The Social Recruitment Revolution: Resourcing Matters works with different partners to effect a total recruitment solution – Lis Wilson is a Director of HR Connexions who specialise in providing online recruitment solutions. The Social Recruitment Revolution: What Employers Need to Know! Lis Wilson 01/02/10 The UK online recruitment market is estimated to be worth nearly £400m per annum, however due to the complex array of services it is not surprising that many HR Managers and business owners do not know where to start. What is Social Media / Social Recruiting? For many years, job boards have been the predominate online recruitment tool, yet as increasing numbers of active and passive job seekers are using social media as part of their every day communication, recruiters are now able to use social media platforms as a way to attract and engage with talent. There are some well known social websites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube but all online networks that offer a place for people to connect such as niche forums, bookmarks, websites and mobile platforms can be put into the Social Media mix. Which site? It is important to consider the market you are trying to target and certain sites will be more appropriate than others. Some of the most popular sites that employers should be aware of include: In a poll conducted by HR Connexions, the findings suggest that 80% of recruiters feel that LinkedIn is the best social media for recruitment. Although not initially designed as a recruitment tool, according to Hitwise.com, LinkedIn is the UK’s second most popular website for recruitment. It is probably the most advanced social networking site for recruitment too. The site has a traditional job posting facility and the ability to post jobs free of charge in groups. As it is seen as a professional networking site (and the biggest), individuals are keen to post their CV’s, references and connections for all to see, making it a great site to proactively search and engage. Success of this site as a recruitment tool is still in virgin territory. However, with ongoing developments in applications such as TwitJobSearch, the site is quickly gaining momentum. The community has grown by 1382% in the last 12 months, so it is one to keep an eye on. Essentially it allows the employer to post their vacancies by “tweeting” vacancies to their followers, but from a wider perspective the possibilities are endless. Amongst other things, it can allow for immediate communication and engagement with job seekers and very quickly (and globally) promote your brand. Google are working closely with social networks and the latest developments index real time (or twitter) search results so this can be a great and free way to get your vacancies to the top of Google. This is used in a similar way to that of LinkedIn. Because the site is more “social” than “professional” many users are more secretive about their profiles so people can be harder to find when using it to source. It has the ability to set up groups and pages which is a great way to build communities and post vacancies for your company and brand. A large percentage of graduates are highly active on this site, so for graduate campaigns, this could work very well. The Future Social media sites are growing in popularity and their use as a recruitment tool is still being developed and will continue to do so. But what does it all mean for the busy HR Manager? Recruitment Agencies have been the consistent source of applicants for many hiring organisations, however as more corporate organisations link their HR strategy online with their marketing departments, we are seeing a big shift towards a more direct hiring approach and employer brand promotion. For the smaller companies who have very little resource, this presents either a threat or an opportunity if they are to stay ahead of the competition for top talent. Because the shift is relatively new, Recruitment Agencies are only just exploring social media, which puts the employer in a unique position of knowing more than the industry for once. So, for any organisation who wants to retain control, promote their brand, engage with talent and reduce their recruitment costs, this could present an amazing opportunity to finally get a-head of the game. HR Connexions are first choice specialists in Online Resourcing, providing dedicated outsourced support for companies of 2–4,000 staff across the UK. For more details please visit our website or contact 0113 258 4440 or email lis@hrconnexions.co.uk |
