The functionality of Twitter product pages will make it easier not only to find candidates that will fit into your company’s culture, but will make it easier for candidates to find you. While the focus for now is on e-commerce and items for sale, the future will allow you to do what all companies want to do, have a new platform to sell themselves.
There is no doubt that I am a big Twitter fan. Heck, I am the RT Queen of #HR and the Recruitosphere! (Thanks @animal!) When Twitter announced that they were starting to test a new product, it piqued my interest. Bear with me, but I got an idea and by the end of this article you will be as excited (or at least as interested) as me. I am from the school of thought that there are two kinds of people in this world, those who get Twitter and those who don’t. Twitter haters, stay tuned.
June 19, 2015, Twitter announced that they have slowly begun rolling out product pages. A Twitter product page will organize related tweets and brands on one dedicated page. So say we have a RecruitingTools product page, on it, you could see curated information as well as who is tweeting about RecruitingTools, different products or webinars we are offering. If we are selling something, we can even add a “buy” button or link to a page of our choice to direct you where we want you to know.
The other item being tested by Twitter is a Collections feature. The Collection feature allows brands and cool celebs to curate products and recommend them to people. Remember Oprah’s favorites list? Picture that but on Twitter. To bring it down to the lowest common denominator, Product Pages = Information Collections = Shopping.
But wait, there is more. Twitter also announced that they have a news platform, “Project Lightning”, that will allow 
users to follow events, instead of people. So you won’t have to follow me to see all of my #SHRM15 tweets, you can just follow #SHRM15.
The reason for all of this sudden innovation is obvious; they need moola, paper, dead presidents. Dick Costolo, CEO of Twitter is leaving. Ironically, the company also was just a few million (like 20 million) short projected earnings. Mr. Costolo said that the recent lack of revenue has nothing to do with why he is leaving, but it sure as hell is not an incentive to stay.
WIIFM?
- Better Marketing
- Information Beyond the Google Search
- Targeted Content
- More Access to Passive Candidates
1.) Better Marketing
With a company focused product page, you have more control as to what candidates see. So what does this have to do with recruiting? Nothing yet, but it could be the new hottest social platform to recruit on. The “Product” that you would be selling is your company including culture, why it is a great place to work, the cool benefits that you have and the people who love to work there.
2.) Information Beyond the Google Search
So I am JC Candidate, and I saw an open job posting at your company. I am doing my research because I am not sure if I am ready to change jobs yet. I decide to check you out on Twitter. *Boom* I see you have a product page. Suddenly, instead of the standard information I get from a typical Google search, I get gold! I can see who is tweeting about the company, what current employees are tweeting about and perhaps what is being said about your company in the news or from stockholders. As a Twitter user, having the ability to get all of the information I am seeking on one properly curated page could be awesome. No longer would I have to search through zillions of tweets; it is all on one page.
3.) Targeted Content
If everything works out right, JC Candidate is no longer on the fence about working at your company; she is EXCITED to work at your company! She is completely pumped about working for you. So you make it easy, on your product page, you have an “apply now” button that can take users from Twitter, directly to an application or career page.
4.) More Access to Passive Candidates
As of the first quarter of 2015, Twitter reported an average of 236 million active users per month. That was not a typo. That is per month. It sounds crazy. There has to be at least 10 people out of those 236 million that is either the perfect candidate or knows someone who is the perfect candidate. This is just a better way to find them.
Cool right!?!?! I can see using the “Collections” and “Project Lighting” the same way. It definitely would be a new way to look at Twitter as a recruiting tool. So I am excited to see what the future holds for the Twitter product page. The question is, when will Twitter see that maybe it is time to bust into the recruiting market. Everyone else is doing it! Shoot, we have all seen the financials trying it can’t hurt.
About the Author: Jackye Clayton is recognized as a people expert who puts the Human in Human Resources. An international trainer, she has traveled worldwide sharing her unique gifts in sourcing, recruiting and coaching. She offers various dynamic presentations on numerous topics related to leadership development, inclusionary culture development, team building and more.Her in-depth experience in working with top Fortune and Inc 500 clients and their employees has allowed her to create customized programs to coach, train and recruit top talent and inspire others to greatness. Follow Jackye on Twitter @JackyeClayton or connect with her on LinkedIn.
By Jackye Clayton
Jackye is an acclaimed thought leader and inspirational speaker on recruiting and DEIB topics. She brings years of experience recruiting across a variety of industries including tech, HR, legal, and finance. In her role as VP of Talent Acquisition and DEIB, she leads all related work at Textio, provides critical expertise to customers, and serves as a leading voice in the products Textio creates for the broader ecosystem. Jackye has been named one of the 9 Powerful Women in Business You Should Know by SDHR Consulting, one of the 15 Women in HR Tech to Follow by VidCruiter, and is on the Top 100 list of Human Resources Influencers by Human Resource Executive Magazine.
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