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Tips to Avoid Crossing The Line in Social Recruiting

This week we have a guest blogger, Kyle Lagunas, the HR Analyst at Software Advice–a company that conducts human resources and applicant tracking software comparisons.

When it comes to using social media websites for recruiting - what we call social recruiting - how far is too far? Beyond learning the hard way what works and what doesn’t, there are some best practices emerging to help recruiters know when they’ve pushed the proverbial envelope too far. And hiring professionals are discovering a new line of recruiting applications and tools built into applicant tracking software to help them rise above the same old hashtag to better identify, connect with and place viable candidates.

For all their good intentions, many folks using social media in their recruiting efforts are running into the same issues. Here are the top three:

• Spamming job posts. Want to render your social recruiting efforts ineffective? Spamming people with your job opportunities is a surefire way to do just that. The key to social recruiting is to be social and engaging. Share industry news and articles of interest, exchange personal messages, etc.
  
  
• Prying rather than researching. Some positions require a flawless social media presence. For the rest, you shouldn’t be digging too deeply into their profiles. Screening should be focused on general impressions of candidates to see if they would fit within your company culture.
  
  
• Penalizing candidates for level of access. It’s not unusual for candidates to deny recruiters access to their Facebook profile, inviting them to connect via LinkedIn instead. Many people use Facebook for personal, rather than professional networking - especially in Generation Y. Don’t write off candidates for showing a bit of backbone and managing their public image - it’s hardly something to penalize.

Lessons Learned from the Trenches

Some people are experiencing more success in social recruiting than others, and have picked up a few tricks worth sharing. Carolyn Betts, CEO of Betts Recruiting, is one such person, and was recently featured in a New York Times article, for leveraging social media to grow her recruiting success. She and I chatted last week, and she shared some lessons she’s learned from the trenches.

• Focus on strategy. You won’t be able to make the most of social media if you’re going into it blindly. You need to have a plan for how you want to accomplish your goals. Betts suggests starting with one social media site, familiarizing yourself with it, then growing your presence gradually.
  
  
• Have realistic expectations. When you consider the industry you’re in and the position you’re hiring for, are your deal-breakers realistic? You need to determine upfront how much weight you are giving a candidate’s social media presence.
  
  
• Leverage the right apps and tools. Many successful social recruiters know that in order to make the most of your social recruiting efforts, you need to leverage the right tools. Why go it alone when there are applications with built-in best practices for recruiting more effectively?

Software Expanding Recruiters’ Reach

Human resources software is growing to help recruiters make use of social media in their hiring strategy. But before recruiters can fully harness these helpful tools, they must determine whether or not they are in the right social media playground.

According to a recent study, approximately 85 percent of U.S. companies used LinkedIn for recruiting last year, though only 30 percent of active job seekers are on LinkedIn. As such, many recruiters are finding LinkedIn a bit overcrowded. Where are the candidates? The large majority of them are on Facebook.

Because the data recruiters are looking for is a little harder to find on Facebook, however, many miss the sourcing opportunity this vast network provides. Fortunately, there are third-party software developers devising methods to put actionable candidate information into the hands of recruiters quickly and efficiently. Some of these recruiting solutions are standalone applications that leverage recruiters’ networks. Others - like Bullhorn Reach - are applications designed specifically for automating social recruiting.

For further reading, check out Kyle's HR blog at: http://blog.softwareadvice.com/articles/hr/social-recruiting-how-far-is-too-far-010271/

If You Don’t Factor Mobile Into Your Recruitment Plan You’re Making a HUGE Mistake

Sometimes when I’m in a public place—riding a train, walking down the street, or even sitting in a restaurant, I love to observe how many people are engrossed in their cell phones.  And I will tell you I’m no different. 

My Smartphone is my lifeline, I don’t leave home without it—I don’t even leave a room in my home without it (but don’t tell my mother that, because then she’ll wonder why I don’t ALWAYS answer the phone when she calls).

But I have become so addicted attached to my phone that I do EVERYTHING on it, from paying bills, checking movie times—and buying movie tickets, sending emails, playing Words With Friends (I recently discovered that “Nachos” is not an acceptable word—I know I was shocked too!), to reading my favorite blog, EmploymentMetrix (shameless plug!).  So with so much reliance on our Smartphones and unfortunately a large number of people out of work, it is little surprise that job searching and recruitment has gone mobile—in a big way!

Mobile job search apps are BOOMING and the number of candidates searching for jobs on their mobile devices has skyrocketed by more than 100% in the last year alone. So if you’re an HR Pro that has yet to factor in mobile into your recruitment plan, you’re making a BIG mistake.

Check out the latest infographic from Beyond.com—it shows that more than 77% of job seekers use mobile job search apps.  Job Seekers use these apps to quickly react to new job postings, discreetly search for jobs, and simply the freedom it allows them to search for jobs anytime from anywhere.  Potential candidates are no longer tied down to their home computer to search and apply for jobs, now they can do it on their commute to work, while they’re waiting in the doctor’s office, or even waiting for that barista to make their favorite tasty beverage.   So if you have yet to jump on the mobile bandwagon you’re going to be left behind—that goes for HR pros and job seekers alike!

Beyond.com and HireADroid Partnership Delivers Top Job Search App for Android Users

Android App Helps Job Seekers Find Job Listings Quickly from Anywhere, Anytime

Beyond.com, today announced its partnership with HireADroid, the number one job search application for Android, enabling users to search jobs across Beyond.com’s thousands of top-tier industry and local career sites directly from their Android device. In today’s competitive employment market, the mobile device is an imperative tool for job seekers needing to search, share and react in real-time to job opportunities.

Beyond.com is the number one tab amongst a roster of six major job search engines, which feed job search results into the HireADroid application through one single query. The Android app boasts a simple user interface and a wealth of features to help job seekers more easily find the ideal job by allowing users to save jobs to “your favorites,” search based on a current location, send an email or tweet the opportunity, and apply for the position right from the phone. Job postings span across multiple countries, so non-U.S. residents can also benefit from the HireADroid app.

“As the mobile recruitment space continues to evolve, Beyond.com is broadening its reach across all mobile devices with the most reliable and inclusive set of tools to help job seekers navigate through today’s highly competitive job market,” said Rich Milgram, CEO of Beyond.com. “With the power of the HireADroid app, we’re able to share the Beyond.com network with a growing audience of Android users through the app’s unmatched functionality and tools to connect job seekers with the most relevant and latest job postings.”

With more than 230,000 downloads, the HireADroid app has been positioned on Apple’s Top 100 list in the business category for the past year, currently holding at number 45. The traffic to Beyond.com increased by more than 11 percent since the engine rose to the number one tab on the app, demonstrating the demand for Beyond.com’s unique niche approach to within the Android job search app market.

“Beyond.com has helped drive downloads and brought tremendous value to not only the success of the HireADroid application, but to the thousands of users who, particularly in the challenging economic landscape, often depend on job search apps for its immediacy in accessing the latest job postings, along with the ability to easily search, apply and share jobs when, how and where they want to,” said Bo Stone, founder of HireADroid. “Through this partnership with Beyond.com, we’re looking forward to continuing to make upgrades and add new features to help job seekers find the right job – through the convenience of their mobile device.”

The Benefits of Searching for Jobs and Candidates via Mobile

Beyond.com CEO, Rich Milgram recently had the opportunity to create a guest post on the HR blog, Recruiting Trends on the topic of mobile recruitment strategies for both employers and job seekers. With the trend of mobile phones to do everything but make phone calls, this post further examines the benefits of searching for jobs and candidates through mobile devices.

Read the full post.

More than 25 Million Professionals use Beyond.com to improve their Careers

The Beyond.com Career Network surpasses 25 Million members, offers powerful new communication tools and rewards members with free premium subscription.

Beyond.com, Inc., the premier Career Network^TM focused on helping people grow and succeed, announced today it has exceeded the 25 million member milestone.  The Beyond.com Career Network allows professionals to showcase their talents, find the best job opportunities and efficiently manage their career with a personalized online Career Portfolio^TM.

As Beyond.com continues to hit new benchmarks, it is also undertaking a site redesign, with the first of many new tools now live and available. Overall, visitors will experience an easy-to-navigate interface guiding them through job search functions, networking features, statistics and social and industry research – integrated with powerful communication tools that keep members informed 24/7. With more than 70 unique career channels and 3,000 focused sites, the Beyond.com Career Network is extremely effective in connecting and cultivating personal relationships specifically around an individual’s career growth.

“Career growth and success are top-of-mind for business professionals.  In today’s competitive job market, professionals need to be well-informed, organized and stand out from the crowd.  We are thrilled at Beyond.com to offer business professionals a Career Network where they can focus on improving themselves, their current position are their career options,” said Rich Milgram, CEO of Beyond.com.  “We are also excited to offer every member a free subscription to our premium online Career Portfolio, which spotlights each person through a powerful, personalized web site that showcases their talents.”

Beyond.com is exhibiting at the upcoming SHRM 2011 Annual Conference in Las Vegas on June 26 – 29.

Broadbean Technology and Beyond.com Announce Global Alliance

Broadbean Technology, the global provider of job posting distribution and candidate response analytics, announced today its partnership with Beyond.com, the world's largest network of targeted career communities. This partnership offers Broadbean clients, through their existing solution, direct access to Beyond.com's thousands of industry and local web sites and provides the ability to purchase Beyond.com services directly through their current Broadbean account managers.

"Global is what we do. Over the last ten years, we have spent a considerable amount of time and effort to build relationships with our network of global job board partners. Part of Broadbean's expansion, to be truly global, includes our growing presence in the United States. That growth can be attributed to the relationships with not only our clients, but also our valued partners. It makes perfect sense for us to partner with Beyond.com; their vast network of boards enriches our offering and is extremely beneficial to our respective customer bases," said Kelly Robinson, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Broadbean Technology.

Beyond.com is the exclusive provider of recruitment services in the U.S. market as part of The Network, the largest online recruitment solution serving 34 countries throughout Europe and more than 120 countries worldwide. Along with Broadbean's success in 143 countries with 1,500 clients and more than 33,000 users, the global dominance Broadbean commands for job distribution technologies marks the beginning of a fruitful and multi-tiered partnership, focusing on the needs of the global recruitment marketplace.

"We are pleased to develop what is sure to be a strong and mutually successful alliance with Broadbean Technology," adds Rich Milgram, CEO of Beyond.com. "With Broadbean's comprehensive job distribution, our list of mutual clients will no doubt continue to be a key factor as Beyond.com continues to grow and expand our worldwide reach."

Jon Flahive, Head of Global Partnerships and Alliances at Broadbean continues, "We are proud to partner with Beyond in this unique relationship that extends the reach of job posting throughout our networks and enhances our mutual growth. Beyond and Broadbean will continue to lead the way in global job posting."

Beyond.com Mobile Job Search Apps Hit More Than One-Million Downloads

Beyond.com, Inc., the world’s largest network of niche career communities, today announced that The Beyond.com network of mobile applications have reached more than one-million downloads. As the use of mobile devices continues to rise, Beyond.com recognizes the role that mobile recruitment strategies now play in the way employers and candidates connect with one another.

In today’s market, the ability to search for jobs anytime, from anywhere, can provide job seekers a competitive edge by staying informed, quickly reacting to new job opportunities and getting in front of prospective employers before the competition. The Beyond.com applications are designed to meet the job seeker’s need to search and share relevant jobs, with features such as push notifications of newly posted jobs, as well as valuable articles and videos to help them find a job faster.

A Morgan Stanley analyst report predicts that by 2014, the Internet will be more frequently searched on a mobile device than on a computer, bestowing tremendous implications for the recruitment industry. Mobile recruitment creates an opportunity for companies to engage with targeted candidates in a more immediate way, delivering content when and where people want to consume it – which is on their mobile device. By incorporating mobile strategies into an overall recruitment program, employers are able to effectively connect with job seekers the way they want to be reached.

“Mobile technology has changed the way people communicate in every aspect of their lives,” said Rich Milgram, CEO of Beyond.com. “Professionals today are often on-the-go and prefer a discreet and faster way to receive and respond to job postings. This is evidenced not only by the significant number of application downloads, but by the exploding mobile traffic we’re experiencing at Beyond.com, with a 183 percent increase over the past year in mobile traffic coming to our site. Job search apps are proving to be a key component in a recruitment strategy as an effective method to bring together employers and candidates.”

Beyond.com also provides employer-branded mobile applications, which allow companies to create stronger brand recognition and provide direct access to jobs and company information to increase the overall value of the application. For more information on how Beyond.com apps can be incorporated into a mobile recruitment strategy, please visit http://www.Beyond.com.

Beyond.com Along with eQuest will Offer Mutual Customers Unlimited Job Posting Access to the Beyond.com Network

Beyond.com, the world’s largest network of niche career communities, today announced it has expanded its agreement with eQuest by agreeing to fully underwrite all job distribution fees for eQuest customers who post jobs to the Beyond.com Network. 

Through this alliance, Beyond.com will introduce its services to a wider customer base. According to its metrics, Beyond.com provides customers a much broader audience of passive and targeted candidates who have registered through the various career communities across the Beyond.com Network.

“Based on our research, and given today’s economy, companies are clearly examining their recruitment advertising options like never before,” said Rich Milgram, CEO of Beyond.com. “Companies want performance, a wider reach and a different audience. Our network clearly demonstrates that kind of viewership and we are excited to open that venue up to eQuest customers.”

Beyond.com’s Mobile Job Apps Are Predicted to Experience a 1000% Increase in Downloads

The way in which people have secured employment has certainly changed over the years. While employers of retail establishments may still place “Help Wanted” signs in their windows or place ads in the newspaper, they’re probably missing out on reaching thousands of candidates if they don’t place their job opportunities online, because the first place job seekers turn to nowadays is certainly the internet. And while the internet is amazing (nice job Al Gore) it has certainly amplified our need for immediacy, which brings us to the Smartphone.

With more than 20% of mobile phone users owning a Smartphone and with the current unemployment rate at a steady 9.6%, it is no wonder that the number of mobile app downloads for job searching is exploding.

We asked Jason Stevens the Mobile Applications Manager at Beyond.com, the world’s largest network of niche career communities, for his expert opinion on mobile apps as well as searching jobs on the go.

EmploymentMetrix: Do you think Smartphones are here to stay?

Jason: Yes, whether it’s an iPhone, Droid, Blackberry, Palm, etc…we’re only going to see more of them. By 2014, it is predicted that the internet will be more frequently searched on a mobile device than on a computer, which is very impressive. In fact, Beyond.com has experienced a boom in our mobile app downloads already, so much so that we predict a 1,000% growth from last year.

Additionally, several companies are planning for the future of mobile apps as organizations are investing hundreds of thousands of dollars to build apps as they see that platform as the future, so that is also a good indicator.  

EmploymentMetrix: When searching for a job what types of job apps are downloaded most frequently?

Jason: When searching for a job the job apps that are most frequently downloaded are those that are geared toward a specific industry or niche. Also, in general when it comes to apps, those that are branded from a trusted organization are typically downloaded most frequently. So if you already have a relationship with a user, they’re more likely to download your mobile app. 

But overall, the job apps that I’m seeing a lot of downloads for, and when I say a lot, I mean hundreds of thousands of downloads, are for niche job boards like TechCareers.com, HealthcareJobsite.com, ManhattanJobs.com and so forth. Which makes sense, if you’re in the market for a new job, why sift through hundreds of job opportunities that are not in your field or in your area? Searching by a specific industry or in a specific area is the fastest way to find a job.

Just to give an idea of the free mobile apps that are most downloaded for business purposes here is a look at the top mobile business apps in iTunes:
EmploymentMetrix:  What are your future plans for the mobile space?

Jason: Right now our apps, allow job seekers to search and share relevant jobs as well as read valuable articles and watch videos to help them find a job faster. As we continue to explore the mobile space we are working toward allowing the user to do even more from their mobile device.

We will also keep on top of the latest mobile trends and make the necessary investments to offer our users a quality product.

EmploymentMetrix: Do you value the feedback you receive from your users?

Jason: User feedback is the most important feedback we receive. If our users have suggestions—we want to hear about. In fact, we’ve already made several updates to our job apps based on suggestions from our users.

Given the increase in Smartphone use, it won’t be long until we hear more and more reports of successful job searches being conducted strictly through mobile job apps.  In the meantime, keep on downloading!

 

Powerful Social Website Platform Strengthens Commitment to Community Focus and Its Members

It was announced yesterday that Beyond.com, Inc., the world’s largest network of niche career communities, had acquired Orbius, a powerful social website platform that allows businesses to create and govern their own full featured social or professional networking community website for their members, employees or customers.

So what does this acquisition mean?  Well, according to Beyond.com, CEO, Rich Milgram this acquisition shows Beyond.com’s commitment to it’s community focus and will allow its members to evolve beyond the employment experience into new ways to connect and engage throughout their career, business and life. Milgram, also added that “This is an exciting time for business professionals and we want to help them as much as possible.”
 
Thought of as a “Facebook for small businesses,” the Orbius platform and technology has been very successful in providing flexible, scalable and search engine optimized social websites enabling businesses to provide content and community rich website features to connect and engage users through forums, blogs, calendars, videos, expert columns, feeds, groups and other forms to encourage personal and business interaction.

“For years, Beyond.com has remained focused and committed to providing our members with valuable and relevant communities in which to connect and interact across a variety of industry, geographic and specialty areas,” said Milgram. “Our members are embracing these communities and are hungry for more content and information and want to create their own online persona and evolve their personal and business networks. We continue to develop new ways in which to facilitate this evolution and the Orbius platform will enable us to further this vision.”