Crazy Social Media Recruitment Techniques: Do They Work?

by Josh Tolan


At one time, social media recruiting was a new and daring phenomenon. Now, at least 90 percent of recruiters use social media in the hiring process to find great candidates.

Some companies have even taken social recruiting out on a limb. Instead of using the social platform merely to engage with talent and promote openings, these companies are coming up with some truly out-of-the-box ways to attract talent.

Using skills-based contests to evaluate candidates might be smart, even if it comes in an unconventional package. As noted in a recent Forbes piece, a study by the University of California, Berkeley found that knowledge doubles every two years, and sometimes even every six months. The qualifications on your candidate’s resume might not be as impressive as their current knowledge is today, and contests could help you find a great hidden gem.

But the question remains: how effective are these creative social media recruitment techniques? Can you really find a great candidate from playing a video game, watching a video, or drawing a picture?
Here are some new ways companies have utilized social media to hire and whether these ideas are genius or madness.

Playing video games

You might have heard about watching video resumes to scout talent, but how about using a very different form of video to test candidates?

It might not seem like a video game could tell you all that much about a job applicant, but Israeli company Saatchi & Saatchi would disagree. The company uploaded a video on YouTube asking interested applicants to fire up popular PC game Diablo 3. Applicants would spend a half hour playing the game with the company’s CEO, showing off their creative skills and ability to cooperate.

Takeaway: For a programming job, asking applicants to play against the CEO for an interview opportunity is an interesting idea. The company is clearly looking for a creative, plugged-in applicant. However, limiting the search only to those interested or knowledgeable in one particular gaming platform means the company is potentially losing out on a whole host of other talented candidates.

Want an internship? Draw something

If you’ve wasted hours playing the picture game Draw Something on your iPhone, you might be in luck.

Muse, an advertising agency in Amsterdam, decided to use Draw Something to find what they called “drawesome” interns. Intern candidates would log on to the social gaming service and send their best creative drawing to the company. Then the candidates with the agencies favorite drawings would have a chance at nabbing an internship.

Takeaway: The logic behind this interesting application technique is that clear messages are vital to successful advertising. Whether a candidate is drawing a picture of a pony or Justin Bieber, it’s important they can convey their message both creatively and clearly.
It also helps determine whether or not a candidate would be a good fit for company culture. Despite the fun premise, however, drawing skills don’t tell you much about a candidate’s technical abilities or communication skills. It’s an interesting first step when hiring for a creative position, but a traditional resume or LinkedIn profile will still be necessary.

Blogging for the job - Read more on Blogging for the job and the complete TLNT.com article