In today’s economy, you’ll find a substantial amount of people on job boards, corporate websites and on social networking sites. Job seekers are fighting for the few job openings left, which are dwindling day after day.
Those who are currently employed are getting bombarded with resumes and pleas from job seekers who are willing to do whatever is necessary in order to at least get an interview. For example, you’ve probably seen Joshua Persky, an unemployed banker who carries a sign that says “MIT graduate for hire.”
In these tough times, creativity and powerful connections is what separates the successful and unsuccessful job seekers and recruiters. The one thing that always remains the same is that the top personal brands always win. Today, I want to talk about some future trends and thoughts concerning the collision of personal branding and recruiting in this web 2.0 world and then hear your reactions.
Reality trumps virtual reality
I concentrate more of my energy networking online because I’m better at it, and it scales. The only issue with this approach is that meeting someone in person carries a lot more weight and connection than emailing them or poking them on Facebook.
You don’t really know someone unless you actually meet them in person. People are more willing to go out of their way for you if they’ve met you, instead of having a Twitter conversation one day last month. Social media tools have made networking easier and less awkward for those who are introverts. When you network online, it’s easier to filter those that have similar interests to you from those who you know you wouldn’t get along with.
Then, after several conversations, it becomes easier to schedule something offline and less scary. In this way, the Internet has alleviated a lot of networking stress and time wasted.
Relationship strength matters
Over two years ago, I wrote about how I believe we should think about relationships in terms of strength. I developed a model called “The Network Strength Pyramid.”
At the bottom is acquaintances and then friends, and at the top, there’s family. As you go up the pyramid, the probability that someone will go out of their way to help you increases.
The reason why this is so important now is because most people aren’t going to help you in these tough times. The people that will support you are the ones that you’ve kept close for years and have contributed value to you and your family.
Quantity is just as important as quality
This might go against the other two ideas, but quantity is very important in this web 2.0 world. A lot of influencers believe otherwise, but just stop and think about it for a second. As a recruiter searching for an ideal candidate, don’t you factor in how large someone’s online network is?
If you had to choose between two equal candidates and one had 500+ LinkedIn contacts while the other had 5, who would you select? If you went to a blog and there were only 5 subscribers, would you subscribe?
The power of social proof is extremely important and will make you more attractive to recruiters. From the corporate standpoint, you have more value if you have more followers because you can push corporate messages out, and it doesn’t cost your company anything.
Direct connections instead of job postings
Job postings cost companies a lot of money, just like the rest of the recruitment process. A few years ago, companies solely relied on these job postings, along with job fairs and referrals, in order to source candidates.
Social networks have nearly eliminated part of this need because they have equalized the system. From a job hunters perspective, instead of applying for jobs on corporate sites and Monster.com, you can reach hiring managers directly on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
From the viewpoint of a recruiter, they can save time and money and meet job hunters where they are looking for jobs. They can source passive candidates and the best talent from social networks freely.
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March 10th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
“Reality trumps virtual reality” – never has this been more true. I also thought about your 5 versus 500+ linkedin example. I think you are right, but at some point, people have to think that too many connections is weird. Great article, thanks Dan.
March 10th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
GREAT post. Dead on with the networking tips; 61 to 85 percent of people land jobs through networking (depending on the survey). And face-to-face is critical. If you’re relocating – voice-to-voice works. Make it personal. Create a quality connection (not quantity). GIVE. Even if you are unemployed you can still give. Give a connection, resource, helpful tip…
- Wendy Terwelp, networking coach
- http://www.knocks.com
March 10th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Quantity is just as important as quality? The assumption that if a candidate has many connections on Linkedin he would make a better candidate doesn’t take the following into account: (1) Does he spend his whole day on Linkedin, Facebook and other sites wasting time & getting no where? (2) Is he just popular but not necessarily intelligent or qualified? (3) Does the amount of contacts this person knows have anything to do with his job? Meaning, only if you are seeking a salesperson with a “large book of business” would this be a factor.
And Direct Connections instead of job postings? Not in education, healthcare or many other industries, as well as that method of recruiting would not work for many experienced high-quality candidates (possibly older) who don’t heavily involve themselves in social networking. That does not mean they are not able to excel at their job, it is just a different mindset.
Although personal brands are important, reputation & solid work experience should come before online fluff. Also, posting jobs on niche industry association sites allows you to get the passive job seeker which is usually the better candidate that would have never searched on a social networking site.
http://www.smmadagency.com
March 11th, 2009 at 5:46 am
Nice points you mentioned – especially about networking in person compared to networking online.
March 13th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
What this discussion illuminates is the difference between the way the Baby Boomer Generation works and how Generation Y works now. As we all know, Baby Boomers are set to retire in large numbers in the next 10 years. The next wave of hires will come from the Gen Y talent pool–the social media gurus. If they use social media to find jobs and make connections, shouldn’t businesses take that as a sign that *they* need to be using social media, too? If “relevancy” is what you’re going for, then that’s a big, glaring sign that blinks the word “relevancy here.”
Accepting the personal brand as a legitimate component in a worker’s profile and welcoming these hiring trends for the next generation is crucial — especially in times like these.
Brandi Blades
Brill Street + Company
http:www//brillstreet.com
March 19th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
I agree wholeheartedly with Tricia. As a graduating MBA in 09, I am looking for a job and want to brand myself to the best of my abilities.
Quantity is NOT better than quality. Sure, a lack in quantity could hurt, but a candidate with 500+ LinkedIn contacts would make me wonder “Do all of these people REALLY know this person?” or “If I messaged a connection to this person, what is the probability that they would be able to tell me something useful that will lead me to a successful hire?” I think you’ve got it wrong. Facebook is the place where you can friend to your heart’s content. More professionally focused websites should be kept for those purposes only – being able to connect to people you actually know and could accurately portray who you are to a potential employer.