The use of social media amongst teenagers worldwide is prolific and while its value within the corporate world remains questionable to some, its use within the recruitment space is reaching epidemic proportions. Since January, G4S has reported a rise in the number of click throughs from its Facebook site to the careers site, totaling 100,000. Of those 100,000, the security firm has received 11,000 job applications. This clearly demonstrates the power of social recruiting and while companies like G4S are recognising the value of social media as a recruitment tool, most recruiters are also harnessing social media to some advantage.
At its most basic level, recruiters are using LinkedIn to identify and contact candidates regarding vacancies. However, this is often conducted via a blanket approach, which is easily spotted by candidates and deters further interest.
The key to successful social media recruitment is personalised engagement. Those recruiters who insist upon following thousands of potential candidates, in the hope they will follow back, or push out generic information across Facebook and LinkedIn, risk becoming a nuisance to the most relevant candidates.
By its nature, social media is a less formal channel of interaction than the traditional recruitment process, offering recruiters insight into each candidate on a more personal level. By investing time to identify an individual’s likes and needs through social media, recruiters are able to present both candidates and businesses with the most suitable opportunities.
Furthermore, additional effort to retweet relevant candidate tweets, share useful information or suggest people to follow that reflect that person’s requirements will encourage a dialogue and ultimately interest the most suitable candidates.
It is through this targeted, personalised approach to social media that recruiters differentiate themselves and become more effective, resulting in successful placements and recommendations. Social media is a valuable tool that recruiters cannot afford to neglect, but treat it as a generic tool and you are likely to see limited value.
