These days, many a recruiter is tied into social media tools. But there's a difference between how in-house and third-party recruiters are using these tools -- and these differences can change the course of your job search.
Recruiters use Linked In to search for candidates to proactively reach out to and tools like ZoomInfo or Jigsaw to gather more information about candidates. They may be on Facebook, looking up the profiles of current candidates or sharing information about their companies or opportunities. And Twitter, the newest obsession of many recruiters has hundreds of tweets a day from recruiters, job boards, companies and career advisers. But here's the thing, the recruiters using these tools, especially the ones that allow them to connect with candidates directly, are more likely to be 3rd party recruiters rather than in-house recruiters.
That is a good thing--3rd party recruiters can really help your search and be a advocate for your candidacy. But I want to see more in-house recruiters on Twitter. They know their brand and company the best as well as true status of a position. For example, let's say a company has an open position that legally, they have to post on their site. But they have one or more strong, internal candidates, you have no way of knowing and may spend hours on a resume and cover letter that may be in vain. Twittering with an in-house recruiter allows you to connect directly and easily get answers to your questions as well as see many others. This will help you make the best use of your job search time.
So I continue my quest to provide an exhaustive list of company recruiters on Twitter that is continually updated. Please email me, contact me here, or send me a message on Twitter if you see in-house recruiters on Twitter that aren't on my list.
What's an in-house or company recruiter?
A recruiter that is employed by the company hiring (on their payroll) and officially represents the company in hiring. They partner with hiring managers and may rely on 3rd party recruiters to help source (find candidates) for hard to fill positions.
What's a 3rd party recruiter?
A 3rd party recruiter is one who may be working with several companies to find candidates for open positions. They may be working on retainer (a company has hired them exclusively to do a search) or on contingency (the company pays them only if they were the ones who found the candidate ultimately hired. They may be called executive recruiters (those focusing on higher level positions). You can learn more about using 3rd party and executive recruiters in "Colorful Advice."
Why does that matter?
3rd party recruiters aren't employed by the actual company hiring so they may not have all the information about a company, position, culture, or company strategy. They also may be working on many positions at many different companies at once. That's not to say they aren't helpful--they are! But my focus right now is on how to find and use in-house recruiters on Twitter and other social media tools.
Why don't more in-house company recruiters want to connect with candidates?
Alot of reasons. Time, resources, brand image, lack of support around social media, and fear are many of the reasons companies have not attempted a social media recruiting strategy. But the big two are (a) it's still early--in the corporate world, things move more slowly and take more time to adopt and (b) the economy. Companies are fearful to use social media for recruiting when recruiting may not be a big focus right now.
But there are companies doing it, right? Who's doing it well?
That's the question that Steven Ehrlich of TMP recently posed on Twitter. I immediately responded that both Kerry Noone of Sodexo and Dan Black of Ernst and Young are definitely early adopters. I would venture to say there are two options--you can focus on a primary tool (like Dan has done with Facebook for Ernst and Young) or on a full strategy (like Sodexo).
A successful job seeker spends his/her time wisely--including the use of social media tools to inform and influence your search. And while I always preach that you get a job from a person and not from a site, social media tools are a strong way to forge those connections.
Take a look at my current list of company recruiters on Twitter and email me, contact me here, or send me a message on Twitter if you have additional suggestions OR success stories you can share.
Up next? Guest blog posts from companies who are doing it right. Oh, and an updated list for Twitter!
