As the world moves through the digital economy, talent acquisition is going through a massive change. New pools of talent are now accessible to agency and in-house recruiters thanks to the next generation of digital-technologies.

Networking and social media have become the new place where most of today’s recruitment takes place. 86% of working people used social media to look for jobs and research potential employer in the first decade of their career. Its rapidly growing popularity has altered the way employers communicate and how they go about with recruitment.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), more than one third of companies have started targeting smartphone users for recruitment and 84% are using social media to do it.

To reach as many candidates as possible, companies used to recruit through traditional recruitment and branding methods which included running advertisements in magazines, billboards and TV. Additionally, they participated in job fairs and ran newspaper advertisements which would typically be more expensive.

Today, companies are taking advantage of social medias such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to run recruitment ads. LinkedIn has grown from 78 million to over 400 million members in the past 5 years and encourages professionals to connect, share business news and information. It has now become a part of a cultural shift by being a dominant feature for vacancies and searching for new jobs. CV’s alone are no longer considered enough to qualify candidates.

Its features can enhance candidate applications and prove they are very much submerged in their specific industry.

New generation of Workers

Most of the workforce now are millennials. When they find a company whose online presence and culture is attractive, they are more likely to respond to openings within those organisations. So, companies are appealing to the most motivated and youngest group in the workforce by having a strong social media presence.

A study by Development Dimensions International in 2016 found managers and executives that used it to promote the company culture and brand awareness, had an increase in sales and much more talented pool of employment candidates when they need to fill vacant positions.

Additionally, social media benefits the company because the people they are trying to attract have access to the company’s body of work. With websites like Glassdoor, personal blogs or their own social media pages, it can add credibility to the company and reinforce its culture. Allowing prospective employees to have an inside look at the company culture, values and benefits from the people who have worked there or are currently working there. Thus, permitting candidates who feel they are an appropriate fit to apply based on their beliefs and needs which helps business’ avoid candidates who do not fit with the company.

Shortens Hiring Time

Putting up a job on social media can increase candidate applications by 30% to 50%, according to a white paper by iCIMS.  Recruiters look for a candidate’s online presence and professional networks to get a better understanding of the person. Thanks to direct messaging, it is now possible to communicate instantly with potential candidates. It cuts the time from sourcing from bigger and inefficient talent pools.

With that being said, social media is not replacing the recruitment process, it is only enhancing it and there is still a need for recruiting specialists.

David Mercier, Founder and Chairman of STRAMMER said, “Access to candidates seems easier than ever. If the candidate is so available, why use the services of an outside firm? Admittedly, if a company wants to copy and paste and filter the users of these networks by trade before meeting them, then internalisation is a good idea. However, when some groups are fed up with the “consanguinity” of the candidates they meet, it can get complicated”.

Companies cannot be competitive and defend their positions in the market by solely relying on social media, the access to resources and automation is everywhere. Talent acquisition and specific skill-sets that employees bring are what created the success of recruitment operations.

References

• Forbes. (https://www.forbes.com/sites/yec/2018/09/04/using-social-media-for-recruitment-and-retention/#1b7f2fb351ab). September 4, 2018. Emily Nhaissi. Using Social Media For Recruitment And Retention.
• The Balance Careers. (https://www.thebalancecareers.com/social-media-recruiting-1919153). December 17, 2018. Susan M. Heathfield. Using Social Media for Recruiting, Screening, and Background Checks.
• Post Beyond. (https://www.postbeyond.com/blog/6-social-media-recruiting-statistics/). September 18, 2018. Lauren Durfy. 6 Compelling Stats on the Recruitment and Social Media Connection.
• Forbes. (https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/11/21/smarter-hiring-starts-with-social-media-recruiting/#66d440984351). November 21, 2017. Kelly Ehlers. Smarter Hiring Starts With Social Media Recruiting.