The drive for the recognition of me

Increasingly those in the business of recruiting, either corporates or recruitment agencies are looking at the whole social network scene and trying to make use of it in their drive to gain better team members.

Articles and blogs abound on “How to use Facebook/Twitter” to reach people. There is increasing pressure on the person who has to recruit in knowing what to use and how to use various media in the advertising process.

We understand that one company in Sydney does not advertise vacancies. Their staff are encouraged, through an internal network to nominate friends or known associates to the position. The successful referee is awarded $1000 because the expense of advertising has been put aside. That is social networking in its purest form.

But what are the social networking sites all about? It is the recognition of “me”. I want to be noticed. Appreciated. Accepted. Honoured. Heard. These are the basic human emotions and needs which Facebook and Twitter are perceived to provide.

Does our recruitment communication reflect these sought-after values or are we simply announcing a vacant position? A change of emphasis to the humanities in both ad-attitude and placement will draw different and (I believe) better suited candidates.

Geoff Holt