As the Boomer Generation prepares to retire, organizations are faced with the sometimes daunting task of ensuring the acquisition of highly skilled talent to fill the vacancies that are created.

Unfortunately, the days when firms can place an ad in newspapers, print trade journals and even simply posting job openings on an organization’s website and be guaranteed a steady influx of qualified applications are long gone.  In order to assure that the best candidates are considered for open positions, recruiting has transitioned from a historically static process to an active one.

Today candidates and organizations alike are branching out and utilizing social networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter for attracting top talent and seeking new opportunities. Both parties, the hiring organization and potential candidates, are ACTIVE participants in this recruitment process.

That being said, is your organization poised to make use of this new and exciting opportunity? If not, there is a lot of great information on the Internet to assist you in these endeavors. This blog by exploreB2B may be a good starting point.

Here are a few pointers that can be helpful on building your presence on social networks in an effort to attract quality candidates.

  • Maintain a strong presence over social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter etc…) with updates, blogs, articles, job postings, etc.
  • Grow your social network and your social network footprint. If you’re not familiar with the ins and outs of social networks, hire professionals for this, it will help your cause in the long run.
  • Join social network groups related to your industry, contribute to discussions, and make your presence known.

Increasing your social network presence allows potential candidates to get a feeling for your organization, culture and expertise before they even apply for a job opening. It also increases your organizational presence among your peers and potential clients. (We’ll be blogging on this in the future.)

As you set out to utilize social networks in talent acquisition, there are a couple of important things that you need to be sure to do.  First, research and familiarize yourself with social networks and find out which social networks your target talent group is utilizing. Speak with your employees or ask individuals that you are currently recruiting to find out where they are connected and where they go for information.  Second, maintain an  active presence on social networks. If you are posting on social networks and blogging, stay current and active as your potential applicant wants to know what you are doing now, not what was happening last month. They also want to read about current thought leadership in your area of expertise.

A well thought out strategy on how to utilize social networks in your talent acquisition goals will enhance your success.  Stay active, have fun and in no time you’ll find that the quality of your applicants for open positions will grow.