Free Webinars - Good for who?

Hey there folks, long time no chat. Hope everyone is doing well and continuing to to make it happen in our challenging economy.

This year I have attended a handful of free webinars ranging from new recruiting/sourcing software and technology to how to use social networking effectively. Today I attended another one by Geoffrey Peterson of General Lead (www.generallead.com).

Geoffrey's presentation was on LinkedIn for Recruiters and Sourcers: Live Demo, Search Strings, Mashups, Groups and More.

I consider myself a recruiting veteran with about 10 years experience from both the agency and corporate worlds and have seen a lot of things come and go. I'm big on training for everyone from entry level to seasoned vets as there is always new stuff coming out and I don't think you alone can master something without bouncing ideas off of someone or seeing what others doing.

Training can sometimes cost a lot of money, and while there are some good programs out there, free one hour webinars are a great way to get a crash course in using things like Jigsaw, Facebook, Plaxo, and Linkedin just to name a few.

Now how much can you cover in an hour? Who should be attending these trainings? Is it worth it?

I always think that if I can walk away with at least one or two new tips, tricks, etc, then it was worth my time. Most of the ones I have attended this year were ones I would highly recommend for entry to junior level recruiters and I would say the mid to senior level recruiters would have taken away a couple of things.

Power hour training is tough and I give a big virtual high five to everyone that puts them on. As a presenter/trainer for that hour, you have to cater to all recruiting levels. So you start off with the basic overview and near the end you hit on the more advanced tips and tricks. Only there is really never enough time. Any one of the webinars I attended could have easily gone over an hour. Bottom line is there is just a lot of info.

I mention todays webinar because I really like using linkedin, and not only have I hired from it this year, recruiters in my org have tapped into my network (via introductions) and have made hires.

If I had any junior to mid level recruiters on my team I would have had them attend for sure as I think Geoffrey hit on the basics to get people started and while we were pushing time at the end, he was able to highlight a couple of advanced tips at the end. And like most speakers, was willing to take questions and conversations offline.

So you ask who are the free webinars good for? I say everyone on the recruiting and sourcing team who is using the tool or is wanting to check it out for the future. Now there might be an emphasis on those you don't consider senior or don't use the tools as much as someone else, so determine who really needs it if everyone cannot attend.

Or pick a select one or two that can participate in it and then present it to the group. Most of the webinars either provide the slides or at least some cheat sheets or short list the need to know info for attendees to use.

Again I would like to thank everyone in 2008 who has put on a free webinar. Thank you for pulling the presentation together and taking the time to share your experience and knowledge.

As the saying goes, Knowledge is Power!

Have a good weekend, BR

http://www.linkedin.com/myprofile?trk=hb_side_pro