Most of the "marketing" activity I see across the web from companies and agencies is very basic , random and not engaging. A typical LinkedIn post or Facebook post might look like this.
"Looking for an excellent Executive Assistant with experience supporting CEO's in Media. Please contact me if you know anyone who fits the bill.
Usually there is no picture or link to accompany this lame post. How many times has this desperate attempt to gain a quality candidate actually paid off?
4 Reasons This Doesn't Work.
1) Unless you have built a LinkedIn or Facebook or Twitter network full of your target audience (in this case Executive Assistants) you're advertising to the wrong crowd. You may get a couple of good responses but more than anything you'll be fielding questions in the form of comments and wasting your time.
2) This is clearly a lame and seemingly lazy attempt to gain a good candidate. It's basically like saying hey everyone, I'm looking for a candidate that I can't find myself. Anyone want to do my job for me? Think about it. What is motivating other people to recommend you a great candidate?
3) There is no strategy behind this type of post. It's like hmmmm let me just throw this vague description out there and maybe someone might respond. If you want any real results you to have a strategy and you must be consistent.
4) Usually when you see a post like this it's for a random job that a recruiter is having trouble filling. It's as if the recruiter has felt like they have exhausted all options and now must throw up the white flag and say HELPP! I SURRENDER. This is even more unlikely to work.
So what does work?
Have a focus! Pick a job that you are regularly looking to fill. In this case Executive Assistant. Consistently post job opportunities for Executive Assistants and focus on building your network of Executive Assistants.
Your network will begin to recognize you as the go to for Executive Assistant jobs and over time you will start getting recommendations and applications from your network.
Be creative! Add pictures to your posts, add humor, catch people's attention, post at the right time and stick to a schedule of regularly posting.
Throwing out a vague description of a random job to an un-targeted network is dumb and unlikely to succeed. Don't be basic, don't be random and focus on engagement.
This article was written by Quintin Ford, a recruitment entrepreneur located in Playa Vista, CA. Quintin is the Founder of OCEAN | STREET and avid blogger and social media guru. Learn more about Quintin on LinkedIn.
