I have been completing some research recently into recruiting via Social Networking sites and I reached the conclusion that for most organisations, Social Networking mediums are definitely a secondary recruitment method…So what do I mean by secondary recruitment method?
Why is there such media attention on these new recruitment methods?
Why are organisations not able to utilise the full potential of many of these networks now?
And can I go back to how I have recruited for the last 10 years and ignore these new mediums?
These are all questions that have been actively debated in our office. I am going to try and answer the first two questions in this article and cover the next two in a few days time.
So what do I mean by secondary recruitment method?
Primary internet recruitment methods would currently include, job boards, corporate careers sites and online CV databases. These are primary methods because they are responsible for most of the hires that come from the organisation’s internet recruitment program. In my experience, and from a straw poll of about 40 people I have spoken with so far, social recruiting is not yet making a significant impact. Only two organisations (both niche software companies) suggested they were recruiting extensively via headhunting on Linkedin.
Why is there such media attention on these new recruitment methods?
Well firstly, there is massive potential. Facebook has 250m users globally. Linkedin has over 40m users. Most Recruiters primary problem of “sourcing the talent” would be solved if it was easy to filter through this information and locate relevant people. As I will cover in my second post though, your ability to recruit just via these two mediums can vary greatly.
Secondly, the media love something new, they jump on wacky stories about the internet such as this one or about how people have lost a job via Facebook. They will bang on about the latest survey that shows X % of people will look to use their social network when looking for a job. This can work, and I’m not disputing the potential of your network to help you find your next position, but this has been happening for centuries. Social networks just make the process easier. It is an evolution not a revolution in recruitment terms.
I am a fan of social networks, particularly Linkedin (which I recruit via extensively) and I believe the revolution might be coming. It just isn’t here yet. On my next post I will answer the remaining two questions:
Why are organisations not able to utilise the full potential of many of these networks now?
And
Can I go back to how I have recruited for the last 10 years and ignore these new mediums?
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