You see them at a party, on the street and even on the web. You wonder if they’re nice and if the two of you would get along well together. Sounds a lot like dating, doesn’t it? In a way it is, only in this instance we’re talking about hiring – which is essentially a lot like dating.
Ever wondered what employers are thinking when it comes to their hiring practices? Can social media be seen as an additional avenue for employers and potential employees to find work? Chris Apaliski, Social Media Director at Magic Logix, a Digital Marketing and Web Development Solutions company in Dallas, thinks so.
According to Apaliski, “social recruiting isn’t yet the most widespread way to for employers to find top talent” but Magic Logix is already thinking outside the box in order to utilize Twitter and other mediums to attract the ideal employees. At Magic Logix, all open positions are tweeted using targeted hashtags such as #jobs #hiring, #jobsearch, #SEO, #WebDevelopment and more depending on the job description. However, Apaliski says that “a tweet is sometimes only relevant for about 3 hours” requiring companies to look for other ways to maximize their exposure. Creative thinking and integration of different social platforms can bridge that gap.” For example, Magic Logix recently created a micro site for an open Digital Sales Consultant position called This Desk is Lonely. This dedicated URL is more interesting than a run-of-the-mill job posting on a company website, effectively opening the door to what the company culture is like and how the candidate can potentially make a difference. It can then be incorporated with Twitter, Vine, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social platforms. This kind of proactive marketing theoretically leads to a better fit for both Magic Logix and the hire.
Besides following the hashtags mentioned above, Apaliski says, “Following companies of interest, demonstrating industry knowledge and then asking for an introduction to someone internally can be very effective.” Magic Logix hires plenty of talent in the digital sphere, ranging from social media managers, SEO experts and web developers. He expects these people to be social media savvy and, not surprisingly, department managers will interview people whose initial touch point was over Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook. As with dating, these candidates often tweet a clever one liner that demonstrates their passion for the industry and gets the dialogue going.
Apaliski advises people utilizing Twitter with their job search tactics to make certain their profile is professional, but still shows creativity or personality. “Be mindful of who you are following. A potential employer will always look at this when viewing your social accounts, so don’t let your crowd bring you down.” Lastly, he recommends integrating your entire brand channels because “about half of the candidates we see are sending over multi-media resumes.” One URL that visually captures your entire portfolio in a cohesive manner makes your more competitive today. Here’s a good example of one.
At some point in your dating life, you’ve probably asked your closest friend for insight so that you could move up the dating food chain. That same strategy on Twitter might just get you hooked up with a great employer.
This is another addition to our series on using Twitter for your job search. For more info from the applicant side, meet Emma and Caroline. For the basics on how to use Twitter for your job search, read here!