Workplace of Choice

The way we recruit for new talent is changing day by day.  It used to be you’d place an ad in the local or regional paper and wait for resumes to flood the office.  Today, recruiters are using social media outlets to fill positions and social recruiting is fast becoming the most efficient and cost effective way to recruit.  Some of the benefits of social recruiting are:

• Reaching passive candidates – You’re not forced to wait for the candidates to find you; you can go searching for them.  Many social recruiting and networking sites allow recruiters to search for candidates based on experience, skills, and company experience. 
• Lower cost advertising over traditional methods – An advertisement on a site such as Monster or LinkedIn can be significantly cheaper than placing an ad in a print newspaper.  Additionally, these ads typically run for a longer period of time than traditional print and reach more candidates.
• Easier to update information and stay current – With the fluid nature of most websites, companies can update information as needed.  For example, if the requirements for the job change, it’s easy to update a posting with the new information.
• Establish and nurture relationships for future openings – Recruiting is more active, rather than passive.  Many social networking sites will allow you to connect and communicate with potential candidates.  By developing and nurturing these relationships before you have a need, when the need does arise, you’ll be ready to actively engage in recruiting discussions and won’t lose valuable time jumpstarting your recruiting.
• Good way to your own investigation on candidates – Social media sites allow for another way for you to check out a candidate and see if they are going to culturally fit with you organization.

It may seem daunting for a company that isn’t well versed in the use of social media to launch into using social media to aid in their recruiting efforts.  The first step is to update both your individual and company profile on appropriate sites.  In addition to your professional information, be sure these profiles reflect your latest recruitment efforts.  Social media is about establishing a presence and building relationships.  Even if you are not directly involved in recruiting, establishing a network will allow you to assist with the recruiting process by using those connections.  So, dive right in and begin to develop your online presence!