I have been using Twitter and just like you fascinated at how Twitter has been a leading forum in reporting the situation in Iran. The US State Department themselves requested Twitter delay scheduled maintenance to avoid disrupting communications among and reporting from Iranian citizens as they gathered in protest.
Twitter has become an unexpectedly powerful tool. As “the technology writer Clive Thompson calls part of what Twitter provides ‘ambient awareness’: by following quick, abbreviated status reports from members of your extended social network, you get a strangely satisfying glimpse of their daily routines…The social warmth of all those stray details shouldn’t be taken lightly.”
So, I asked myself how are companies using Twitter for recruiting purposes? Are they using it to it’s fullest potential? What advantages will these give employers? What advantages do employers have if they take an active and early role using Twitter to have a dialogue with employees?
First, thanks to Job Hunt for doing the research here to compile the below list.
Some comments on the list:
It’s interesting to see which companies in a particular industry are on the list and which are not– Burger King, but not McDonalds. PepsiCo, but not Coca-Cola. Microsoft but not Oracle, Sybase, or Adobe. IBM but not Dell or HP. MTV and WArner Brothers are there, but Disney and Pixar, are not. Intel and EMC are the only manufacturers that made the list.
U.S. Department of State is the only branch of the U.S. Federal Government or ANY American government entity, that is recruiting on Twitter.
This reminds me of another list I complied—CEO’s of companies that are bloggers. That number has gone up, but still only 12% of Fortune 500 companies are blogging.
Food for Thought For HR & Learning Executives
- How are you using Twitter for your own personal use and to explore how to use this to drive more collaboration inside the company?
- How are you using Twitter as a personal learning tool? Check out my earlier post on the subject for more ideas on how to do so.
- Now think forward five years—how will your Human Resources and Corporate Learning department change with the explosion of these new technologies?
My overall take here: Just registering for Twitter account and using this for recruiting is not enough. Companies must be authentic, include real voices of their employees, and engage Millennials in conversations they are already having online. Share your comments with me and if you find an employer’s Twitter recruiting account that is not included, please let me know.
List of Companies Using Twitter for recruiting in alphabetical order:
Employer / Twitter Account
Accenture @Accenture_Jobs
ACULIS, Inc. @aculis
ADP @ADPCareers
Allstate Insurance @AllstateCareers
Assurant Solutions @AssurantCareers
AT&T @ATTjobs
Burger King @BKCareers
comScore @comScoreJobs
Davita, Inc. @DaVitaJobs
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu @JoinDeloitteUS
Ecolab @Ecolab_Jobs
EMC @EMCCareers
EMC @EMCCollege
Ernst & Young @Ernst_and_Young
Follett Software Co. @FSCCareers
Forrester Research, Inc. @forresterjobs
Fullhouse Interactive @fullhousecareer
Hershey Company @HersheyCompany
Hewitt @HewittCareers
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts @Hyattcareers
Hyatt San Antonio @HyattSanAntonio
Intel @JobsatIntel
J.B. Hunt @WeHaveFreight
Kaplan Test Prep Services @KTPA_Careers
Keller Williams Realty @KWCareers
Kissito Post-Acute Care @kissitocareers
KPMG @KPMG
KPMG @KPMGUSCareers
Wipro, LTD @WiproCareers
Kroger @KrogerWorks
LexisNexis @LN_Recruiting
Mattel @MattelRecruiter
Mattel @mattelmba
McCormick & Schmick @Careers_At_MSSR
Microsoft @JobsBlog
MTV Networks @MTVnetworksjobs
MTV Games @MTVGamesJobs
Raytheon @Raytheon_Jobs
Razorfish @RazorfishJobs
Sodexo @SodexoCareers
Spotsylvania Medical Center @CareersAtSRMC
Thomson Reuters @TRCareers
Twitter (of course!) @jobs
United Parcel Service @UPSjobs
UPMC @UPMCCareers
US Dept. of State @DOScareers
Verizon @VerizonCareers
Warner Brothers @WBCareers
Wipro, LTD @WiproCareers
What are your experiences using Twitter for recruiting? Let me know in the comments, or send me a note on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jcmeister.
When used right, Twitter definitely adds value to recruiting. Those who complain that it doesn’t usually don’t understand that one must give value to the Twitterverse before they get something in return.
@JudiWunderlich
My Chicago-based client, Total Attorneys, is actively using a tool called Jobvite to leverage Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to recruit candidates for jobs from the entry level on up.
That’s @totalattorneys on Twitter
As managed recruitment providers we are exploring the use of Twitter to increase the range of services offered to our Clients. We are offering to advertise their positions on Twitter and manage the response.
I’m impressed with the list you have compiled. It is an honor for us at Kissito to be included amongst such company.
In my observation much of the recruiting success on Twitter is a result of individual recruiters at these companies who have implemented successful Twitter recruiting strategies. I think you are giving too much credit to an organization to think that Twitter is being strategically utilized as a company wide tool to be the “voice of employees”, although this is a great concept to encourage.
I also feel this somewhat mutes your observation that “it is interesting that Burger King is on the list but not McDonalds.” This is likely the result of individual recruiters taking some initative to be on Twitter at most of these companies and less of a statement about either of these companies strategy or environment.
@greigwells
We are a government agency that began using Twitter to recruit yesterday. We created the account and listed a few jobs, but have very few followers. Any suggestions on how to get things started is welcome.
Guy
Hi, I have a number of suggestions on how to use the power of Twitter for recruiting. Send me an email at jeanne@newlearningplaybook.com and let me know where I can contact you.
Best
Jeanne Meister
We are just now beginning to use Twitter for our firm and for use in recruiting. Our Twitter site is Excellaco
Thank you!
Lois
Director of Recruiting
Jeanne, glad everyone is joining the conversation about recruiting on Twitter. I posted the first company-only list of recruiters on Twitter (there are alot of agencies on Twitter too!)
I think I have all of the ones you have plus a few more. Check out my complete list:
http://susanstrayer.com/2009/05/companies-recruiting-on-twitter-updated.html
Some of the recruiters have also added their perspective on how to use social media in recruiting effectively. You can see the first few “Inside Track” articles on my blog:
http://www.susanstrayer.com/kaleidoblog
If there are any recruiters I am missing, let me know.
Best wishes,
Susan
@dailycareertips
Job posting is just tip of the iceberg when talking about Twitter for recruiting. Shally Steckerl did a great job with two webinars (beginner and advanced level) on Twitter for recruiting, and he’s put the recordings out in DVD format. See bottom of http://aces.arbita.net/training/DVDs
sorry, direct link should have been the bottom of this page: http://aces.arbita.net/training/DVDs/sourcing
Why the 20th Century Organization does not use Twitter:
i. Implicit 1984: Explicit Brave New World
ii. Implicit Psychopathy: Explicit Humanity
iii. Implicit Fraternity: Explicit Sorority
1. Management – Implicit Slavery: Explicit Liberation
2. Accounts – Implicit Scarcity: Explicit Abundance
3. Schedule – Implicit Death: Explicit Life
4. Facility – Implicit Prison: Explicit Palace
5. Policy – Implicit Moralizing: Explicit Neutrality
6. Procedure – Implicit Stereotyping: Explicit Individuality
7. Transaction – Implicit Purchase: Explicit Sale
Using Twitter to engage Millenials isn’t the best way to go. I’m a millenial, I use Twitter, but there are stats out there that say the majority of Twitter users are over the age of 35. There are more people on Twitter who are over the age of 45 than there are under the age of 25.
If you want to engage Millenials using social media, follow me at me @thatpassionguy. I put out stuff about millenials all the time.
Thank you for recognizing the U.S. Department of State and our use of Twitter for recruitment purposes. If we want to achieve our recruitment goals, we have to communicate our message of opportunity where our audiences are engaging.
Rachel Friedland
Recruitment Marketing Consultant
U.S. Department of State
@doscareers
The overall take is interesting. We are using twitter to announce jobs and are planning to post events, tips about our application process, and teaser/bragging tweets about local events, our location, etc (Souther CA). Follow us: http://twitter.com/RivCoJobs
Any tips on how to increase a following?
E-mail me or connect with me on Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/claudiamontoya
I agree with the authentic voice. I’d strongly encourage any company to put thought into the concept of community before just showing up and expecting great results. Too many seem to be coming to Twitter with the expectation of instant results. I always liken it to a cocktail party analogy where I ask “if you attend a cocktail party, do you want to leave knowing more about them or them knowing more about you?” I think the right response is the former–but too many crash and burn by picking the latter.