CHAPTER 1

Introduction to the HandbookWhat's in it for you?

Your business is only as great as your people. You've got a uniqueproduct or an outstanding service; you've got the infrastructureto deliver it; you're ready to take your organization to the next level. Sohow do you find the best people to get you there? Where are candidateshiding? These days, the answer is simple: they're online, just likeeveryone else! But finding that one qualified candidate among themillions of users who are telling the world who they are and what theycan do via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and dozens of other socialnetworking sites can seem like searching for that proverbial needle inthe haystack. Where do you even begin?

We at hyrebuzz have spent countless hours seeking to leverage themost easy-to-use, powerful, inexpensive, and all-around best socialnetworking tools to help with recruiting, and we've written thishandbook to share what we've learned with you. If you are recruitingin the twenty-first century, you need to use social networks to youradvantage. By using social media, you will find that you can

• enhance your organization's brand recognition as an employerof choice;

• identify qualified candidates more quickly, efficiently, andinexpensively than ever before;

• recruit passive applicants who otherwise would not knowof your openings—there are more than one hundred millionprofiles on the large social media sites;

• target applicants based on such characteristics as geographicallocation, education, and skills;

• net more qualified candidates in less time;

• make it easier for candidates to contact you and apply for ajob;

• obtain more information about a candidate than what is on arésumé or curriculum vitae;

• compare what is on a candidate's résumé or curriculum vitaeto what is on his or her social media pages; and

• better screen for organizational and cultural fit before theinterview.

As you well know, filling positions isn't a one-way street. Socialnetworks won't just help you choose the right people; they'll helpensure that the right people choose you. You'll make a good firstimpression on those candidates whom you interview by showing themthat your organization uses the most efficient and contemporary toolsavailable.

While social networks are relatively simple to use and require nocash outlay to access, they do require time and energy. And if youchoose to use social networks to their best possible advantage, it willcost you money to pay someone to maintain the networks or evenenhance them through design and multimedia. Each site is different,and weaving them together effectively requires that you understandhow to leverage the many and varied tools available, even as siteschange by the second.

But now you're no longer out to sea in the social media storm. Thishandbook takes the many options and presents them in a simple,instructional, and easy-to-read format.

As you take the next steps toward online recruiting, stay connectedwith hyrebuzz. In the ever-evolving social network landscape, thereis no way to keep a printed guide current, so we are making updatesavailable through our website: www.hyrebuzz.com. Be a part ofkeeping us up to the minute! If you have information that others willfind useful or questions about the handbook, please share with us.

And know that hyrebuzz goes far beyond our handbook. We're hereto expand your recruiting versatility through training, consultation,advice, support, and other resources. If you or your colleagues wantto keep expanding on what you've learned from this handbook, visitour website at www.hyrebuzz.com.

So start turning pages—and start finding the best people to fit yourorganization.

Getting StartedHow to use this handbook

You've picked up this handbook because you recognize the valueof social media when it comes to recruiting and you want to takegreater advantage of this powerful tool.

To help you leverage social media toy our organization's advantage, wewill show you, step-by-step, how to become a user of the major socialnetworking sites and how to maximize their efficiency and efficacy.

This handbook is straightforward and pared down; you can read itcover to cover or zero in on the sections that address your specificneeds.

As you proceed through this handbook, you'll find step-by-stepinstructions for creating social media pages, which appear in the formof step checklists to help you track your progress. To the right of eachstep checklist is space for you to make notes in advance or as youprogress. For instance, you might want to jot down a blog address toinclude on a social media page or highlight a suggested change to yourwebsite that will allow it to sync with your social media page.

Read through all the steps before you begin setting up the social mediapages so that you are prepared in advance. By having your digital filesand content ready, you can quickly and easily go through all of thesteps at one time.

You'll find potential pitfalls in using social media highlighted withthis symbol—!!—so you can take special care to avoid them. We'lluse this symbol—$$—to let you know when you have to pay for aservice or feature. But don't worry; most of the options we'll discussare free of charge. You'll also find all the tools and terms specificto social media listed at the back of the handbook in the glossary,which you can refer to as you read and implement the...