to find, link to and share content from the site. As we continue to learn about the tools we will be adding them to our community.

Q: Has technology expanded to a point where it should be a separate specialized area taught for certification such as compensation and benefits?

A: That’s a great question! SHRM is in the process of researching the need within the HR world. It would not surprise me if this starts to show up over the next couple of years as a major need across the global HR community. SHRM is dedicated to keeping the members and all HR professionals current with the times.

Q: What is SHRM doing to educate HR professionals about the risks and rewards associated with the various social media venues?

A: You will see content at our annual conference in New Orleans. You will also find content on our website. We are currently getting expert advice from our special expertise panel.  We will share these stories and conclusions via HR Magazine and reporting on SHRM.org. We have launched The Daily Digest, which will surely contain timely topics on social media along with many other pressing issues. Social Media is all the buzz in the recruiting world and we see it becoming a larger issue for the non-recruiting HR professionals.

Social Media & SHRM

I attempted to look through Daily Digest, but I could not find a way in.  Apparently it requires membership.  Instead I took a screen shot so that you will recognize the link on the next occasion you visit the SHRM website.

If Daily Digest proves to be what China outlines above, I can see some definite value for HR professionals that are still members of SHRM.  On the other hand, in playing around with the SHRM website, I tend to get lost and pretty overwhelmed with information.  Considering how much I use the internet, this is a concern.  I just hope that this doesn’t scare away the people who need the timely information that SHRM has to offer.  Simple is better when you need something fast!

Risk and the Future

In part two of this interview, I’m going to cover the topics of non-HR certifications and SHRM’s take on what’s currently going on with unions.  Additionally, I will highlight a very interesting part of my conversation with China about how SHRM is planning to adjust their focus in the future.  You might be surprised to find out how they plan to serve you.

What’s your take on it?  How much have you learned about social media from SHRM in the past 3 months, 6 months… year?  Should they play a role in your future education on the topic?

Came across this recent post by HR Bartender from an interview with China Gorman last month.  It’s very well done!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY

For the past few months, I have been intensely listening and learning about new trends and technologies. There is no doubt in my mind that technology has advanced rapidly in the last few years. It will only take a few minutes of your time on Facebook or Twitter to see the vast amount of information exchange that’s taking place. Of course, it’s next to impossible to monitor everything… but, in a way, we really don’t have a choice.

As a recruiting professional by trade, I’m constantly learning about new ways to connect with my audience. What I have found out in the past few months is that a great divide is rapidly developing in between the people who are aware and those who are not. Aware of the change, of the advancements, of the new social reach that we all have.

So, what does this mean for a Human Resources professional who is looking to develop in their career and keep on progressing?

Technology Boot Camp for HR

No one knows all of the answers… that’s for sure! However, as an HR professional, you have to stay on top of the important concepts and changes that are occurring with the community. While SHRM valiantly makes an effort to keep the Human Resources community informed, it would be next to impossible for them to collect all of the changes and give them to the community in real time. For this, we are reliant on industry leaders who have taken to the various social media platforms.

I could list a number of endorsements here, but ultimately, it’s a matter of choice and trust. You must follow those who you believe provide value and insightful knowledge. A quick search on Google (select the “More” button up top and then the “Blogs” option) will reveal a multitude of options. Are you reading what the respected HR bloggers have to say? Should you consider this as a part of your professional development? I believe so.

Staying Current at the Speed of Light

With everything changing so quickly, it’s nearly impossible to study and consume everything. So, my suggestion is this:

1. Start with a strategy Decide what you need to stay on top of. This could be anything from Compensation to Benefits to HRIS. Define a few areas that you are going to commit to staying current with.
2. Define who you will listen to Performing the search that I listed above within Google will reveal authors/bloggers on almost any relevant topic within HR. For some searches, you may have to dig a bit before you find the right match for your learning style, but you should still work to narrow down your listening efforts. Pick one or two SMEs on each topic so that you can either bookmark their pages or add their RSS feeds into an aggregrator (Google Reader works for this).
3. Set a schedule There is no doubt in my mind that the internet can kill productivity for those of us that work outside of the internet. As a result, it’s important that you schedule dedicated time to staying current. Whether you take an hour a week at work and review what your identified bloggers have to say, or you take some time on the weekend – just make sure that you are protecting time for your learning.
4. Knowledge to action So, you’re learning some great stuff… now what? You can do this a number of different ways, but I would recommend that you either keep an ongoing computer document with key lessons or that you start a notebook. Writings things down tends to help with retention – at least for me it does.

Equipped with your updated and current knowledge, start sharing with your team. Having worked with a wide variety of talent within HR, I can absolutely attest that the most sought after candidates are often times the most current. Whether you are looking to protect your current position or increase your employment marketability in the future, having a solid learning plan for yourself is only going to help.

So, why did I use this video to describe the topic? Information is moving fast! The video itself does a great job at making you step back and say “Wow!” It’s an exciting time for the world. We are going to be exploring technologies and advancements beyond what we can currently conceive of within a matter of years.

How do you stay current? Who do you follow within HR for new information and direction?

Special thanks to Alicia Arenas at www.hrbusinessconnect.com for sending over the video! It’s great!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN2HAroA12w

Nowadays, it doesn’t seem like you can turn on the TV or listen to the news without hearing about Twitter. As with most topics that catch a lot of attention, there will always be criticism and support. From the celebrity gossip to the political turmoils of the day – people always have a way of choosing sides. It’s really a good thing.

Let’s face it. Life would be pretty boring if everyone agreed on everything.

Twitter Criticism

I seem to be hearing people criticize Twitter because it runs the potential of becoming an obsession with little value. I agree that this may apply to some individuals who have a hard time stepping outside of their comfort zones. However, I do think that Twitter offers the true introverts of the world an opportunity to explore and meet people of like-interests.

Who are we to judge how people choose to relate to others?

If the platform helps them… great! The alternative is potentially leaving someone without a social outlet. Should they stretch themselves and meet people in person? Maybe. But, at the end of the day, it makes me happy to think that people can find a line of communication that works for them.

Okay… enough of my opinion, let’s talk about how this applies to recruiting.

As Twitter Applies to Recruiting

I’ve been curious to find out if Twitter can actually impact a recruiting desk. First know – I’m an independent recruiter with a focus on Human Resources recruiting. I have a niche category of focus, so it’s always important that I stay in touch and relate with HR professionals from around the country. I have found Twitter to be a great way to make this happen.

Just this week alone, I had the opportunity to communicate with well over 20 individuals who work within the HR arena. No less than five people reached out to me directly with their resumes… and they are great candidates! A couple of other Twitter contacts have approached me about working on high-level HR search assignments for their organizations. Please note… I did not solicit business from these contacts – I simply involved myself in conversations regarding HR. If someone wants to approach you, they will… it’s Social Networking not Social Marketing in my book.

The beauty of it all, as I related to my new Twitter friend Chris at Renegade HR, is that Twitter offers us a chance to connect easily. You can sort through millions of people to find those who clearly apply to your interests – whatever they might be. You don’t have to be pushy – just be yourself and share things that are of interest to you and your group. The laws of attraction will then be put in motion. If you don’t like what someone has to Tweet about, then you can quit following them. If you like what someone is saying, you can respond to that person directly or share their message with your own followers (ReTweet). The free flow of information is amazing and it’s great to know that you can develop a group of Twitter friends who are very willing to help.

As Twitter applies to business, it has the potential to become a game-changing tool. Additionally, Twitter makes it very easy to establish relationships based on common personal interests. I’ve met a number of musicians, world travelers and all-around adventurous spirits. Organizing these multiple conversations and topics can become a challenge. I would recommend that you download a tool designed to monitor and categorize the conversations you take a part in. While there are numerous options for this, I’m currently using TweetDeck to organize and filter my personal categories of interest.

Moral of The Story

Twitter is not for everyone… I get that. However, for recruiting and many other professions, I definitely see the value in understanding and communicating with your target market. Assuming that your intentions are in the right place, I think that Twitter can bring business relationships to a new level. Let’s face it – people like to work with people they’re fond of. I can openly admit that not everyone will like me… and I’m okay with that. However, if you express yourself, share things that you think are important and have an overall good attitude… likelihood says that you will gradually encounter a group that shares a lot in common with you.

I chose to recruit for Human Resources because I happen to enjoy people who work in that realm. Assuming the same applies to you, regardless of your business type, I would encourage you to give it a shot. Many people are recommending ways to use Twitter. Chris Brogan does a great job at explaining the topic and providing strategies… I highly recommend you take a look at his opinions on this matter!

Has Twitter had an impact on your personal or business life? If so, how?