Five Rising Social Networking Sites — and How to Recruit on Them

Some call it “unbundling” : the movement away from massive, multi-purpose social networks — like Facebook, where you can post pictures, comment on walls, and hold private conversations all on one platform — toward more singular-minded social media — like Instagram, where you can pretty much only share pictures.

This movement has led to an influx of new social media platforms, as new services spring up to serve every niche imaginable. Mashable writer Kyli Singh recently tackled some of the new social media sites she feels we should know, and I have her post to thank for inspiring this post.

Sure, each of the sites that Singh talks about serves some small purpose in the lives of its users, but what I want to know is: can we use any of these “up-and-coming social networks” for recruiting purposes? Singh presents 10 social networks, but I’m only talking about five of those networks today, because I see no recruitment potential in the other five. 

That being said, I’ll buy a round for the first person/people to come up with a way to turn anonymous secret-sharing service Whisper into a recruitment platform — just because it seems fun.

1.We Heart It 

Singh calls We Heart It the “younger and artsier version of Pinterest,” and she is completely and totally right: much like Pinterest, We Heart It is an image-sharing platform where users can curate collections of their favorite images. However, We Heart It’s super-chic aesthetic means it attracts a slightly different group of users than Pinterest, which essentially screams “come one, come all!”

When it comes to recruiting, I’d use We Heart It to get a handle on the aesthetic sensibilities of creative-types. Need a visual artist, or photographer, or designer? See if any curated collections on We Heart It match your vision of the kind of work you’re looking for — then reach out.

2.WeChat  

The name says it all: WeChat is a chat client. It offers voice chats, group chats, video chats, calls — all the things you’d expect a chat app to offer in 2014. 

So here’s the question: why use a special chat app to communicate with candidates, when you can simply use email or Google Hangouts or Skype or cellphones or … 

What I like about WeChat — what separates it from the pack — is the Group Chat QR Code function, which, well, lets users create and share QR codes that offer access to group chat sessions. This could be a cool way to maintain contact with candidates, as well as encourage candidates to interact with each other and the company.

For example, your company could set up a group chat where current employees make themselves available to answer questions about the company. Send out the QR code to prospective talent, so they can access the group chat and learn about your organization directly from employees. 

3.Medium 

Looking for a writer? Maybe you just want to find someone articulate and intelligent who is capable of expressing their thoughts clearly and creatively. Maybe you need someone who can demonstrate knowledge on a particular subject or in a particular field. 

Medium is the place for you: the microblogging platform boasts “everyone’s stories and ideas.” Users can post original writing and like and share the writing of others. Medium is far more streamlined than other blogging platforms, making it much easier to look through than, say, Tumblr, which suffers from clutter, cliques, and an overabundance of original blog designs. If you want a social media expert, look at Tumblr. If you want a writer/communicator/creative thinker, look to Medium. 

4.Vine 

I don’t know if it’s fair to consider Vine an “up-and-comer” in the world of social media. From the moment of its arrival, people predicted it would blow up. And they were right: at this point, the micro-video website has created legitimate celebrities.

You could use Vine like Medium or We Heart It: scouting for creativity and shared visions. But I actually think it could be put to a better recruitment use: employer branding. Have your company set up a communal Vine account. Let employees post videos to the account: short little insights into what it is like to work for you.

You’ll score bonus points with younger workers for being on the cutting edge of social media, and well-made Vines can pique the interest of many a potential applicant.

5.Bubblews 

At first, I was just going to dismiss Bubblews as a weird little microblogging/Facebook mash-up — in which case, it would serve no role in recruiting. We have Facebook and microblogging platforms to scour already.

But Bubblews individuates itself by paying the users who bring traffic to the website — which makes it a perfect platform for finding masters of viral content. Bubblews encourages users to try hard to create viral content: if they can post “bubbles” that bring in clicks, they’ll get some money out of it. 

So, if your company is looking to recruit some viral talent, check out Bubblews. See who’s bringing in traffic — and see if you can tempt them over to your organization with a bigger paycheck. 

I encourage everyone to take some time to explores the social media platforms. You could just find your next recruitment strategy. 

At the very least, you’ll probably find some new ways to kill time, right?