Two days ago a co-worker came to me and asked me for advice on how to use Facebook as a recruiting tool. While he had already begun utilizing it, he wanted some advice on ways to more efficiently search through people. In the course of discussion he asked me how to recruit more people like myself, given that I fall within the demographic that they are targeting for employment. I quickly explained to him that through the utilization of blogs and social networks we could attract more qualified individuals. After providing some additional feedback I left and said I would get back to him with any other ideas that I came up with.

Since then I have been thinking more about what would help recruit top notch candidates for employment. I came to the conclusion that transparency is critical. While I’ve read about the necessity of transparency in books like “Naked Conversations,” I had never realized the true impact, until today. How can companies attract new graduates that have spent their college careers on social networks, being granted practically unfiltered access to all of their friends social interactions through a story of pictures and other public statements? Well, there is no option but to become equally transparent.

I concluded that the best way to attract the “generation me” crowd that will soon contribute to the creative class in society, is to break down all barriers and grant them access to see the people that make up a company. I suggested that all of my co-workers on the digital team should be on Facebook with our profiles filled and have at least a few pictures. People connect with people, not with companies. If your company can illustrate that it is composed of fun, intelligent and creative individuals, I am willing to bet that there is a greater chance of attracting the people that you want to hire.

Prior to the internet, it was much more difficult for job seekers to view the people that made up a company. Instead, they went to those companies that had a solid reputation. Times have changed and companies need to open up. There is a revolution taking place that we are slowly beginning to see the impact of. The world has become more transparent, and as a result companies will need to become transparent as well if they intent to recruit the younger generation.