Since January is a time for both review and looking forward, I thought it would be a good time to take the pulse of the St. Louis economy and job market, with a focus on social media. When I thought of that, I thought of Jim Durbin, the Social Media Headhunter.
Recently we had a brief conversation about his background, the economy and the St. Louis job market and a few tips for those who might be looking for employment:
First of all, tell the readers a little bit about yourself and background in social media:
I’ve been online since the late 80’s, but started my first blog in 2002. In 2004, I started a recruiting blog, and then started writing nationally on the uses of Web 2.0 technology for recruiting, and that led eventually to me starting Durbin Media in 2006 with my wife to combine her design talents with my marketing acumen. We were one of the first in St Louis, and actually in the country to run a marketing firm focused on social media, and we’ve moved from employment to small business to corporate consulting as our main clients. We’ve had at this point over 50 clients between us in the last four years.
It’s a new year, time for both a look back and a look ahead, first off, give us a few highlights from your 2009:
2009 was a great year for integrated marketing. We were fortunate enough to combine our social media knowledge with the marketing needs of some clients, and that gave us the opportunity to create some bigger projects. We also saw our headhunting business take off, as more and more companies want someone with our skill set internally. In 2009, we also added a training portion that has brought in over 1000 clients in the first year through webinars and DVD training.
What are you working on for 2010?:
We’d really like to expand the firm this year, hiring and training social media consultants to work within our methods for clients. That’s easier said than done, as payrolling folks is a major risk. We’re expanding our training and speaking gigs, and are in discussions with several recruiters to franchise the SocialMediaHeadhunter brand.
Your business is recruiting. Everybody knows the economy and job market had a bad year in 2009, but now some reports are coming out saying that St. Louis was hit even harder than most places. We know where we have been, what is your take on where we are going in 2010 from an economy and jobs perspective?
Honestly? I think people are shell-shocked, and quite a few haven’t adjusted to the new normal. The number one problem I face in hiring internally or for clients is just getting someone who will do the work, and shows an ounce, just an ounce of initiative. When I hear someone is laid off, I always ask how the job search is going. 9 times out of 10, I get the Tobias Fuenke answer, which is “It’s good. It’s going to be good.” No one wants workers anymore. We want human beings who are happy, work hard, pay attention, and take responsibility. That’s a quality in very short supply, and it goes across every age group.
Do you have any specific advice for those out there that may be looking for employment?
Do what you say you are going to do, and do it quickly. Don’t tell someone you’ll get them a resume, and then take two weeks. Don’t tell me you’re going to research a company, and then call me back in a week asking if I’ve done anything. Owners and Managers want someone they can trust – and somehow, many, many of those looking for work just aren’t trustworthy. It breaks my heart, but I can’t solve problems for people who don’t think they have one.
I’d also say if you’re unemployed, your full time job is looking for a job. 40 hours a week is the minimum, and that doesn’t mean going on job boards. You need to practice interviewing, leaving phone messages, writing cover letters, getting in shape (it matters), working on a skill, and networking. If you aren’t working 40 hours on something, you’re not serious.
Finally – don’t ask for advice if you don’t plan to follow through on it. I have 10 years as a recruiter, and maybe 5 people have listened to me in that time (including family). I’m an expert at this – I can make $20-30,000 a placement, but folks don’t want advice. They want you to hand them a job. That doesn’t happen. By the way – those 5 people? They all got better jobs with higher pay. The rest, well, they usually call me a year or two later and ask me to repeat what I told them.
Does that sound harsh? It should be. These are tough times, and you need every advantage. It’s not the time for coddling your self-esteem.
You are a big user of social media in the recruiting process. How can people looking for work use social media to their benefit?
Realize social media is a tool. You don’t go on Facebook or Twitter or LinkedIn and get a job. You work on getting a job, and if you have a good process, these tools can make it easier. Being there isn’t enough. You have to have a point. My general rule is don’t do anything on a social network that you wouldn’t do in person – and that includes mass emails, complaining about work to a public audience, or contacting someone you don’t know and demanding they help you find a job.
Is there anything they should watch out for or not do?
Don’t think you’re anonymous if you plan to talk about your persona life. Use your common sense. And remember that social media works best when combined with a phone or in-person meeting with someone who can hire you.
In a nutshell, how has social media changed your industry?
Social media has just started in its benefits, but it’s already altered the way we market, sell, recruit, serve our customers, and relate to our internal audiences. Most of that impact has gone unplanned, and is the simple act of bringing people more information and access. This year, we’ll start to see which companies are smart enough to integrate the lessons of social media into their business processes.
Which would you rather hear?
I got 1000 friends on our corporate Facebook page!
We save a million dollars a month in our call center using social media!
One of those statements has a bright future. I’m all into the second one.
I would like to thank Jim for his time in answering my questions, if you would like to learn more, please visit Jim at socialmediaheadhunter.com
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
“I have 10 years as a recruiter, and maybe 5 people have listened to me in that time (including family).”
Wow, what a bitter, angry man, blaming everyone else for any failures. Shouldn't a professional be able to convince their clients to follow their advice? BTW, he also enjoys libeling St. Louis County Prosecutors in his free time: http://stlactivisthub.blogspot.com/2009/12/will...
I appreciate you coming by my blog.
That said, I did not infer the same meaning from Mr. Durbin's comments as you did. I thought the statement you are referring to was just an example he used to illustrate his point. Either way, the world is full of people that ignore professional advice. That does not make the people who give it failures, in my opinion.
As for how Mr. Durbin spends his free time, that falls outside the scope, and interest, of this blog.