Early this year, SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) released the results of their “Using Social Media for Talent Acquisition—Recruitment and Screening” survey.
The organization surveyed thousands of HR professionals specializing in recruitment to find out the latest trends.
The results? Not so surprising.
The number of employers using social media for both recruiting and screening is on the rise. Especially when you’ve got professional or executive recruitment needs!
Today we’d like to look into the recruiting aspects of this trend.
(If you’d like to learn more about social media screening – and how to minimize its legal risks! – read our past blog here.)
We put together an infographic based on SHRM’s findings. Check it out to see how the survey’s respondents are using social media for recruiting – and why some are not.
Then, keep reading – We’ll explain the pros and cons of the trend. And explain how you can truly leverage its Success. (Woot! Woot! Who doesn’t love the S word?)
Okay, enough chit chat. Let’s check out the results:
See, we weren’t lying: Social media use in recruitment is increasing.
And obviously, it’s being used for a reason. Social media recruitment has its benefits.
Pros of social media recruitment:
- Can help identify a larger pool of candidates (notably passive candidates)
- Can help company get ahead of the competition (particularly helpful with the current talent scarcity in the workforce)
- Can help connect with tech-savvy millennials, who will make up 50% of the workforce by 2020 (Better start thinking about that one!)
But it also has its disadvantages. Some of these concerns were voiced by the survey respondents who do not currently use social media. Let’s take a look:
Cons of social media recruitment:
- Concerns about legal risks
- Can take up a lot of staff time
- Concerns about accuracy of information
- HR staff may have a lack of expertise in the area (#4 reason respondents gave for not using)
- May not be effective; After all, effectiveness is only as good as the execution
So what does this mean for your company?
This is an exciting trend, but may not be for every company.
The decision depends on what is right for your company, your industry, and the positions you are looking to fill (level, payment, etc.).
Our recommendation:
If you do decide to take part in this trend or are currently doing so without much effectiveness, we recommend hiring a professional recruiter, experienced consultant, or a professional who specializes in recruiting or executive search.
Make sure the people you check out have proven experience and training to handle the job at hand.
Why? Because having a recruitment professional handle social media recruitment can help minimize the concerns and maximize your success- saving you time, money and unnecessary frustration.
Top notch recruiters know how to legally use social media for recruitment purposes, have the expertise, and can allow your HR staff more time to handle other aspects of your business.
Beyond that, they know how to leverage the use of social media recruitment beyond just the initial connection.
For example, what use is identifying potential candidates on LinkedIn if your staff doesn’t know how to legally interview, assess and vet them for positions at your company?
It is in this way that recruiters and specialized HR professionals can really leverage the use of social media recruitment and bring successful hires to your company.
Let’s recap. Here are the key takeaways:
- Social media is playing a significant role in recruiting.
- Benefits of use include: Identifying a larger pool of candidates (including passive candidates), getting ahead of your competition, & helping to connect with tech-savvy millennials
- Disadvantages of use include: Legal risks, amount of time it takes, accuracy concerns, concerns about effectiveness
- Social media is good for identifying and connecting with candidates, but the “real” recruiting comes after – assessing, interviewing, etc.
- We recommend working with a professional recruiter or HR professional who specializes in recruiting to truly leverage the success of these efforts. You can check out our firm’s offerings for professional recruiting services here.
