Micro-Blog Recruiting What is it???.....by MC Didone

One of the latest technologies that the Recruiters are using are Micro-blogs. Micro-blogs, by definition, are different than a traditional blog, such as the one you are reading now.

According to Wikipedia “Micro-blogging is a form of multimedia blogging that allows users to send brief text updates (say, 140 characters or fewer) or micromedia such as photos or audio clips and publish them, either to be viewed by anyone or by a restricted group which can be chosen by the user. These messages can be submitted by a variety of means, including text messaging, instant messaging, email, digital audio or the web.”

With the nature of a Micro-blog being limited in characters, the content is different than what one finds in a traditional blog. People use Micro-blogs for both personal and business use. A Micro-blog is a great way for an organization to announce products, services or career opportunities.

There are quite a number of Micro-blogs available to use. The most known appears to be Twitter which has been around for about two and one-half years and has won web awards in the blog category at the 2007 South by Southwest Conference in Austin, Texas.

Plurk is also another Micro-blog platform that integrates video and picture sharing. Jaiku is a Micro-blog platform that incorporates social networking and lifestream service and is by invitation only.

Yammer is a recently launched micro-blogging service that allows users to post updates, follow others and tag content. “Yammer focuses on business, and only individuals with the same corporate email address can join a given network”
As companies come and go, some micro-blogs might come and go as well such as Pownce did. Pownce was a free social networking and micro-blogging site but was closed down following an acquisition by SixApart.

The concept of micro-blogging, however, is here to stay and can be an invaluable tool to get corporate messages and career opportunities out into the community and start a “following” of candidates for current and future opportunities.

Stay tuned for my next blog installment discussing Social Networking and Recruiting…

The author of this article has been with the North America Recruitment team for approximately five years and can be reached at mc.didone@oracle.com

Miracles of Communication – By Prashant Singh

We are living in an increasingly globalised world today. The world has become smaller due to the miracles of communication. Barriers of distances, languages, and cultures have all been overcome by today’s technology. This means of better communication essentially means that we have become more accustomed to communicating with the outside world, for example you can apply for jobs anywhere across the world through various channels like: Blogs, Linkedin, Twitter, etc…. This has helped millions of us to get in touch with the right people and also for the right job opportunities.

The miracles of communication can be used to our advantage for getting better and the right jobs across globe. Any rewards or appreciation from your past work history may make a huge difference in your profile. Not every opportunity that you come across would be the right fit for you, but you can definitely make a difference in your career with the right approach and communication. These days you have an option to get in touch with the concerned recruiters through Blogs, Linkedin, Twitter, etc… and get their contact number and speak to them regarding a position, role, and responsibility in detail before you send your resume. You will also get to understand if your profile will be the best fit or get an option of some other opening that might be best suited for you. Communicating your aspirations is another very essential aspect when you apply for a job. Expressing and communicating your thoughts for that particular job will lead to a better prospect in your career goals as well as any organisational goals.

Communicating through the right channels would create miracles in your career.
The author of this article can be contacted at prashant.x.singh@oracle.com

Oracle is Ranked #35 of the Top 50 Recruiters Using Twitter

I was surprised to find a list put together by TheRecruitersLounge.com which listed The Top 50 Recruiters on Twitter. I was more surprised to find that I was listed at #35 of the Top 50 Recruiters using Twitter.

Twitter is a great tool that allows people to connect with each other and share ideas/comments/thoughts, etc.... I do use it for Recruiting, however I find that it is so much more useful than just being a way to search for/identify candidates. Through Twitter I have had the opportunity to meet some great people and have found information and conversations happening that I would otherwise not have access to.

As I wrote in our Blog Entry on January 5th Using Twitter to Land a Job: Real Life Examples .

Twitter is "changing (the) way that companies and candidates are now using Social Networking Tools to connect with each other. I do not believe tools like Twitter have gained widespread acceptance in the Recruitment Industry yet (I stress the word yet as it is becoming more mainstream) but it is quickly becoming a more viable tool and will soon be common practice in Recruitment. To stay connected with candidates companies will need to integrate these tools into their recruitment strategies and be less reliant on using job boards and traditional means of recruitment to attract top candidates."

My Twitter ID if you want to connect is http://twitter.com/DavidTalamelli

Using Twitter to Land a Job: Real Life Examples

As readers of our blog may know I am an advocate of Web 2.0 technologies and Social Networking Tools - specifically as it applies to Job Searching and Recruitment.

I have just read an article by Jonelle Marte titled “Twitter Yourself a Job .

Jonelle Marte writes "Looking for a new job, Alexa Scordato didn't email or call her contacts about possible openings. Instead, she messaged them via the social-networking Web site Twitter.com.

Her brief message: "Hey there! Looking for a Social Media job up in Boston. Are you guys doing any entry level hires?"

Within a week, she had an interview. Within two weeks, she had a job.

...It's been criticized as a site for sharing mundane details about everyday activities. But people like 22-year-old Ms. Scordato, who used Twitter to privately message some people she'd met at a conference, show the site can be more than that.

"I would guess that if I had just sent them a long email with my résumé, I might not have gotten a response as fast as I did," says Ms. Scordato, who was hired by Mzinga, a Boston-area company that helps businesses use social technology.""

This is a fantastic example of the changing way that companies and candidates are now using Social Networking Tools to connect with each other. I do not believe tools like Twitter have gained widespread acceptance in the Recruitment Industry yet (I stress the word yet as it is becoming more mainstream) but it is quickly becoming a more viable tool and will soon be common practice in Recruitment. To stay connected with candidates companies will need to integrate these tools into their recruitment strategies and be less reliant on using job boards and traditional means of recruitment to attract top candidates.

My Twitter ID if you want to connect is http://twitter.com/DavidTalamelli

Is Twitter (twitter.com) the new LinkedIn

I started using LinkedIn just over two years ago and it was one of the first of the social networking tools that I started using regularily in the day to day responsibilities of my job. LinkedIn now has over 20+ million using the site and the number is growing exponentially. It seems LinkedIn is mentioned in almost every conversation about online networking and in ANZ it has become a much more widely accepted recruitment tool than it once used to be.

Since LinkedIn, we hear more and more about Social Networking Tools and Web 2.0 technology. Over the past few years I have been invited to join countless networks (plaxo, spoke, facebook, myspace, oldfriends etc.......) and I find that it is too much to try to be on every network that is out there. Outside of regional networks (for example oldfriends.co.nz in New Zealand) I tend to use 3 main sites which are:

1) LinkedIn - usedmainly for work and professional contacts
2) Facebook - used for work, professional, family and friends
3) Spoke - used as a tool for performing targetted search and selection.

I find many of the other sites available replicate the information provided from these sites. One site however that I have been hearing a fair bit about lately is Twitter (twitter.com). A number of people I have spoken to think that Twitter is the next generation of Online Social Networking sites. I have signed up for it earlier this week and while I have not had an in-depth look into it, from first glance it looks very similar to the other sites out there - so I am not sure where all the hype is coming from.

I think it partially maybe due to the fact that the uptake of these sites in ANZ is usually 12-18 months behind the US so it may be that this site is not as widely accepted or broadcast yet locally - but if anyone is using Twitter or has comments/suggestions about it, I would love to hear your thoughts.