11 Academia Networks is a group of niche platforms hosting study, career and event opportunities in over 60 disciplines. Our users consist of 1 million+ students, job-seekers, professionals and academics, who rely on our tailor-made services to help them take their next ‘big step’.

As a human resources or student recruitment officer you are probably well aware of the power that networking offers for your professional life and your organization. Trade shows and conferences provide an ideal space for you to develop the activities of your institution, whether to build beneficial research-focused relationships, to gather ideas for new recruitment strategies, to find new partners for your institution, or actually to recruit students, academics and professionals.

In September the recruiting season gathers pace, a fact that candidates today know well. Last year, the number of people visiting the INOMICS job listing pages increased by 28% in the eight weeks from the start of July to late September. The rush increased even more in October, with a rise of 20% in just one month. Every institution has their own policies and guidelines for faculty hiring, but still there is a set of best practices which in many cases is applicable regardless. We explored examples of best practice for academic recruiting (before the interview stage) and put together a list of them to help INOMICS customers find the best match for their positions.

We asked 340 economists [in academia] which social networks they prefer to use and how. Based on our observations and years of experience with social media, we outline how institutions can use social networks for better communication.

For conference organizers, the benefits of a smart use of social media channels stretches far beyond just the promotion of their event. The challenge of tight budgets for (especially) academic events is well-known, and the process of building proper online platforms and hiring additional administrative staff is often difficult to afford. By allowing some strategic thought and investing a little time, however, social media can become an extremely cost- and time-effective way to build online presence, ease the registration process, communicate with participants, gather feedback, attract speakers and sponsors and collect and store digital materials for future use.