Warning: NSFL. You’ve seen the acronym NSFW. Don’t worry, this post is perfectly safe for work. It’s just Not Safe For Lazy! We’ve all seen the lazy applicants, don’t be a lazy recruiter. Ok so let’s get at it! Talent sourcing today is not just about finding the right talent, Recruiting today draws upon a variety of strategies to stay ahead of the game. Forbes outlines “The 9 Hottest Trends In Corporate Recruiting“, including Talent Branding. Carry your brand across all networks. Not just your company webpage. If you have a kick-ass website but your brand falls apart across Linked-in, what good is using Linked-in at all? It’s not going to be a useful tool if you don’t use it as a branding tool, just like your website. All your pages should carry your employer brand: from your company website to the Linked-in Company page, to Linked-in Showcase pages if you have any, and across to your personal Linked-in profile. Here is a great Nimble webinar “Making Linked-in Your Lead Generating Machine”, that I attended and sourced for some of the tricks below. Sourcing for sales leads and sourcing for talent is not a disparate process, and a lot of the same workflow processes carries through both. Viveca von Rosen is a Linked-in expert that hosts this webinar: Find her on twitter @LinkedInExpert.
1. Make sure your company is properly linked in your profile so the logo shows up. All employees should have the company correctly listed in their profile. In the “Company Name” section, type in the company and click from drop down. This will link to the official Company Page.
2. Add media like video, image, document, or presentation to your Summary. Click “Add Link” or “Upload A File” in the Summary section. This isn’t just to fill up your profile. Why do it if you’re doing it just to do it? Any way you can promote your brand is a way to extend your social reach and convey your talent brand.
3. Copy and paste everything into a word document to fix any spelling and grammatical errors. Great “Ninja Trick” via Vivika von Rosen. Spelling and grammatical errors may not all be caught through your web browser. Using a Word document to proof all sections of your Linked-in profile will keep you from sending the wrong message. “We’re a serious company and want to hire the best people, but…_____” Fill in the blank.
4. Find your talent. Go to the “Advanced Search” section of LinkedIn. Once you find a good search result, save it by clicking “Save Search”.
5. Refine your search by mastering Boolean search modifiers. Here’s a handy-dandy Boolean search cheat sheet from Linked-in.
6. Organize your contacts with tags in linked-in. You can create one tag for all your potential hires or multiples that can quickly determine which jobs corresponds to which candidate. Organize to your needs. You can filter your contacts by tag also. Here’s an easy step-by-step guide to tagging, filtering and setting alerts for your talent pipeline in Linked-in. How To Use Linked-In To Manage A Talent Pipeline.
7. Make your Linked-in profile is easily searchable and keyword-rich. Use keywords in all sections, not just your Headline. The key to keywords: ask yourself “What keywords would I use in a search if I needed to find the top recruiters in Linked-in?” AND look at your competitors. What keywords are they using? You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Just make it yours!
8. Stay engaged in the Linked-in community. Post status updates, join groups and stay active. This will bring more attention to your brand and attract more candidates. Build a presence that will make it easier to engage potential talent who may or may not be actively seeking employment. These are the people you want to consider- the “A Players” that participate in the discussions in certain Groups. Social selling is the way of the most successful Sales people today, and if you’re plugged-in to this community you already are engaged with the people that know how to sell.
Talent sourcing is more than just managing your pipeline, it’s also attracting the right talent via social media. Linked-in is one platform of many that can really boost social presence and reinforce your talent brand. As a recruiter, HR professional, or Hiring Manager, take the time to edit your profile in Linked-in. Don’t be lazy, ’cause that is what will ultimately be portrayed for your company.