Tweetajob

Corporate Recruiters Speak

2012-01-27T11:37:00.000-08:00

Talent Technology - Your Source for Talent Generation

LinkedIn Apply: Giant Step for Jobseekers

2011-07-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

Today, LinkedIn launched the Apply With LinkedIn feature. This is big,big news for jobseekers. Really big news.

The Apply feature allows employers and job boards to integrate an "Apply With LinkedIn" button on job postings. For jobseekers, this means eliminating the nee

d to create a new profile or complete a detailed application every time you apply for a job on a company's website or via a job board.

It might take a while, but we think most employers will eventually add the Apply With LinkedIn button. Some companies have already turned on the feature within their applicant tracking systems. At Tweetajob, we're working on adding the feature asap. Eventually, says LinkedIn, the Apply button will work on smart phones (making it easy to apply to jobs from Tweetajob straight from your phone!).

Hoorah for LinkedIn. They listened to end users, who have long complained that applying for jobs takes waaayyy too long. We agree. We're big advocates of creating tools that simplify job search for jobseekers.

As for other job boards, time will tell. The push to standardize online job applications may be too big too ignore, and perhaps the big job boards will eventually join in. They could have gotten together and done this years ago. They didn't. So along comes Web 2.0, open APIs and voila! What once seemed unlikely is now possible in a few simple steps. LinkedIn just created a HUGE competitive advantage, longevity and even more loyal users.

There is, of course, a potential downside. Making it even easier to apply for jobs encourages random, inappropriate applications, increasing the volume of resumes/profiles that employers must review. The problem of the resume "black hole" persists. But, for today, jobseekers can claim victory!

Big News: Post Jobs for FREE all Summer!

2011-07-08T08:32:00.000-07:00

We want to help get America back to work.

So we're offering recruiters a 100% discount all summer long! That's right, post your jobs -- as many as you like, as often as you like -- for free until Oct 1, 2011. Apply code "HireFriday" at check-out to get your discount. Pass it along!

Thanks to Margo Rose of #HireFriday for the inspiration!

Social Media for Jobseekers

2011-06-14T11:28:00.000-07:00

I co-presented this material with a small group a few months ago. I hope they are all gainfully employed by now!

Jobseeker Bootcamp

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New Website Helps Users Research Careers

2011-04-17T17:51:00.000-07:00

Deciding what to do when you grow up is daunting. There are so many choices, and so little information about specific jobs. Until now. A new website, Inside Jobs, attempts to catalogue jobs and provide in-depth information about the education, skills and career pathing for a wide variety of jobs. The job profiles are written in clear, jargon-free language. Salary ranges, and even occupational outlook information is provided when available. Links to Wikipedia definitions and Bureau of Labor Statistics information are also incorporated into profiles.

The site is free for users. Advertisers -- mainly educational institutions --pay to attract students' attention.

Some jobs, such as infographic designer, even incorporate entertaining videos into the profile. The design is sleek and simple. The information is as rich as I've seen anywhere. This could easily become an invaluable resource to jobseekers, teachers, career changers and anyone looking for a way to explore new careers.

Meet the Recruiters at the Deluxe Corp.

2011-03-17T18:05:00.000-07:00

More employers should help jobseekers understand the hiring process. Kudos to recruiting team at Deluxe Corp. for embracing social media!

On Common Courtesy and Job Hunting

2011-03-09T16:07:00.000-08:00

The fine folks at Unconventional Wisdom Radio invited me to talk about job search in today's market. Thanks to Larry Shiller (and his team) for a great discussion.

My portion starts at about 01:00, but you may want to listen in to the prior guest, Nelly Yusupova, the CTO of Webgrrls International.

Technology and Fear

2011-02-06T13:23:00.001-08:00

It's probably happened to you. You click on a website -- maybe you were searching for song lyrics -- and your computer blows up. Well it doesn't literally blow up. But hundreds of ominous sites appear at once on your screen. Your computer gets infected. It's scary. And expensive to fix. Sometimes you have to replace your computer.

Sounds like a car accident, doesn't it? Accidents happen. In cars and on computers.

But an accident shouldn't frighten you to the point of paralysis. Computers -- and the internet -- are the gateway to a world of information, interactions and relationships that are invaluable. It's important to be cautious, but no so cautious that you miss out on the benefits.

Mistakes happen. A spam email makes it through your firewall. You get the blue screen of death. That third cup of Starbucks ends up in your keyboard. It's not the end of the world.

So, in the spirit of accident prevention, we're encouraging everyone to review the Facebook Help Page, Privacy Guide and the Twitter Help Center.

Learn the features of these tools, be vigilant and careful, but don't forget to enjoy the bounty of technology.

The Low Down on Job Boards

2011-01-20T10:11:00.000-08:00

The Superbowl is just around the corner, which means that we'll probably see a ton of creative job board advertisements during half-time. The ads are great, but really, do job boards work? Why do they feel like a black hole?

1. Job boards work. About 13% of the time, according a popular survey of major employers, who report that 13% of their external hires come from job boards. A break down of the sources of hires:

2. Companies pay a lot of money to advertise their jobs on job boards. About $60B dollars a year is spent on recruitment advertising. Companies want to find you on job boards, so as not to waste their investment.

3. For the most part, the problem lies with job descriptions, not job boards. Job descriptions are notoriously inaccurate. They get re-used. They're outdated. They don't describe the nuance of the position. Some stuff -- like the company is looking for a young person, or someone more mature, or the manager hates people from Company X -- can't be put in writing. So every time you apply for a position, there is a huge chance that you're not right for the job, despite what the job description says. This is not likely to improve much. No one gets accolades for writing accurate job descriptions. In fact no one really claims responsibility for this task. Sometimes recruiters will take the time to make the description sexy ("bleeding edge technology" "kick-a$$ analyst wanted"), but you won't find out the real requirements of the job until you talk to someone.

4. The best approach includes applying online via a job board or the company career site AND doing everything you can to network with someone in the company to get referred. Speed counts. The faster you apply for a job online, the greater chance your resume will get reviewed.

Lastly, we can't think of a single job board that is worth your hard-earned money. Job boards, at their best, are free for jobseekers. Job boards, including this one, should get their money from employers, not jobseekers. Period.

Tweetajob Joins the IAEWS

2011-01-05T08:52:00.000-08:00

We're thrilled to announce that we have joined the International Association of Employment Websites, an organization that supports the global online employmentservices industry. Yep, we're playing with the big boys and girls!

The IAEWS has more than 40,000 members! There are more than 40,000 websites where jobseekers get employment information online. Kind of blows your mind, doesn't it? Tweetajob's goal is to member websites use Twitter more effectively to post jobs and find talent.

We can't wait to network with other job boards to talk about improving the social recruiting experience for jobseekers and recruiters. Onward 2011!

Happy New Year - Own it!

2011-01-02T09:15:00.001-08:00

Quite by accident, I rang in the new year with the inaugural minutes of the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). In my pajamas, I watched as this remarkable lady launched her own television network, and was reminded of a time, some years ago, when I actually met her.

It was the mid-90s, her nationally televised talk show was getting its sea legs. At that point, she could not command presidents and heads of state as guests. She was still

Oprah Winfrey, with a first name and a last name. I wa

s living in Chicago, and my mom was visiting from Detroit. She was a big Oprah fan, so I managed to get tickets to a taping.

The taping itself was not memorable. In fact, it was an awful show that featured the relatives of the victims of a famous serial killer. I could tell my mother was a bit disappointed after the show. But then, something magical happened. The producers asked the audience to line up to meet Oprah. My mother and I found ourselves near the end of the line, but no matter. Oprah stood there and personally greeted every single audience member -- I would say 200 or so folks -- with a smile, a handshake, a friendly word, a funny comment.

Apparently she did this after ever taping.

I have never forgotten how this woman -- clearly a rising star -- took the time to connect with strangers. My mother certainly hasn't forgotten it. Years and years later, she still talks about it. And she never misses Oprah. That day, Oprah made 200 life-long fans.

I learned something from Oprah. I learned the importance of connecting with people. Of being in the moment. After that show - bad as it was - she owned it. The show may have been dreadful, but it was her show, and she was grateful that we were there. What a lesson!

***

I am reminded of my first management job. I was suddenly promoted, plucked from my peer group, to do a job I had never done before. I had one direct report and a short timeline to prove myself. I'll never forget the words of our HR leader when I expressed my doubts about being a manager. He said, simply, "own it.". So I did.

Some years later, I offered the same advice to someone experiencing the same thing. A colleague who was experienced and talented and wise was reluctant to take on a leadership role. I offered her the same advice. As everyone around her could already see, she was a born leader. She needed only to own it.

***

So, in this new year, we have new opportunities to go at it with everything we have. And while few of us plan to launch television networks, we have dreams and goals and resolutions that we can own. We can step into whatever greatness awaits us, as if we were meant to be there all along.

From Lone Nut to Leader in Three Minutes

2010-11-15T11:14:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Jennifer McClure for directing me to this video. Jennifer is the president of Unbridled Talent, and one of my recruiting heros. She is thoughtful, involved and supportive. She is a true leader in the recruiting and HR industry and in her community. Follow her on Twitter. Enjoy this short talk on leadership and followership, and have a great week!

It's Not Your Mother's LinkedIn

2010-11-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

Have you tended to your LinkedIn profile lately? If you're actively seeking employment, it's likely that you visit LinkedIn at least weekly. Even if you're happily employed, this recession has taught you to nurture your networks and leverage social media to maintain valuable contacts.

Yesterday, LinkedIn announced new features aimed to improve results for active and passive jobseekers. LinkedIn Job For You leverages the information provided in your profile to serve up job ads that match your experience. Early tests show that the recommendations prove to be pretty accurate. To do: Make sure your profile is up-to-date, accurate and uses descriptive words. Avoid abbreviations and jargon, and make sure you that you highlight your relevant experience in the summary section.

Another long awaited feature, LinkedIn Referral Engine, is scheduled to be fully released in the first half of 2011, but some LinkedIn customers (employers) are using a beta version. The Referral Engine will make it easier for employees to refer their LinkedIn contacts for open positions. Employees are often incentivized to submit referrals -- many companies offer cash bonuses when a referred contact gets hired. What does this mean to you? In this case, size matters. The larger your network, the better chance that one of your contacts will refer you for an open position.

Lastly, have you checked out LinkedIn Company pages? They are terrific resources when researching potential employers. I'll write a more in-depth post about how to leverage the rich information found in LinkedIn Company pages next week. In the meantime, have a great weekend!

Bitter Much?

2010-11-02T13:54:00.000-07:00

A quick word about about attitude. If you're in the job market (and you're always in the job market, passively or actively), you must become aware of your aura, your energy, your attitude.

And you have to learn how to manage your physical impression.

It's hard to write about this. There is no concrete study I can point to. But I know that if you're negative, depressed, bitter, angry, distrustful, skeptical, sad or otherwise unpleasant, you hurt your chances with potential employers.

I'm not saying your feelings are invalid -- far from it. Layoffs are unfair. The job market is rife with ageism, sexism, racism and any other type of "ism" you can think of . The slow economic recovery is downright depressing. You haven't gotten a raise in ages.

But you can't let these emotions overtake the happy, confident you. Bitterness announces itself like bad cologne. Once it's in the room, it's hard not to notice. And potential employers, or customers or contacts can't wait to get away from negative energy, and will be reluctant to invite bitterness into an already stressed workplace environment.

So shake it off. Exercise. Laugh. Listen to music. Read good books. Go to church (or not). Turn off the evening news. Do what you do to stay positive.

Surefire Way to Blow an Interview

2010-10-25T18:20:00.001-07:00

Show up. Be prepared. Be engaged.

Win a Scholarship to the Career Summit!

2010-10-24T17:59:00.000-07:00

BREAKING NEWS: We're giving away a ticket to the 2010 Career Summit. The Summit is a 5-week series of online sessions delivered by top recruiters (from Microsoft, Starbucks and Facebook) and top career advisors and authors.

To qualify for the free ticket, send a brief email (1 paragraph, 2 at the most) that tells us why you would like to attend. We'll pick the most compelling response by 4pm EST Monday, Oct 25. Act fast - we can only give away ONE ticket.

Access to the Summit, and all related materials, is $199. A bargain, if you ask me.

I'm old school. I think that jobseeker resources should be free. Here are a few reasons I think this event is worth the price of admission:

I personally know many of the speakers. These folks are genuinely interested in helping jobseekers. They will bring it
The bonus material promises to be a treasure trove of jobseeker resources
Even if you are currently employed, now is a good time to do some soul-searching and think about the future and what it means for your career

Tweetajob is like Magic!

2010-10-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

We have a new toy! The result is a series of videos for jobseekers. Our editing is a bit crude; with practice, I'm sure we'll get better. Watch the first in the series, "William and Alecia":

Baby Boomers and The Human Touch

2010-10-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

Last Monday I conducted a workshop for jobseekers. A friend, who leads a "Life Group" at her church, asked me to talk about social media. This is one of those activities that make my life uber-busy, but I love to do it. I couldn't say no.

Jobseeker BootcampView more presentations from Tweetajob.

The church was in an affluent middle class suburb of Seattle. There was a Starbucks-like cafe in the lobby, computer kiosks everywhere and free wifi. I had barely entered the lobby before someone offered me dinner. There was a band, and plush seating for relaxing. It's been a while since I've been to church, so all of this impressed me.

Most of the two dozen workshop participants had been laid off, or couldn't find new contracts. They were mainly professionals with good educations and solid skills. Most were over 40. Some had their laptops, those who didn't came prepared to take notes. They were serious about securing their next opportunity (most were shocked at how difficult it had become to find a new position).

I always share this graphic when speaking to jobseekers (data from the Career Crossroads Source of Hire Study):

Then I tell them, their number one job as a jobseeker is to get themselves referred.

"How?", they ask.

That's where social media comes in, I tell them. "You have to make friends."

They began to gripe and moan, and listed a dozen reasons why they didn't want to talk to strangers on the internet.

"You double your chances of getting a job if you get referred."

One woman waved a manilla folder, three inches thick, filled with applications. "I applied online to all of these jobs."

"What," I asked, "were the results?"

"But it used to be so straightforward," someone lamented. "Now we have to connect with this one and that one...what happened to the human touch?"

It occurred to me - right then and there -- that these boomers weren't necessarily looking for a human touch. What could be more personal than reaching out an actual human to get referred for a job (compared to submitting an online application and hoping for the best)?

They longed for the simplicity and anonymity of submitting an application and waiting for the "system" to work. Those days, I told them, have passed. In this job market -- and likely even as the economy perks up -- they were going to have to compete for a job in the way small business owners compete for customers.

We spent the next hour discussing their trepidation about social networking -- rejection, privacy, security, exposure. I never even got to demo LinkedIn.

They asked if I could come back. That's a good sign. They're listening.

Of course I said yes, I'd come back.

Enhance Your Job Search with Social Media

2010-09-30T18:34:00.001-07:00

We love this preso for many reasons, not the least of which is the hand-drawn artwork. "Work" has changed. Chris Brogan explains how to survive in this new economy.

Enhance Your Job Search with Social Media

View more presentations from Chris Brogan.

Recruiters - The Five Pillars of Twitter Recruiting

2010-09-13T12:34:00.001-07:00

Can you believe the summer's over? Amazing how time flies when writing...writing code and writing white papers. We spent our summer vacation working on adding features that enhance Tweetajob functionality and results for employers. We're unveiling Tweetajob Attract at the Online Recruiting Conference in Chicago this week.

If you're at the conference, stop by Booth 105 to say hello and take a quick tour. We can't wait to show off the most sophisticated job tweeting technology in the industry!

We're also sharing Twitter recruiting best practices in a new whitepaper - The Five Pillars of Twitter Recruiting. Download your free copy today! And let us know what you think, or send us a shout out on Twitter!

Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action | Video on TED.com

2010-08-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

Live from New York: Networking with a Purpose via Social Media

2010-08-09T07:52:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I participated in a panel discussion at the fifth annual Blogher Conference. The panel was moderated by Laurie Ruettimann, HR consultant and blogger at Punk Rock HR and The Cynical Girl; my fellow panelists were Heather McGough, top Recruiter at Microsoft (and blogger at People First) and Ana Roca Castro, Founder of Premier Social Media.com.

We had a lively discussion about how to navigate social media effectively, with plenty of great questions from the audience. Read the live-blogged recap here.

Boost Your Career With Social Media

2010-07-21T07:56:00.001-07:00

30-Day Twitter Challenge (Twitter for Newbies)

2010-05-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

New to Twitter? Lurking for a while, but still don't get it?

Is Twitter for you? Maybe. Maybe not. It takes a bit of time to understand the usefulness of Twitter.
We'll send you one action item a day for 30 days. At the end of our journey, you will be Twitter-literate.
Then, you decide if Twitter is for you!

Free eBook: How To Use Twitter for your Job Search

2010-02-10T16:30:00.000-08:00

Did you know that 42% of recruiters use Twitter to find and attract candidates? Are you interested in learning how to find and connect with these recruiters? Learn how to leverage the power of Twitter to turbo-charge your job search. If you have a Tweetajob account, you will find a link to the eBook on your profile page. For newcomers to Tweetajob, simply complete a profile (it takes 2 minutes) to download.

The eBook was written by Marci Reynolds, the founder of J2B Marketing, an Internet Marketing and Copywriting firm for jobseekers.

Do You Love Your Work?

2010-01-21T12:11:00.000-08:00

I just talked to "Chris" a customer service representative for a government agency. A few minutes into the call, she made me laugh. Hard. She went on to answer my questions -- she was efficient and knowledgeable -- and I continued think about our interaction. I don't know if it's true, but it seems that Chris loves her work. She likes talking to customers and answering questions. The work suits her.

Today's question is designed to give pause. Do you love your work? Do you look forward to meeting your daily goals, and completing your to-do list? Do you get a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day?

We can't always have the work or job that satisfies us most. But we should frequently take a few minutes to assess whether or not we're happy, living up to our potential and contributing our best.

Help Tweetajob win a Shorty Award!

2010-01-11T08:32:00.000-08:00

We like trophies at Tweetajob. We don't have any, but we like them. So we have decided to enter the second annual Shorty Awards. We're not sure that winning a Shorty Award will get us a trophy, but we're hopeful to be invited to the groovy party in New York.

Shorty awards are given to the best producers of short, real-time content on the web. So we're starting our write-in campaign. We created a category -- #jobs -- and we already have about a half dozen votes. We'll need a few thousand votes to win. Vote for us by selecting "other" and writing-in the #jobs hashtag.

Why are we doing this? Partly because we think that getting an award would be awesome. We'd also like to bring attention to #jobs on Twitter. With unemployment taking its toll in so many communities, we want to make sure that jobseekers use every available tool -- including Twitter -- to find gainful employment.

Job of the Day

2010-01-08T12:22:00.000-08:00

Take Control of Your Twitter Job Search

2010-01-04T07:49:00.000-08:00

Jobseekers: How to Use Tweetajob

View more documents from Tweetajob.

10 Minutes to Greater Job Search Productivity

2009-12-28T18:28:00.000-08:00

Searching for a new job? Need to turbo-charge the job search for the new year? Three quick and easy steps that will make your search less time-intensive, and possibly lead you to new opportunities faster. Got additional suggestions? Leave them in the comment box and we'll highlight them in future posts.

Sign up for Tweetajob -- you didn't expect us to skip this, did you? Providing you already have a Twitter account, this should take about three minutes. If you need to set up a Twitter account, it might take you five minutes. Simply complete the brief profile on the Tweetajob site, tell us where you are, and check off the job categories that interest you. We'll send jobs that match your criteria while you're out doing things that are more fun than searching Twitter for jobs. We're posting thousands of new jobs every day!
Join a LinkedIn Group -- visit LinkedIn and search for a group in your profession or industry. Join the group that looks most active. While you're at it, search for and join your college alumni LinkedIn group. Why? Because LinkedIn Groups allow recruiters to post jobs free of charge. You won't find these jobs by searching LinkedIn jobs. But if you're a group member, you'll have access to these hidden jobs, as well as access to the recruiters who post the jobs.
Consider spending $10 a month to organize your job search. Sign up at Virtual Job Coach to store resumes, cover letters, contacts and track your progress. You could probably create something like this yourself, but why spend the time? Not sure if the super deluxe version is worth it, but spending $2.50 a week to increase your job search productivity could result in big gains of time and earned dollars. Signing up for the free trial appears to be quick and painless.

Wishing you a productive and successful 2010!

Get Yourself Referred -- Part II of II

2009-12-13T15:44:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month, we discussed the importance of referrals in the recruiting/job search process. The truth is, recruiters have a love/hate relationship with referrals. They absolutely l-o-v-e referrals that match open positions. A targeted, validated referral is like manna from the heavens.

On the other hand, a mis-fired referral doesn't help recruiters fill immediate needs and most likely creates additional work. It falls to the jobseeker to ensure that he or she gets referred by the right person to the right person for the right job.

Getting yourself referred -- successfully -- means that you'll have to do some homework. Before you fire off an email to your neighbor, asking him to forward your resume to Human Resources, you must conduct research on the following topics:

The Position -- find out the exact job title of the position for which you are applying. Search the company website (most companies have a careers section). Are there multiple jobs open with the same title? Perhaps they are in different divisions. Make a note of the position that most closely matches your skills are target that position. Make a note of the position number, and be sure to mention the position number in your email and cover letter. Sometimes the website lists the date the job was posted. This will tell you if the job is brand new, or if it is an older posting. Just because a job has been listed for a while does not mean it is not valid. For a number of reasons, the company might be having difficulty filling the position.
The Department or Division -- Explore the company website to find out more information about the department or division in which you have interest. Do a broader Google or Yahoo search to find out more about the division. Perhaps they have done something newsworthy in the last few months. Make a note of any executives or managers mentioned in articles. Search LinkedIn and Twitter for these folks; add them to your networks. If you have a contact or friend at the company, ask about the reputation of the department. What are the challenges they face? What are the people like?
The Hiring Manager -- If you do not have a connection into the company, this information may be difficult to come by. But not impossible. If you know the company, the job title and the division or department, you might be able to find the name of the hiring manager by doing a web search or searching LinkedIn. This is a bit like putting together a puzzle. Before you submit your resume, make sure you understand how all of the pieces fit together.
The Recruiter -- Again, it's best to have an inside connection to get this right, but there are plenty of ways to get this information, including LinkedIn or Twitter. Many recruiters have a LinkedIn profile -- a good place to start. Some recruiters are active Twitter users, as well. Check out this exhaustive list of recruiters on Twitter.
Relevant insider info -- If you have an inside connection, have coffee or a face to face conversation about the open position, the company, and the best way to submit your resume. Your contact might be able to tell which division is more likely to hire, or which hiring manager should be avoided. He or she might also offer an assessment of how you might best fit into the organization. At the very least, you will be able to let them know how interested you are, how qualified you are, and how grateful you are that they have agreed to act as your advocate. Pick up the tab for the coffee!

Once you have this information, you're ready to get yourself referred, to the right person, for the right job. This is a lot of legwork, but it will give you an advantage in a tight job market.

Meet David Brown, Talent Architect

2009-12-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

We are excited to introduce David Brown of David Brown Recruiting! David is the first of our Featured Recruiter Series; we plan to feature recruiters who use social media as part of their strategy to recruit and attract talent. David has been recruiting since 1995, focusing on the Design and Architecture industry. We asked him to tell us about his background, social media, and his blog. This is what we found out:

Where did you get the most significant recruiting experience?

My most significant experience came from two places, Merritt Hawkins and Callison Architecture. My first recruiting job with Merritt Hawkins was very influential in that it set the ground work for my recruiting career. There I learned how to develop relationships, source candidates and negotiate. My other significant recruiting experience came when I worked at Callison Architecture. My work with Callison let me develop upon what I knew. Not only was I using my skills to develop relationships, source and negotiate I was learning about the niche I am in love with, design. I was able to see first-hand the inner workings of an architectural firm and was exposed to the human resources/regulations aspect of the business. This gave me a complete view of the recruiting and on-boarding process in the architecture and interior design industry.

Tell us about your company. How did you come to recruit in this niche space?

Recruiting in the design space, focusing on Architects and Interior Designers, was a logical choice as I started my own firm. I have been working in this niche for the past seven years and have been lucky enough to see the industry from two sides, the firm side and the corporation side.

Because of my time with both Callison and Starbucks I am able to recognize design talent; I have learned the vernacular, can evaluate a portfolio and have developed a great network of contacts.

Beyond that, I love design. I am fascinated by the way architecture inspires us and interior design defines a space.

What are your most effective methods of sourcing candidates?

As I mentioned, I have a large network of candidates that I have developed over the years. With that being said, much of my daily work is sourcing for new candidates. I have had great success with LinkedIn. I have found most people on LinkedIn are ready to network and learn about new positions.

Another effective way I have been reaching candidates is with my blog. My approach to my blog is to balance the fun and the business related. My love of architecture inspires me to post about new buildings or developments. My love of design inspires me to post about design in our modern world. My love of recruiting inspires me to post articles about portfolio and resume development or how firms can enhance their recruiting programs.

When and why did you start your blog?

I started my blog before I started my firm, in February of 2009. I started the blog as an inexpensive way to develop my brand. The blog allows me to be an expert in my field. Through interesting and informative articles I have developed my brand as a trusted, informative and knowledgeable business. With that as a base I feel my firm is poised to be very successful.

Who reads it?

I have been surprised by who reads my blog. Of course I am developing a great following in the design world, with job seekers and firm leadership alike, but I also have a strong following among Europeans. I have a stat counter on my site and 30% of my daily hits are from Europe.

I have also received great feedback from people who enjoy architecture but have no ties to the industry. This is why I feel it is important to have a balanced blog, filled with the informative and the fun.

How has it been received?

I am so grateful that my blog has been received so well. When I started writing the blog I had no idea who would read it or really what to say. Of course I had an end goal, reaching candidate and clients to grow my business, but I had no idea what that looked like. So, I wrote the blog for me and I still do. I write about what I know and what interest me. Fortunately there are others with similar interest.

Please share other examples of using social media for recruiting:

My approach to using social media to recruit is to try it all. LinkedIn has been a great place to reach candidates but I also use Twitter and Facebook to develop a base of candidates.

Something new I just started this week is my own LinkedIn group. I think of it as an extension of my blog. It allows me to develop a following of candidates and clients in a venue where people are primed to network and do business.

What do you do when you're not recruiting?

When I am not recruiting I enjoy fitness. I run and enjoy training in the gym. I also love to travel. I am also a TV junkie; my Tivo always seems to be recording something.

Your favorite:

My favorite vacation spot has to be London. I feel it is truly the world's city. I love its energy, diversity, architecture, history and modernism. I get there as often as I can.

You can follow David's Blog:http://davidbrownrecruiting.wordpress.com 

Find him on Twitter: @dbrecruiting 

Connect with him on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbrownrecruiting

Free Webinar: Use Twitter to find and Attract Candidates

2009-11-28T09:35:00.000-08:00

New to Twitter? Not sure if it is an effective recruiting tool? Spend 45 minutes with the Tweetajob crew to find out how savvy recruiters are sourcing passive candidates, as well as reaching active jobseekers. Yes, we're going to try to sell you some Tweetajob goodness (hey- at least we're honest!) We'll also provide valuable information about Twitter along the way. Sign up here.

Get Yourself Referred - Part I

2009-11-19T17:31:00.000-08:00

When jobseekers ask, "What's the best way to get hired?" I always respond with the same answer. Get someone to refer you. Short answer to a hard question. The truth is, getting someone to refer you is not as easy as it sounds.

Perhaps at one time it was enough to ask a neighbor to "put in a good word for me."

Today, with hundreds of candidates applying for a single position, recruiters who work on dozens of positions at once, and technology that dictates the recruiting process, simple word of mouth isn't enough. You are going to have to put in Herculean effort in order to get someone to refer you successfully. Some steps you may want to take:

Ensure that everyone has your correct contact information. Check your resume, your social networking profiles (especially Linkedin), your email signature, your business cards, your blog, to ensure that the info is correct and consistent. Email signature is especially important. Ensure that your phone number and email address appears in every email you send, even it is a reply, a reply all, or an email sent to someone you know very well. You never know when your contact might forward your mail to someone influential, or to HR.
Does everyone know what you do, know your expertise? Be able to succinctly describe your career history, professional achievements and specialty verbally. For example, if asked, I would describe myself as having more than 15 years of corporate recruiting and recruiting management experience at Fortune 500 companies. Notice that my description is only one sentence long.
Expand your "outer ring" contacts. These are professional colleagues, friends of friends, online contacts. Not exactly friends, but folks who might be happy to help or do a favor. If you have met someone at a conference, or have a link to someone through someone else, or perhaps regularly comment on a blog, these people are part of your network. It may take a bit of time and effort to strengthen these relationships. The end result, however, is an increased number of contacts who might refer you for an open position at their company. Before asking an outer ring contact to refer you, make sure you have taken steps to deepen the relationship. Share valuable information, collaborate on a project, support online/social media activities, write a guest blog post, meet for coffee, attend a professional meeting together, support a cause. Once the person is comfortable enough to call you a friend, they're ready to refer you.

Next: Doing your homework.

Do Recruiters Really Care?

2009-11-09T18:33:00.000-08:00

I often talk to jobseekers -- friends, family members, folks I meet in the airport -- and they almost always have the same complaint. Recruiters don't call back.

It's true. When I worked for big corporate recruiting departments, there were many meetings and offsites where we talked about the problem. Solutions were hard to come by. Most recruiters really do care. But we're trained to spend time on the activities that yield results. In an environment where there are waaaay more candidates than jobs, the common courtesy of returning a call falls low on the priority list. I drew up this fictional chart to illustrate how a recruiter might spend a 40-hour work week. Often, recruiters are responsible for filling 20, 30 or more positions at once.

It's a big problem. Employers who don't return phone calls know they are damaging their reputation candidate by candidate. Yet, companies can't afford to employ resources to call every candidate. What can you, the jobseeker, do?

Don't take it personally. It is a universal problem. If a recruiter fails to return your call, don't read too much into it.
Whenever possible, secure a promise from the hiring manager that he/she will call you with the decision. Hiring managers have far fewer candidates to worry about, so they are more likely to make the call.
Nobody likes to deliver bad news. If a recruiter or manager is procrastinating, it might be because they fear delivering bad news. Let them know that you look forward to a follow up call -- good news or bad news.
Don't burn a bridge. Build a relationship. If you don't hear back, send a polite email expressing your disappointment that there wasn't a fit this time. Let them know how impressed you are with the organization, and how thrilled you would be to hear about future opportunities (even though this may not be exactly the case).

Don't get me wrong -- I don't think recruiters should get a blanket pardon. Recruiting organizations fall far short of their responsibility to provide a great candidate experience. I'm just saying give a recruiter a break. They're under a lot of pressure to fill jobs quickly and often are doing their very best.

I'm Sorry Twitter, Tweetajob is the Best Job Service of All Time!

2009-11-05T05:38:00.000-08:00

Hello from Chicago! The rest of the Tweetajob team might be a bit groggy, after a night of celebration. We are in Chicago to introduce the new Tweetajob to the recruiting community. The response has been tremendous. More than 100 recruiters have already signed up.

For jobseekers, this is good news. Recruiters want to find you on Twitter. We talk about it all the time. Tweetajob makes it easier for recruiters to post jobs. Yay us!

Most importantly, Tweetajob makes jobhunting on Twitter much more effective. Here's how it works:

Visit www.tweetajob.com
Complete a brief profile, indicating your location and career interests
Tweetajob will tweet only those jobs that match your criteria. Get jobs on your Twitter feed, or on your mobile device. You can also search for jobs on our site.

Sweet! Check it out. Let us know what you think. We are pumped!

v 1.0 vs. v 1.1

2009-10-06T15:34:00.000-07:00

I am having a running argument with our Chief Technology Officer, who insists that our upcoming launch should be version 1.0. The new site will be entirely different in look, feel and functionality. I say that we should call it version 2.0, or, at the very least version 1.1, paying homage to our initial website.

In all fairness, the CTO had nothing to do with the initial website. I developed it all by myself using a Yahoo! template. It took me a few hours, and I wouldn't say it was the most attractive website, but it worked. Quite an accomplishment for a girl with the tech skills of a seahorse.

While that site was short on features, it did introduce many followers to the concept of receiving job opportunities via Twitter. And we managed to develop an impressive list of customers (recruiters) who were willing to experiment in this new medium.

Going forward, we will introduce many features that will make the experience so much better for jobseekers and recruiters alike. But I'd like to remember our humble roots, the early adopters, and the loyal customers who inspired us to make Tweetajob an innovative recruiting platform. Here's to version 1.1!

Preparing for Lift-Off

2009-10-04T16:45:00.000-07:00

Last week we demo'd our product for the first time. We had the luxury of practicing our demo on a friend, so we had worked out many of the kinks. Still, software has a way of misbehaving at just the wrong time. I held my breath as our CTO walked a talent VP through the features. The big moment came at the end of the demo -- the proof that it worked. And it worked!

So Tweetajob v. 1.1 will arrive later this month, and we're so excited we can't contain ourselves. The upcoming week will include more previews, more software testing, and preparing to attend two industry conferences. Hope you're looking forward to Monday -- I sure am! CMH