What is the True Role of Social Media in Recruitment?

While social media makes it easy to find a thousand, dare I say it, mediocre candidates in one day, locating the perfect match for your unique business needs is still a job best left to a professional, specialist recruitment agency.

Besides the size and quality of the applicant pool, what has changed in recent years is the way people advertise their skills and the way they network with potential employers and other industry professionals. Building a career and job hunting are now a lot more complex than sending the same resume to prospective employers via snail mail, or even via email. For example, LinkedIn, the social media channel developed specifically for professional networking, now has over 200 million members from all over the globe.

While LinkedIn is leading the way in professional communication and business development, other social media giants like Facebook and Twitter are not far behind. In fact, back in November of 2012 Facebook launched a new US based job board feature that gives recruiters the ability to connect to users who are looking for work in their local area. While Twitter is less conducive to professional networking since it restricts posts to a limiting 140 characters, it can still be tremendously useful for locating local talent. By advertising open positions to followers and searching the user database with keywords that are related to your business, Twitter can be the perfect tool for supplementing other social media channels.

RELATED: How Many Companies Use Social Media to Recruit?

In the practical sense, that means any recruiter can use a searchable database to pull hundreds of candidates with resumes and skills that seem ideal for any open position within your company. But, what reads perfectly on paper doesn’t always translate the same way when you meet and interview the candidate. The difference between recruiters who use social media to locate active candidates, and independent professional recruiters, is that the latter are trained to find passive candidates who not only have the background you are looking for, but who also have the most potential to grow within your company and fit in with your employee culture and team dynamic.

While it seems like a no-brainer in today’s economic climate, there is an inherent problem with relying on social media and the Internet in general to find your perfect candidates quickly. It’s simply not a sustainable strategy in terms of future growth as the pool of highly-skilled, professional and specialist candidates will inevitably shrink as domestic and international economies rebound further, jobless rates will fall meaning more vacant roles become available, making finding the best possible employee be a lot tougher than throwing a few keywords into a social media search engine.

To secure and retain the quality of your employee team in the future, it’s important to maintain a good relationship with a truly specialist recruitment business who is well networked across your sector. This recruitment partner will have the capability to utilise a variety of traditional recruitment methodologies, combined with all available social media channels to help you handpick the perfect candidates for your business in any economy.

Author: Paul Simms is an executive recruiter with 15 years of experience across the Australian and UK markets. He is the founder of Wright Executive, a specialist business within the Accounting and Professional Services sector.

Original Article can be located: http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/social-media-role-hiring/

How I Hire: 80+ Perspectives on the Ideal Candidate

For those seeking a job, the rigorous application and interview process can be harrowing. But spare some sympathy for the hiring managers. Sifting through resumes and coaxing out revealing insights in interviews is its own exhausting grind. And what’s at stake is a company’s most important asset: its talent.

More than 80 of LinkedIn’s Influencers -- thought leaders and experts across industries who write original content for LinkedIn -- had lots to say about this topic in “How I Hire,” a feature series that launches today. We also teamed up with the New York Times to pull together the best hiring advice out there, including Q&As with career experts.

Through these blog posts, we get a firsthand look at the hiring philosophies of industry giants like Richard Branson, Deepak Chopra, Sallie Krawcheck and dozens more.

The series confirms that building a great team is arguably the most important thing to get right when running a company or department, and also one of the toughest. The interview process can also be painful: We quizzed 43 Influencers on their hiring habits, and a full quarter of those we surveyed have gone so far as to fake some type of emergency to end a bad interview.

Most Influencers have achieved extraordinary success not only on the strength of their own skills, but their talent at evaluating and attracting the best people to fill open roles. As a result, the “How I Hire” series is a goldmine of hiring tips and tricks. Read closely and you might even learn the key to getting a job with an Influencer. Below are a few key takeaways:

Go with your gut -- or ignore it

A strong majority of the Influencers we surveyed say that instinct is more important than data for hiring decisions. But there’s a vocal minority that disagrees, arguing that following your gut can lead you astray.

• Tom Bedecarre, chairman of AKQA, collects hundreds of data points on potential hires, saying his most successful hires were the ones he had the most information about.
• On the other hand, AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes takes just 10 seconds to make his decision. He looks for a glint in the eyes that signals passion, hunger and heart.
• Expert recruiter Lou Adler tells a cautionary tale that illustrates the dangers of relying on intuition or first impressions to make hiring decisions.

Level the playing field

As attractive as trusting your instincts might seem, many managers instead rest their hiring decisions on diagnostics that compare different candidates according to the same criteria. Depending on the role, those criteria vary widely.

• Steve Blank, co-author of the Startup Owner’s Manual, outlines an ingenious way ofvisually comparing candidates using a pie chart.
• Nicholas Thompson, editor of the New Yorker online, advocates a thorough approach including grilling candidates and giving them all the same test, whether it’s a story to edit or a coding challenge.
• Kabam CEO Kevin Chou devised a case study interview as a screening exercise that breaks through the noise of the application process.

It’s not about getting the answer right

Good interviewers ask lots of smart questions. But again and again, we heard Influencers say that specific responses were less important than other factors like the quality of the conversation and the way candidates thought about questions. In other words, don’t fret if you don’t have the perfect response to an interview query. Your questioner might be testing you for something else entirely.

• DJ Patil, VP of product at RelateIQ, asks two deceptively similar questions and makes a judgment not just on the answer, but the speed of the response and its tone.
• Eric Ries, author of the Lean Startup, conducts technical interviews with an in-depth programming and problem-solving exercise to closely mimic a workplace interaction. He has found that people with the "right" answer to the problem off the bat end up performing worse than those who are open to creative solutions.
• Steve Stoute, co-founder of celebrity ad agency Translation, says he talks about things besides the position he’s filling, including what an applicant’s parents do for a living. He’s trying to get a feel for the candidate, not just the dates and locations on their resume.

Hire teams, not individuals

Many Influencers made the point, in different ways, that it’s as important, if not more, to hire a team that works well together than it is to hire a bunch of great individuals.

• Sallie Krawcheck of 85 Broads and formerly the president of Merril Lynch, notes that you can't have a basketball team with all point guards. Diversity of roles and backgrounds has been proven to make teams better.
• GE CMO Beth Comstock reminds us there are no “lone geniuses,” and it’s teams that do the real work. To create diverse teams she looks to fill roles including the well-balanced employee and the fish out of water.
• James Caan, CEO of Hamilton Bradshaw, auditions shortlisted employees by having them sit in with his team and seeing what kind of fit they are.
• Jen Dulski, president and COO of Change.org, cites six must-haves when she’s bringing new people on board, including a diverse team.

Know what you’re looking for -- and name it

For many, the hiring process is built around identifying very specific traits. Influencers don’t just hire for broadly defined character traits like cooperation or persistence. Many have been building teams for so long that they’ve given names to the unique skill sets or combinations of traits that the perfect hire must posses.

• Diego Rodriguez, partner at IDEO, looks for what he calls “informed intuition,” a highly developed sense of what is awesome and what is not, what will work and what won’t.
• Chopra Foundation Founder Deepak Chopra goes so far as to create a "soul profile,” a portrait of each candidate that includes questions about their life’s purpose and what they look for in a friend. Chopra argues that technical skills can be outsourced, but “what makes an organization or business successful are core values, qualities of character, vision, purpose, camaraderie, and joy. And these cannot be outsourced.”
• Management guru and former GE CEO Jack Welch also looks for something singular in addition to qualities like energy and edge. He defines it as the “generosity gene,” a trait belonging to people who get joy out of seeing those around them do well.

Keep in mind what you don’t want

How do Influencers get so good at hiring? By learning from their mistakes. Nearly all of the Influencers we surveyed said at some point they’ve regretted a hiring decision they made. From that, many have taken lessons about how to screen out candidates who won’t work out.

• Neil Weinberg, editor-in-chief of American Banker magazine, has a list of pet peevesthat get applicants struck from consideration, from spelling errors in a cover letter to unprofessional clothes or attitude. (Incidentally, wardrobe gripes aren’t as common than they once might have been: Only six out of 43 Influencers we surveyed say wearing a suit to an interview is an absolute must.)
• Lesley Seymour, editor-in-chief of More magazine, resists the idea that hiring from a pool of younger candidates means bringing spoiled brats on board. She says you just have to know how to weed out the entitled millennials.
• Bruce Kasanoff, CEO of Now Possible, sifts what he calls “givers” from “takers” and keeps "takers" -- people who are mostly self-interested -- away from customer-facing roles.

To peek into the minds of dozens more who have mastered staffing (and to learn from their mistakes), check out the full series here. For more strengths to look for and flubs to avoid when hiring, log on to LinkedIn at 2 p.m. EST on Thursday, Sept. 26, when I’ll be moderating alive chat on hiring with New York Times columnist Adam Bryant and human resources expert Josh Bersin. Finally, tell us in the comments or on Twitter using the hashtag #HowIHire: What do you think is the most important thing to think about when hiring?

Photo: Bill Strain/Flickr

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Francesca Levy

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10 new ways to build a kick-butt new-age resume: Heavy on the innovate, light on the cheesy

10 new ways to build a kick-butt new-age resume

Despite all the advancements in technology over the last decade or so, the traditional word-based resume is still as popular as ever.

However, if you’d like to stand out from the crowd there are a number of new school options for you to consider. And we’re not talking about simply having a LinkedIn profile which could almost be considered ‘old hat’ now. Nope, we’re about to enter a new world of resume building and sharing.

The only question is;  Are prospective employers ready for what you can now dish up? It’s time to find out!

Social Resumes

1. Zerply.com

Zerply is one of the more high profile socially-shaped resume and career sites going around. In fact, Zerply makes a point of telling new users that it is ‘killing the resume’ by showcasing your work in a more interactive and engaging manner. It features all of the social elements you’d expect including the ability to follow people, access a news stream and analyse stats.

2. ResumUP

The first of two Facebook-powered apps, ResumUP wants to make your ‘social profile visual’. Of the two options you’re given (Facebook or LinkedIn), the latter will give you the most professional looking account of your history. And they’re not kidding about the visual aspect, it can make anyone’s work experience look hot! [Read our full story on ResumUP here.]

3. BranchOut.com

Yes, BranchOut is technically more a ‘network’ than a plain old resume builder option but it allows you to create a profile which features everything that is wonderful (or not) about you.

4. LinkedIn Resume Builder

LinkedIn have been quietly developing this functionality as an add-on to the main site. It literally takes your profile information and formats it in traditionally-styled word-based resume. If you are after consistency across the web, this is possibly the one for you.

Visual Resume Builders

5. ResumeBaking.com

This is one of the more robust options out there thanks to its powerful interface. It also features all of the most up-to-date social sharing links so you can get yourself noticed too. Other key features include job search and notification functionality, a cover letter builder, stats and insights and adjustable templates.

6. VisualCV.com

VisualCV.com is one of the more popular resume builder sites thanks to is simple user experience. To get the best feel for what it can do, check out the big bank of examples hosted here.

7. ResumeBear.com

The most exciting element of ResumeBear is its real-time tracing capability which can give you a sense of how popular your resume is. It can even tell you who opened your resume so you can reach out to them while the iron is hot. You can access your resume dashboard via your mobile phone (iPhone and Android).

8. DoYouBuzz.com

This is quite similar to ResumeBear in that it provides you with a complete build and track solution. You have a number of design options with DoYourBuzz and it is also optimised for SEO visibility (but then again you should expect this benefit as standard for services like these).

Mobile Resumes

9. Infinity resume app (for iPhone)

I’m an Android guy so I can’t vouch for this one first hand but it looks interesting enough. The Infinity Resume Builder (iPhone app) essentially brings basic resume creation capabilities to your mobile. It features a series of drop-down menus to help you create your ‘on-the-go’ work experience snapshot.

A Left-field Option

10. The Facebook Timeline edition resume

One of the more unique and VERY new ways to illustrate your career history is by creating a Facebook timeline edition of your resume. While it may not be the most natural way of showcasing your career, the chronological timeline display and ability to back-date milestones works pretty well. I actually created my own Facebook timeline edition resume which you can see here.

By Adam Vincenzini, Saturday, 7 Apr '12, 02:21pm

Don't Waste Your Life... Test Your Career Goals

Don't Waste Your Life... Test Your Career Goals

(Article written by Bruce Kasanoff originally for Linkedin.com - can be found here)

If I told you that the first person to discover a pink manatee would become an instant millionaire, you probably wouldn't drop everything and start searching. You are smart enough not to believe in pink manatees, and you realize there are much more sensible ways for you to succeed.

In other words, you did a quick reality check and avoided running off on a ridiculous quest for success.
Are you being as logical with your own career? There's one way to find out.

Test your goals.

The way to separate possible goals from impossible ones is to test them, in a modest way, and see what happens.

If you want to be a standup comedian, write a routine and test it in front of your friends. If that works, perform at an open mic night. If you want to write songs, write songs... then see if you can get people to stay in the room when you sing them.

If you want to go to grad school, take a graduate level course and see how well you like it.
You may be an extraordinarily gifted designer, but if you have no business sense whatsoever you will likely fail without a business partner. If this description fits you, your first test should be to see if you can convince a smart business person to collaborate with you.

If you think you can handle a much bigger job, privately test your ability to handle the job's biggest challenges. For example, write a strategic plan - masking any confidential details - and show it to a few people (outside the company) whose opinion you trust.

If you want to be an entrepreneur, build a prototype and see if anyone wants to buy it. Even better, get feedback from potential customers, then use that feedback to refine your product. When customers actually buy your product, then - and only then - will you know you are on the right track.

Slow down!

It can be easy to move too fast. You may hate your current job, or be incredibly excited by the potential of your dream. You could be tempted to quit your job before designing a product or selling it to anyone. You might want to raise money before talking to potential customers. Maybe you want to act first, and think later.
In other words, you'd like to skip the boring stuff like thinking, planning, and testing.

If you pursue your dreams without testing them, you risk wasting years of your life. Don't chase pink manatees; always test the waters before jumping in.

_____________________________________________________

More from Bruce Kasanoff: Bruce has three free ebooks available for download at Kasanoff.com. He is the author with Michael Hinshaw of Smart Customers, Stupid Companies; you can read the Introduction and first chapter for free.

 

To see more of Bruce's articles on LinkedIn, click the "follow" button below, or follow@NowPossible on Twitter.

Image credit: Manatee sketch by Tamara Fuchinsky.



5 Ways to 'Up' Your Profile

5 Ways to 'Up' Your Profile

(This Article originally written and posted by Linda Descano on Linkedin.com here)

At one point in your career, you’ve likely been told to “be more visible” if you want to advance your career. I have been on the receiving end of that very advice — and have delivered that advice to more than a few of my team members over the years. But what exactly should we be doing?
I asked three of my go-to gurus on all things work-related — Diane Baranello of Coaching for Distinction, Stacy Lauren Musi of Chadick Ellig Executive Search, and Raleigh Mayer of Raleigh Mayer Consulting — for their suggestions on practical, actionable steps to raise your visibility, which I’ve consolidated into the following 5 tips:

1. Brush Up: Achieve a level of mastery whether you provide a service, sell a product, build buildings, or groom pets. How do you achieve mastery? Request mentorship from a seasoned professional in your field. Share interesting articles with your network. Do research and then publish. Interview experts. Write a white paper. Start a blog. Go back to school for an advanced degree or certification. Any of these will help elevate your expertise and build your credentials.
2. Step Up: Take on rotational or lateral assignments to broaden your exposure, joining task forces and other cross-functional groups to expand your network, and spearheading high visibility (perhaps even higher risk) business or corporate initiatives with firm-wide impact to showcase your business acumen. When stepping up, don’t be casual with how you share information on progress and achievements. Even on a regular update call, create a slide that shares some data. While one should take every opportunity to recognize the progress made by the team and to put others in the spotlight, don’t relinquish your clear role as a leader.
3. Speak Up: Develop relationships across the organization at all levels to expand your network, promote your area, and build your social reputation. Ask to be present at meetings where more senior leaders are in attendance – and, when you present, use language that shows you “own” the work. Hone your ability to deliver a clear, impactful message at meetings and present a point of view whenever the opportunity presents itself.
4. Stand Up: Seek and accept opportunities to present and speak publicly internally and externally to gain visibility and increase your influence, which will give you access to distinguished connections, build your reputation, and gain publicity, perhaps in a journal, on the internet, or in an industry publication. If you don't hold membership in an organization in your field, the time to join is now. Also consider getting involved community and other charitable organizations — and not just as a volunteer but also as a board member.
5. Dress Up: Make every day a “photo opportunity” with a polished appearance including perfect posture, strong body language, and a personal style statement (color, jewelry, or accessory).

What’s been the most effective way you’ve raised your profile?

The Art of Pitching by Richard Branson



One of the best things about hearing business pitches is that there is always a new idea and a new way of looking at things. I hear a huge number of pitches in a wide variety of places – we even had a pitching session while cycling in South Africa recently. But the most impressive pitches all have a few things in common. Here are five simple similarities shared by all successful pitches:

- They explain how the new business will make a difference to customers and provide a compelling alternative to competitors. This means showing a new way of doing things to shake up the market, and explaining it in short, sharp, entertaining fashion.

- They are grounded in expert knowledge of the industry. If you are going to launch anything - a new social network, a new bank, a new fashion line – you need to demonstrate a solid understanding of the market and how you can disrupt it.

- They have a realistic plan. While high concepts are fine, pitches need to illustrate how a company could work practically. This means legal, financial and operational plans. It’s tough to include details in a short presentation, but the most engaging pitches manage to combine passion with pragmatism.

- They are in it for the long haul. Nothing stays the same, and business changes faster than most things. Pitches latching on to the flavour of the month are all well and good, but they need to communicate how the business could grow sustainably and develop in the future.

- They show their strongest hand. Pitching is all about selling your idea and your business as an exciting place to be. Highlight the strengths – especially the talented people who are working on the project – and don’t be afraid to talk up your prospects.


Virgin Media Pioneers have announced the return of our ‘Pitch to Rich’ competition, giving entrepreneurs from around the UK the chance to pitch their ideas to me and win a start-up investment.

The winning company will get a grand prize worth £5,000 including investment and mentoring plus legal, branding and marketing advice for their business. Runners up will also receive £1,000 worth of investment as well as an opportunity to build their network and raise their profile.

What do you think are the most important things to remember in the art of pitching?

 

Posted by:

Richard Branson (Via Linkedin.com)

 

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Pinterest Launches Web Analytics to Help You Pin Down Traffic

Pinterest Launches Web Analytics to Help You Pin Down Traffic

By:  Brian Patrick Eha for Entrepreneur.com

Until now, Pinterest, the world's third-largest social network, has been lacking one big thing: analytics. Users could rack up followers and repins of their content, but there was no way for business owners to find out what had been pinned from their sites, or, in the other direction, how many people were coming to their sites from Pinterest.

But today the company announced that it has introduced an analytics dashboard to help website owners -- whether they're running a small business or a big brand -- gauge the popularity of their content.
The analytics will show how many people have pinned content from your site and how many users have seen those pins. It will also track visitor traffic from Pinterest, and you'll be able to see recent pins and your most repinned content of all time, so that you can get a sense both of what is currently trending and of what is most popular overall.

Related: 3 Ways to Turn Social Media Followers Into Promoters of Your Brand

"We think that these tools will help website owners understand what's working for them and what’s not so that they can create even better pins in the future," writes Tao Tao, a Pinterest software engineer, in a company blog post.

To start using the analytics yourself, first get your website verified by Pinterest and then simply access the Analytics tab on the top-right menu. You can even download your analytics to study offline.
News of the analytics dashboard comes only weeks after Pinterest closed a $200 million funding round that valued the social bookmarking site at $2.5 billion. With Pinterest experiencing explosive growth, brands are taking a greater interest in it than ever before.

As of February 1st, 69 of the world's top 100 brands, as measured by consulting firm Interbrand, had Pinterest accounts. Large retailers are especially eager to capitalize on Pinterest's majority-female user base. Pinterest shoppers spend $169 on average per session, according to RichRelevance, an ecommerce consultancy. Nordstrom, one of the most popular brands, has nearly 4.3 million Pinterest followers, and L.L.Bean has 5.7 million.

Related: Pinterest: Now Is Time to Start Generating Revenue
Read more stories about: Social Media, Ecommerce, Branding, Pinterest



Ten Best Business Innovations of the Last 50 Years



Authored By: Richard A. Moran 

CEO, Corporate Director, Venture Capitalist, Author, Vintner

Innovation is everywhere. So much so that it is difficult to keep track of all the new tools that are making our lives easier. Based on a less than scientific poll, the following are what newsmakers are claiming to be those innovations that have truly changed the workplace and our business lives.

1. The Mute Button – Silence from both ends when you need it. Or, when you don’t want others to hear you clicking away on Facebook.

2. Texting – Don’t feel like talking? No problem. Also helped create a new shorthand language. The ultimate efficiency tool.

3. Yellow Stickies – To the office, what duct tape is to the rest of the applied world.

4. Wheelies – The back saving device that turned all luggage rectangular and too big to fit under the seat in front of you. Why did it take so long?

5. Virtuality – Allows one to be any where and work – or not. See Mayer, Marissa for debate on the issue.

6. Conference Calls – What other tool allows us to attend meetings without being there?

7. LinkedIn – Allows one to look for a job but “not really”. Also good for spying on former colleagues.

8. Bose Headphones – Allows one to concentrate while listening to the favorite rapper. Or, just shut out annoying co-workers.

9. Tablet devices – Tetris, solitaire, Sudoku and a million other games and time wasters that can be accessed whilst on delayed flights.

10. Email – Provides hope that something good can happen while at work. Any time an email could come in about that raise or promotion.

(Original Article Authored for Linkedin.com)