Jim Stroud posts a list of the Top Recruiters on Twitter from TwitterGrader. I'm Number 2 on the list.
What does it mean? A couple things. First - recruiter is in my profile settings. I'm graded highly in Twitter Grader for followers/following numbers, frequency of Tweets, RT's, replies...
What doesn't it mean? That I'm a "Top" Recruiter on Twitter. It means I'm a Top "Recruiter" on Twitter.
There's been a lot of chatter in the last month (more than average) on how social media is a big waste of time I'm used to hearing that in newspaper columns and from people not in the space, but quite a few comments have started coming from those actually inside the applications. How weird is that? If you're complaining about social media from within a social media community, chances are you're not getting any value for your time.
The biggest question is always one of competitive value. Is time spent inside social media of more value than that spent on the phone or other "traditional recruiting" processes. Detractors say social media is bunk, because they see people wasting time in social media. That's a fair cop, but it's not a very bright one.
Spending time at the coffee machine is not as effective as calling someone. Eating lunch - not as effective. Sleeping, going home at 5:00, and taking the time to wash your hand after using the restroom are all not as effective as using the phone. I'll admit that. They're also things that civilized human beings with work-life balance do. And social media, at its roots, is just people sharing information (social=friends/media=information). That's it. So to compare social media to calling on the phone isn't an accurate comparison. Compare the time on social media to that calling friends. And compare time in social media speaking with managers and candidates to that of using the phone to do so.
The phone is an intimate contact, and very valuable, but it's only one point of contact, while social media tools can reach dozens, hundreds, thousands, and even hundreds of thousands. The real killer application? Using social media to warm up contacts, and then using the phone to make them strong contacts, and in-person meetings to make them stronger.
This is of course dependent on the individual, and not the small sample of those the detractors are connected online. Chances are if you think someone is wasting time on Twitter, or MySpace, or LinkedIn, they are. That's because those using social media (for recruiting) correctly, aren't connecting to detractors, or competitors - they're connecting to candidates and clients.
Just a thought. For those of you who prefer an audio version with a bit more yelling (Safe for work) - check out and follow my Utterli stream.
