by Guest blogger, Will Boney.Social media is a phenomenon that has rapidly percolated the English language and culture. But what will its real impact be on recruitment? Another revolution, or just a fad with a short shelf life?
Let's start with the advantages of utilising social media in recruitment. Firstly, it is more efficient. Organisations can use social media to find potential recruits much more easily by advertising vacancies and searching for recruits on LinkedIn, for example. However, LinkedIn and other social media applications can be used as much more than just a job posting site. Indeed, social recruiting can be used to increase effectiveness and forge new and deeper relationships between employees and employers. Rather than simply recruiting the person with the best-looking CV, social media can help a recruiter learn more about the candidate's personality and whether that person is the best fit for the company.
Technology is essentially being used to provide better quality links to potential employees and developing and maintaining relationships which can be tapped into at a later date. Social media is also being used to rate and compare employees, determine cultural fit and extend internal initiatives, like the referral scheme, to an external audience and more and more companies are now using it to compliment their hiring process.
It is interesting then, that despite the number of employers who screen a candidates' online profile, how many job seekers continue to make mistakes or fail to clean up their profiles, particularly at a time in the market that is so competitive.
A difficult dilemma
While social networks are undoubtedly here to stay - whether they become a more central part to the hiring process or not is yet to be proved. Either way, they are a resource that needs to be handled with care, using common sense and appropriate practices to avoid legal entanglements.
While the practice of using social networking sites to help screen candidates is littered with legal dangers there is nothing wrong with rejecting a candidate due to personal characteristics. However, if this information is obtained through a social network it is impossible to ensure whether all the information uncovered will be job-relevant.
In my opinion, the best employers and employees will stay on top of the evolving trends because social media is reshaping our business and having leading-edge technology is crucial. But it is also important to remember that the real value provided by quality recruiters will never be replaced. Screening, evaluating, persuading, assessing, negotiating, advising, consulting and acting as an advocate for employers will always have tremendous value. Bad recruiters will use technology to avoid connecting personally with talent, when in fact the real advantage of technology is to get much closer to many more quality candidates.
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