About two weeks ago I wrote on this topic, citing posts on Cheezhead and The Delaware Employement Law Blog that seem to support a big move away from centralized sites that have been the mainstay for at least a decade, and toward newer, niche and social networking sites.  I also discussed some team building and employee engagement aspects here.

Well, people have strong, informed opinions on this topic, and that's good!  I received comments to my original post from Dana Pearl, Bryan Coe, Brett Keirstead, and Shirley Smith, which you can read here.  The consensus from Bryan and Shirley is that social media and niche sites are not only another tool in organizations' recruiting arsenal, but because they are being adopted by the mainstream at an alarming rate, choosing not to use them could leave firms coming up short in filling their open positions.

I received an equally warm response when I put my question to our LinkedIn group members, and other groups I belong to on the site (which has been one of the lead beneficiaries of community-building as job losses have mounted, according to Advertising Age).  Here are some of their responses:

Many corporate recruiters, while having knowledge of sites such as LI, can only afford the time to post their positions and don’t necessarily use it to proactively network.  True, the unemployment rate has made it “easier” to find talent. However, I would suggest that it depends upon your definition of easier.

Companies with a well established brand (either through significant market penetration, high customer service standards, or best-in-class human resource practices) have seen already impressive resume response numbers go up ten-fold. However, have the percentages of genuinely qualified candidates risen at the same rate?  Most would have a definitive “no” response to that question.

– Brian Collins, President, ProActive Sourcing Solutions

For the job seeker, I think it has long been known that the greatest percentage of jobs (and the best ones at that) are found through networking, whether through Linkedin or any number of other options, including face-to-face events. I've got to believe that the tipping point has been or will soon be reached for job seekers switching to social media.

But here's a caveat: There is a large influx of newly displaced workers who are faced with unemployment after many years with the same employer.  Many will approach their job search in the only way they know how - using jobs boards and maybe even (egads!) newspapers!  But if they are paying attention they will see that they need to get onboard with the new reality, and choose from the great social media tools available to avoid being left behind.

– Doug Edwards, Sales/business development professional

There are many qualified professionals who would fill-in Interim Positions, who are younger & acculturated in Social Media Networks & who are not afraid to ask difficult questions.

NGOs & NPOs would appreciate Social Media's ready-to-work & ernest group of Recruits.  The caution is where Narcotics Terrorists target people for access, influence & face-time.

I prefer Introductions & Friends Introducing people to me.

– Deborah Kayatani, Founder and Board Member, GKnot Foundation

You can still weigh in on this important issue, if you haven't already, by commenting below.  I would love to hear more on how workplace team building and employee engagement activities factor into small firms' recruiting strategy.  For instance, does recruiting rest solely with HR, or do you involve employees from other areas such as sales?