Recruitment & Social Networking Tools

Many studies are showing up these days on the internet (mostly regarding France, wonder why?), proving that the best tools for recruitment, both for candidates and recruiters, are ‘classic’ job-boards and ads, even spontaneous (but recommended) applications… They point out that tools like Linkedin are less useful.

It would be indeed stupid not to look at ads nor post your cv on dedicated websites if you want to change/find jobs. Let us just not forget that a job search is much more than that. This is too passive: some of us might do that forever and not get any results!

In my opinion these studies are missing the point. They just show there is a big difference between a dedicated job-site with and advertisement section along a cv library and, say, Linkedin. The second is much more versatile, it can be used in many different ways, BUT ALSO for recruitment and job searching.

There are in my experience two reasons making it compulsory for job-seekers and job-changers to actively use Social Networks (although doing that will never be enough):

1. Recruiters use Linkedin and the likes.
Just read the following testimony … if you interviewed 100 head-hunters, I bet at least 90 would give you similar lines. I just checked my own Linkedin contacts: more than 2/3 of the professional recruiters I know all over the world, whether in-house or in consultancies, have a Premium account. I guess they don’t pay every month just to get a nice banner on their own profile!
Granted, recruiters use ads and job-boards, but they also use social networks. Ease their life: make it simple for them to find you by being on the same networks!

2. If you want to find the best job possible, you don’t want to remain passive
Networking is the best way I have seen to go and get it:
Do not give the lead of such an important project to perfect strangers, do it yourself!
Define your project.
Design your offer of services.
Identify your targets.
Network to get as much info and data on them.
Get introduced & recommended to your potential future boss(es).
That’s how it works!
If I want to seriously network, I better do it with good tools. That is what Social Networks are.

To summarize:
Level 0 = answering ads and posting your cv on job-boards
Level 1 = being visible and clearly stating your goals on Social Networks
Level 2 = ACTIVELY NETWORK IN REAL LIFE !!!

If you think you need some help with this… think about a coaching.