The Future of Social Media Recruitment: Does the stats add up?

To many people like me, the future of recruitment is actually social media. There is also a great chance that the traditional CV will be replaced by the resources provided by the different social media sites (and they keep growing).

But, what of the statistics? Does it really add up? Are all industry watchers fully agreed on this? Are we witnessing the death of the traditional CV and the face-to-face job interviews we are so used to any time soon?

The reality is that there is a diversity of views with regards to the EFFECTIVENESS of social media in recruitment as well as the role it is expected to play in the future.

According to a survey by Robert Half posted by +Laura Chamberlain,

More than half (55%) of HR directors believe that social media platforms are an ineffective recruitment tool and a further 15% are unsure of their effectiveness, according to a survey by recruitment firm Robert Half.

HR directors were also found to be pessimistic about social media's potential to change recruitment processes in the future, with 63% saying that they believed profiles on social networking sites, such as LinkedIn, will not replace the traditional CV in the future.

While the majority were doubtful of the impact that social media could have on their recruitment processes, just under one-third (32%) of HR executives said that they used social networking sites to communicate with jobseekers, with a similar number (30%) saying that they use social media to find candidates.

In addition, 22% of the 200 HR directors surveyed for the report admitted to checking candidates' profiles on these sites as part of the recruitment process, despite warnings against the practice from lawyers and recruiters.

 Click on link below for more details:

http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/20/03/2012/58422/hr-directors-believe-social-media-is-ineffective-for-recruitment-survey-finds.htm


To some others, the traditional CV will be replaced by video CV. I strongly believe this is a more likely possibility given the added feature it presents to the recruiter. That a recruiter is able to place a 'face' on a CV is quite valuable and makes the hiring process faster. No doubt, a lot of recruiters will still like to 'see' the candidate they are hiring before signing the dotted lines.

And wait for this! Google and Facebook to disappear entirely? See below link.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericjackson/2012/04/30/heres-why-google-and-facebook-might-completely-disappear-in-the-next-5-years/


My take is that whatever position you hold, it is best to take full advantage of technology as long as it suits your business. No two organisations are the same.

What do you think? Your comments are welcome.

The Impact of Social Media and Mobile Technology on Recruitment

As most of us may already be aware, activities of social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter have become a part of our every day routine. Whether in the workplace, school, home or even places of worship, we cannot but appreciate the impact it has made. There is hardly any serious organisation that hopes to reach the wider community that does not have an account with one of these sites. Such has been the impact that members now plan and advertise their meetings, parties and all sorts meet-ups there. We can still remember the impact of mobile tech (BBM) on the recent Arab Spring uprising  - particularly in Egypt.

How do we feel any time we forget to take our mobile phones along? I may not be alone here but I am beginning to form the habit of taking my mobile phone with me when going for a shower simply because I do not want to miss that 'all important call'?  This would have been unthinkable a few years back..

The recruitment industry appear to be facing a similar challenge and this is bound to affect how people go about their job search as well.  Have a read of the press release by The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) on how social media and mobile tech  will revolutionise the recruitment industry via link below.

http://www.rec.uk.com/press/news/2265

REC is the professional body for the recruitment industry and represents corporate members and individual members within IRP (Institute of Recruitment Professionals')

The significance and impact of social media and mobile tech is evolving and it will be fairly difficult for anyone to predict the full impact. We cam can only watch it unfold. It is however best to plan ahead (whether as an individual or a corporate body) and avoid being caught 'off-guard' like a number of companies without online internet presence are beginning to realise.

Your comments to this post is welcome.

Well, it went very well!

How many times do we come out of an interview room or a video interview and we go 'Well! Well! Well!, I suppose it went very well' when friends ask us 'how did it go'? We honestly thought it to be so but it turns out we did not make it. How did you feel? Just don't mention it did you say?. I have been in this situation a number of times in the past (I guess some of you may have as well at some point). Generally, recruiters are expected to be polite at interviews and even when you appear to be talking rubbish, you may not be prompted. This is why it is best to stick to the question and avoid going into an 'overdrive' as explained in the video.

I have also been in situations, when conducting an interview and the interviewee gives the impression he knows it all. How did I come to this conclusion? We are sometimes given away by our body language, facial expression, tone of voice and general mannerism. These are habits we must avoid or at least downplay if we are to be successful at interviews. That said, we must be assertive and show we are in familiar territory. Take a few minutes and watch this video.

 Furthermore, be sure your social media activities are structured or organised in such a way to aid your job search. Be aware that a lot of recruiters now 'crawl' social media sites - Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and the rest. It is great to have a significant presence in social media but best if your activities are such that recruiters and employers will view them as positive.

Finally, do not be discouraged if 'Well, it went ok' turns out to be the reverse. Keep going. Ask for feedback, go through your mistakes and be better prepared the next time an opportunity comes your way. Best of luck.