Social Media – the Good and the Bad within Recruitment

If you were going to compare the present day to 15 years ago, it’s amazing how much has changed in the world of technology. With the demands of a working day changing, on days when I have been travelling my train our down to HQ from Scotland, you will see many professionals checking emails on phones whilst travelling, or working on laptops to start or finish that project so they have less to do when they get home. If not working, then many are on phones checking their many social media profiles for updates on their followings, uploading a photo or status, or using it to search for a new role. 12% of job seekers will look at company social media networks as a starting point within their job seeking, and 94% of job seekers are happy for recruiters to contact them though these site with career opportunities.

Social media’s appeal has grown dramatically over the years with 92% of companies using one or multiple platforms for recruitment purposes. LinkedIn was found to be the most popular (93%) and is a key source when it comes to professional networking – a popular tool within recruitment agencies. This is followed by Facebook (66%) and Twitter in third (54%) both used as more of a marketing and promotional activities.  The advantages of using these platforms speak for themselves – you can tap into potential candidates who may not have been thinking about leaving their current role but could be open to change, you can target your adverts to the right group of  people and it doesn’t cost you anything unless you set up campaigns or Pay Per click advertising. But is it now taking over? 3 in 4 hiring managers and recruiters will search and check a candidates social profiles, with 1 in 3 hiring managers rejecting a candidate purely based on finding something on a profile that they have not liked. This works the other way, with 67% of job seekers using social media as a research tool to gain an insight into the company and its culture, and if they are not liking what they see, this could be a factor into them turning down a job offer. Does this give a clear indication of the employee and the employer or have both missed an opportunity?

When it comes to using social media within your recruitment process, be smart in how you use it. Think about the other options that are available when it comes to finding potential candidates – recruitment agencies are still favoured by hiring managers over any other form of job advertising. If you are going to look at Social channels to check out a potential candidate be mindful that this will not reveal much into their professional skills and achievements, and remember that this works both ways, so ensure that all company profiles are reflecting the business in the way that you want them to.

If you would like Zenopa to help you find the solutions for your recruitment needs, we can help you with your business needs and requirments, and offer you a team of professionals who have specialised in recruiting within the Medical Devices, Pharmaceutical, Physics, Chemistry, Scientific, Dental, Service Engineering, Consumer, Laboratory, Healthcare Communications and Animal Health sectors.
If you would like to find out more about how we can assist you and your business, please call us on 01494 818 000, send us a message, or email enquiries@zenopa.com