Monday, April 22, 2013

Recruiters Make Their Way to Twitter


Everything in this world is being simplified and moving faster by the day. Why should recruiting or searching for a new job be any different?

I was reading a recent article in the WallStreet Journal and found that recruiters and eager job applicants have made their way to Twitter to find a better future. I personally have not tried it, but I think this is a win-win for everyone.

As an experienced job seeker (sadly), I know the pain of looking for a new job. I know the draining feeling one gets as one applies for job after job after job. Just connecting with the hiring managers is a job in itself. Finding ways to attract their interest is the toughest part of the process. With Twitter, applicants, with very minimal research, can get front and center right away.

Then, job seekers must find a way to peek a recruiter’s interest in 140 characters or less. What do you say? I am looking for a job at your company and here is my resume. Where do you post the resume? How often should you reach out? If you are reaching out on Twitter, how do you segregate your personal life from professional? If a recruiter sees something in you, you can bet they will be browsing through your Twitter feed. These are just some of the questions all applicants need to ask themselves before reaching out.

On the other side of the coin, I see only positives for recruiters. I have never been a recruiter, but have been in serious relationships with two human resources professionals. They see thousands and thousands of resumes. They claim there is just not enough time in the day to respond to each and every resume that comes in. As an applicant, you have no idea how much this angers me. If I take the time to write a cover letter, update my resume and apply for your position, I think the recruiter or HR rep has time to send a two line email. With Twitter, it could take literally one minute to respond to someone on Twitter.

In addition, recruiters will be able to see what their applicants are like outside of work. LinkedIn is 100% professional and Facebook won’t allow recruiters to access certain pages (depending on the security of their profile), so Twitter is easily the best choice. Recruiters need to know about skills and traits that have gotten their applicants to where they are in the work world, but every employer needs to know much more than it if they plan on hiring them. Twitter accounts for that.

As you can see, I am a strong proponent of Twitter as a recruiting platform. Everything in life is moving faster and allowing less time (or characters) to react, but change isn’t always that bad. If you are looking for a new job, Twitter is a safe bet.

What do you think of recruiters using Twitter to find applicants? 

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