OK, this isn’t quite the magician sharing his secrets, but below are our views and what we believe are the advantages of using social media to recruit.

Facebook. Having 500+ fans, we can get our message to a large, active and interested audience immediately. From feedback to blog posts to actually getting candidates to respond through the medium, it’s an excellent resource for recruiting. In fact, we have made 2 active placements through Facebook, with both candidates seeing the job on their News Feed and getting in touch. As it’s a Client driven market, candidates appreciate the fact that they are alerted immediately, especially for roles where there are potentially a number of possible suitable people in our network.

LinkedIn. An essential bow in every recruiter’s arrow as far as we’re concerned. It’s important to build a strong network of like minded individuals, stay in touch with discussion in groups of professional (and sometimes personal) interest.

Twitter: we have 560+ followers on Twitter, which is another excellent medium to broadcast our message. This is probably the toughest medium to master (as suggested by Simply Zesty) as it’s the newest, requires constant management and sometimes it can be difficult to toe the line between getting too personal and broadcasting your corporate message. However, as Ben Dunne said in his recent Newstalk / NCI Interview: “Business is about to get dirty, politeness is dead (not a direct quote).” OK, it mightn’t be that radical in our industry, but we certainly see Twitter as being an essential tool for the future, especially as more and more people are attracted to it.

A blog is also essential to convey your message. It strengthens your brand, makes people feel connected and lets them know there’s real people behind the company.

Do you have any more suggestions? Let us know!

-Brian (bhc at lifescience dot ie)