Internet Recruiting Techniques

Following are some key techniques that you might want to consider when recruiting on the Internet. Enjoy!

• Netiquette - This is the main, most important, how-to-stand-out-from-other-recruiters technique there is. The Internet is a culture, one which has it's own standards for proper behaviour and pleasant interactions. Yes, there is free speech and all that jazz, but it's a fact that you will be far more successful at Internet Recruiting if you follow these few rules.

• No Mass Mailing. You need to ensure that any recipients of your email would truly be interested in your services. Targeted email, yes, but mass mailing is a big no-no. After all, why run the risk of having your email account mail-bombed when the alternative can present your business in a positive fashion?
• No posting jobs to non-jobs newsgroups. Internet newsgroups are there for the exchange of information between professionals. Systems administrators, for example, do NOT want to hear of your job opportunity in their newsgroup - if they are searching, they'll check out the jobs newsgroups or locations like the Unix Guru Universe.
• No illegal gathering of candidate names. If you collect names on your website for future mailings, let your visitors know. Doing this without consent just isn't good business - someone might discover this and let your clients know.
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• Newsgroup Postings - When posting your jobs to the Internet Jobs newsgroups, make your article stand out from the other recruiters. Instead of posting a title of "NJ - Systems Administrator", try to be more descriptive like "NJ - Systems Administrator, NT, Exchange, Firewalls." This way, your posting will show the specifics on the title line itself (which is what is first seen when people read news). Additionally, it might give you higher relevancy when your posts are added to the resume databanks that use such things.
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• Mailing Lists - Mailing lists exist in virtually all areas of interest. Thing is, it's considered extremely bad form to just barge in and start offering jobs to the members. Instead, once you find a promising mailing list, contact the owner first, introduce yourself, and ask permission to tell the members how you can benefit them. Many candidates are quite jaded about the sincerity of recruiters, so if you can demonstrate that you view them more than just money machines, you'll stand out from the rest of your competitors. One place to look for mailing lists is Listz.
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• Free Information - When designing your recruiting website, several topics will ensure that your site attracts the kind of people you want. One of them is free information! Everyone loves receiving something for nothing! Topics you can include on your site might be how to interview effectively, how to write a resume, what makes a good recruiter stand out from the rest, etc. Addtionally, this gives other sites a reason to link to you.

For more ideas, please see The Internet Recruiting Edge.
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