Social Recruiting

Just in case you were wondering, we are living in the future. And by “The future” I mean a sci-fi movie. Specifically, Minority Report starring Tom Cruise.

Google can predict flu outbreaks in real time, Target knows if your teen is pregnant  and most importantly, The Cheesecake Factory can look into a Big Data crystal ball and predict exactly how crispy the pickles on your cheeseburger ought to be. Now that is “Absolute Customer Satisfaction”. It’s also just a little bit creepy, but probably worth it, for a seriously perfect pickle.

There’s been quite a bit of buzz lately about the implications of Big Data for Recruiting and Employer branding. A lot of it is super-complex and detailed, like this post on HRExaminer.com. But most of us just need to understand the basics of what Big Data is and how it’s changing the candidate attraction and hiring process. Unless you are a massive fast-food chain willing to invest millions into understanding the complex nature of the diner/pickle relationship, the following should be more than enough info.

Firstly, What is Big Data?

It’s pretty impressive sounding, that’s for sure! And, honestly, it is impressive.

Big Data can be described in terms of a problem it presents. Wikipedia says : “Big Data is a collection of data sets so large and complex that it becomes difficult to process using on-hand database management tools or traditional data processing applications.”

It can also refer simply to a large amount of complex data that requires advanced programs to be captured and processed. Big Data can even be used to refer to the ways in which that data is processed, stored, and applied.

Basically, thanks to computers, we now have the ability to gather, store and utilize crazy amounts of information about people.

I know Wiki’s definition is sexier, but mine takes way less time to say, and Big Data tells me that time is money, so you are welcome.

Secondly, How does Big Data affect you?

Always the most important of questions.

Big Data impacts recruiting and employer branding in several key ways. I’m going to present five of them, because in my expert opinion, they are the most important. Also, my “expert opinion” is backed by Big Data (me Googling) that’s so compelling, Tom Cruise should star in a movie about it.

1 – The talent search

There is a lot of talent on the internet. We now have Facebook, job boards, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Vine and even Instagram in our recruiting tool belt. That’s some seriously Big Data at your finger tips and mining that data is a great way to discover passive candidates. Monitor social sites for keywords (the more specific and technical the better) related to your recruitment effort. Apps like HootSuite make search monitoring easy, while Gild is another app that gathers Big Data to help with (specifically tech) recruiting.

Big Data can also help solve one of the biggest obstacles in talent acquisition : resume spray.

Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s awesome that social sites, like Facebook, increase the amount of visibility and applicants that a job post gets. Having more candidates to choose from is definitely not a thing to complain about! Except, perhaps, when you get overwhelmed by resumes… But thanks to tools for Big Data processing, employers can efficiently sift through those resumes and leverage the data they provide to weed out the most qualified candidates.

That processing can also be done via the Cloud, instead of on local servers, which cuts down on both time and costs, quite significantly. This doesn’t mean you won’t need to interview, but it should help narrow it down to a better caliber of candidates who make it through to the interview stage. For more detailed information, check out this post on making the candidate search faster and more exact with Big Data. If you’re looking for a free tool for large scale data processing, check out Hadoop, more specifically Hadoop MapReduce, which is explained nicely in this article.

And that’s a lot of words! This article may be about a seemingly endless stream of data, but I think blog posts are better kept short and sweet.

Next week: 4 more ways you can use Big Data for recruiting and employer branding, and I will attempt to predict the next Mrs Tom Cruise using information I’ve gathered from Google! Stay tuned.

Reg Hamilton is a specialist in Interactive Media. He has over 18 years of tech experience, is an accomplished artist and designer, represents Phoenix Group on the Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada’s Mobile and Social Media Council, and his LinkedIn profile was one of the most viewed in 2012.

So as you can imagine, he’s a pretty busy guy. That’s why we feel very lucky that Reg has agreed to share some of his knowledge with the Jobcast blog.

Jobcast: Hi Reg, would you mind explaining to our readers what Phoenix Group is all about?

Reg: Phoenix Group is a full-service advertising agency with nearly 40 staff. We offer branding, creative, interactive and media services. Phoenix Group is a place where ideas grow. We create outstanding creative campaigns and build long-term value for our client’s brands. We’re about growth and results. We’re about thinking. Good thinking. That means great creative that grows business ideas and solutions. Our leadership team does a great job providing a supportive atmosphere that encourages success.

Jobcast: Phoenix Group has been very successful with Facebook to grow their clients brands. The results of your “Riders Oath” campaign for the Saskatchewan Roughriders were outstanding. Why did you decide to make Facebook a priority for brand promotion?

Reg: Rider Nation is a powerful force of nature. Phoenix Group and the Riders decided to focus on growing the number of Facebook fans. Due to the large number of existing fans—around 76,000—there was a significant opportunity to mine this group of people to reach likeminded brand loyalists. A target was set to increase the number of fans to 100,000: if reached, this number of Friends would lay the foundation for a powerful customer database. In addition, the team wanted to continue to lead the league in merchandise sales, fan avidity, and visitors’ game attendance figures. Because the Riders are such an important part of their fans’ lives, social media is a great way to reach them and to join the conversation

The integrated campaign produced outstanding results, with the number of Facebook fans increasing by more than 24,500 (for a total of 103,679 by the end of the year). We feel Facebook influenced results, with ticket sales virtually sold out for the year and over 67% of all CFL merchandise sales were Riders products.

Jobcast: Are there any key pointers you could give our readers about improving their branding with Facebook?

Reg: Content is king and context is God. The narrative rules and social stories attract fans. Give the fans 10x more than you ask for. Facebook is a great channel for content. Our Community Managers encourage fan engagement with conversation starters and questions posed to the community to encourage conversation and participation amongst users.

Tone is one of the most important aspects of any social media strategy. Users expect to engage with content they relate to on social media—they don’t want to be told; they want to have a conversation. Be honest; be real; give them something they are interested in.

The use of social media is an opportunity for the brand to develop a ‘human’ tone without representing an individual person or employee. It is important each post and interaction has the appropriate message for each social channel and uses a conversational, creative voice.

It is also important to note that there will be feedback, both positive and negative. Both should be dealt with on a timely basis. Having an effective and dedicated community manager, along with an appropriate strategy will ensure the conversation thrives and moves forward—don’t get lazy.

Jobcast: In your current campaign “Think Saskatchewan Jobs” you’re tasked with branding an entire Province! Can you talk a bit about the project and the types of social media strategies you’re employing?

Reg: Saskatchewan is booming. We have what the world wants and needs. Saskatchewan has one of the strongest and most stable economies in the world. With plentiful resources in demand around the globe, the Canadian province offers strong long-term career prospects. In fact, Saskatchewan has the lowest unemployment rate in Canada. Saskatchewan offers a high quality of life, with excellent education and health systems, affordable cultural and recreational activities and short commute times. It has everything you need to raise a family and advance your career. That’s the Saskatchewan story. Our Government recognizes the importance of social media and the benefits of using Facebook as an innovative channel for getting this message out.

Some brands tend to use Facebook fan acquisition strategies that are one dimensional—Like us to win a pizza or hot tub, share your personal family photos and your story to be entered to win an iPad. We are all used to seeing that approach. It’s like an extension of old school newspaper enter to win into social. Well, we wanted to do social differently.

Our objective is to grow a vibrant Facebook community to showcase Saskatchewan as a place of opportunity. This is accomplished by promoting job opportunities in the province on Facebook through the use of the Jobcast API recruitment app, by offering tips and tools on re-locating to the province and by creating conversation around quality of life and jobs. Having actual people who live here—or better yet, who moved here—talking about Saskatchewan is far more credible than the Government praising the virtues of our province.

Jobcast: We love what you’ve done with the Think Saskatchewan Jobs Facebook Career Page. How effective have you found recruiting with Facebook to be?

Reg: The rate of fan grow of this community is outstanding, with 2,400+ Likes in the first couple of weeks of the campaign. What’s really amazing is the total weekly reach is averaging out around 1.7 Million people hearing about Saskatchewan jobs. The very nature of social media enables the creation and maintenance of relationships. As a result, job marketing fits in perfectly. We are really happy with CTR on job applications at 10%

Jobcast: The level of interaction that you maintain with your followers on the Think Saskatchewan Jobs Facebook Page is impressive. In what ways do you feel maintaining a dialogue with fans benefits social recruiting?

Reg: The most effective strategy is to focus on building a strong, focused community on Facebook to attract job seekers to the province. The most effective approach was to use a combination of relevant content and Facebook apps.

The right mix of content is very important when it comes to social media. It is important to keep campaign goals in mind, but to also offer the community content relevant to their needs. Social job seekers want to engage with you and they also want interesting and helpful information that’s not just from you. The best practice rule content ratio for social recruiting is:

• 25% – Job postings

• 25% – How to get hired here

• 25% – Saskatchewan culture

• 25% – Fun/Lifestyle

Jobcast: What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced in implementing social recruiting strategy for Think Saskatchewan Jobs?

Reg: This campaign represents the most recent social media marketing effort for the Government of Saskatchewan. Much research and effort went into developing the right strategy to ensure its success. There are many elements involved in this campaign, so excellent teamwork is critical to achieve success. Our creative team together with our client do an awesome job of positioning this positive message in carefully crafted stories.

Jobcast: Many employers are intimidated by the idea of of using Facebook for talent acquisition. Do you have any advice for getting started with Facebook recruiting?

Reg: Fish where the fish are. Companies looking to make new hires are seeking the most cost-effective, efficient ways to find new talent. Job boards launched a revolution in recruiting more than 15 years ago. And now, social networks are doing the same—but in a much more targeted way. Through social recruiting, companies are learning they can find the best talent efficiently and very quickly.

Jobcast: Why did The Phoenix Group choose the Jobcast app for the Think Saskatchewan Jobs campaign?

Reg: Canada, we love Canadian technology solutions. The Jobcast app fit the requirements we needed to a tee. The user flow to search the jobs and apply is excellent. The Jobcast technical staff worked out a perfect solution to synchronize 10,000+ jobs in a tight 5-day turn around. Jobcast is great to work with and are providing wonderful results. The Jobcast app is really flexible so our creative team was able to ensure all elements were on brand.

Jobcast: Thank you, we’re glad to be a part of such a cool campaign!

You’re obviously a pro when it comes to social media. What do you think have been the key factors to your success?

Reg: That’s a nice compliment, but I think it comes down to hard work. I’ve always been an early adopter of new technology. Social media isn’t a silver bullet or an instant win for everyone, it takes more than just starting a Facebook page to be successful. It takes a good strategy that defines who the target audience is and what the goals and objectives are, then diligence and attention to keep things moving in the right direction. There’s no finish line, either. When you achieve your objectives, it’s time to set new ones. Social media doesn’t stop; the conversation doesn’t end when you achieve your goal it keeps going.

You can find out more about Phoenix Group on their website and look up Reg on LinkedIn and Twitter. To plan your move to Saskatchewan or see an example of an effective Facebook Career Page check out Think Saskatchewan Jobs on Facebook.

We’d like to extend a huge thank you to Reg for sharing his advice and experiences, we really appreciate it!

In last week’s blog we talked about taking the plunge into social media — not waiting for permission — just doing it. I asked our CEO and fearless leader, Ryan St Germaine, what he thought about the subject and in true Ryan-style, instead of bragging about himself, he expounded on our clients and best practices of social recruiters:

“From speaking with clients I’ve noticed that people get overwhelmed by social media and see it as this big, daunting task that requires a masters degree to understand. It’s not. All of the best social recruiters got started by putting one foot in front of the other and just going for it. They didn’t ask for permission or write a 40 page report. They created a social media account and started having conversations with their target audience. They engaged their audience by being of service and providing value. You can start right now if you want to with just one comment, message or post. The only thing stopping you from building your talent community… is you.”

I thought I would follow his lead and bring you some cool examples of people and companies who have done an awesome job of getting social with their recruiting, despite not having a masters in social (as if that even exists!?!)

I’ll start with someone who Ryan references often: Bill Boorman. Bill is a great example, in part because he has been doing social recruiting since before social recruiting was a thing, but mostly because he’s one of the most respected authorities on the subject. An early adopter of Twitter recruiting, he was the first person in the UK to register a business with an @ symbol in its name, and his trailblazing attitude towards recruiting didn’t stop there.

Bill started out as a traditional recruiter, but when faced with a lack of clients due to a recession, he decided to differentiate himself by going social with his recruiting. When he made this decision, the field of social recruiting was still in its infancy. He had no flashy social strategy infographics to follow, nor any of the impressive statistics showing the importance of social for recruiting that we now have, but he took the plunge anyway. This daring decision jump-started an illustrious career as a social recruiter, advisor, and public speaker.

Bill’s story is an awesome one, but wait, the awesome continues. An example I’ve used before, and will probably use again, is Stacy Donovan Zapar.

This is one connected woman — the most connected woman on LinkedIn to be exact. Stacy started her social journey with a focus on LinkedIn. She used the platform to become an early adopter of social recruiting, and then leveraged what she had learned to transform her own career. There was so much demand for her advice on social recruiting, that she began a blog which quickly became successful. This snowballed into a career as a public speaker at recruiting events, and now she has even launched her own social recruiting training business, Tenfold Social Training. Cool!

Our final example of social recruiting ingenuity is Jessica Lee and her work with Hotel Marriott.

Jessica Lee has taken Facebook recruiting to the next level with Hotel Marriott, but even before this campaign, both she and the Marriott brand were early adopters of social. Bill Marriott has been blogging since 2007, and the brand has been very active on Twitter and Facebook for almost as long, but they didn’t stop at conventional social recruiting. Hotel Marriott’s clever use of gamification for Facebook recruiting, with their My Marriott Hotel, has won them multiple awards and tons of press.

Jessica Lee has been using Facebook, Twitter and blogging to further her career in social recruiting since 2008 and is now considered one of HRExaminers top 100 influencers. In 2012, Lee signed on as Marriott’s Director of Digital Talent Strategy and has taken the company to new heights with innovative social recruiting projects like their recent Best Foot Forward campaign. Hotel Marriott and Jessica Lee have shown just how beneficial taking a chance on social can be.

All three of these examples took a risk on social recruiting back when it was still new and unproven. Today, Facebook is at over a billion users, LinkedIn is one of the first places recruiters go to find talent, and Tweeting for jobs is common practice. In the current social media focused landscape, as Ryan so elegantly put it, “The only thing stopping you from building your talent community… is you.”

Now, just so we don’t leave things on a cheesy note, I’m going to give you a teaser for next week’s article.

We’ll be sharing some firsthand advice from Reg Hamilton, a specialist in Interactive Media with over 18 years of tech experience. Reg represents Phoenix Group on the Board of Saskatchewan Interactive Media Association, serves on the Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada’s Mobile and Social Media Council, and has one of the most viewed LinkedIn profiles of 2012.

In our interview, Reg shares some amazing tips for better social recruiting and explains how Phoenix Group has run extremely successful social media campaigns.

Stay tuned!

The past few weeks we've been focusing a lot on taking the plunge into social recruiting. We've shared tips on how to get started, done a link love devoted to the subject, and now we're bringing you an interview with a client of ours who has done an amazing job of using social recruiting: Gordon Food Service.

Dave Wiltjer was kind enough to answer some of our questions about how and why Gordon Food Service uses social to recruit.

Jobcast: Gordon Food Service is obviously quite savvy when it comes to social media. What does the term social recruiting mean to you?

Dave: When we discuss social recruiting, we are talking about using social tools that will help with us in attracting and sourcing passive candidates. We also view social recruiting as a way to stay current with the various generations we are hiring from in today’s job market.

Jobcast: Why did Gordon Food Service decide to use social media for recruiting?

Dave: We decided to utilize social media for various reasons:

1. To reach a demographic that relies on and uses social media in everyday activities.

2. To reach a broader segment of the population, meaning those elusive passive candidates.

3. To extend our employment branding efforts and have a medium for connecting with potential candidates more quickly and directly.

Jobcast: How has Facebook in particular helped grow the Gordon Food Service employer brand?

Dave: Our strategy for social media recruiting was very defined before we launched the sites. We created the Facebook GFS Careers Site as a means for people to see what our culture and our people are like. We update the site with posts about events that take place in various locations, community service projects, and other fun activities that the company has sponsored throughout the year. Our goal is to give potential candidates an idea of what it’s like to work at Gordon Food Service.

Jobcast: Gordon Food Service has done a really great job with Facebook branding. How important is branding to your social media strategy?

Dave: The use of social media to support our branding efforts at Gordon Food Service is very important to us. Social media is a growing marketing channel and we want to make sure we are communicating our messages where our customers, potential customers, employees, and potential employees are. We are continuously learning about what works and what doesn’t work and refining as we go. Jobcast: Which social recruiting sites does Gordon Food Service use for recruiting? Dave: Gordon Food Service utilizes Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. Jobcast: Are job boards still a part of your recruiting strategy? Dave: Not as much as they were in the past. We still use them in some locations, but less each year. Jobcast: What advice would you have for other companies looking to grow their employer brand? Dave: Have a well defined strategy before launching the sites. Know how you are going to interact with people on the sites, how you are going to respond to inquiries, negative and positive. Be as transparent as possible. People want to see what it’s really like at your company. Try to respond as people, not as a corporate entity. Candidates want to interact with someone not something. Jobcast: Are there any changes or advancements you would like to see in social recruiting? Dave: I am a huge LinkedIn user, however, being that it is only for professionals, I would like to see some other sites that are geared more towards entry level operations positions. We hire a lot of warehouse and transportation individuals and it would be nice to have a site that captures their information and gives us recruiters a way to connect with them about opportunities. Jobcast: What should potential employees know about Gordon Food Service company culture? Dave: Gordon Food Service has a family culture as we are a family-owned company. We have been around for over 115 years and have grown by being the best in our industry. Gordon Food Service treats their employees like family, by providing exceptional benefits, facilities and work / life balance. Jobcast: Why did Gordon Food Service choose Jobcast for Facebook recruiting? Dave: When deciding on various options for integrating our jobs on Facebook, we ultimately decided to go with Jobcast. Some of the keys factors in making the decision were, price, size and location of Jobcast. Since we are a North American company, having the option to partner with a Canadian based company was a key component. Also, the size of Jobcast was appealing, since they are not the biggest out there, I figured they might be more willing to work with us if any changes needed to be made, which I can tell you, they have and it’s been great. Every time I needed an update or something changed, they responded right away and have come up with solutions for us. The last key component was price, as we are always looking at our bottom line, the price point from Jobcast coupled with the service they provide made it an easy decision when it came to signing the contract. Jobcast: Thank you so much, we really appreciate having you as clients! P.S.

Jobcast: Is there any topic you would like to see covered on the Jobcast blog? We aim to please :) Dave: I visit the blog regularly to get helpful hints from others. Keep doing what you are doing. Jobcast: And now we're blushing! We'd like to give a big thanks to Dave and Gordon Food Service for taking the time to answer these questions and being such a great example of effective social recruiting! For more inspiration you can find Dave on Twitter and GFS on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and LinkedIn. Next week we'll be bringing you a post all about recruiters who transformed their careers by getting social, stay tuned!

It's no secret that I love athletics. Most of the quotes I use in my writing can be attributed to coaches I admire, athletes or super heroes (Yes, I said super heroes. Forget radioactive spider bites and Kryptonian genetics, Batman fights crime with conditioning and wits alone!) It's also no secret that I am a sucker for awesome branding and design (obviously... I mean have you seen how well designed the Jobcast app is?!?!). So it should come as no surprise that I am a wee bit obsessed with Nike. They're athletic, uber-functional, slick and wonderfully bossy -- just like yours truly! Nike is best know for their famous "Just Do It!" campaign. And I buy into it hook-line-and-sinker. The philosophy behind their campaign: If you think something is worthwhile, stop waiting for permission and just do it! That's what was running through my head when I walked into my first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class and realized I was the only girl there, when I signed-up to do the Vancouver Tough Mudder despite having to sign a death waiver, and most recently, when I shot a wonderfully embarrassing Vine recruiting video for. I am happy I did all three! This philosophy can also be applied to recruiting. Lots of HR peeps and recruiters want to use social media in their efforts, but find themselves facing roadblocks along the way. Whether it's a nervous employer, negative colleague, or fear of making a mistake, sometimes the only way to get things done is to stop waiting for permission and take the plunge. Innovation is always risky, but it's the only way to progress and move forward. Now, don't get me wrong. I am in no way endorsing jumping into social recruiting head-first without some solid research and a good plan. I watched instructional video after instructional video before my first BJJ class, trained four months for Tough Mudder, and before shooting that Vine Video, I re-read Ryan's awesome article about recruiting videos. I also researched Vine, watched a ton of other people's Vine videos, and worked out how much (actually how little) it would cost. But I never asked permission. Alright, that's only half true. After I'd shot the video and put it up on the newly created Jobcast Vine account, I double-checked with Ryan before I posted to Facebook. He loved it, thank goodness... as it was already up on Twitter! It's one of our most Tweeted blog posts to date, shooting the video was a blast, and my bosses think I'm cool (hey guys, I think you're cool too!) I'm hoping this post inspires you to take the leap into social recruiting. Like any good coach, along with the pep talk, I'll leave you with some solid advice and strategic tips. Like any smart coach, most of it is borrowed from others, most who are much smarter than myself! Here are some awesome resources for those looking to make their recruiting social:

• Here are two very informative Infographics about the benefits of social recruiting

  and why employers love social media recruiting.

• This article lays out some convincing evidence for the benefit of using social media for recruiters.

• Why Facebook recruiting is the future! Hint, it's because of graph search.

• Once you've decided to take the plunge you'll need a plan of attack! Here are some

  great resources to help you plan your social recruiting strategy.

• And here's a great review of social recruiting apps by The Undercover Recruiter. Next week we'll have some great examples of recruiters who've taken the plunge into social with impressive results!

Timing matters. This is true in all aspects of life. From planning a surprise snowball attack, to knowing when to apologize for said snowball attack, it's all in the timing. If you want to be effective with your social recruiting campaign, or social media in general, you'll need to master a few scheduling basics. Luckily, with social media, unlike snowball attacks, it's very easy to orchestrate proper timing — there are even apps for that! And don't worry, I'm working on one for more effective snowball attack campaigns as well. Winter SnowBlitz 2014 is going to be awesome! But back to recruiting... Here's a pretty easy 4-step plan to timing for your social recruiting attack campaign. (This plan would work just as well for social media marketing, branding and straight-up world-domination). Step number 1:

Know your target

Like a kid hidden behind a tree, snowball in hand, you must know what kind of talent you are looking to target with your job posts. I know, I know, this is really basic, but it matters so much that it stands repeating. The audience you are trying to reach will dictate not only the content of what you post, but also the timing of those posts.

Different generations are online at different times. Also, different careers can dictate at what time potential employees will be checking the net. Nurses do a lot of shift work, so their schedules will differ from a 9-5 accountant's. Your audience will also determine which social network you choose to post with. I always recommend using Facebook to post jobs on your Branded Career Page, but you need to consider Twitter, LinkedIn, Job Boards, Google+, Tumblr and Pinterest as well. Effective timing will be different depending on the network. Number 2:

Pick a time (NOT) any time!

Never throw a snowball at your sister when your mom is watching! Also, don't post jobs for office work between 10 pm and 6 am. Never! There are a ton of statistics about timing effectiveness for different social networks. These stats are super useful when you're beginning your social recruiting endeavor, but as you start to gain momentum with your posting, you'll need to start customizing things a little bit. These stats are mostly based on averages, not necessarily on your ideal candidates. Nor are they based on your followers. Take some time to assess when your posts are reaching people. Jobcast offers easy-to-track metrics for monitoring how effective your job posts are. Play around with different timing and see what works for you... Who knows, maybe your ideal time to post a job on Facebook is Sunday afternoon. If so, then who cares what the stats say. ATTACK! Number 3:

Find your frequency

Blitz attacks do not work for social media recruiting! Especially when it comes to Twitter and Instagram. If you post ten Tweets in half an hour, you are spamming. Even worse, if you post ten Tweets in half an hour, and then disappear for a couple days, you are an inconsistent spammer. Even if the first five posts are mind-blowingly awesome, by the sixth you will have lost followers (unless you're posting between 10pm and 6am, when no one is paying attention!) Please, please, please don't spam. It's the worst. Please do post consistently. For most employers, it's ideal to post once every 1 - 2 hours for recruiting, marketing, and branding. You can post more, or less frequently, depending on what works for you. Remember, it's vital to track the metrics of your job posts. This is the best way to determine how often you can post to the social networks you use. Bonus Tip:

Vary your content

You can get away with posting more often if you keep your content varied. Post cool links, tips, and pics. Also respond to other Tweeters (do NOT refer to them as twits, as much as you may want to) and re-Tweet. Grand Finale Step 4:

There's an app for that

I love apps. Mobile, desktop, Android, Apple... I love them. Apps make life better. Anyone who disagrees with me is wrong and should fear a snowball attack when they least expect it (I told you that my app is in the works!). Jobcast is, in my not so humble opinion, the best Facebook recruiting app — hands down. But unfortunately, you can't do everything with our app. Our developers are wizards, not gods! Thankfully there are awesome apps like Buffer to help you time your content. There are other apps out there, like Hootsuite and Tweetdeck, but Buffer is by far my favorite. It's easy to use, well-designed and syncs up with other great apps like Feedly, Google Currents and Pocket (please, please, please check out Pocket. You will thank me, promise!) and they have killer customer service. What more could you ask for? These apps are amazing for scheduling things like job posts, blog articles and links. Just make sure you also maintain a live presence to answer questions and stay engaged with your audience. Oh, and warning: Turn off your scheduled posts in the event of a horrible world-changing tragedy. You could end up with major egg on your face, or simply appear callous by posting about your favorite new Starbucks treat in the wake of a tsunami! There you go, four steps, plus one hot tip, to get you well on your way to perfectly-timed social sharing! I'm going to go check my Twitter and try very hard to resist my urge to spam pictures of dogs catching snowballs.

When Google+ first came out, I signed up right away — even got an early invite. I'm that cool. Even cooler? I also shut down my Facebook profile. Total social media bad-assery! I missed a lot of parties that month. I also missed out on friend's engagement announcements, concerts, and I can't even imagine how many hilarious cat videos. All this (okay, so mostly the cat videos) sent me crawling back to Facebook, tail between my legs, begging for forgiveness. It also left me feeling pretty non-plussed by Google+ (luckily, it did not effect my incredible pun-making abilities). Instead of learning my lesson, and maintaining both my Facebook and Google+ accounts, I dropped Google like it was hot. Now, thanks to a recent slew of blog posts about Google+, I'm really wishing I hadn't. Not that I've missed any good parties due to my nonplussed status, but I've definitely been missing out on some great networking and SEO.

Active users on Google+ are up up up, possibly surpassing Twitter, although the data is a wee bit sketchy. But still, that's a whole lot of users, which means a whole lot of talent. And, as with Facebook, in the hunt for that perfect candidate you've gotta go where the talent is. As far as employers are concerned, there are several key reasons to try recruiting via Google+. My favorite of these is Circles. Circles

G+ Circles allow you to divide and conquer your contacts. This is awesome for so many reasons. First, you can tailor your posts to your audience. Candidates are already bombarded by ads, posts and Tweets that do not interest them. A graphic designer doesn't want to be inundated with posts offering "exciting careers in retail". With circles you can streamline job posts, links and updates to match the interests of specific talent pools. It's a great way to have a more personalized interaction with a large group. It also means less spamming, which is a win for everyone involved. Up next, Communities.

G+ Communities is a newer addition. Communities is Google's answer to Facebook Groups. An online venue for users with similar interests to get together and learn with, and from, each other. As with Circles, Communities is another area in which Google tops Facebook. The design is much more intuitive when it comes to sharing images, links and ideas as well as facilitating dialogue. With G+ communities you have the ability to filter which posts you look at by discussion categories or topics, you can also post Hangouts and Events directly onto the page. Anyone in the group can share content like photos, contests, chats, and events. Another nice touch is the ability to post to one of your Communities from your Google home page. Awesome. Oh, wait... How does this relate to recruiting!?! Well, if you're hiring a graphic designer, it only takes a couple minutes to join the Graphic Design Community on Google+, and then you can share your job post. That particular Community has over 1500 members (not a huge number, but Communities are new and growing like crazy) and I have yet to notice a single job post shared to it. Hmmmm... Hot Tip: Ask for referrals when you share a job post with a G+ community. Designers hang out with other designers, so if they're not looking for work, likely someone they know from school, work, or some random conference is! Extras

Apart from recruiting, employers can use Google Hangouts for interviews (both one-on-one and group), for meetings and "career fairs". Skype works just as well, so Hangouts, although useful, are not a huge draw. Google Company Pages, on the other hand, are a must. Google has integrated them with their search engine, which means that without a Google+ Business Page your SEO is soooo not optimized, nor will your business have a solid presence on Google Maps. This is not good. Like, Spider Man 3 not good. Possibly worse. Now, will I be shutting down my Facebook Page anytime soon? Heck no! Nor will I be allocating any of my Facebook time to Google+. I will have to shave a few minutes off of Twitter, Instagram and my beloved Pinterest (sniff) to make time for it, but I'm convinced it's worth it. I'm also convinced it's worth a second look for employers as well. Even if Google+ recruiting isn't something you have time for, the SEO bump gained from setting up a G+ Business Page is definitely worth the ten-minute time investment! I'm off to add some more people to my circles, watch The Ultimate Fighter, and Tweet about it. Told you I love octagons best!

I feel very on trend lately. Especially after last week, when writing about Facebook Graph Search and recruiting led to me waste countless hours using the new tool to stalk people. And now I’m writing about Vine, Twitter’s video sharing app, and I’ve also spent much too much time creating my first Vine video. I say “much too much”, because the end result is a mere six seconds of footage.

The six second limit is what makes Vine the Twitter equivalent of video sharing apps. Of course, when new social platforms come along, the first thing I think about is : how I will use them to creep on high school boyfriends? … I mean, what’s the relevance for social recruiting?! In last week’s article, we postulated that Facebook Graph Search will have a pretty big impact on recruiting as soon as it gains momentum and data. I’m a lot less sold on Vine.

Can you recruit in six seconds? Personally, I can’t do much of anything in six seconds. For evidence of this, check out my first Vine video! But, on the other hand, Twitter has turned out to be a pretty great medium for recruiting and that’s just 140 characters, so why not give a six second recruiting video a shot? In social, shorter is usually sweeter (blame it on my generation’s distinct lack of attention span, sorry). Like Twitter, Vine’s time limit does force users to be creative and direct with their message, which leads to succinct and effective content. Like a good elevator pitch. Or cartoon. Or the opposite of my blogging style.

Over the past few years, video has become one of the most important social recruiting tools. Assessing candidates via video submission, interviewing potential hires with Skype, and even video-based job-fairs have become commonplace. Recruitment advisers like Jim Stroud encourage the use of video tutorials to attract passive candidates, as well as the making of video-based job posts. At Jobcast, we encourage all of our clients to create simple recruitment videos with Youtube, and to embed those recruitment videos directly onto their Facebook Career Page. These recruiting videos are a highly effective way of showcasing company culture and brand. A recruiting video is the best way to show potential hires how awesome it is to work for your company through employee testimonials, footage of fun staff events and passionate descriptions of the cool stuff your company does.

Try doing all that in six seconds! Actually please don’t… It may lead you to throw your camera on the floor, pour the entire contents of your office coffee pot on top of it and yell: I hate you Sam Paaaaaaaaaaarker. Nobody likes spilt coffee.

Obviously, video interviewing is not going to happen on Vine. I also don’t think six seconds is enough time to relate the details of a particular job opening. A big nope to Vine job-fairs as well. But with Vine, there are still a few options left: Video tutorial, employer branding video, and recruitment video.

I’ve already seen Vine used for tutorials – not all that well – but these tutorials do get a lot of traffic. There’s one about making pecan nut brownies that, last time I checked, ranked third in popularity. So a short tutorial is a possibility. In Jim Stroud’s webinar about recruiting with video, he suggests creating a tutorial that would appeal to your desired talent pool. He recommends ending the video by suggesting that the viewer apply for a job with your company.

With Vine you can make a tutorial, but not in the same way you would with YouTube. The point of a tutorial on Vine is less education and more entertainment. You’ll want to focus on making your video cute, funny, and attention grabbing, rather than simply informative. Actually, it doesn’t even have to be informative, as long as it’s witty. You won’t have time to tell potential hires to apply within the video itself, but you can easily do so in your tutorial’s description, and don’t forget to link to your Career Page!

An employer branding video is a great option for Vine. Dove, Ritz and Trident are some early adopters. The Dove video is my fav – it’s super cute and silly. You can hear laughing and chatter in the background, which suggests a fun working environment. All three tightly focus on their product, don’t take themselves very seriously, and create an enjoyable user experience that encourages sharing. None of these videos took a lot of time to make.

The Ritz video, which is simply a stop-motion of a cracker disappearing bite by bite, would take less than a minute to film, requires nothing but a cracker as a prop and a smart phone to capture the action. Now that’s cost-effective brand marketing! To create a video like this, simply choose something cool about your company, film it with the Vine app (it’s really easy to use, just follow their tutorial), maybe say something or play some music in the background, and you’re ready to post it on your Twitter, Facebook Page, or blog.

Last but not least, Vine is a fun medium for a short recruiting video. A video starring the contents of your breakroom fridge (people love images of food, because it is tasty), a six second elevator pitch about your awesomeness, a cute animal wearing a shirt that says “come work with me!”, or get really crazy and capture six seconds worth of footage of a happy employee explaining why they love their job. I recorded Jobcast’s first Vine video today as an example for this blog post. It took all of ten minutes and now everyone can see my Jiu Jitsu skills in action!

Recruiting with video is great, and while Vine is not going to replace a good old-fashioned YouTube video anytime soon, it’s a quick, inexpensive way to incorporate video into your social recruiting strategy.

Give it a try and let us know what you think!

The internet is blowing up with articles about Facebook Graph Search. Such as : Facebook Graph Search is going to revolutionize social recruiting, Facebook Graph Search is bad news for LinkedIn, Facebook Graph Search is not that big a deal (yet), or, actually it is a huge deal but has a terrible name soon to be replaced by simply “Facebook Search”. Phewf. And it’s still just in Beta phase.

Honestly, as of right now, there’s really not much actual Graph Search to speak of and there won’t be for a quite while. That’s not to say we shouldn’t pay attention, stay informed, and tinker with the prospect. But it certainly doesn’t mean adjusting recruitment strategies or creating new job titles (though “Facebook Graph Master” would be an epic addition to any business card!).

So, what does it mean?

It means, let’s focus on the tools that do exist. Tools like Facebook Ads, Sponsored Stories, Career Pages, Video, and Page Branding.

Facebook has over a billion users now — it also dominates every other social network out there when it comes to the amount of time users invest in it — so, whether you are seeking love, a kickball team to join, or kick-ass candidates, it’s the logical place to look! (apparently Graph Search is going to be as big a competitor for dating sites as it will be for LinkedIn!) And those candidates are more reachable than ever with Facebook Ads and Sponsored Stories.

Facebook Ads.

Facebook Ads are important because they are easily-targeted to a specific demographic, and can reach candidates who are not connected to your Page. They increase your Page’s visibility and Likes, and grow your online community.

Here’s a simple tutorial about how to use Facebook Ads for recruiting.

Sponsored Stories

Now that your Ads are kicking butt and taking names (by names, I mean Likes) you can add some Sponsored Story action to your recruiting strategy. Increasing Page Likes is important in and of itself, but has the added bonus of making Sponsored Stories even more effective.

Facebook Sponsored Stories only reach users who are connected to you by having a Facebook friend who Likes your page or by Liking your Page themselves. This means a slightly smaller reach, but it’s worth it, because Sponsored Stories increase “Social Proof” by showing potential talent that their peers are into you. And as much as humans are loathe to admit it, we’re waaaay more likely to Like a Page if our friends do too. True Fact!

This is one of the reasons that Sponsored Stories have an extremely high CTR (click-through-rate). Another reason for their high CTR is that they show up directly in a user’s News Feed and have excellent visibility with mobile. We all know how crazy important mobile is. You can also choose to sponsor a story that shows potential candidates just how much their peers dig you — by promoting positive comments. For example, we got this lovely comment from one of our awesome users:

I have been using a lot of tools for online/social recruiting, Jobcast is by far the BEST. Thanks guys for this great tool! Looking forward to the upcoming features!

Not only did it make our hearts sing, it also made for a perfect Sponsored Story. Thanks Ruben! If you don’t have comments like this to promote, you can also sponsor Likes, but I highly recommend encouraging current employees to leave positive comments about their experience working for your company and promoting these. Current employees can be an amazing asset for improving your Facebook employer brand.

When potential hires click on your ads and stories, they will be directed to a landing page of your choosing. Please, please, please make it a Facebook Page, as we all know how much users dislike being directed off-site! It takes them outside of their comfort zone (Facebook) and makes them confused and grumpy – no bueno!

You want your candidates to click through to a Page that showcases your employer brand and company culture. Having a custom banner, integrating company colors, posting cool articles related to your field, and lots of staff pics (preferably ones that include foosball and cake!) are the best ways to make your Career Page appealing. Oh, and video!

Recruitment Video

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a billion.*

Embedding a recruitment video directly onto your Career Page is a must. You don’t need to spend a ton of money or use a lot of gimmicks to create a lovely, hilarious and inspiring recruitment video. So long as it expresses your company culture, values, and awesomeness with gusto, it will woo potential hires. This fantastic article has some great advice on how to make a great recruitment video on the cheap. I also recommend watching this recruitment video by Oakwood. It makes me a little teary… but so does a really great espresso and “The Next Ultimate Fighting Champion”, so take from that what you will.

At Jobcast we strongly believe that Facebook is amazing for finding talent, branding and improving employer social media presence, if handled well. Which is why the Premium version of our app places so much emphasis on branding. We think a fully branded Career Page, with video and great design, is an integral part of Facebook Recruiting.

Your Employer Page is the first impression you’ll make on potential hires, so make it count!

Today we're going to talk about how to improve the process of hiring through gamification. Before reading any further, I suggest you gather your team and engage in some research and skill-building — namely by battling each other at Mario Kart. This will get everyone excited about gamification. It will also make you the office favorite. At least until someone brings in a really tasty batch of cupcakes. So, what can we learn from Mario? Simply put, make it fun. Injecting some levity into the recruiting process is more important than you may have been led to believe  The reason gamification works so well for training is because it makes training more enjoyable, like... you guessed it, games! This works for the recruitment process as well, if you don't believe me go play some Plantville. The hiring process is stressful for candidates. Many people avoid it like chopped liver. They would rather stay at a job they hate than hand out resumes, and go for interviews. Me, I love the stuff, but for my liver -hating husband, I serve it covered in bacon and onions — works every-time. A sure-fire way to increase candidate engagement is to cover it in bacon gamify it! You probably want an example, huh? Well, you are in luck. With their new Facebook app, the Marriot Hotel chain has strategically changed the way in which they discover and hire candidates. Even those simply playing around on the internet, not looking for a new job at all, may find themselves in the running for an awesome new job. Playing My Marriott Hotel doesn't feel like a job-hunt, it feels like just another game of Farmville. And gamified recruitment is not only for big business. It can be be simplified and applied smartly by smaller companies as well. A simple quiz, if well-worded and challenging, can engage potential candidates, and even encourage social sharing. The UK Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) used an online puzzle to recruit hackers. Isn't that far more exciting than a regular listing? Upon completion of GCHQ's puzzle, those who do reasonably well are invited to apply for a job. The quiz not only tests the skill-set of potential talent, but also makes candidates feel special for having been "selected". For recruiters and employers working in less secretive fields, you can also encourage those who have taken your quiz to share their results on Facebook and Twitter. This can increase the amount of potential talent that see your quiz, as well as boost your brand visibility. So, what have we learned? Firstly, grow a mustache and purchase some brightly colored over-alls. Next, make candidates laugh. Thirdly, don't take it all so seriously. Trends come and go, and gamification is certainly exciting, but you don't need to spend a zillion dollars and create the next Legend of Zelda in order to make it work for you. Pick the aspects that suit your company, and ignore the rest. Life is too short to chase every trend. Unless every trend is also a mushroom that makes you grow big. Or for that matter, a flower that lets you shoot fireballs. Or a metaphor that wont die. To learn more about the principles of gamification check out this article by Ken Krogue. If you're more into videos, here's a really great one starring Gabe Zichermann. He gives some really cool insights into what businesses and researchers are doing with gamification principals. This video is also super entertaining! Here's another great video about gamifications principals. It's a little less fun, but a bit more specific to recruiting, so it's totally worth the two and a half minutes. I'm off to take that hacking quiz ... or maybe I'll just watch Hackers for the ninth time.