I’ve never really appreciated the writing style that starts with a dictionary definition of a term or a speaker who starts by saying, “According to Webster…“ and then states the obvious. I usually resist the temptation to use the dictionary as a reference for anything other than to confirm that my stupid spell-checker was programmed by an illiterate high school dropout. Exceptions to this rule happen only when there is a thought so puzzling in my mind that my muse sends me there to focus on a new slant for a topic. This is one of those points. I live on social media and I am a recruiter. The term social recruiting came into my vocabulary years ago because it came trippingly off the tongue and made total sense to me. Then I began having discussions about what this really meant, saw people saying that it meant different things, and began wondering if I should ask Mr. Funk and Mr. Wagnall to help me out. Â
- Pleasant company with friends or associates (an active social life) – The main purpose of talent acquisition may not be to make friends, but finding friendly common ground for discussion makes this happen. To introduce clients to new associates for a long lasting relationship is definitely social in nature.
- Related to or designed for sociability (a social club) – Talent communities in the wild are amorphous groupings of sometimes leaderless people with common interests, needs and passions. Entering this clique with an element of sharing common goals and objectives would also seem to fit the social definition.
- The interaction of individuals or groups for the welfare of human beings (social institutions) – There is a reference to social media somewhere in this meaning. Outlets that aid people in communicating their thoughts (Twitter), connecting with friends (Facebook), or reaching out professionally (LinkedIn) give a closer definition of social recruiting. Any means of communicating with other people for this purpose is social.
- Living and breeding in more or less organized communities (social insects) – Watching bees or ants follow their pre-programmed existence is called social even though it is totally mindless. The higher order of animals… for example, we humans… has the ability to impact the social order of things. Recruiting is a constant challenge to find that niche for someone that will be the perfect place to make a working contribution for meaningful rewards.
- Related or based on rank or status in a particular society (a member of our social set) – Extending the concept of rank or status to application of skills and experience to fit into an organization makes this aspect of recruiting also social in nature. We tend to think of business relationships as different from social contacts, but we still have interpersonal relationships and recruiting is a facilitator of these matchups.
- Being in social situations (a social drinker) – Reaching out to hidden talent means recruiters need to go into social situations to listen, learn and lure candidates into hearing the message of our clients. The line at Starbucks is a recruiting opportunity. The ASQ group on LinkedIn is a recruiting opportunity. Inclusion in social situations is a winner.
Noticing that the next entry on the page is Social Disease, maybe I have just proved my point that dictionary references should be avoided at all costs. The points highlighted do reinforce the idea that recruiting is in every aspect of the term, social! People who say that social recruiting is not effective are probably talking about the narrow approach of using only social media to recruit… and I agree that is usually a very shallow methodology. Pulling out all the stops and using social media along with other people interactions allows for all aspects of social to work. Look carefully for any signs of life in people critical of all social recruiting as they are probably not really human. Recruiting is about people. People are social beings.