Dice Talent Network embraces social media tools

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Technology and engineering professionals have a new way to connect with potential employers, through a social media-based product launched last month on Urbandale-based Dice.com.

Using the Dice Talent Network, each user of the jobs-board website can build an online profile and interact directly with potential employers through social media tools such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, personal websites and blogs. The service is available at no cost to job candidates as well as to employers and recruiters.

“Social recruiting is a relatively new concept, and embracing networking as a key offering in the job board community is brand-new,” said Tom Silver, senior vice president for Dice Holdings Inc., Dice.com’s New York-based parent company. “What’s driving the change is that expectations have changed. Job seekers and recruiters are looking for more one-to-one communication, and professionals want more control over their personal data.”

Using the network, employers can communicate directly with professionals via real-time chat or instant messages, and can also release network-wide announcements about new positions or opportunities within their organizations. Companies can also provide an enhanced profile for prospective employees for a more personal look at their culture.

At the same time, job seekers can select which employers will have access to their resumes and social profiles.

Dice Holdings, which is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange, reported online revenues of $29.9 million in the second quarter, an 11 percent increase from the comparable quarter in 2009.

In addition to Dice.com, Dice Holdings operates several other career websites, among them eFinancialCareers, Targeted Job Fairs and AllHealthcareJobs.com. In the past quarter, it acquired WorldwideWorker.com, a Dubai-based energy industry recruiting company, as well as Rigzone.com, a Houston-based content, data, advertising and career services company.

Dice Holdings has also launched a similar service, The Cleared Network, for its ClearanceJobs.com site, and the company plans to offer a customized version for each of its job-board sites, Silver said.

From the employers’ perspective, Dice Talent Network will enable companies to build long-term relationships with technology professionals, which in many skill sets are in short supply, Silver said. “We are marrying the best aspects of the job board community – audience reach, targeting, efficiency and career-minded individuals – with the best tools of social media that build direct interaction between recruiters and candidates,” he said.

Approximately 200 companies have enrolled in Dice Talent Network since Dice.com introduced the beta version of the site in January, Silver said. In comparison, Dice.com provided recruitment packages for about 6,750 companies in the second quarter. Since January, more than 40,000 technology professionals have added social media links to their profiles, and many have connected with employer networks to follow companies of interest to them.

“We are rolling this out slowly to get both technology professionals and companies’ recruiters interacting regularly and taking their feedback to continue to evolve the product offering over time,” Silver said. “We do believe a significant portion of the customer base will ultimately use the Talent Network to brand their company and grow their own communities within the Dice platform.”