Lessons on Social Media from Charlie Sheen

I’ve recently turned my TV off.  The cause of my discontent?  No football and Charlie Sheen.

It’s one thing to have 500 channels of *&%$ on the TV to choose from, it’s quite another to be assaulted by incoherent rants propagated by media outlets with little semblance of journalism.  I’m over Charlie Sheen and I was a HUGE fan about 30 days ago.

So what in the heck does this have to do with social media and recruiting??  I’ll tell you.  There are some KEY LESSONS to be learned from the recent situation de Sheen.

1. There IS something to social media “over exposure”.  You may believe there is no such thing as bad exposure but I think Charles has proven that adage completely wrong.  If you are using social media for recruiting and instead of “speaking” to potential candidates through the medium you are SHOUTING irrelevant, nonsensical messages – your audience is TUNING YOU OUT!
2. You can’t really trust online personas.  Social media has created a much braver and yet cowardly persona for many as they hide behind the media.  Most of what you read on social media is someone championing or challenging thoughts, not necessarily based on what they actually feel (or would say to your face) but what they WANT people to think of them.  IF you are using social media for recruiting, be careful to interview thoroughly as you don’t always get what you thought you were buying off the internet!
3. Social media can adversely affect your brand.  Going from super TV star to laughing stock of the internet is perhaps once of the more meteoric falls we’ve witnessed in decades.  Know that what YOU say about your employer brand is a whisper compared to what others say.  Take concrete actions to ensure your messages are amplified in the market, not contradicted.
4. Social media can be a cruel place.  I don’t see many #sheen or #winning tweets calling for Charlie to get help.  Most are “taking sides” in a debate of his sanity.  That’s pretty cruel to me.  If you are going to use social media for recruiting, don’t make it another cruel place for job seekers, they get enough abuse as it is.

The bottom line message is to plan and execute a social media strategy for recruiting that encompasses both “listening” aspects as well as “telling” aspects.  Consider it a conversation instead of a broadcast platform and you’ll avoid the pitfalls that Charlie Sheen has fallen into.

And maybe, just maybe I’ll be able to turn my TV on again this fall when my beloved football returns to prime time.