Heather Gardner’s Recruiting Bloggity Blog

When you stop to think about it, perception is an extremely powerful branding tool.  It can make or break you. It never ceases to amaze me how well social media enables us to brand ourselves, our company and/or our service. 

But there are some downsides to branding and perception via social media.

Here’s my story:

A few weeks ago, I received a note from Twitter that @Tweet05 (not his real name to protect his identify) was following me.

I always check profiles before clicking to follow back – there have been some strange tweets out there that I want no part of. 

My first impression of @Tweet05 was based on:

1. Hip looking custom Twitter background (not like the boring clouds I have)

2. Intriguing bio w/ fancy photo. Borderline unbelievable but I trusted it’s truth

3. MANY followers, but he only followed a handful – under 5

“Wow! @Tweet05 looks pretty interesting.  With so many followers @Tweet05 must be extraordinary with amazing tweets about ‘must have’ information,” were my immediate thoughts.  I’ll be honest with you, I was kind of flattered.

So, I did what most of us would do. I clicked the follow back button. 

Within a seconds, I was dumped by @Tweet05.  The marriage was over as quickly as it begun.  

It was as if Tweet05 had written some kind of bot code to “auto-dump” it’s followers.  DUMPED!   No more web 2.0 between @Tweet05 and @heathergardner.  I had been cut off from all @interaction.

On Twitter, your followers and who you follow speak to who you are. Let’s face it, you can tell who puts the energy in to “nurture” their Twitter relationships. I’m proud of the diverse network of tweets and have built some genuine and solid professional/personal relationships via this 140 characters forum.  I’m not there for purely a high number of followers, but rather “connections”. I follow a lot of very talented individuals that share a lot of knowledge and resources in their tweets.  I love the web 2.0 back and forth banter and appreciate every single unique one of them.  I find myself in a deep communication and idea exchange on many occasions.

@Tweet05 used me to inflate a perception and persona.  I felt slighted, like a dumped girlfriend.

So I did what any girl would do in my same situation. I dumped @Tweet05 right back!

After all, what good is web 2.0 without the two way interaction – doesn’t it then become web 1.0?

So let’s hear it… what would you do?   

It’s Independance day and I can think of no better way to spend it than with family and friends.  My daughter Claire chose to ride her razor in the West Lake Pond Parade, while my son Jackson rode in a two seater wagon with his buddy Shea.  As usual, it was a fun family adventure mixed with friends we hadn’t seen in a while and some professional networking - it’s always a nice crowd!

Yes, that’s Jason (my husband) wearing an Old School Republican shirt.  I’m not sure how well that went over in Santa Cruz!   And yes, that’s my 2 year old son Jackson with a red faux-hawk perched on his shoulders.  As you can tell we really get into our Holiday decor! 

After a short pause for naptime, we will hit the BBQ scene at the family farm.  This will be another mix of family and friends with tons of food!

From my virtual world to yours, I wish you ALL a happy and safe holiday.  I do wonder how you plan to spend your 4th of July?

I can’t tell you how many times (it’s too high to count) I hear different objections surrounding the use of Web 2.0 Social Media as a business tool. 

“BUT” I don’t know how it would work with my business.

“BUT” it seems too complicated.

“BUT” I don’t have time to figure out how it works.

Here’s my story of Social Media and it’s great affects:

$ $ $ Dave Mendoza $ $ $

Okay, most of you know the story of how Dave Mendoza made me RICH – if not, take a look at my archives.  BUT did you know that Dave Mendoza added to my savings account yet again? 

Dave recently published a blog interview he had with me.  It was a two part and produced some amazing response from his readers.  One professional recruiter in particular contacted me as a result of his blog. 

After our initial correspondence, this recruiter discovered an upset within her current organization and reacted by sharing it with me.  Within days I had her interviewing with my company - her second and third interviews happened nearly immediately, followed by an accepted job offer. 

As recruiters we are paid on results. A hire like this = $$$$ in my bank account - Thanks again to DAVE MENDOZA and his powerful blog.

@Twitter

Twitter.  The name is even kind of cute & catchy.  Twitter is a micro blogging tool, more powerful than many new Tweets realize.  I’ll share just one of many examples.   

A few weeks ago, my in-laws had trouble with their Comcast Digital Voice, Cable and Internet service.  For lack of better words, all of their services went down completely for weeks.  While listening to my husband on the telephone coaching his father via cell, I tweeted this:

http://twitter.com/heathergardnerlistening to my husband argue about how to deal with comcast digital voice/cable/Internet - OMG… 09:01 PM May 18, 2008 from web”

With an hour, I had received a reply from @comcastcares aka Frank.

The problem was escalated and FIXED within 1.5 days.  Thanks Frank, the twit behind the tweet

facebook

Last week, I posted a tweet asking if “any of my Bay Area Tweets needed Admin’s.” 

Since I have my Twitter account linked to my Facebook, this post automatically populated into my Facebook’s News Feed. 

From Facebook, a friend working for a large Fortune 500 company responded with an “I do.”   An Admin order for our Silicon Valley branch office, with just one tweet into Facebook.

For the naysayer that says, “BUT” I can’t figure out how it can relate to my business, I say take heed!  There are so many ways to learn about how to put it all into place and get solid results. 

The examples I’ve shared are just a few of many.  I have more!!!

Talent Technology is a great start.  They have a wonderful Social Media Web 2.0 Employment Branding Webinar currently downloadable from their website.  It’s one of the most fantastic ones I’ve attended.  Though designed around employment branding, it makes perfect sense for many other business branding.  Check it out.

So for all of you with big “BUT’s”… let’s trim them down.  Social Media should flatter & compliment your business. If it’s not, you’re on the wrong Web 2.0 diet.

Let’s face it, Web 2.0 is quickly becoming the hottest way to market and evangelize your business.  No only is it the most effective way to build a professional network, it’s the fastest. Social networking tools can help build strong relationships, but it’s still an artistry that takes effort to make them effective and fruitful.

Yes, when it comes to professional networking, you may call me promiscuous.  In the past, I’ve been known to network with anyone…. that is, until today.

My recruiting role is all about networking, building and fostering solid professional relationships.  My philosophy has always revolved around complete open networking.  Just ask Valerie Gonyea, recruiter at RHI and one of my favorite Tweets.  She can speak first hand about our open debate regarding “open” versus “closed” networking.  Valerie is far more conservative with those she allows into her network than I am.

BUT, now I am drawing the line in the sand and setting up rules for engagement.

The countless invitations to connect on LinkedIn via faceless profiles, the infamous “canned invite,” hidden connections, no endorsements and profiles lacking substance has got to cease.  I want to get to know you better before jumping into a professional relationship. 

This isn’t a blind date.

Social media has enabled us to simulate and portray ourselves however we choose.  The public persona is an amazing branding tool, but it has it’s limitations if not populated just right or if left blank.

How does that saying go “top talent attracts other top talent”?   

So, don’t you want put a little business value into your online profile before extending your offer to connect?  After all, if you were going out to a face to face networking event, you’d “put your best foot forward” rather than showing up in a dingy sweat outfit and ski mask?  Am I right? LOL.

Before sending your next invitation to connect, keep in mind the person on the other end.  Are they after a quickie connection in order to increase their network numbers?   Or, are they like myself and into long term professional relationships?  How will you know with that “canned invite”?

So I’ve decided to take a stance.  Show some good value proposition!  I will, however, accept your faceless “canned invite” on one condition:

“I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours.”  (I’m talking about your LinkedIn connections here)

What say you?  Shall we dance?

Great article that mentions Patti Wilson of the Wendesday Job Group

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Could this subject it be anymore of a hot button these days for the Corporate Business?    Not all, but many businesses are feeling uncertainty of how Social Media can effect their bottom line - either by employee non-performance or viral marketing.   Are our employees using it for personal reasons or are they prospecting for new business, talent or mind share? 

Jacob Morgan  recently asked a question on LinkedIn regarding how businesses are dealing with Social Networking.  I couldn’t resist the urge to answer:

“Social Media is an excellent tool for business – from marketing, promotion, business development, networking, branding, sales and the list could go on forever.

As a recruiter I use social networking as a tool to network, gain valuable knowledge, market and brand myself and/or my services. It’s a rapid trend that is only beginning and obviously creating a nice buzz while gaining in momentum.

Businesses may want to think open minded on how the benefits and features of social media can help them for both short and long term gains. Why not be a leader and master its uses with successful results before the competition does it?

Twitter is such a useful tool to convey everything from your marketing message, update on current blog posts or to network with local talent. If done right, your 140 micro blog post on Twitter can help convey a personality image or offer immediate updates with your clients and prospects that an otherwise direct mailer couldn’t possibly do – and it will set you apart from the rest of the pack while costing you little to none.

To the employee using social media to successfully accomplish their business objectives with highly effective results, I say “FABULOUS!”

I love the social media and business concept and believe strongly the results are there and only growing. “

You can read the rest of the answers here.  Most of them frown upon Social Media in the workplace but they do offer a different perspective and insight.  We are in the Web 2.0 world now and businesses need to embrace it!  Social Media is the latest in savvy business tools.

Are you a recruiter, job seeker, sales or marketing professional using Web 2.0? If you aren’t, you’d better. 

Last week, Travis Arnold of Sendouts asked this public question on LinkedIn Questions & Answers.  Since I am a recruiter who actively uses social media as a recruitng and networking tool, it was interesting reading the responses Travis’s question elicited.  Of course I couldn’t resist the urge to add my own Answer.

It brings up a lot of questions about how fruitful the new social media has to offer businesses in general. It’s my opinion that recruiting, job hunting, business development, product or service promotion, marketing… is all about having good networking skills and abilities to evangelize your vision, product or service.  Whether it’s using online tools, where you can grow a large targeted niche network in rapid time, or be it face to face events, it’s all the same concept - building a vast network of talent, consumers, and/or customers.

I regularly use Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn as a continual way to build my professional network for the best recruiting and networking results possible.  The passive candidate and all their business associates and friends can be found on at least one of the social media forums.

It was really  after reading “I’m on Facebook, Now What?”  by Jason Alba & Jesse Stay that I was enlightened to the huge professional power Facebook has to offer. 

Facebook introduces me to a wide range of talent that might not be on LinkedIn and there are many Facebook professional groups that offer me a huge networking and knowledge sharing pool. Creating as many solid recruiting sources that I can continue to build professional relationships with is the only way to ensure my recruiting success.  If you are already on Facebook, find and add me to your friend list http://profile.to/heathergardner/ I am always up for professional networking in any medium I can.

Twitter is one of the coolest ways to gain social networking knowledge and power. There are quite a few professional bloggers and celebrities that I interact with to gain the best and most up-to-date information on the social networking world and current topics for conversation.  I’d rate Twitter as one of the most “hip” and fast growing social media’s out there today.  Twitter followers have developed some of the coolest applications and the mind share is nothing short of amazing.  It’s micro-blogging at it’s BEST!  You can follow me at http://twitter.com/heathergardner

Lastly I mention LinkedIn.  If you aren’t on LinkedIn these days, where are you professionally?  Really - get your profile up and live - I’ve made mine public for maximun exposure - click here to view.  LinkedIn offers an excellent resource for viewing professional profiles - it is not a job board, but you can for a fee post job opportunities.  Depending on your network, you can search a plethera of great talent.  LinkedIn is not as interactive as Facebook and Twitter.  Infact you face a harsh suspension penalty if you don’t play by their rules of engagement when attempting direct contact. 

I suggest joining some of the fabulous LinkedIn groups as a way to actively network with others.  My favorite groups are My LinkedIn Power Forum (MLPF) or Dave Mendoza’s SixDegrees group. See my LinkedIn profile for the links to join these groups.

For more information about using the Web 2.0 as a recruiter, please take a look at the LinkedIn Question that prompted this blog post: Are recruiters using Web 2.0?  Not only can you read the Question and Answers first hand,  you find the links to my recommendations for Experts in this topic.

Happy social networking to you!

Excellent article for US News & World Report on how to use social networking to boost your sales. Jason Alba talks about using social networking as a business tool.   

Jason is not only an expert in social networking, his company JibberJobber offers active job seekers a great CRM tool. 

www.jibberjobber.com

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How do you ask? Please let me explain…

As some of you know in this group, to me the LinkedIn invitation is like the greatest professional gift I could receive. The potential opportunity of each connection is limitless anyway I look at it. I’m all about the long term possibilities with each person I connect with and I take full responsibility of nurturing my connections over the long term.

On Monday, Dave Mendoza added me to his top ten list at his website:

www.sixdegreesfromdave.com

How flattered was I! What an honor to be mentioned within a website that features a lot of great talent! There are even quite a few fellow MLPF members on there too.

I didn’t fully understand the impact of this gift. Yes, I said it, gift. My LinkedIn connections have DOUBLED since last Monday…. And still counting!

The really great thing about these connections is that we all share a commonality and interest in professional networking for greater knowledge and of course we are all a part of the Six Degrees LinkedIn group. You wouldn’t believe some of the amazing backgrounds I have been introduced to this past week.

When I joined MLPF, I had not idea the types of relationships that I would forge – yet I have built some really solid connections in a relatively short period of time and there are more to come.

Think about it. You join a network with 8500+ strangers, people you don’t know “yet”. And then boom, you get a wealth of friendships, knowledge, book recommendations, blog recommendations, wonderful and helpful advice and support……..

We all know that it would be virtually impossible for me to build a one on one relationship with each one of these new connections from Dave overnight –the time it took me to write a note back to each invite was time consuming in itself.

But, each one of these, really terrific connections represents a rich future opportunity. Why, one of these new connections could very well be my next employer, my next client, my next hot candidate, the hiring manager at a company one of my MLPF friends is targeting…… oh the list of possibilities just keeps growing….

This much richer recruiter is very thankful – the mortgages out here in California are expensive and I know that in the future, my two kids (1 and 6) will be in college – see I’m thinking ahead in my personal life too. The richness affects both.

Best regards,

Heather Gardner
“Wealthy” Recruiter
831-464-1041
heathermgardner@comcast.net

http://www.linkedin.com/in/heathergardner
Facebook: http://profile.to/heathergardner/
Follow me: http://twitter.com/heathergardner

Heidrick & Struggles is hoping to attract C-level execs for its new site, promising privacy and the chance to look at candidates quickly

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