Are you using the internet to try and recruit staff? Or perhaps you are simply looking to research the competition? In today’s economy everyone is clamouring for recognition online be it through a Twitter account, using Facebook, LinkedIn, or through search databases.
It is much easier for you as an employer to get the dirt on your potential future employees and your competitors if they are using these accounts – even if they don’t realise it. There are many out there who have lost that crucial job because of a flippant comment on a social media site.
More on this at How Employers Screen Candidates on Social Media.
Roll up your online research sleeves:
Investigating companies and people has never been easier. Director search is a great way to find out about those at the top of the ladder. Examine their function and position and whether or not they held a previous company directorship. Once you have found these details you can discover more about the company they are currently working in or those where they built up experience in the past. This is a great way to look at recruiting for new staff, identifying your competitors, but also considering what type of work experience you might need in order to become a company director.
Networking gives you additional insight:
If you are looking to build contacts a search like this is also a great way of networking. Whether you are already a member of a site that connects people or you want to become one, you can find those working in the same industry to check who they are networking with as well as potentially getting in touch with them for advice, or in order to discuss topical issues. In addition it can be useful to try networking with those in different industries with similar roles, that way you have a broad range of contacts who you can call upon where necessary.
See more at The Top 10 Networking Books for Your Career.
There’s always the headhunting route:
Headhunting is becoming a more resilient business; particularly for those working in senior positions as often these are the types of people who are not actually looking to move so must be approached with some encouragement in order for this to happen.
Want to attract headhunters? Here’s How To Get Headhunted.
Beware of pitfalls:
There are some downsides to this method, for example it can rule out people who are perfectly capable of doing a job or who have potential. You may not even consider bringing them in for interview yet they could be the right fit for your organisation. The internet may be a useful tool to make information more readily available and make people more visible but it can also have the opposite effect, hiding those who are not necessarily rating but who have hidden talents or who have simply not gained enough experience to be recognised by these searches yet.
Remember that doing research and actually making a decision to hire somebody are two separate things. You cannot rely totally on tools which do not give you any idea about personality or potential but they can be a useful starting point. In addition they can give certain candidates a helpful foot in the door.
More on this topic at What Social Networks Have Most Job Search Activity?
