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Use social networks to build
your recruiting networks

Networking and referrals have always driven the recruiting process. Now there are new business networking sites like LinkedIn and Ryze and personal networking sites like Facebook and MySpace that bring networking to a whole new level.

"With the possible exception of the telephone, there has never been a technology better suited for building recruiting networks than today’s Internet,” according to Jennifer Berkshire, adjunct professor of labor and the media at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Michael Carrillo, president of CPGjobs, agrees. “Social networking works on the six degrees of separation principle,” he says. “If you know 250 people, and each of them knows 250 people, you’re just one step away from 62,500 people. That’s a huge upside potential for you and your business.”

Social networking has rapidly progressed from its start as a youth-oriented novelty to become a powerful communications tool used by hundreds of millions of people each month. Business-oriented LinkedIn receives 28 million monthly visitors, while personal networking site Facebook logs 70 million monthly visitors. The mother of all social networking sites, MySpace, attracts 117 million visitors per month. These sites are just the tip of the iceberg; there are currently more than 48 business networking sites, with more launching all the time.

But Carrillo warns that there are risks as well as rewards in using social networking. “Since people use these sites to build their personal networks, corporations must be careful to not to tread on people’s privacy and to ensure that all their outreach is ‘permission-based.’”

Here are some tips for using social networking sites to assist your recruiting efforts:

Get started. Set up your profile to communicate with current and prospective business contacts inside and outside your company. A typical page might include photos and graphics, along with a list of business and academic achievements. From there, you can build a network of ''friends of friends'' by visiting pages of acquaintances and asking permission to include their names on a list there.

Be selective. Focus your efforts on one of the major sites and those vertical networking sites that directly target the people you need to reach. Dividing your efforts across multiple sites can increase your work and dilute your impact. Some prospects may be reluctant to respond to invitations to join multiple networks.

Go shopping. Social networking site are like the world’s biggest Rolodex. You can search potential candidates by name, company, zip code. You can even upload your Outlook email contacts on LinkedIn and find out which people you know are already on the site.

Make contact. When you invite people to join your network, tell them the purpose of the your invitation. If your purpose is business, say it straight out. People can spot insincerity a mile off, so never attempt to be something you’re not. Observe the terms of use of your site as well at the unwritten “netiquette” of your site.

Use referrals. Instead of direct approaches to strangers, use referrals wherever possible. Response rates on unsolicited approaches whether direct mail, telephone or email are only 2 percent. But responses to referred “introductions” on LikedIn (the site only sends referrals) are an astounding 83 percent, according to the company. But don’t stray too far. Your referrals weaken as they get further from the original source, experts say.

Join groups. Industry-specific groups and professional networks are growing like wildfire across social networking sites. CPGjobs Executive Vice President Penny Sallberg-Carrillo created a “CPG People” group on LinkedIn and quickly created a network of more than 3,000 industry professionals (for information on joining CPGPeople, go to
http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/87135/526511446EE9 or email Penny@CPGjobs.com). These networks can be a rich resource of current and future candidates.

Use vertical networks. Vertical networking groups like the Business Alumni Network (BAN) can help you find and connect with highly qualified candidates. BAN helps former colleagues reconnect with old friends and strengthens current relationships. BAN, which is affiliated with CPGjobs, currently has alumni groups with some of the industry’s top companies, including Coca-Cola, ConAgra, General Mills, Kellogg's, Kraft, Nabisco, Sara Lee and Unilever. For more information visit their website.

Create a group of your own. Create a targeted group of highly specialized experts and other groups that can help you stay in touch with potential future candidates. Good candidates are like gold and networking groups make the prospecting easy.

Check references. It’s perfectly legal and proper to learn more about an applicant’s background by viewing their online profiles. Because they are public, such profiles tend to be more accurate than resumes submitted directly to you. You may even find other potential candidates listed in their professional networks.

Use plug-in technology. Software technologies can help you manage and mine the social networking world, saving time and money. CPGjobs’ affiliate Atomkeep.com, for example, allows users to store and manage personal profile information across many websites through a single, user-configured Atomkeep profile. Users of Atomkeep can custom configure and instantly synchronize their personal information across the growing number of Atomkeep enabled websites with a single click.

Use networking savvy recruiters. Social networking can be time consuming. Use recruiting firms like CPGjobs that have networking functions built into their systems and that use social networking sites to find candidates for you.

To find out how CPGjobs can help introduce you to the world of social networking and recruit the best-qualified candidates in the consumer packaged goods industry contact Tami Page at (626) 535-0143.

Michael Carrillo is president of CPGjobs, the CPG industry’s leading candidate recruiting service for employers and recruiting agencies. You may contact him at Michael@CPGjobs.com or call (626) 535-0143.

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WELCOME ABOARD! CPGjobs welcomes its newest clients: Ames International, Belkin International, Inc.,
Bender Executive Search and Uno Foods. For the complete roster of more than 100 leading CPG companies represented by CPGjobs visit our website.

YOU’RE HIRED! Congratulations to the following CPGjobs clients and their new executives. Lois Bonsu, hired by The Hershey Co.; Leonard Newman hired by the Kellogg Company; and Tom Monahan, hired by Triumph Pharmaceutical. If you’re looking for a candidate -- or a job -- contact CPGjobs at 626-535-0143.

RETAIL ROUNDUP: The economic turmoil on Wall Street has not directly hit the CPG industry, but rising commodity prices are a concern. PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi reports that her firm does not expect the U.S. financial crisis to hit its business and will invest a further $500 million in India over the next three years as part of its focus on fast-growing emerging markets. But high commodity prices and global inflation remain a worry and could pressure margins in the short-term, Nooyi told reporters....General Mills is tackling the soft economy head on: The firm plans to keep expanding its international business, the company's fastest-growing segment, and increase its marketing stateside. CEO Ken Powell told shareholders that the international growth strategy will focus on premium ice cream Haagen-Dazs, sold in more than 60 countries around the world, as well as brands like Old El Paso andCheerios snacks....Dannon will limit advertising to children under 12 as the latest member of the Council of Better Business Bureau's Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative. The yogurt company will restrict the use of licensed characters, refrain from advertising in schools and run television and other ads only for products that meet health guidelines, Broadcasting & Cable reports.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: For the Network of Executive Women Leadership Summit, October 20-22 in Minneapolis; the IFMA/IFDA Presidents Conference, November 9-12 in Lake Las Vegas, Nev.; the 3rd Annual Category Management Conference November 10-11 in Naples, Fla.; Cultural Food New York including All Asia Food, Expo Comida Latina and Kosher Fest, November 11-12 in New York; Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute’s Pack Expo International, November 11-13 in Chicago; In-Store Marketing Institute's In-Store Marketing Expo, November 13-14 in Las Vegas; and the Private Label Manufacturers Association 2008 Private Label Trade Show, November 16-18 in Chicago. For more events see CPGjobs Calendar.

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