Jessica Miller-MerrellTwitter is a micro-blogging and social media tool that although simple with messages posted in 140 characters or less is equally just complex. One of the most effective ways to meet and engage with new Twitter users and prospective candidates is through the use of hash tags. These are the libraries of Twitter. Users self organize, identify, and catalogue their tweets. Other Twitter users take advantage of those that catalogue their posts and view content by topic and hash tag either through the search option on Twitter or by creating search columns on third party Twitter tools like HootSuite and TweetDeck.
I’ve written about the top hashtags for HR on Twitter. As a reference point, here are the top ten:
However, HR must often source for diverse talents. When recruiting on twitter, you can reach just about any type of person. Today I want to focus on 7 niche communities within Twitter that may be where your candidate reads.
Recruiters can use these hash tags below to follow conversations of very specific audiences and engage those users for the purposes of recruiting and sourcing job seekers. Here are 7 niche hash tag anyone hiring can use to build relationships and recruit job seekers through social media.
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- #hirefriday. A popular Twitter chat held on Fridays at 12:00 PM EST called Hire Friday, which helps job seekers network with other job seekers and recruiters. This chat gathers much of the #hfchat community as well. Be sure to check out , another hash tag for recruiters and job seekers to connect.
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- #internpro. A Twitter chat hosted on Mondays at 9:00 PM EST focused on interns and college students who are entering the professional world or have questions on how to obtain an internship.
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- #usguys. A fun Twitter community for those interested in marketing and social media topics. This group serves me well answering specific questions about marketing and social media very quickly is very active. From this hash tag, I’ve developed some great friendships and learned valuable tips from this Twitter community.
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- #custserv. The hash tag provides great information and conversation around customer service. This is a great place to engage some of the top thought leaders in this space and source for passive job seekers in the customer service community.
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- #jobhuntchat. The first Twitter chat for job seekers hosted Mondays at 10:00 PM EST. Also a great place to view job seeker specific content and build relationships with active job seekers from all industries.
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- #govchat. This hash tag houses a government and public service focused chat Wednesdays at 8:00 PM. For recruiters looking to build relationships with this audience, this hash tag presents a unique opportunity. Companies who are looking to service this industry should join in and use the hash tag to network and build business relationships.
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- #jobs /#jobs and location. Either of these hash tags are great for job posting distribution for positions at your company. Consider including your city’s hash tag or position qualifications further targeting specific job seekers. For example, if you are looking for Ruby developers in Dallas, your tweet should include the hash tags: #jobs, #job, #dfw or #Dallas, and #ruby. Don’t forget to include the link to your specific job opening.
Twitter can be used not only as an effective engagement tool to reach and meet a very specific and targeted audience, but is also a fantastic sourcing and search tool. Hash tags for recruiting top talent can be used both ways. It’s important to research your audience and use hash tag lists (like this crowd sourced Twitter Chat Listing) to begin engaging and looking for the hash tags that best fit your specific company recruitment strategy.
Jessica Miller-Merrell, SPHR is a HR consultant, new media strategist, and author who writes at Blogging4Jobs. Jessica is the host of Job Search Secrets, an internet television show for job seekers. If you enjoyed this article, check out “How Companies Use Social Media to Recruit Candidates” or “How Social Media Changes HR.” Photo Credit JohnHaydon
Lee Ann Prescott
