Boy, we have come a long way in the search for talent. Long gone are the days where company’s would place an advertisement in the classified ad section of their local newspaper’s and wait for the perfect candidate to call and request an interview—although some organizations today feel this is still a very effective recruiting method and often use it in conjunction with other channels.

Today, it’s more about what I like to call “cyber recruiting”—using social media tools for attracting and finding the right person to fill a job. Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter are some of the main social media tools used by today’s forward-thinking organizations and allow recruiters to target the exact skill sets required for often difficult-to- fill positions. Candidates that were once far beyond the recruiter’s reach are now right there at their fingertips.

Originally designed as social networking sites, MySpace and Facebook provide a place where individuals could meet, exchange photos, videos, and stories, as well as chat. The amount of traffic that these social media sites bring has enabled recruiters and HR executives alike to use these tools to search for potential candidates—while promoting their company and leveraging relationships that may turn into placements down the road.

What Today’s Hottest Social Media Networks Have to Offer Recruiters

The Pros and Cons of Using Social Media for Recruiting

More than Recruiting: Other Social Media Uses in Business

•    as a learning portal for sharing knowledge
•    marketing campaigns and public relations
•    for contact and lead generation
•    a way to conduct various types of surveys
•    and more…

Useful Resources (Conferences, Webcasts, and more)…

• IQPC’s Social Media for Recruitment Summit: Taking place in Chicago, IL (May 24-26, 2010).
• Social Media in Recruitment: Taking place in London, UK (April 22, 2010).
• Social Recruiting Summit: Taking place in Minneapolis, MI (May 17, 2010).
• LinkedIn Recruiter Webcasts: Available online between April 8–22, 2010.
• Social Recruiting  Blog: A hub for video and presentation content related to the world of social recruiting.
• #social recruiting: A place to share news and links about social media and recruiting.
• socialmediatoday: Helps global organizations create business-to-business (B2B) social communities designed to achieve specific, measurable corporate goals.

While social media has many benefits and advantages, it also has its pitfalls—and legal issues—to consider. Be sure that you have a good understanding of all the ins and outs of using social networking tools for your recruiting needs—before investing a lot of time and resources. Social media networks can be used to gain a competitive advantage, and when properly executed, can be one of the most powerful tools a recruiter can use—but don’t rely on it exclusively.

Look for my next blog that gives Advice to Job Seekers that use Social Media Channels to find employment.