Ryan St. Germaine

Localization certainly plays an important role in building your regional talent pool through social recruiting, and therefore, we are pleased to announce that Jobcast now supports 15 languages! They are: Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) English French German Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese (Brazil) Portuguese (Europe) Russian Spanish (Europe) Spanish (Latin America) Turkish To post jobs through Jobcast in one of the languages listed above, click on the Distribution tab, then select the language from the drop down box. Please note: you will need to opt-in in order to use this feature. Happy posting!  

2011 brought social media to new heights. It showed the world that there is strength in numbers through the uprising in the Middle East, the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan and the Occupy movement that swept the world. It made everyone, individuals and businesses alike, stop and think about how they wanted their voice to be heard across a global and transparent network. It shifted business mindset, focusing on the importance of redefining practices and processing going forward. Strategizing and implementing social media communications plans became a priority. As mentioned in previous posts, internet users spend approximately 25% of their time online on social media networks. They look at news, blogs, and share and communicate information with their network of contacts. They post videos, pictures and even create relationships with people that they may have never face-to-face. Social media is still uncomfortable for many to grasp, but it is where hundreds of millions of active users spend their time. In today’s era of recruitment, the focus of finding talent is increasingly shifting from online job boards to social media networks. This shift is something that all businesses need to consider within their recruiting plans to stay ahead of the ever-evolving world of online and social recruitment. Considering the number of active social media users globally, recognizing social media as a “talent pool” is a clear choice for employers and recruiters. Social media. As we all know, it is not a FAD, it is a fundamental change in the way we communicate online. What is your plan to communicate and reach your potential employees online?

Your reputation is important, especially in the professional world. How 'in demand' are you in the market right now? It's a question we all ask ourselves, but it is difficult to gauge how your skills, educational background and experience match up with what is in demand in the marketplace. Want to know how companies value your professional background and what companies and/or people are looking for someone like you right now? Identified is the solution. Identified is a tool that tells you how 'in demand' your professional background is right now. By tracking and analyzing what thousands of companies search for, Identified gives each professional an Identified Score that falls between 0 and 100. To find out more information on how the score is calculated, visit their website here. Not only is Identified the first product to provide people with real-time, interactive feedback on how companies view their professional information online, it also allows users to manage their privacy and control what professional information they would like to share with companies online. Want to know where you stand in the professional job market right now? Visit www.identified.com to find out.

One of the most requested Jobcast features that has been absent in the existing interface is reporting. We are pleased to announce that reporting functionality has now been introduced. With our new reporting feature, you will be able to review which networks offer the best exposure, which networks your applicants come from and which networks most often lead to successful candidates. We encourage you to examine reporting for your existing accounts by following the steps below: 1. Select the account that you would like to view the reporting for 2. Select the Jobs tab, and then click the Reports tab From there, you will see 3 report options on the left-hand side;

Total Job Views by Source

(Analyze which networks offer best exposure),

Total Applicants by Source

(Analyze which networks your applicants come from) and

Total Hires by Source

(See which networks most often lead to successful candidates).

We hope that these simple reports help you further with your social recruiting goals. Because this is a new feature, we would like to use this opportunity to solicit your feedback regarding the functionality of the reporting features. Please feel free to contact us or comment below with any thoughts!

A new study by Millennial Branding and Identified, Inc. reviews the correlation between Generation-Y & Facebook.

It’s a new year and we are continuously updating our Jobcast careers, job and recruiting Facebook app with new advancements. We are happy to share that we have 6 new features. Here’s what’s new:

1) Social Sharing on Twitter and LinkedIn

We have added a vital feature within our app – the ability to post job opportunities to Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. To do so, follow the steps below:

• Select the Manage Jobs tab and click on the Published button

• Select the position you would like to share with your social media networks

• Click on the Share button and then select the checkbox next to each social media platform you would like to post to. Clicking on the X will then prompt you to activate the social media platform selected (ie: Twitter)

• Enter in your login and password for the selected social media platform(s) After completing the steps above, you will be able to post to those activated accounts for all job postings going forward.

2) Post Jobs to Indeed, SimplyHired, Juju and Jooble

You are now able to post your job postings to three of the top job boards: Indeed, SimplyHired, Juju and Jooble. Here’s how:

• In your Jobcast account, select Distribution

• Select the Search Engines tab

• Click on the checkbox next to ‘Include Jobs in Search Engines’

Please note: due to their strict policies, enabling this feature will not guarantee that jobs will be included by search engines. As a general rule, if jobs are posted directly by the employer and applications are collected directly by this App, then the probability of inclusion will be the highest.

3) Track Applicants by Source

Curious to know where your applicants found your job posting? Now you can.

When applicants click on a link to a job posting through a social network and submit an application for that role, the source (ie: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) will appear  the applicant’s details.

4) Rate Applicants

Rating applicants couldn’t be any easier. Through our integrated applicant tracking system, you now have the ability to rate each applicant through a simple to use 5-star system.

5) Add Notes

As a Jobcast administrator, you are now able to add notes related to applicants. All page administrators have the ability to add notes, which will be shared with other team members automatically through the applicant tracking system.

6) Manage Multiple Pages from One Account

Do you manage the recruiting for multiple companies? Does the company you recruit for have multiple divisions? Do you oversee corporate recruiting across multiple channels?

We have now introduced the ability to manage multiple Facebook pages from one account.

6 new features and more to come. We hope that these advancements further assist in your social recruiting needs. Thank you to those who have provided valuable feedback on our app. We welcome all feedback – feel free to share any input and/or comments by contacting us here.

Want to try out Jobcast? It’s a FREE, simple solution to your recruiting needs. Hire Smart. Click here to download the app now.

Facebook apps just got more social. You can now rate them in the Facebook Newsfeed. Do you enjoy using Jobcast? We would love for you to rate us when the opportunity pops up in your feed!

Thank you in advance! -The Jobcast Team

LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook. The big three of social media are constantly changing the scope of social recruiting. Pros and cons to each? Here is a list of some of the reasons why recruiters choose Facebook to find new talent:

Facebook has the biggest network

Facebook is undoubtedly one of the most popular social media platforms. There are more than 800 million active users on Facebook worldwide, compared with 135 million on LinkedIn and 100 million on Twitter.

It’s engaging

Facebook Pages allow businesses and organizations to create an effective online presence, which helps to build engaging and long lasting relationships. When potential candidates research an employer and find their Facebook Page full of comments, conversations and personal interactions, they will see it as a reflection of your company’s brand and employee experience.

It’s free

Employers like that you are able to upload posts, download social recruitment apps like Jobcast, and manage additional content – all free of cost. With a Facebook plan in place, you have the ability to reach prospective clients and interact with them, all for free.

It’s full of action

Recruiters believe that candidates do not actively update their LinkedIn profiles, whereas they are quite active on Facebook. Therefore, it makes sense to connect with candidates where they already hang out online!

Easy to integrate

When it comes to website integration, it is easy to add Facebook feeds and the Like button to your company’s website.

Integrated Applicant Tracking Systems

With Facebook apps like Jobcast, recruiters and employers are able track applicants through an integrated applicant tracking system (ATS). You can rate, review and scan through applications all while on Facebook.

These are just some of the many reasons why it is important to develop a Facebook recruitment strategy. Please feel free to share your comments below on why you think it is important to use Facebook for recruiting and remember to check out our Facebook recruiting app here.

“The days of printing out a stack of resumés and handing them out at job fairs are definitely over.”

According to an infograph by MBAonline.com, over half of jobs seekers from a recent US poll looked for career opportunities on Facebook. That’s surprising considering that only 26% looked on Linkedin and 25% on Twitter.

Approximately 18.4 million Americans responded that they got their current job through Facebook, with LinkedIn following with 10.2 million, and Twitter with 8 million.

Utilizing social media platforms for recruiting is certainly on the rise. According to the study, 16% of employees that were surveyed found their job via a social network, which increased by 5% from 2010.

The infograph below gathered data from CNN, LinkedIn along with other resources to compile a snapshot of what the modern job seeker looks like. Have a read-through for some interesting insights on how social media has truly impacted the job search.

How is your company utilizing social media for recruiting? Have a look at Jobcast, our Facebook recruiting app. It can help you attract the ideal candidates for your company’s current and future career openings through social media!

Launched in 2003, LinkedIn is a social networking site primarily used for professional networking and its practical business use naturally makes it an obvious choice for recruitment. It currently has 80 million registered users and is the preferred site for business professionals. As of August 2011, LinkedIn had over 120 million registered users in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. It is estimated that the membership grows by a new member approximately every second — a potentially deep talent pool to recruit. Profiles read like resumes, highlighting an individual’s career and professional interests and the site is widely used to expand networks, job hunt, source recruits, share insight and establish sales and marketing opportunities.

Getting started

LinkedIn is as much about the individual as it is about the company, so it is important to have a complete profile to provide credibility for yourself as well as your organization. Include past and current jobs, a summary of specialties, education, recommendations, company website and social media accounts, remembering to use keywords to help people find you.

Creating a company profile

By creating a company profile, potential business contacts and recruits will be able to learn more about your organization. It is also a great company and employer branding tool. To get started, look for the option ‘add a company’ under the ‘company‘ tab, and submit your business name and email domain that coincides with your organization’s website. Complete all the information, including a basic description, number of employees and industry, again considering keywords that will help people searching for your organization. You will also be able to include a logo, location and company blog, if desired, along with job postings appearing on your profile as well as links to the profiles of all current employees and their connections.

LinkedIn also automatically completes a company analysis, including your employees’ medium age, top schools and other companies with which you are connected (through past/current employees etc.). This has become an excellent tool for job seekers to conduct research on companies and portrays an accurate, albeit statistical, view of your organization. Individuals following your company on Linkedin can learn about career opportunities, new hires and upcoming events within your organization. It also allows you to include your Twitter feed to cross-promote your social media accounts.

Sourcing connections

As with all social media site, LinkedIn is about building connections. There are several ways to source connections:

People search. Search for individuals by typing their name in the search box on the top right hand side when selecting the “people” option. For popular names, it is possible to filter by location, company, relationship, industry, school and profile language.

Advanced people search. When searching for potential candidates, advanced people search allows you to search by keyword, then use the standard people search filter criteria. For example, by searching “CFO” or “project manager”, a list of individuals is generated with the keyword in the profile. Premium accounts also allow users to filter by member group, level of seniority, interests, function, company size, years of experience, Fortune 1000 ranking and tenure on LinkedIn. A premium account may be a wise investment for companies looking to LinkedIn as a primary recruitment tool and a strong compliment to the business development and sales function.

Add connections. You can also search for individuals by their email address. This would need to match the address they used when they signed up for their account.

Colleagues. Remember a particularly good marketing manager from a past company but can’t recall their surname? You can search for individuals from past companies listed in your profile. LinkedIn allows you to send connection requests to former colleagues who were employed at a company during the same period.

Classmates. As above, you can search individuals who attended your alma mater during the same period or graduation year. There is no additional way to filter results, however, so it may be challenging to find individuals if you attended a large University or college.

People You May Know. This feature allows you to find individuals with whom you share a common connection. This includes people you may have emailed through Outlook, individuals in your email address book, keywords in your profile and common connections. On the right had side of the screen LinkedIn will suggest three individuals you may know. By selecting “see more”, you will have additional suggestions. On the left hand side you will find filters to help target individuals with whom you may have a higher likelihood of knowing.

Reference search. While using LinkedIn as part of your recruitment strategy, the reference search tool allows you to source individuals who were your candidate’s colleagues. While a paid service, you can find unbiased information from sources that are not directly submitted as part of a candidate’s reference list.

Saved searches. Once you create a search, save the criteria. You can later rerun the same search and find individual who are new to LinkedIn or who have changed their profile information.

Groups

Getting involved in groups is a great way to connect with potential candidates and other LinkedIn members with similar interests. It also allows you to connect with individuals who are not part of your or your contacts’ networks. Try performing a search based on profession, interests, University, professional association, company alumni or other area. While regular interaction within groups can be time consuming, by choosing a few groups and dedicating some time every day, you’ll quickly expand your network and credibility.

Interaction within groups must be genuine and should not have an underlying sales message. Posting a relevant news article or linking to a blog post is a good way to get started and can spark a discussion. Aim for a thought provoking (and possibly somewhat controversial) topic to gauge others’ opinions. When done correctly, this can also serve as an excellent form of market research to learn more about different audiences. By monitoring the conversation, individuals displaying strong industry knowledge, drive and effective communication skills may emerge as potential candidates.

While general business etiquette prevails, it is still important to observe the discussion before engaging in the dialogue. Social communities can easily alienate individuals who try to use the platform for commercial purposes, so always approach conversations aiming to give more than to receive. Once determining the tone and types of posts shared, selectively respond to discussions, offering insight or links to supporting (or challenging) information. Many groups also provide guidelines for members, so read and understand before jumping in.

Other ideas

Integrate other accounts. Use the widget tool to import other elements, such as your Twitter stream or corporate blog. This will help you integrate your social media accounts while also helping you manage your time and resources.

Try using polls. Set up a poll on your LinkedIn group to find out more about candidates’ preferences, job hunting practices or general recruitment information. Use the intelligence to enhance your recruitment or HR strategy, then share findings with your followers through status updates, articles and blog posts.

Share knowledge. The Questions page includes hundreds of questions from users, by subject matter and language. This is a simple way to engage in social community dialogue. In addition, consider linking your answer to your blog or other social media account to increase traffic and followers on multiple sites.

Market your employer brand. Include your recruitment social media URLs on all communications, including marketing literature, business cards, email signature, website, job postings and other social media accounts. Aim to convert clients into job applicants by tying into customer service outlets and encourage all employees to do the same.

Headhunting. Ensure each line manager and HR representative has an account to source candidate leads, source recommendations and perform reference checks. With such a large membership base, LinkedIn allows you to source individuals who may not be actively job seeking.

Offer recommendations. Whether for a former colleague, subordinate or business contact, LinkedIn recommendations provide an endorsement for an individual, strengthening their profile and professional offering. While it is important to observe company policies regarding [recommendations — hyperlink to article on recommendations that I wrote], providing this information demonstrates to potential candidates that you are a fair employer who maintains good relations with former employees.

Post recruitment videos or presentations. Share your recruitment materials through your LinkedIn and other social media sites and encourage existing employees to do the same. Offer incentives for individuals to re-post and share information with their followers.

Get introduced. LinkedIn allows you to see who connects you with another individual. You can ask contacts to introduce you to individuals in their network whom you think would make a good candidate. This offers credibility and word-of-mouth promotion.

Post jobs. Advertise job opportunities for $195 for a 30 day posting or purchase a multiple posting package. You can also proactively post jobs within groups or as your status, directing people to your recruitment webpage. LinkedIn has also now enabled a function allowing companies to post a link on their online job opportunities and letting candidates apply using their profile instead of a formal resume. [Note to Ryan…what is your take on this practice? We should include a hyperlinked article on this].

Find experts. Work with your HR and employee development team to source speakers to provide low or no-cost training to your existing employee base. Enhancing your offering as a great place to work will aid your employer branding and recruitment strategy. These industry experts may also be interested in providing a guest blog, case study, webinar or online discussion.

Advertise. You can purchase LinkedIn advertising to promote your employer brand and segment by industry, seniority, geography, job function, age and gender. Many social media outlets offer highly targeted advertising options not available through traditional media channels. Speak with your marketing team to formulate a strategy the incorporates both business development and recruitment priorities.

The Linkedin platform is a goldmine for recruiting and its growth over the past year suggests that it will continue to be a dominant player for some time to come. My Linkedin network has provided me with some terrific business opportunities and I’m sure you’ll find it works well for you and your business too. If you have a chance, stop on by and connect with me @ryanstgermaine

Happy Hunting!