Why social media is important in recruitment process?
Social media is indeed very important player in recruitment process. There are now 3.484 billion active social media users around the world. This number represents 45% of the world’s population and an increase of 280 million since January 2018.This growth rate is likely to continue in 2019. In the last month 98% of internet users have visited or used a social network or messaging service.
During 2018 there was a 10% increase in the number of mobile social media users. Today, the number totals 3.256 billion people, which is 42% of the global population.
According to office for national statistics office, in the UK specifically, there are now 45 million social media users. This equates to 67% of the entire population. Of these, 39 million are mobile social media users. If you are not optimising your campaigns for mobile, then your content will not be having the desired effect. The UK is very much a mobile-first nation. Here are few of many reasons social media can help recruiters.
Reaching a crowd:
Narrowing your search based on social media criteria can make your recruitment job a lot easier. Facebook is well-known for allowing companies and prepaid advertisers to post their content based on people’s profiles, interests and times of day. Depending on the criteria you set and the frequency of your ads, you can gain a huge reach in numbers, whatever position you are looking to fill.
Background checks:
Checking your candidates’ social media profiles for more information on them is nothing new. Interviewers usually check the internet for their candidates in order to see if they have any longstanding professional recommendations, issues with friends or the law or even to look for any Google information about the candidates.
Social media can provide a huge insight into which your candidates actually are when they step through the door. Many candidates don’t feel the need to disclose any personal information on the interview and tend to keep things to them.
Recruitment on the go:
One of the best options that social media platforms give recruiters is the ability to live recruit new employees. Screening employees has never been so simple because of the possibilities that social media offers when interviews and testing are concerned.
All you have to do in theory is type a simple message to your candidate and wait for them to turn on their camera and start talking to you in a matter of moments. No long travels across the city or country, no need for complicated appointment times and best of all – no need for specialized recruitment offices. You can recruit new employees from anywhere in the world by using social media to interview them live over the internet.
Digital HR:
Social recruiting has a major advantage over traditional recruiting: it’s more human. Compared to the “post a job; wait for hundreds of resumes; let ATS filter through keywords; never get back to anyone” process many use today, social recruiting is a transparent, active approach where only the best candidates are sourced. In addition, recruiters can determine first impressions and cultural fit – even perform a bit of a background check – before approaching the candidate.
Reach Top Talent:
Social recruiting has made it possible to interact directly with job candidates. These days, the best candidates are easily found online – and recruiters can weed out job seekers who are not a match for the position in a simpler way. Use social media outlets to find recommendations from previous employers can save you time you might have spent contacting references and former employers.
Better conectivity:
In the traditional hiring process, it could be several rounds of resume reviews and phone screens before applicants and employers got to really connect on a personal level. Thanks to social media and video interviews, this connection is happening more instantaneously and with less time wasted. Now employers can see if a candidate will be a good match for the company sooner, helping both job seekers and hiring managers save valuable time and resources in the search for the perfect fit.
Viral Job posting:
The prime advantage of social recruiting vs. traditional recruiting is that social recruiting allows your job openings to have viral qualities. Viral qualities can include the language of your job description, the visuals you use, engaging or funny videos, and social connect ability features. You can’t use any of these tools with traditional recruiting – and why wouldn’t you want to?
Get to know applicants:
While social recruiting does have it’s challenges (it’s a legal compliance nightmare if done incorrectly), it helps you learn more about a person and their demeanour. Social recruiting lets you engage with candidates and assess not just their skills but their personality and ability to fit with the culture of your organization.
Find the talent you’re actually looking for:
Companies are increasingly using social recruiting to source candidates for employment, as well as to investigate applicants they are considering hiring. It’s important to be aware of how to use social media to recruit to discover candidates that have positioned themselves to be discovered. Social recruiting allows you to see how the candidate represents themselves and what companies they are connected with.
Relationship-Driven Connections:
Social recruiting supports the development and maintenance of relationships that can reach far beyond the immediate hiring need. By connecting and interacting with candidates through social channels, recruiters are able to create real connections and build relationships with interested individuals. You never know who may turn into a great new hire in the future!