With constant tales of people either (1) getting hired because their online presence is so phenomenal or (2) posting stupid things and getting caught, there’s no doubt that social media is factoring into the hiring process.
But it’s not always simple for HR. Chris Penttilla (@workplacediva) writes on Entrepreneur.com:
Social media sites have become an integral piece of the hiring puzzle; it’s how to leverage these sites most effectively as a recruiting tool that has companies scrambling.
Add corporate confusion to the already blurry professional/personal line in social media, and you’ve got yourself a real HR conundrum.
I realize that not everyone is involved in social media, but I am interested in how social media can benefit both those who are looking and those who are hiring. In lieu of a full-blown social media recruiting plan, here are three simple ways I think social media can help both candidates and recruiters:
[1] Demonstrate work ethic and the ability to collaborate.
In response to my post on Gen Y, one of the sharpest people I know (@gmjameson) wrote this:
[I]t’s never been about generational attributes, but work ethic. [...] It’s the KIND of people working in an org that set the culture…
A sentiment with which I agree, and something that I should have expressed more clearly in the post. Most everyone realizes that social networking takes time and commitment. A great way (albeit one among many) to gauge work ethic and collaboration skills is to look at an individual’s level of contribution to the social community and their ability to build a following of high-value participants.
[2] Demonstrate knowledge.
The problem with traditional interviews is that it can be easy for candidates to give the impression that they know more than they really do.
In contrast, social media content takes much longer to develop. Archived blog posts, Twitter history, LinkedIn activity—all of this is relatively permanent. Candidates have the ability to transcend the traditional interview by exhibiting exactly what they know and showing off their ability to articulate their knowledge.
[3] Demonstrate passion.
Sure social media sites were once the home of “Gen Y slackers,” but now they’re “digital soapboxes” (at least that what Harvard Biz Online reported).
Candidates who post information of value not only display that they think beyond 9-to-5, the topic and tone of posts can give recruiters insight into what a candidate really cares about.
What do you think? How do you see social media influencing both job seekers and HR?
-Andrew
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keywords: Gen Y, HR, jobs, Passion, social media
