Use Online Networks to Find Your Star Employee

A primary key to successful blogging is spending some time getting to know the industry players and to lurk (view without commenting) on various industry sites. In a short time, with a few well-thought posts, you can develop professional contacts and a reputation in the industry as a thoughtful observer.

When asked what makes Microsoft blogs so valuable for recruiting, Microsoft recruiter Jim Stroud writes, "It’s the ‘secret sauce’ of every successful blog. In a word, authenticity... People recognize and appreciate our honest voices. When people read what we have to say, they are hearing ‘us’ -- Me, Gretchen, Jenna and Julie. Not a sanitized press release or a brown-nosing fluff piece to appease upper-management, but us... Sure, we cannot divulge company secrets (there is some common sense in play here), but we pretty much can say what we feel about our employer and what life with Bill’ is really like. Fortunately for all concerned, we love it here! (Smile)." Among the other noteworthy blogs covering the recruiting industry: http://www.erexchange.com/blogs/; http://www.recruiting.com/; http://blogs.msdn.com/jobsblog/; EmpBlog; Hiring-revolution.com; Recruiting Blog; and Talent Management Blog.

Biographical Analysis and Online Communities: Case study number three is my own firm, Nitron Advisors. Nitron provides institutional investors and law firms with direct access to frontline industry experts. When a hedge fund or venture capitalist or lawyer wants to speak with an expert in, for example, poultry economics, Nitron taps the members of our Circle of Experts. We pay them by the hour to participate in a brief consultation with Nitron's client. Most of the time Nitron already knows the right person … but not always. Sometimes, Nitron is forced to speed-recruit someone in two to three business days and needs to use all available resources to find the right person. Nitron has access to all the traditional recruiting tools, e.g., job boards such as Monster, and has also developed some proprietary methods and databases for this purpose.

First, we use biography-analysis software, such as ZoomInfo. This type of tool synthesizes data from countless sources of biographical data: public resume databases, SEC filings, and so on. It’s particularly helpful for recruiting passive candidates (people who are not actively looking for a job) as opposed to people who are actively looking for a new job. Second, Nitron has developed a proprietary database of thousands of online communities where different sorts of experts reside, and has gained entry to most of these communities. When Nitron has a particularly obscure need, the firm can readily go in to find the right person.

To find a community that suits your interests, we suggest starting with the tools below:

Any search engine. Try looking up the name of the function, industry, interest, or location that you are targeting, along with a phrase such as "mailing list", "networking group", "community", etc.

Yahoo has a comprehensive list of association Web sites by industry.

ASAE (American Society of Association Executives, ASAEnet.org).

Lastly, Nitron runs two corporate blogs, Brain Food and New York Events. By being an active participant in the blogosphere, Nitron's search engine ranking goes up dramatically, and Nitron has more tools to connect with influencers and candidates relevant to its corporate mission.

Online networks offer a vast array of opportunities to recruiters to find top people. Make sure you take advantage of these new resources to find your next star.