Twitter, Facebook, and . . . can’t leave out LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the social media platform that really was designed for business, and it has some powerful capabilities, especially in terms of locating passive candidates and recruiting executives. But nowadays there’s a lot more to consider in constructing a social media strategy, so it’s important to see how these three players fit together.
Recruiting’s Smart Experiment with Social Media offers a flyover of the whole social media landscape, with lots of examples and links. Excellent starting point.
Now drill down–way down–with Computerworld’s Facebook vs LinkedIn smackdown. It’s a bit ancient, having come out last year, so there may be features/capabilities not noted. But the article explores six real-life business scenarios (such as “research a company you’re interviewing with” or “find a contract resource”), explains how each platform could be used as a tool in that scenario, and declares a winner.
I’ve already done several posts about using LinkedIn for recruiting, and it’s quite easy to find opinions and advice on this topic, so I won’t go over old ground. But here are a couple of news items:
12 Ways to Use LinkedIn Today offers a dozen smart tips for making the most of any LinkedIn presence. Remember–LinkedIn is a two-way street, which means that recruiters and companies have to be just as sharp and savvy as job seekers!
SAP just announced a special LinkedIn app for its channel partners. Not entirely clear how good the value proposition is, since pricing has not been announced–but companies desperate to find those elusive SAP all-stars may find it worthwhile. And more to the point, this looks like a harbinger of more LinkedIn link-ups to come.
Last stop on today’s tour . . . visit the buffed-up LinkedIn Talent Advantage site for some webcasts and case studies that actually do offer good information about LinkedIn as a recruiting tool. More tips and news at their blog.
(Thanks to Sharon Mollerus for the chainlink glamor shot.)
Lucy is Editor at Corporate Eye
LinkedIn really has come a long way since the days of being a glorified head-hunters’ job board.
The social aspects are deep and truly meaningful.
However, one thing that surprised (and still surprises) me is the lack of professionalism on some who choose to get snarky rather than contribute and be helpful on the Q&A.
That said, it’s all self-regulating — do you really want to know someone who’s rude to complete strangers in a public forum?