Sirona Says

The Social Recruiter [cartoon]

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Should Pinterest be the next addition to the #socialrecruiting toolbox?

 

Last week, I finally joined the latest of social media's fastest growing platforms - Pinterest. I have been watching it explode with interest, first of all wondering what all the fun is about. Now I know!

So, for those of you that haven't seen it or understand what it is, the description is really simple:

Pinterest is a pinboard-styled social photo (and now video) sharing website. The service allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections. 

 

Now you may think you have heard this all before, and that's what I thought. But putting my recruiting and employer branding hat on, I think it is potentially a brilliant way of engaging both existing and potential employees. Let me show you what it looks like:

If you click the image it will open up the pinboard.

The way it works is easy. You create Pin Boards of your choice, then you 'Pin' images (or videos) onto your board for people to comment on, share, like etc. People can follow specific boards, on the subjects they like,or they can follow the person creating them. I set up the one up above last week, from some cartoons I had previously posted on this blog, and other cartoons I had found online.
Pinterest makes it really easy to add content, either through smart phone apps, internet browser extensions or, of course manually on the Pinterest website.

So why should you consider it?

1. People like images. We are all natural voyeurs aren't we? And of course images say a thousand words, don't they? Think branding, think interest, think engagement, think transparency and think creativity.
2. Pinterest is driving more traffic than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn to websites. That MAKES it worth exploring doesn't it?
3. There are no limitations with this platform - only your imagination. Don't think of it as a direct recruiting tool just yet - although it could be, if you want it to be :)
4. It is a brilliant way sharing content as a way of building and nurturing a community, and developing ongoing relationships with potential customers and job seekers.
5. You can provoke discussion - yes you can comment on images - as can be seen from the middle image above. Post screenshots, charts, stats etc to generate discussion. 
6. Like all the other social networks, you can encourage people to share your content and follow your content (notice on the right side of my blog at the top - the Pinterest buttons).
7. As the platform develops, Pinterest could well be a useful sourcing tool, finding people with similar likes/interests/skills etc such as creatives, designers etc. And of course the site will have the obligitory keywords all over it for searching, although that is not something I have played with yet!

Like ALL social media platforms and social recruiting, you need to ENSURE YOUR AUDIENCE is there before you start investing loads of time  (and money - time is money, right?) into creating all your Pinboards.

Is it going to change social recruiting? >> No

Will it replace Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn etc? >> No

Is it worth exploring as an addition to your social recruiting efforts? >> Absolutely - 

Remember, using social media for recruiting (social recruiting) is all about understanding your audience, setting objectives for each platform (to measure effectiveness) and providing and sharing great content, that your audience wants to read, view or watch. 

And if you think Pinterest is limited to companies using, think again - it could be great for candidates as well, as this post shows - some 'clever' CV's already posted on Pinterest (OK some are a little mad, but you get the idea!)

As I said earlier in the post - Pinterest has no boundaries - it is just down to YOUR imagination and how you choose to use it :)

If you want to follow my journey on Pinterest then here you go, I have made it easy for you to do so :)  

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#SocialRecruiting survey shows LinkedIn beats Facebook big style!

 Bullhorn released a very revealing infographic this week based on their survey of 35,000 recruiters (2012 Bullhorn Reach Social Recruiting Activity Report) regarding social recruiting. I have taken a section out of it above, which shows how recruiters are using social media for recruitment. Any noticeable surprises?

Probably not for most people! Well there is one for me............ Why the hell isn't that LinkedIn figure higher?

LinkedIn is the recruiters primary social media recruiting tool (for most sectors) and still too many recruiters appear not to be using its benefits to find and recruit candidates. To coin a Twitter phrase - #stunned! Seriously why is it still so underused when it is such a no-brainer recruitment tool? [And for all you recruiters reading this, just because you have a LinkedIn profile, it doesn't mean you are actually USING it as a recruiting tool!]

Some of the other stats that came out of the survey backs my point up:

• Recruiters add more Twitter followers to their network per week than Facebook, and they will grow their Twitter networks much faster than their networks on Facebook.
• LinkedIn drives three times the amount of job views of Twitter and six times that of Facebook.
• LinkedIn also drives almost nine times more applications than Facebook and three times more than Twitter.

To have a look at the full infographic created by the Bullhorn data, click here - it is one of the better graphics I have seen in a while.

So the question is for me - why are recruiters still not taking advantage of the huge potential of social media sites like LinkedIn and Twitter? 

• Fear?
• Time worries?
• Lack of understanding?
• Lack of management buy-in?

My message is simple. Dive into the social recruiting waters - they are warmer than you think! You never know, you might actually surprise yourself with good social media is as a recruiting tool :-)

Is your social media content just blah blah blah?

How much of your social media output is focussed on your messge that you want to deliver to your audience? (You do know your audience, right?)

Have you ever taken the time to review your output, and looked at it from an audience perspective? Of course you haven't, you are far too busy for that! [A little tip for this, by the way, is to put some of your output feeds into Flipboard on your iPad - then you can see what others do]

But what are the implications if you don't take the time to review your content? Well, take a look at this video from Dan Roam - he sums it up very well!

 

Thanks to Ben McCall for highlighting the work of Dan Roam on his blog.

So, has Dan made you think? Take a review of some of your content and see if your audience will make sense of it!

 

 

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I was genuinely stunned when I received THIS email from a recruiter!

Every week, probably just like you, I receive emails and LinkedIn messages from recruiters asking me about; (1) jobs,  (2) referrals and occasionally (3) help in identifying companies for niche candidates. Depending on their approach, I help if I can. 

But when I got an email like the one I received a few weeks ago, I was genuinely stunned at the presumptive nature of it.!! A brazen recruiter, naive or just plain damn lazy -  you decide. And no, I don't know the recruiter...... 

Dear Andy

My client is a global leader in the provision of XXXXXXX solutions. I am currently searching for a "XXXXXXX Manager" whilst my client is flexible on package ideally they would like to pay circa £80k+ basic salary with a bonus of around 20%+ (neg).

According to our records you may be able to refer me to the right person, I would be very grateful if you could forward my mail to any of your contacts that may/could be interested, I'll forward a full job specification with my availablity for meetings to any interested applicants.

I'm also searching for new clients so please let me know of anyone that is struggling to find the right candidates in the XXXXXX Sector. I am a proven specialist and have been highly successful working at exec level for many years.

Yours sincerely 

Three things in one email......
"According to our records you may be able to refer me..." <<<< What sort of line is that?  Then the recruiter wants me to be their PA by helping to arrange their meetings for them! Dream on!

And just to finish it off they want some new clients referred to them as well! Don't we all!

Have you seen a worse example of a recruiter email than this?

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Does the problem with talent communities start with the word 'talent'?

 

Imagine for a moment you are looking for a job. How would YOU refer to yourself to other people in your networks, friends, recruiters and companies etc. A job seeker, a [insert job title] looking for work, a [insert job title] looking for a new opportunity, returning to work, candidate, an applicant maybe? 

Have you ever referred to yourself as talent? [aside from as a descriptor on your CV/Resume - a talented ........ looking for a new opportunity etc] 

What do you YOU think of, when people talk about talent? I don't know about you, but to me (thanks to TV) it immediately conjures up images of X-Factor and Britain's Got Talent, and all the other awful reality TV show programmes with people seeking their 15 minutes of fame.

From a recruiters perspective, there is only one word that is used to describe their target audience (no, not that one.... ), and that is a candidate. Now they may segment it to describe 'passive' and 'active' candidates (whatever that means now in the social media world), but that is pretty much as descriptive as they get. Hardly a mention of talent what so ever!

So, neither party use the word 'talent'. So who does? HR Managers, CEO's, The Board? The media? 

• If you wanted to make it a formal description, then the Oxford English Dictionary describe talent as people possessing a natural aptitude or skill. 
• If you wanted an informal description then it describes talent as people regarded as sexually attractive or as prospective sexual partners e.g. on saturday nights people go looking for new talent.

So then we come onto the phrase Talent Communities.

Bearing in mind what I have already said above, what then, do people (the candidate/jobseeker etc) think when they see the phrase, 'Join our talent community'  or 'Be part of our talent community' ? (or words to that effect)
What do you think it means to them? A way to find a new job now or in the near future? Too simplistic?

Then what about the owners of 'talent communities' - companies, recruiters etc. What does it mean to them? A pool of candidates/jobseekers that are potentially interested in some of your jobs? Again, too simplistic?

Is it the word 'talent' that is muddying the waters here, or are we all just not being honest with the reality of what 'talent communities' really are?

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Film quotes and social media myths last year, what for TruLondon this year?

Last year for TruLondon on February 2011, I took a different stance on social media - I examined all the myths and hype surrounding social media via famous film quotes (I have listed them below again if you missed them). Bill Boorman's TruLondon 2012 is nearly upon us again, and I am now thinking of what I can speak about again this year. Due to the interactive style of the unconference, I do like to try provoke discussion and interactivity from the audience.

Maybe it should be film quotes part two? I would love to get this one in somewhere (from Liam Neeson, in the film Taken)

"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."

Now there must be some suitable analogy for social recruiting (or even just recruitment, isn't there? (Any answers welcome in the comments!) 

So my thinking cap is well and truly on for TruLondon 2012 ! Will I be seeing you there?

Anyway as promised here are the social media film quote myths that were so well received from last year:

I have used famous film quotes to get demonstrate some of the social recruiting/social media myths that we all hear said e-v-e-r-y day. So here are my top 12 social media myths with the aid of a few famous film stars.

1. "If you build it they will come". (Kevin Costner, Field of Dreams)
   This for me is one of the biggest myths of social media. It's funny because go back a year and many people thought that this was a great mantra for social media. But 12 months on things have changed. Just because you build a Facebook page, create blog or have a Twitter account orYouTube channel, it doesn't necessarily mean that people will visit them! Unless there is a reason to go to one of your sites by you providing something they want - quality and appealing content, again and again, then your social media site will have tumbleweed blowing through it for months to come!
   
2. "You had me at hello" (Renee Zellweger, Jerry Maguire)
   You got me. You hooked me in. I liked the way you said hello. Then you disappointed me. You didn't deliver on the promise you showed at the outset. The content dried up, and it looks like you lost interest in keeping the content flowing regularly. Ring any bells any of you "two post bloggers"? 
3. "Show me the money" (Tom Cruise , Jerry Maguire)
   For me, money is a metaphor for success. There is SO much hype around the stats of social media - how many fans, followers, subscribers connections you have, that the reality has become embroiled in the same hype. Forget the hype of the big numbers and focus on the quality. So lesser numbers, but ones that will engage and talk to you. Surely it is better to have 200 fans/followers/connections/subscribers that you actively engage with, than to have 3000 you don't, isn't it? The success comes from those relationships, not the mass numbers.
4. "(Mrs Robinson) You are trying to seduce me" (Dustin Hoffman, The Graduate)
   This is exactly what you should be doing to everyone in social media land! You want them to come to your Facebook page, Twitter page, LinkedIn profile, blog or YouTube channel etc - why have them if you don't. You should be seducing them with a real reason to come to your site - quality content and engagement. Go on............ try a little seduction today :)
5. "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" (Clark Gable, Gone With The End)
   Simply put, have the belief in yourself, your brand, your product or your service. Say what you think (of course I don't mean be vulgar and abusive), and show your character and your voice. Of course listen to opinion, but don't compromise yourself. Grow a pair!
6. "Fasten your seat belts, you're in for a bumpy ride" (Bette Davis, All about Eve)
   Social media if full of ups - but it can also have a whole load of bumps along the way. You will enjoy the adulation of great posts, good videos and loads of comments; but you will also have theflip side of (seemingly) bad comments, bad press and negative feedback. Please don't expect anything different. Things are not always rosie in social media land, but dealt with in the right way, negativity can be turned around into positivity and good will.
7. "I'll have what SHE'S having" (THAT scene in When Harry Met Sally)
   Remember that scene with Meg Ryan? After all, who could forget it? Well think of the time when you have seen others get loads of attention (on whatever social channel it was), and thinking you would like the same? That doesn't happen by accident. The person (or brand) will have worked hard to build up their brand, profile or network and will likely have failed many times before they start to see success. Of course you want what they have - but you have to make sure you put the work in first!
8. "It's not personal (Sonny), it's strictly business" (Marlon Brando, The Godfather)
   People make the mistake of thinking that everything connected to social media is about them.... and it's personal. Take note - it isn't! Stop taking it all so personally. Just because someunfriends you or removes you from a Twitter list or unfollows you, it isn't about you. It is more likely the content you provide isn't right for them. It is transactional not personal. As more people associate social media with business, this will happen more and more.
9. "What we have here is a failure to communicate" (Cool Hand Luke)
   One of my favourites. Social media is all about communication and engagement. If you are not communicating and engaging then you really are not understanding social media at all!
10. "You talkin to me? Well I am the only one here!" (Robert DeNiro, Taxi Driver)
    When you start getting involved in social media it can be pretty tough. You feel like you have no one to talk to or engage with. You will definitely wonder what the fuss is all about, and will certainly think about jacking it in. DON'T. Listen, watch and learn from others. See how they are doing it and learn. Don't be afraid of reaching out for help and advice from others. And more importantly don't be afraid of simply trying. After all what's the worst that can happen?
11. "We all go a little mad sometimes" (Anthony Perkins in Psycho)
    Just picking up from the last point. Nothing wrong with some fun and madness in the social media world! A rant here and there, or a some humour or fun doesn't do you any harm at all. Obviously as long as it isn't malicious in any way, and you don't do it every other communication, then it is acceptable to do. It actually shows a human side (in a strange way) to you. I do it every so often, but I am careful to make sure it is topic based or generic, and I back it up with a reasoned argument.
12. "I'll be back" (Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator)
    We all know this phrase so well, don't we? Well for social media it should read - I'll be back..... again and again and again! Consistency in getting started in social media is key. Make sure you regularly post blogs, updates, info etc every day, week and month. 
    You want to be sitting there saying, I'll be back - to write some more; and you want your readers to say I'll be back for more of your excellent content.

Ideas for TruLondon 2012 or for an analogy for the Liam Neeson quote, most welcome in the comments below. Hopefully I will see you in London on the 22/23rd of February.

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Recruiters: The world is moving on, why are you still standing still?

 

I am amazed. Honestly I am truly amazed.......

What planet are many recruitment companies living on when it comes to the future of their businesses? Over the last few months I have spoken to many different types of recruitment business, from small to huge, generic to sector specific to micro-niche etc, and I am staggered by the level of resistance to change. 

In my opinion, I think we are seeing more change in the recruitment sector now than we have seen for many years. Exciting isn't it? Well it maybe for some people, but it seems that my industry - recruitment - still wants to sit back, watch decide on its fate at a later date. Here are 10 points why I think recruitment agencies just cannot afford to wait any longer to make changes:

1. Job seekers (the lifeblood of recruiters) are suffering from are suffering from 'job board-itus' and are now using less job boards. YET recruiters are now using more job boards in the hope they will find the people they want. Only one answer to that - DIMINISHING RETURNS.
2. Candidate exclusivity is extinct. The days of being able to get exclusivity (and the subsequent 'control') from candidates is well and truly over. The proliferation of social media and openness of data has seen to that.
3. Job adverts - the longstanding default for recruitment companies - are producing less and less relevant results. No longer can recruitment consultants simply take a job requirement from a client, place an advert and fill it from the advert response. Firstly, the likelihood is that the client has already done this, and secondly 'job-board-itus' mentioned in point, means good candidates are less likely to see the adverts and actually apply.
4. The one and only income source for recruitment companies -  their fee-paying clients - are relying less and less on recruitment agencies for recruitment. They are doing more direct sourcing, building better career sites, using recruitment technology more effectively than ever, utilising the power of their brands via the social channels and actually using the same resources (job boards, LinkedIn etc) as the recruitment companies themselves!
5. The once successful days of hitting the phones solidly from 9-5 with meaningless scripts and (lets be honest here) sh*t so-called sales calls are over, in my opinion. Too many companies and candidates have been on the end of them, and they have developed a much harder and apathetic approach to the them. However, the days of quality, researched, knowledgeable and respectful sales calls is very much here - they are the ones that clients AND candidates are happy to receive.
6. There is still a massive expectation, that as long as recruitment agencies keep doing what they have always done, things will 'turn round in the end', and their businesses will return to successful times again. Doh! Do you read the news? Does the word economy mean anything to you? Things will never go back to the way they were - surely your decreasing sales figures will show that.
7. Many recruiters are under-skilled in many of the new methods needed to survive in the changing recruitment world. To be fair, this is more circumstance and speed of change that anything else. The ability to think laterally, be creative in sourcing techniques, strong relationship builders, multi-taskers and be prepared to accept change, are not necessarily in-built in today's recruitment needs. Training is needed to help them adapt and change.
8. There is SO much focus on next month's perm targets / contract numbers / billings / reveues / targets / (have I missed anything here?) that little time is spent developing strategies for the next 3,6 and 12 months. It is as if the world just revolves around the next 4 week cycle. What about the word relationship? Time invested in these now, more often than not yields success further down the line. The better recruiters have always understood this, and have invested their time accordingly. 
9. Big data has happened. Everyone (whether they like it or not) has a digital footprint online across the social web. That means with the right tools and training everyone can be found. Online sourcing is now at levels like never before. It is for this reason that point 2 above has happened. And there are some really awesome tools recruiters can tap into immediately to find good people. Of course, the sourcing is just the first stage, engaging with them is another!
10. It is actually 2012, not 2007. Just checking that you realised that - I have been convinced in my many conversations that recruitment owners haven't realised! 

This is not a recruitment agency bashing post at all - recruitment is in my blood, why would I do that? There are massive opportunities in this market at the moment, for those with the vision, speed and desire to change to take advantage of them. New skills niches are opening up every day, candidate sourcing has hugely opened up your available options to find good people, and with your competitors still sitting on the social fence, you have a real opportunity to steal an march on them.

Change is upon us, and worryingly I see too many recruitment agencies prepared to sit still and watch the business world pass them by at an alarming pace. Many would expect me to bang-on about social recruiting and how you must implement it tomorrow just to survive. Well the truth is, this is much bigger than just using social networks to recruit. This is about a more fundamental review of what you think your recruitment business is actually going to look like in 1-2 years time. Now is not the time to 'suggest a review' in 6 months time (which is what one of the big household name recruitment companies have just done), now is the time to figure out how best you can get competitive advantage while you still can.

 

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Do your eyes glaze over when you see another social media conference?

Have you seen the Skittles adverts with millions of the sweets absolutely everywhere? Don't you think that is like social media conferences? They are simply everywhere, aren't they? 

Now, to be fair, I like attending a good conference - especially ones where I get to meet some great people, learn from the speakers and interact with the event (sadly that only usually happens at the unconference style events). I have also spoken at many conferences, and have a good number scheduled this year, so I am not certainly not advocating stopping them. My point is that too many 'similar' style conferences with a questionable target objective, just muddy the waters for the good ones that are out there. 

Whatever happened to innovation, creativity and daring to be different? Ok, I know, the sceptics will say, they don't sell tickets and you need to 'play it safe' to get attendees to make it a viable event. But what does viable really mean? Viable for branding, marketing budgets or reputation?

 As I say I have nothing against conferences at all, but I do have three questions..........

1. Are conference organisers actually giving people what they want for their money? Do they take the time to understand their audience? Do they poll previous audiences to ascertain what they would like to see at future events? And then do they action the feedback? Do they analyse the back channels like Twitter to see what is resonating 'outside ' the conference? If it was video streamed - what did the audience watching it think? Is the content accurately targeted at the audience the even has been marketed to?
   Attending a conference is a big commitment both in terms of time and cost, and attendees need to make sure they feel that it is going to be value for money for THEM. Getting the 'package' right for an audience ( speakers , venue, event organisation, level of interaction) is THE gauge of success. I appreciate this is not an exact science, but there is at least plenty of examples to look at. For example before I agree to any speaking at an event, my primary question is whether it is the right audience for my content, so that I can ensure I am able to add value to their day. If the audience is not right for my messages, I simply decline the invitation, and try to recommend other more suitable speakers for them. 
2. Are they simply guessing what they think people want from a conference and therefore taking a chance they have got it right? Just because other conferences/ events do things one way with case studies, the same big brand keynotes ( thinly disguised as a sales pitch), Q&A panels etc, does that mean everyone has to do the same? Does it all have to be 'copy cat conferencing'?
   [Devils advocate time - if there are no really good case studies or speakers with powerful stories to tell, should you even put a conference on in the first place? Just asking!]
   Several years ago I took part in something radical that many people thought lunacy - an unconference run by Bill Boorman - TRULondon. No presentations, an element of randomness and a large dose of free speech. Sounded crazy at the time, but it actually worked well - why? - because the audience wanted to actively participate. They wanted to comment, share their experiences AND challenge the speakers (track leaders in unconference land). Two years on Bill obviously hit the right note, he now has 29 TRU events scheduled all over the world this year, with Paris and London next up in February.
   While the TRU events are great, personally, I like to see conferences mixed up - some 'learning' from others and an unconference style, so the audience can interact with the speakers about the relevant subject matter. Where I have participated/attended in those type of events they have worked really well. What about you, what style do you like?
   
   
3. Do conference organisers even care if they successfully fill the auditorium and bank the cash? Cynical I know, but we are in a commercial world! The reality is there is big money to be made, in social media conferences. Is there anything wrong with getting a great venue, hiring charismatic and interesting speakers and giving people a great experience for the day, in return for a healthy entrance fee? Of course not - if there is perceived value and interest , demand will alway be there. But jumping on the social media bandwagon with a large email database to market an event to, isn't my idea of a good conference.

I have attended some excellent social media conferences over the last year, and I hope they will be as good this year. As I said at the start, I attend conferences to learn and to meet good people - I just hope that continues with the social media conferences I attend in 2012.

You have no doubt attended some social media conferences, what has been your experience with them? Why not share your experiences below - good and bad - and maybe they might just enlighten a few people considering a future social media conference! 

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How social recruiting can help you recruit the 'unicorn' talent

 

Let's get this straight - social media is a revelation for recruitment and anyone that thinks differently should exit left. Social recruiting is here to stay.

One of the real strengths of using social media in recruitment, is the ability to find many more candidates. However this can also be a false positive.

Just because you find these rare and sought-after talented individuals that you crave, it doesn't then follow that they will have any interest in you!  If you don't adapt your approach to making contact and engaging with these people, you might as well be recruiting unicorns for all the chances you have of succeeding with them.

That may sound a little harsh, but take LinkedIn for example. How many of us have been on the receiving end of the (quite frankly) stupid and naive emails from recruiters?
"Hi [first name familiarity when don't know them], I am a recruiter for BB Bloggs Inc [like it is going to impress you] and I have just picked up an assignment for a superb new job that would be perfect for you [how the hell to you know, you haven't even spoken to me before]. Can you let me know if you are interested and I will send you the spec through."

'Unicorns' need better treatment than that! They need careful handling, understanding and above all they need to be respected. They won't engage with you unless you demonstrate your knowledge and skills - only then will they they trust you and allow you closer.

Social media has broken down the sourcing boundaries - if anyone has even a glimmer of an online presence, then the chances are they can now be found by a myriad of tools, ranging from Google to the niche search tools like Pipl, Followerwonk  and many others like it. 
Finding the rare talent is one thing, getting them to talk to you seriously, is another.

The skilled recruiters have a magic skill - they are able to use a telephone well. They don't hide behind an email, they trust in their knowledge and ability to be able to engage with the much sought after unicorns on their level. They are not inhibited by them, because they understand and respect them. 
Many recruiters (both in-house and 3rd party) haven't (yet) been given the skills to reach out and engage with these people effectively. Most resort to emails and messaging in a very amateur way (as per my example above), with very limited results. They might well have success with the 'active' talent, but they won't be catching any unicorns any time soon.

If used properly social recruiting is able to give these recruiters a huge lift when it comes to engaging with people - both candidates and clients. The ability to utilise the social channels for gathering large amounts of useful background information on people may seem like stalking (to non-recruiters) but it is a great way of initiating and developing relationships. 

Then of course there are the many communication channels offered with social media. 

The hard-to-engage-with candidates (often referred to as 'passive'), our beloved 'unicorns', may well have a 'public' profile on LinkedIn, but many have given up talking to recruiters there, for the reason I highlighted at the beginning. So what do you do?
The answer is to find them in the social habitat they are comfortable in and engage them there.And when I say engage with them, it means understand them, respect them and communicate with them in a way dictated by the social habitat you find them in. Each social platform has its own communication etiquette that needs to be adhered to, for better chances of success.

That may be sites like Facebook, Twitter, Xing, Tumblr, specialist communities or niche forums. Of course you can use social media to find them! [Try using Boardtracker for hunting out the niche discussion groups and forums]

Social recruiting will never replace the art of using voice communication to create and evelop relationships, but used correctly it just may help you add a few more 'unicorns' to your stable!

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