Facebook. Like it or loath it.....it’s here to stay

I am supposed to ramble on about the career path of a recruitment professional this week.......but once again I have changed my mind. This week I am going to cover the social networking site everyone loves to hate..........FACEBOOK!

I got started on Facebook (FB) like many of you about a year and a half ago. My first impression....this is pretty cool!! My second impression......this is really annoying!! All of the sudden, hordes of people from my past know how to get a hold of me. They were sending me messages, writing on my “wall”, and posting high school and university pictures of me in various states of soberness. The kicker for me was when my mom added me as a friend, and then proceeded to track my activities and instant message me whenever I was online. That was just about it.....I almost disconnected the thing. The recruiter in me paused however; as it was not hard to see the tremendous value this tool could potentially bring to our profession. We were and are charting new ground here people.

How can FB contribute to our organization’s recruitment goals? Here is quick list of some of the possible applications:

•Searching the site. There are literally millions of people on FB that you will never find on any job board. Try reaching by location and a key word like “actuary”. You will be surprised about what you find.
•Create a recruitment, employee, or alumni group for your company
•Broadcast your recruitment or company events
•University/Campus recruitment. If you are not using FB to support your campus efforts, you are missing out

FB has definite value, but don’t overlook the negatives as you decide how best to use this tool for your organization:

•FB promotes communication, but not all communication is positive. It is just as easy for an ex-employee or disgruntled candidate to post a “your company sucks” message as it is to a post a “your company is amazing” message
•This is a social networking site, not a resume database. Risqué language and pics come with the territory. Remember – people are not auditioning for you on FB
•Ethics – some would argue that sourcing and recruiting from FB crosses the line. Not every company out there will be comfortable with this channel

On a side note – we now have a Recruiter Networking Group FB site and encourage you to join us. You have to be a FB member to join, why not give it a try and see how you can get FB supporting your recruitment efforts.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12906039292