Social media in recruitment - Essay Example

Social Media in Recruitment Introduction Hiring and recruitment has changed over the years, going from a simple, face-to-face experience to faceless and more interactive processes (Brown, 2011:19). Central to this change has been social media, which has transformed the recruitment process into a technological affair that requires employers and employees to be familiar with social media usage. Organisations have recognised the convenient and cheap aspect of social media recruiting, and are taking advantage of the opportunity.

Likewise, job seekers have developed an affinity for social media on an unprecedented scale. Definition of Social Media RecruitmentFor organizations, social media recruitment involves the application of social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook to hire new staff. For job seekers, social media recruitment also involves the use of social media tools, but to find employment (Hegebarth, 2012:34). Overall, social media means harnessing the power of social media to identify and exploit opportunities in the employment industry.

Unlike traditional methods of recruitment, social media introduces a new dynamic that involves virtual interaction. With social media, employers and prospective employees do not have to meet physically until the signing of contracts. This is a marked change when compared to traditional techniques in which physical contact was compulsory (Paik & Navarre-Jackson, 2011:479). Ernst & Young is an example of a company that is using social media to facilitate recruitment. The company has built an employer brand on social networks and successfully positioned itself as the premier place to work.

It also uses social media like Skype to conduct interviews for job seekers. Finally, the firm uses its social media presence to update job seekers on latest trends in job searching.Job Seekers and Social MediaJob seekers are probably the biggest beneficiaries of social media. Over the years, they have learnt to exploit the power of social media in their quest to find the right employer (Brown & Swain, 2009:45). Currently, job seekers submit CVs online and interact with companies that have a social media presence.

Job seekers take time to monitor pages and handles of companies with a social media presence to get updates on job recruitment, new opportunities, and industry status. It is now common for job seekers to hear about vacancies on social media and then apply, get interviewed (on social media) and start working. Another often underrated use of social media among job seekers is in learning how to conduct themselves in interviews. Of course there are other sources of this information in print media and people, but when a job seeker is looking for fast information or tutorials then social media is the place to go.

YouTube, for instance, has plenty of helpful tutorials on how job seekers can adopt new techniques and what to do when being interviewed or signing contracts. With social media the list of possibilities is endless (Joos, 2008:53). Future Potential of Social Media in RecruitmentIt is possible that in the near future employers might start using social media to analyze job seekers’ conduct to determine whether they are the right people or not (Ollington & Gibb, 2012:12)). With the development of tools like Google Analytics, companies can monitor their application of social media in recruitment and determine whether it is effective or not.

Prospective employees’ conversations can be analyzed to gauge their personality and abilities. On the other hand, job seekers can use social media software to measure the impact of different companies on social media and know which ones represent the best potential workplaces (Aitchison, 2007:193)).ReferencesAitchison, S. (2007) ‘New graduates as a recruitment strategy: A team preceptorship model to support nine graduates,’ Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 192-193.Brown, J.N.

& Swain, A. (2009) The Professional Recruiters Handbook Delivering Excellence in Recruitment Practice, Kogan Page, London.Brown, J.N. (2011) The Complete Guide to Recruitment a Step-by-Step Approach to Selecting, Assessing and Hiring the Right People, Kogan Page, Philadelphia, PA.Hegebarth, K. (2012) ‘Hiring optimisation: Measuring the Effectiveness of Hiring Tools on Operational Performance,’ Employment Relations Today, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 31-36.Joos, J.G. (2008) ‘Social Media: New Frontiers In Hiring And Recruiting,’ Employment Relations Today, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 51-59.Ollington, N.

& Gibb, J. (2012) Online Social networks: an Emergent Recruitment Strategy, Dept. of Strategy and Human Resource Management, University of Waikato, Hamilton, N.Z.Paik, A. & Navarre-Jackson, L. (2011) ‘Social Networks, Recruitment, and Volunteering: Are Social Capital Effects Conditional on Recruitment?’ Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 476-496.