Proof of the evolution and impact of social media and social HR for recruiting is ubiquitous, and you shouldn’t expect its influence to decline anytime in the foreseeable future. We’re all guilty of leveraging social media in our personal lives to gauge more about a new acquaintance or someone we’ve fallen out of touch with. Make no mistake; according to Forbes, businesses have recognized the value of this practice. They’ve begun to turn to social HR in order to scope out potential job candidates and measure performance and aptitude of current employees.
This shouldn’t be new intelligence to any of us. What is news, on the other hand, is the extent to which organizations are using these social HR techniques, combined with recognition of the precise methods they’re employing. Businesses of all makes and molds are experimenting with new ways of attracting and discovering top talent, and many have seen incredible improvements in the overall quality of their hires. It’s been common knowledge for years that companies are using social media to investigate potential employees, but now there are ways to quantify or measure a person’s possession of certain qualities based on their use of social media outlets. A candidate’s LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ profile can provide insight into the person’s ability to communicate effectively and perceptively, or can show how engaged and knowledgeable the person is regarding his or her professional niche. On the whole, businesses have found that exploration of a person’s social media identity offers a more holistic view than an hour-long face-to-face interview might provide. After all, modern employers aren’t merely looking to fill positions; they’re looking for well-rounded talent to enhance and accelerate business rather than preserve it.
However, many companies aren’t simply using social media to learn more about current job applicants; they’re implementing solutions that provide intelligence about candidates that may be preparing to reenter the job market. By tracking changes and updates to social media bios or profiles, staffing and recruiting software can pinpoint people who could be preparing to search for new employment. This gives progressive headhunters a clear advantage when it comes to targeting ideal candidates who may be on the verge of actively job hunting but aren’t quite there yet.
Individuals have correspondingly begun to recognize the opportunities that a strong social media presence can deliver. Ambitious individuals are sharing unique and relevant information on social media platforms with higher frequency and, more importantly, they’re taking a position. Just as companies aim to spread content that is unique and thought-provoking, individuals are trying to establish themselves as creative and knowledgeable members of their industries using this same tactic. As recruiters search for top talent, these individuals are most likely to be visible.
The lesson to be learned is that staffing and recruitment solutions that neglect to incorporate social media analytics and social HR have fallen behind the times. Social media is an incredible tool for recruiters—one that facilitates discovery of talent and continually opens doors for new recruitment strategies. Staffing solutions such as AkkenCloud that leverage social media give recruiters the best chance at finding recruits before competitors are even cognizant of their existence.
