As a recruiter, you may be well versed in social media and its relation to your work and matching clients with jobs. LinkedIn generally is the first source for recruiters when it comes to establishing client links. If you have put off learning more about Google+, then it may be time to dive into Google’s world. You may soon find this social tool as your priority source for recruiting and looking for the best minds in the business.
According to Google’s own blog, this social media network serves 500 million members, of which 235 million use the platform’s various social tools by way of searching for others and giving a “+1” to items in the news stream. This is the network’s version of a Facebook “like,” but it also carries the heft of showing up on Google searches. With this high volume of traffic and exploration among its members, it makes sense to start creating your own “circles,” the account network on Google+.
Practical use: Organize your “circles” based on your groupings of contacts. Hiring managers can be in one circle that you set up. Candidates for job openings can be placed in different circles in your network based on years of experience or strengths. As openings come up, you can instantly pull from these organized circles based on skill sets and qualifications.
The bonus feature of Google’s circles is that you can filter messages to specific circles, so your next email blast does not have to go to everyone in your network. This has marketing potential as you fine-tune your communications with your Google+ circles. Additionally, the “hangouts” feature allows you to call a meeting online. This takes the hassle out of back-and-forth email requests or playing phone tag with clients to set up a meeting.
Practical use: Set the time and date for your next meeting with hiring managers or candidates, send the meeting request and watch those invited come to your online hangout. You could do a group hangout for candidates to begin a vetting process as you meet with them in consideration for future assignments or job openings. You can also invite hiring managers and qualified candidates for a combined meeting.
Getting started on Google+ merely calls for setting up your profile, which you launch through your Gmail account. From there, you can start searching for people or “communities,” a feature where individuals gather for specific topics or create groups of their own. Think about the possibilities of this element as a potential networking boost, connecting with like-minded individuals.
Practical use: You can review members of specific communities looking for possible candidates. You can also create your own group to attract new clients in a community that could turn into a stable of future job candidates.
Google+ trending topics tend to lean on the tech side. People who are actively building their accounts are doing so with an eye toward being on the cutting edge of social media and making the most of this Google-powered social engine. An active Google+ account can help drive online marketing, so both you and your clients can benefit from interacting through the tools Google gives you.
Practical use: Using the network actively could allow you to rise in Google’s search results, building your own credibility as a go-to source for recruiting in attracting more candidates.
With the types of people Google+ attracts these days, you may find it is easier to locate people who could be candidates in emerging job opportunities in technology and other cutting-edge industries. With the number of people registered on Google+ now surpassing those on LinkedIn, this particular social network could soon be your go-to source for potential job candidates. Considering Google’s financing and vast engineering capability, Google+ is set to be the most feature-rich network with the potential to reach more people in the world than Facebook and Twitter combined. Your own recruitment work through Google+ could create new networking opportunities for both you and your clients.
If all this is not enough to convince you to at least include Google+ in your social media strategy, consider that though it is one of the youngest social networks, Google+ has 500 million users, out of which 235 million actively use the network on a regular basis. According to Google’s official blog these numbers make Google+ the fastest growing social network ever. So, it might not such a bad idea to start experimenting with this network now, since one day it may replace Facebook or Twitter in your recruiting efforts.
