Recruiting top talent has always been a challenge. But with new social recruiting tactics, many companies are turning to online communities and platforms to source candidates quicker and easier.
What is the best advantage social recruiting has over traditional recruiting?
1. Making Human Resources Human Again, Digitally:
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.
— Mark Babbitt, YouTern
2. Ability to Connect with Top Talent Now
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.
— Sudy Bharadwaj, Jackalope Jobs
3. Leads to Better Connections Faster
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.
— Josh Tolan, Spark Hire
4. Make Your Job Openings Go Viral
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 connectability features. You can’t use any of these tools with traditional recruiting — and why wouldn’t you want to?
— Rob Kelly, Ongig
5. Helps You Get to Know More About the Candidate Than Just What’s on Paper
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 demeanor. 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.
— Joey Price, Jumpstart:HR
6. Discovering Candidates Who Want to Be Discovered
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.
— Elizabeth Moffitt, Christopher Quinn Group
7. Allows Recruiters to Connect With Talent in a More Informal, Engaging Manner
Social recruiting allows talent acquisition professionals to engage with a community of talent in a more informal, engaging manner versus “We’re hiring, you’re great, let’s talk.” Ultimately, what we’re trying to do is initiate a dialogue and information exchange with people — and social channels are an excellent way for this to happen.
— Larry Jacobson, Vistaprint
8. 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!
— Dave Tighe, Head2Head
9. Availability of Relevant Candidate Data
The combination of the quantity and quality of relevant candidate data in social networks is a game changer. Social connections are now mapped out in a way that makes it possible for employers to supercharge the referral process like never before. Employees don’t have to conjure up candidates – social networks can present quality referrals with a single click.
— Ziv Eliraz, Zao
