Those of you who follow social media news will surely have heard about Pinterest(1), the “new” social media phenomenon. In just a few months, this platform has attracted more than 10 million users, predominantly women. Users will tell you, we like or we don’t like Pinterest. But if you like this platform, you become completely dependent on it. Beyond recreation, does this social networking site provide opportunities for organizations? What about recruitment? Can Pinterest be used for recruiting?
What is Pinterest, exactly?
At the basic level, Pinterest is in fact a virtual board on which you can pin photos found on the web. The site presents itself as a series of photos arranged in columns. Each user can create their own collection of photos and organize them into thematic folders. The site’s home page provides a sample of photos collected by all members. Clicking on the photo will show the actual size, then a second click will redirect to the original site where the photo was found. Pinterest is therefore a collection of photo collections.
The platform’s market potential is very interesting, since companies that sell products find a wonderful way there to build catalogs to promote their products. It’s very visual, very aesthetic and invites discovery.
Corporate pages
Corporate pages have also appeared, that allow a company to identify themselves clearly… as a company. Until now, all the accounts have been personal. There is therefore little advantage in having a corporate account if there is no official showcase on the platform. The site also offers a form for checking the identity of a company that eliminates the risks of a false corporate page. Of course, although Pinterest’s long term plans are unknown, it can easily be guessed that companies will eventually be called upon financially to contribute to the platform’s development. For the moment, it is first and foremost about showcases. Some stores such as GAP already get it and offer online catalogs on Pinterest(3).
Pinterest for recruitment
Is Pinterest a new tool to be considered for recruitment? Several organizations have begun to explore this possibility. Basically, given that Pinterest offers browsing the web through photos, your content must be interesting enough to be transmitted in image format.
The company that seems to use Pinterest best to date in the context of recruitment is Sodexo(4) in the United States. They have been innovative in using the platform by, for example, making an employee directory available (not all employees, just those they have chosen). The link associated with employees’ photos is none other than their Linkedin profile. The also offer business cards, links to job related articles, employment advice, information on the company culture, etc. In short, instead of using a conventional web menu, they offer access to different content by browsing through photos.
This type of approach makes it possible therefore, in the context of recruitment, to offer employee testimonials. This is what the Taco Bell company has done on its Pinterest recruitment(5) page. When you click on the image, the YouTube testimonial video is incorporated and can be viewed directly on Pinterest.
Of course, if there are activities in your organization, such as for the for the American army(6) (and fields such as mining, health, etc., could also be thought of) your Pinterest page will be an excellent platform to showcase your jobs.
Pinterest is therefore not a revolution in recruitment, but it offers a different approach to transmit content, which may help to reach groups of potential candidates that would not be reached by the tools available up to now.
To learn more:
(1) Pinterest
(2) http://www.etsy.com/listing/107871079/magickal-body-potion?ref=fp_treasury_2
(3) http://pinterest.com/gapvalleyview/
(4) http://pinterest.com/sodexouscareers/
(5) http://pinterest.com/tacobellcareers/
(6) http://pinterest.com/usarmy/