Rehabcare Column Up At ERE.Net

I have a column up at ERE on the success of the social media recruiting projects at Rehabcare. Rehabcare is a local company that hires occupational, speech, and physical therapists for facilities nationwide.  Recruiting is a very important division in the company, as there is a shortage of therapists, and competition is fierce for new graduates.

The column lays out a good portion of the social media strategies that have been employed, including Facebook, podcasts, maps and pictures, all centered around the Rehabcare college blog.  For most clients, I don't get the chance to talk much about what they are doing.  Social media is a long-term project that has to fit into the DNA of a company, and gathering results takes time.  For Rehabcare, those results are good enough they let me write about them.  Social Media types won't be surprised by the tone of the piece, but credit has to be given to the Campus Relations staff.  For 18 months now they've integrated social media into their hiring in small ways.    

Social media has not been a silver bullet, and it certainly doesn’t replace the work the team already performs. Rather, the social media projects enhance its profile, and are an easy way to communicate with its audience. That communication clearly contributed to its success last year, especially in the eyes of the executives, who have green-lighted even more ambitious recruiting goals and strategies despite a tough economy.

The lesson is an important one. Social media recruiting works, but only when in concert with a strong team, a knowledgeable manager, and buy-in from executives. There are no starry-eyed Facebook surfers or YouTube watchers in this department. Just recruiters using social media to do their jobs — better.

I like this piece.  It's a good summary of where internal departments need to head for Recruiting 2.0.