How Recruiters Are Leveraging Facebook And How You Can, Too

How Recruiters Are Leveraging Facebook â€" And How You Can, Too How Recruiters Are Leveraging Facebook - And How You Can, Too Many people think of Facebook as a purely social network where people go to post pictures of their cat, share recipes or vent about their political frustrations. However, many recruiters, hiring decision makers and influencers actively use Facebook not only to keep in touch with their friends, but also to enhance their recruiting productivity and performance.  Put another way, they use Facebook to recruit people for jobs. And job seekers should take heed. Not only might you present yourself as a potential candidate to recruiters , but you also can add value to your network by referring qualified friends to fulfill recruiter needs. Shelly Goldman , National Sales & IT Executive Recruiter, Goldman Group Advantage, uses Facebook as a companion tool to Linkedin. She explains that recruiters “post information in our Timeline and evangelize our positions on Facebook. This can be very helpful, not just when the candidate who matches the talent we seek sees the post, but also when others see our posting, and then refer potential candidates. Facebook also helps a recruiter project their brand and the types of people we recruit for.” Rob Dromgoole , Senior Technical Recruiter at T-Mobile, says he would like to use Facebook for recruiting field techs and switch techs (and other blue-collar roles), because they are active on Facebook, more so than other social networks. Facebook network’s multifaceted layers include both public and private groups that recruiters leverage to their advantage. Both active and passive job seekers can position themselves strategically through these groups. Explains Goldman, “Specific Facebook communities can be a useful place to find specific types of candidates who are experienced in the type of position I recruit for. They also can be useful to locate people who may be willing to act as a referral source to other candidates, who may be the right fit for specific types of search engagements.” To find particular groups to join, Miriam Salpeter , Social Media Strategist & Owner, Keppie Consulting / Keppie Careers, offers the following guidance, “Use the search tool bar and type in {group, your industry or field and your location if you wish}.” In addition to being available to recruiter searches through these venues, job seekers can use groups to “share and get information about jobs and details related to your field,” adds Salpeter. Facebook also is a venue through which active and passive job seekers can become a magnet for opportunity by continuously marketing your own value. “Don’t underestimate the potential to connect with a job opportunity via Facebook,” encourages Salpeter. “Since most people are closely connected with their Facebook network, it’s a great place to share information and updates demonstrating expertise. These updates can subtly convince members of your network that you’re an industry expert.” In addition to professional expertise, the personal information you post, if high quality, can encourage a positive feeling about your candidacy. Goldman echoes this advice, while also providing a cautionary tip, “It’s important to project a positive professional and personal overall brand and image. We all need to remember, once something (photo, video, article or comment, etc.) is posted online, even when taken down/deleted, nothing ever completely goes away. Everything is somewhere online in perpetuity.” To help see what recruiters outside your network are seeing, Salpeter suggests clicking on the three dots on the far right side of your profile and select ‘View As’ to see what your profile looks like to the public. Keep in mind, recruiters have access to your Facebook activities. Goldman shared the following example, “Based on the type and level of Applicant Tracking System (ATS) a recruiter is using, we can see a level of candidate activity on various digital/social platforms. Facebook is one of the places we can find potential candidates and get a greater sense of the candidate.” Moreover, to increase your chances of being found by recruiters on Facebook, especially for passive job seekers, Salpeter offers the following tips: Finally, bear in mind that job seekers also have an advantage in being able to draw toward or winnow out recruiters based on what a recruiter’s Facebook page looks like. “Active and passive job seekers can … get a sense if a recruiter may be the type of recruiter or person they can envision making contact and working with,” says Goldman.