Interview with Craig Fisher: How do you use Twitter for recruiting?

Today as part of an ongoing series I had the opportunity to ask my friend Craig Fisher how he uses Twitter in his recruiting efforts.

Craig Fisher

Craig, Co-Founder of A-List Solutions and a veteran sales leader in the staffing and recruiting industry, was gracious enough to allow me to spend some time grilling interviewing him about how he uses Twitter as an integral part of his recruiting practice.

How do you use Twitter in your recruiting efforts?

I use Twitter in multiple ways for recruiting.  I use my personal Twitter account, @Fishdogs, to follow and network with prospective candidates and clients.

I post things that would be interesting to job seekers and employers/recruiters, and I have discussions, take polls, listen, and assist those in need; all on Twitter.  I also do these things to a lesser extent from my corporate Twitter presence.

But, Twitter doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

I refer my Twitter network to my LinkedIn and Facebook groups, my blog, company blog, job orders, etc. – and I have lots of phone conversations with my network, as well.  All of these activities combine the brand Craig Fisher as a helpful expert in my field and my company as a go-to resource for staffing services and social recruitment training.

Have you found success meeting new candidates on Twitter?

Ummm…YEAH!

Sometimes it can be hard to gauge just how effective Twitter is in growing our candidate pool.

But, aside from the many candidates I actively network with on Twitter, analytics tell me that Twitter is a huge traffic driver to our company web site and job board.  I get direct referrals from posting jobs on Twitter, and I get friendly referrals on Twitter every week. A significant percentage of those who apply for our clients’ jobs find us directly through Twitter.

What are you doing that’s working well?

Branding and active participation.

The branding comes naturally if you participate in the conversation; and you help and promote others.

You have to listen, contribute, reply, and retweet on a regular basis! Notice that only one of those things has much to do with you.

I am careful to pepper my tweets with a dose of humor and humanity about me as a person.  Otherwise; I make it about others.  As I’m prone to say…you can’t just post jobs – or what you had for lunch – and expect the referrals to come a runnin’!

How has your approach evolved over time?

I started out posting mostly about blogging, graphic design, template customization; things to help you get your presence online.

I’m quite passionate about those things, and I’m also passionate about helping people find jobs and network more successfully.

So, those original initiatives just became a smaller part of a much larger effort to post helpful info for job seekers and employers.  And of course – that includes a healthy dose of Twitter information.

Twitter LOVES to hear about Twitter!

What advice would you give to people who want to use Twitter in their job search efforts?

Use the same tools that recruiters use to find and network with job seekers.

The rules are the same.

Use Tweepsearch, Twitter Grader, and other similar tools to find recruiters and employers in your area.

Then, engage with them and let them see that you, too, are an expert in your field. And go where the recruiters go!

Search the hashtags that are #HR and recruiting related.  Participate or listen in on their forums like #TalentNet (www.talentnetlive.com).  Make the recruiters in your network aware of your job search.  Be specific about what you seek.  Ask for help when you need it.  And don’t be afraid to give friendly reminders.  Squeaky wheels are welcome in the Twitterverse.

If there is anyone who knows his way around recruiting and social media, it’s Craig!

For more information you can find Craig on Twitter– and I highly recommend that you check out his blog!

You can also find Craig on #talentnetlive the last Wednesday of each month from 9:00 to 11:00 pm Eastern time on Twitter by searching for and following #TNL.