I was really pleased to read this post from Jeffrey L. Cohen in which he interviews Laurie Ruettimann, an HR Consultant and blogger, about how she would advise an organisation to use social media for recruitment.

If you don’t have time to hear the full 8 minute interview, here are the notes I took from it.

• The biggest single thing to do is to align HR with marketing and sales – your products and services brand should have the same messaging as the HR brand
• Internal social media is also important – have a look at the Sodexo careers – a hub to develop relationships.  It includes a neat job search desktop widget
• Outsourcing has crossed over with technology – Many companies outsource reference checking and use social media and telephone to speak to reference-givers.
• HR is ahead of accounting and finance, and ahead of some marketing and sales depts especially in managing relationships and candidate databases
• “‘Social recruiting’ – the new term for using social media in HR.
• Should I get social media skills?  Everyone benefits with higher skills.  US workers are bifurcating – knowledge class and working class.  Chasm between the two.

• More social media skills are needed in softer ways.  richer and deeper relationships and thoughtful understanding of the world with broader communication skills.  An organisation can then use you in different ways.
• Do companies need a social media director or community manager?  Some firms are hiring them.  It’s a position of luxury now – often they fall under marketing and sales and existing job titles.   The companies of the future are creating these roles and investing in them.

• TIPS:
  • Go on Google and understand what people see when they google you.
  • Grab your name on Twitter and you’ll be ahead of the game.
  • Companies are looking for competency and people who won’t cause law suits (!).

Social Media Changes in B2B HR and Recruiting from Jeffrey L. Cohen on Vimeo.