Jessica Miller-MerrellIt’s no secret that Twitter is an information search engine. With more than 340 million tweets per day, it is now the place for breaking news. Even the raid on Osama bin laden was accidentally live tweeted by someone who was complaining about loud helicopter noises in a remote area of Pakistan. He later realized via Twitter once the news broke of the raid, how exactly he had been involved.
Recruiters and hiring managers can also leverage this tool as a candidate source in a number of different ways. Twitter may not be your sole candidate and recruiting solution but it can help you do the following:
Social Media Job Board. Posting job ads to Twitter taps into its’ extensive network. Since Twitter functions an information search engine and social media network, more candidates await. It only takes a click to forward your job ad to Twitter.
Taking Advantage of Job Search SEO. In addition to using Twitter job boards, you can also post jobs from individual or corporate accounts at no cost. Even if your network is very small, you can leverage keywords and hash tags to increase your reach. Include key words specific to the position using a SEO or search engine optimized strategy like you would use for a website. Common hash tags for job seekers include #jobadvice, #jobhuntchat, and #careerchat.
Sourcing with SEO. In the same manner, you can search and source directly for job seekers, using keyword search. Free sites like Search.Twitter.com allow you to search by hash tag, keyword, and with their advanced search, even by zip code radius. A paid tool which allows for exporting via CSV file is called Tweet Adder and allows you the option to save your spread sheet lists for later use or allow them to be added to your network slowly over periods of time.
Engaging Savvy Job Seekers. Twitter allows you to engage super influencers using social media. By keyword searching their profiles as well as tweets, you can learn about events, other keywords, niche social networks, and blogs your target candidate audience frequently. Many of these niche sites and blogs allow for free entrance and provide you a wealth of information about candidate pools and areas of expertise.
Learn more erecruiting and hiring tips and tricks to make hiring easy by Jessica Miller-Merrell on the Smartrecruiters blog.
Jessica Miller-Merrell, SPHR is a HR consultant, new media strategist, and author who writes at Blogging4Jobs. Jessica is the host of Job Search Secrets, an internet television show for job seekers.
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