Citizen marketer Aaron Strout is carrying out an interesting experiment in social media recruiting as he seeks to fill two positions at Mzinga, a company that builds online communities (Necessary disclosure: I do some podcast production work for Mzinga, and the company also powers the message boards for Monster, my full-time employer).

Aaron is looking for a 1) “social media marking manager/senior social media marketing manager” and 2) “PR director (2.0 version)” for the Burlington, Massachusetts-based Mzinga, and he’s asking potential candidates to express their interest by a means other than submitting a traditional resume. Here are his rules:

• No resumes. At least not the kind written in MS Word.
• If you want to get me your background, do it in the “community way.” Either blog about why we should hire you or get me to your profile on LinkedIn (or your preferred social network).
• DON’T e-mail me. If you are a community-centric person, connect with me on Twitter or Facebook – you can DM me on Twitter or email me through Facebook.

Bravo, I say.

As someone who’s advocated for the adoption of the social media resume as a more representative reflection of someone’s online work and creativity, I’m all for companies who are willing to consider new approaches to finding the best talent.

Mzinga likes to preach the power of social media and the benefits of using tools such as blogs, Twitter, and Facebook to connect with customers and build community. It only makes sense, then, that Aaron and the company “start practicing what [they] preach” with their recruiting efforts.

Here’s hoping Aaron’s experiment proves successful. Watch for a follow-up report here and on Aaron’s blog,

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