Peple on CareerBuilder, Monster, HotJobs, The Ladders? Yes, most definitely–call them, send them emails, IM them. These are not social networking sites; they are professional networking sites. In 8 years that I have been in the recruiting industry I can only think of one candidate that I called off a job board that acted as though I had somehow invaded their private space. I have not, nor do I have an intention of reaching out to people on MySpace, simply because that’s not the purpose of the site.

If MySpace users begin to get bombarded by recruiters, telemarketers, whatever, then you can bet they will start making their profiles private, shutting everyone out that doesn’t have permission. I think this defeats part of the appeal of MySpace: connecting with people in a social capacity. People create their profiles for the world to view because there is a degree of trust: they trust that the profiles will be viewed and used for the purpose that was intended–not as a “prospect me!” sign. Once that trust is violated, the doors will close and lock-up.

I do not blame you whatsoever for investing it as a potential resource, but I would be prepared for more “creepy” responses, as well as some belligerent ones.

site:myspace.com “*.gmail.com”

Tack a keyword onto it and bam. Approaching people via email comes across more professional than on some alternate instant messaging service.

I have had success using screen names when contacting candidates and have in fact added my own screen names for AIM, ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo to my email signature and it comes in handy quite often. I can’t even begin to tell you how many candidates will message me there long before they’ll sit down and reply to an email. Or, they’ll message me from their sidekicks, and other mobile phones while on lunch, or taking the train home to avoid suspicion at the office. You have to remember, Generation Y is here and they’re all about instnat gratification via communication. this is growing increasingly apparent with the uprising of text messages. Plus it makes me more available to my candidates in the evening hours when they’re home sitting on their computer and relaxing.

With regard to the use of myspace in general, I think it holds a double edged sword as sometimes you may see things that could cause a biased opinion about that candidate. Anything flies on myspace and religious, ethnic, and any kind of slur imaginable can and will show up and before you know it, you’re ruling out candidates based on their personal taste and not on their ability to function at their job.

On the other hand, it could spark more of an interest in a candidate and allow you to ‘bond’ over common interests and possibly align with them for job orders and other referrals more easily.

It’s kind of a messy subject, but definitely one not to be ruled out or taken lightly. I equate LinkedIn to a grown up version of myspace, yet I have accounts with both and use them both daily.

Well, that’s my two cents. If anyone wants to contact me more on the subject.

Mikey N
AIM: mnotarothg
YH!: mnotarothg
Email: mnotaro@thg.com
Blog:feedthebeagle.spaces.live.com

Also, Amybeth, you are not selling anything, and you are not spamming. You are providing them with a business opportunity which can potentially improve their career and their life. You are not lying, coercing, misrepresention or misdirecting in any way. This is no different than meeting someone casually on the train, or in a conference, and suggesting you may have a career opportunity which may be of interest to them.