Recruiter's Essential Tips

As recruiters, it is important that we become familiar with websites representing professional associations for positions that we recruit. For example an IT recruiter should be familiar with HDI (http://www.thinkhdi.com/), the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP), Women in Technology International (WITI), etc. If you specialize in Enterprise Architects, then be on The Open Group for Enterprise Architecture Forum, etc. These sites provide valuable opportunities for broadening your reach in the business community and getting to know the group's members, many of whom will be qualified job candidates. Often these sites will also post job openings for a fee.

Source: eGrabber Newsletters Surveys show that more recruiters are turning to free social networking technology as an increasingly attractive alternative to paid job boards. Today, 1 in 5 recruiters use social networking sites in some way or other to make a hiring decision. So, whether the economy is up or down, the ability to use social networks to source candidates will be essential for recruiters in the coming years. These social networks offer people with common interests a place to interact and share contacts, opinions, and increasingly, job opportunities. Sites such as MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. are powerful sources of qualified candidates. What is even more attractive is that these sites allow you to easily target candidates in specific locations with specific skills and experience. However, to be effective, you must understand how the different networks work and the audiences these sites attract.

Source: eGrabber Newsletters Most recruiters who were the first to embrace Web 2.0 to source candidates are seeing that advantage shrinking as more and more recruiters are using these tools. To stay ahead you have to continuously watch-out for new tools, experiment, and learn how to maximize value from them. One outcome of Web 2.0 is that candidates expect more transparency and interactivity with potential employers. New technologies that satisfy these expectations can allow you to better assess and engage employees. For example, Instant Messaging (IM) is fast becoming another important Web 2.0 tool for recruiters. Using this can not only set you apart, but also have an impact on candidate experience and conversion rates. Remember, recruiters who master the use of online tools and integrate them into their daily work-flow will find that it greatly helps hiring better candidates in less time. Ref: Social Networking: How It Changed Recruiting and the Next Generation of Online Tools by Ta...