Social Media, Trust (The lack of) And The Age of Generosity

If social media is going to be part of your recruitment game plan, it’s worth noting that it’s currently the least trusted source of information amongst 14 measured by Edelman in Australia (refer chart).

Q. Please tell me how credible you believe each one of them is as a source of information about a company

Which means, for no particular fault of yours, many will treat your social media efforts with cynicism. It also means that you’ll need to work very hard to be noticed, be connected and stay relevant; for most it will mean long periods of time before any results can be seen.

The truth is there’s no shortcut to social media success. Trust needs to be earned.

How can trust in a low trust medium (social media) be earned by a traditionally low trust industry (recruitment) ?

I believe the medium rewards generosity. If you subscribe to the idea of openness, transparency and a willingness to give before you can ask anything in return, social media will open up endless new ways to connect and build relationship with candidates and potential clients.

I think we are on the cusp of a new era where recruitment outreach, especially the marketing and advertising component, will be defined by generosity. A change in mindset, more than anything else, is an essential first step towards social media success.