Social recruiting is the process by which companies and recruiters use social media sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to source and recruit employment candidates. Considering how social media has made it easy to connect people, it comes as little surprise that the same means used to find a date or used croquet set can be leveraged to find a new employee or even a joint venture partner for your business.

Here are five things to keep in mind when using social recruiting as a platform to find the right candidate for a position, or a new joint venture partner.

Social recruiting can connect you to the candidate that best fits your needs

Establish A Strong Facebook Presence

Facebook is the largest social media site in the world, which means you have access to a huge audience, and therefore have good odds of finding the right candidate for your business. Make sure your business has a page on Facebook, and that it’s not only interesting and dynamic, but also updated often. Furthermore, and this may seem counter-intuitive to a lot of bosses, allow your employees to be on Facebook even at work. Encourage them to post positive experiences they’ve had at their jobs, and let them share company news (provided it isn’t anything confidential, of course!).

Create A Twitter Page

Facebook may be the big social media rock star, but you can’t forget Twitter. Use a Twitter page to post job openings, share the latest company news, give tips and hints for how to apply for a position at your business, and even pieces about what the corporate culture in your company is like, or what sorts of benefits and perks you offer.

Conduct Thorough Research

Whether you’re looking for a joint venture partner or a prospective employee, social media gives you the means to research people by means of their profiles, blogs, “About” pages, and sometimes even by means of a simple, straightforward Google search. Plug in their name and see what you get. If you want to go really hardcore, a simple search for background checking services will yield a bounty of companies that will do in depth background checks for you, for a fee.

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Look In Your Own Social Media Backyard

The best place to start looking for a fitting venture partner is in your own network of online contacts. Take a closer look at the people you associate with online, particularly business-related contacts; really get to know them and the company they work for, through their profiles. Maybe their business’ philosophies mesh with yours, and thus are worth considering for a partnership. If you want to expand your search and you’re on LinkedIn (and everyone in the business world should be!), consider taking a look at the contacts of the people in your network. After all, if like attracts like, then there may be some folks you’re not directly connected with that may nonetheless fit the bill.

Never Underestimate The Power Of A Well-Phrased Search

Although the concept’s already been touched upon casually, let’s go all out and sing the praises of conducting straightforward searches for ideal candidates by means of your favorite search engines. If you use advanced Google search strings, you can narrow down the search results and get pretty much what you’re looking for. For instance, you could type “monster.com : Boston marketing professionals”, and you’ll get the profiles of Boston-based marketing professionals on Monster.

Social media provides an excellent means of searching for the right candidate for either a job or joint venture partnership. The tools are there for the entrepreneur who is willing to put the time and energy into the endeavor, and it will very likely result in the ideal candidate. Remember, there’s always an army of applicants who are seeking employment; social media helps thin the herd into something more manageable.