Staffing Software & Social Media Are Your Tools… And Your Staffing Plan Is?

Part of an effective approach in candidate searches today includes leveraging social media.  Social media can be even more effective if the data you gather from this channel is successfully managed with the right recruiting software or staffing software.

I talk a lot here about the importance of integrating social media and staffing and recruiting software because I understand how important this is to you as a staffing professional and Bond US is committed to helping you make the most of this capability. But integrating social media into recruiting software or staffing software isn’t the end-all-be-all of recruiting and staffing efforts.

If your staffing agency or recruiting firm doesn’t have a wide-reaching tactical approach in place, then no amount of Facebook business pages, Tweets or even the best staffing software will bring you any closer to the ideal candidate.

Social media and staffing software are just two of many hiring tools available to you.  Consider the following and learn how social and staffing and recruiting software enhance – but shouldn’t necessarily dominate – key recruiting or staffing tactics.

• Finding Candidates –  Regardless of the tools you use to find or manage your candidates, you still need to start with a specific candidate profile. Your clients want to know everything about candidates you find for them, from prior experience to what they do in their spare time.

First determine who your clients are looking for, then use social media and staffing and recruiting software to find them.

• Communicating With Prospects– Some of social media’s greatest strengths are its abilities to be used as communication and engagement tools. But before you engage, you first need to know what to express for the best results and social media is just one of many ways to determine this.

Reviewing jobs on career boards, you competitor listings – and even stories in traditional media outlets – will help ensure the conversations you enter into are focused just as heavily on the needs and interests of your candidates and clients as they are on your own staffing objectives

• Understanding Client Needs – Social media can serve as an important resource when searching for background information on companies.  Not only can you determine their size, location and employment needs, you can also discern corporate culture by way of that company’s social media presence.

But effective research also includes the traditional channels of word-of-mouth referrals and networking. Though the internet does reveal plenty of information about clients, face-to-face conversations are still the best when it comes to learning about their needs.

Use social media and staffing and recruiting software as just two of many tools to find, communicate with and understand clients and candidates – and more importantly shape your overall staffing plan.