Last week, Bernard Hodes Group’s Director of Sourcing and Social Strategy Jim Stroud closed out the Social Recruiting Strategies Conference (SRSC) in Chicago with a discussion on recruiting via niche networks. He talked about the number of niche social networks out there (too many to count), research on where and how many resumes can be found online and how to determine which networks are really worth your time.
Niche Networks for Sourcing, Recruiting
With so many social sites out there, it may be difficult for you to determine if specific niche networks are worth it, in terms of sourcing and recruiting candidates. While the short answer is ‘yes,’ there are three specific questions you should ask yourself before diving in.
1. Are there a significant number of relevant users for me to recruit? This should be your first consideration and a no-brainer at that. If you’re using niche networks to recruit individuals for a niche position, you have to determine if the site is home to a significant number of potential candidates that will fit your opportunity and company. If the answer is ‘no,’ move on.
2. Does the site get high volumes of traffic, with growth trending up? Even if the niche networks you’ve seen or heard about do have a large number of members, you still must think about site traffic and the future. If it’s not frequently visited with no growth in sight, it’s probably not worth your time.
3. Is the community active? As with all social networks, the whole idea of niche networks is that they are essentially active communities of people with like interests, experiences and backgrounds – key word being active. Even if the site you’re eyeing has passed the first two tests, ultimately you must base your decision on this. A network with thousands of members and lots of traffic will do you no good if the people aren’t talking (to you and each other).
While these three questions are necessary for determining which niche networks are worth your time and which are better left untouched, your decision to source and recruit from a social network should ultimately be based on your current needs and what will work best for your organization.
Do you use niche networks to source candidates for your opportunities? Tell us which have worked best for you.
Image: Earls37a/Flickr
Author: Autumn McReynolds
Autumn McReynolds is a master of communication, and with two years in the recruiting industry and over five years of experience in journalism and content creation, she was thrilled to take her career in a new direction as a Blogger and Content Strategist focused on talent acquisition in the digital age. In addition to writing, Autumn spends her time managing social media accounts for business and pleasure. Follow her on Twitter @AutumnMcRey.
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